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Rotating Arcade Game Control Set-Up Exposed

Posted by simoniker on from the round-and-round-and-round dept.

Ant writes "Over at the 1UpArcade site they've been making a rotating game controller, including a normal arcade stick, as well as '...a 3" trackball, a Discs Of Tron-style up/down spinner, and two 8-way trigger joysticks.. [and] a genuine Star Wars yoke', all in the same arcade cabinet." Other interesting projects on the page include replacement joystick handles for 'Tron' and hacking a Crayola Kidsball into a MAME cabinet as a trackball.

13 of 27 comments (clear)

  1. Pointless by bigman2003 · · Score: 1, Troll

    Assuming that this remains the first post-

    None of my brethren (all of you) have posted ahead of me because when they click on the article (the few that might) they see the most ridiculous contraption imaginable.

    The project could have been done with super-glue, joysticks, and a bingo ball spinner.

    I don't like being negative (bad for your karma) but this one really is pointless.

    --
    No reason to lie.
    1. Re:Pointless by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      so? it was probably done with joysticks, super-glue and a bingo ball spinner.

      what's the use for it? mame cabinet control panel. why a rotating one? why the need for so many different controllers? because there's so many different games that need different controllers. it's either one multi use one controller, or interchangeable controllers, or a rotating one like this you have to do when you're doing a cabinet(most go just with 8 and 4 way sticks and buttons and don't bother with the more excotic controllers).

      however, it's very clear that it's an unfinished project at this stage(the cabinet itself is missing for example).

      there's not too many posts about it because there's not too much to say about it.

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      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    2. Re:Pointless by enrico_suave · · Score: 1

      Where are my mod points when I need them...

      Nice troll... *shakes head*

      If you are looking at the prototype... it is well.. a prototype duh... the finished rotating control panel has much more spit and polish if you'd taken the time to look around a bit (why the submitter linked to that section of the site is beyond me instead of the finished pics of the full cabinet). But I guess you were too busy trying to FP on a games.slashdot.org article to bother actually looking further into the site, eh cpt curmudgen?

      And BTW, where's your cabinet?

      e.

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    3. Re:Pointless by NipsMG · · Score: 1

      Wow...

      First of all.. -- Where's your cabinet?

      Second of all, if you took the time to see the finished cabinet, You'd see how ideal the rotating panel really is. (HINT: Did you read the words Prototype on the linked page? Click on the Home button on the toolbar.. No wait.. I'll help you out. Click Here: HOME)

      I've been working on a cabinet, and i'm going to have to use swappable control panels to get all the controls I want, which royally sucks (Where am I going to store the panels while not is use?). 1Up's rotating control panel is amazing, and took a lot of hard work.. Don't like it? Come up with something better.

      Damn trolls..

  2. I disagree... by Spoing · · Score: 1
    The rotating controls are one way of getting the right control for each game, and it looks like it's low-hassle for those playing a game. I can't say I've seen it anywhere else...so cudos to anyone with enough inventiveness to dream it up.

    The other ways are to make 1 set of controls with as many buttons/dials/joysticks as possible (this is typical), or make a drop-in module that is specific to each type of game (I've not seen this yet, though I think it's obvious).

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  3. My plans by WTFmonkey · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I'm planning on building a mame cab as soon as I can clear some room in the garage for a tablesaw. I think my plan (unpatented, which I now share with the world out of the goodness of my heart) is a little more elegant.

    It assumes that all input devices can be mapped to one input cable, I haven't done the reserach yet. But basically, it works like this:

    The buttons (probably 6 of them, Street Fighter style) stay where they are. Want to play Street Fighter? Drop the joystick box in the control panel and play. Want to play Centipede? Drop the spinner ball box into the control panel. I want to support four players (for games liek TMNT) so having that godawful big rotating contraption is out. I also want it to look like furniture, not something Sanford & Son built.

    So you know all the wasted space in the body of a (mame--the real cabs have guts) cabinet? I'm envisioning that as a cupboard that has 6 or 8 different style control boxes in it, any of which can be dropped into the slot at any time.

    I know, there are problems here (some are analog, some are optical; are they able to be hot-swapped; can all of the interfaces be mapped to one input line, etc.) but I'm working on it. If there's interest I'll post a design drawing somewhere sometime, then let the y'all critique it.

    Regards.

    1. Re:My plans by Condor7 · · Score: 1



      This is an excellent idea. If I had any shred of skill in this area, I would be doing something similar myself.

      One thing you might want to consider is having a button box instead of leaving them in one place. I remember a lot of games had buttons on both sides of the joystick, so people could play left- or right-handed. I use my right had for the joystick, which makes pretty much every arcade control pad I've seen worthless to me.

      You also might want to check out MameWorld, if you haven't already. They have several discussion forums dedicated to Mame cabs and arcade hardware.

    2. Re:My plans by enrico_suave · · Score: 1

      besides mameworld... there's the venerable
      ArcadeControls.com with it's excellent community forum/msg board

      *shrug*

      e

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  4. i don't think its unfinished. by fireduck · · Score: 2, Insightful

    this site has been mentioned before (it was even slashdotted previously.)

    However, in regards to it being an unfinished product, the page linked in the story goes to the prototype page, which indeed is unfinished. However, going to the rotating control panels page, shows what looks like a fully operational rotating control panel mame cabinet. He's done with it, in terms of getting it to work. It just looks like he wants to tweak it and add a set of removable controls to one of the sides so he can play Terminaotr 2.

    This guy has serious skill. There's even a section where he describes how to destroy current game controllers (like a sidewinder) and reincarnate them as 80s classic controllers.

  5. Nicely done. by WTFmonkey · · Score: 1
    Um, did you miss something? That's the point... not to look like an arcade game. Maybe when we remodel this joint I'll have a game room designed in. Until then (and probably even then), furniture is made of wood. Couches and chairs and such get upholstery, of course, but it's all made out of wood (no, MDF does not count).

    Carved hardwood tacky? Compared to MDF with a piece of plastic ironed on to it? How is that not Fred Sanford?? "I'm jess goan iron this goddamm piece a yella plastic onta that there piece a particul bord, make 'er purty." You shop at Ikea, don't you?

    That's better, though! Good points: you got a link on slashdot, I didn't. Your have the respect of hundreds of anonymous people, I don't. Way to stop whining, stand up for yourself, and prove your point! You probably could have turned that rather hissy "I just don't like folks that..." clause into something more personal rather than softening the comment by impersonalizing it. But, progress is progress, so I'll take what I can get. We'll grow you a pair yet!

    1. Re:Nicely done. by WTFmonkey · · Score: 1
      I believe I acknowledged that you made a good point. I can do it again, if it'll make you feel better.

      Okay, I can comprehend (if not understand) personal preference. Classes aren't quite so tedious today, so I'm not quite in such a pissy mood.

      BTW, you can say, "shit," and "ass."

      Hm, you could be right. Let's examine the options:

      1. I'm 14, insecure, have emotional problems and enjoy taking my teenage angst out on others, here on Slashdot where I consider myself to be superior and 1337 in every way.
      2. I'm completely average, but not much of a dick in real life, so I enjoy the chance to be one in an anonymous setting, where the strength of my real-world social structure guarantees that the opinions of anonymous people on the internet mean far less than nothing to me. It's fun.
      3. I stop by the labs at SDSU to check my email now and then, and trolling slashdot entertains me. Hook, line, and sinker, by the way.
      *shrug*
      I'll let you decide.
    2. Re:Nicely done. by NitroWolf · · Score: 1

      I'm gonna have to go with option number 1, Monty!

      WTFMonkey, get over it... you look like a 'tard. Suck it up and move on, man!

      1UP's cab looks pretty good and is a cool concept. If you don't like it, fine... but saying it's something from Sanford and Sons is totally ridiculous and is a blatantly obvious attempt to deride someone elses work for no better reason that some sort of twisted inferiority complex on your part.

      Move along before you make yourself look even more stupid.

  6. Re:No, he saw MINE first! by Peale · · Score: 1

    Howdy, 1UP!

    It's typical /. fashion. No one reads the articles. They skim.