Supergun for a non fighting game fan?

[Anthony1]

I'm very intrigued at the thought of possibly acquiring a Supergun. But I know that most people get Supergun's because they are hardcore fighting game fans, and they want to play the real deal. I'm not really a fighting game fan at all, so should I still be interested in a Supergun?


When it comes to action type games, what kind of games can a Supergun owner turn to?

[AB Positive]

If you like Shmups, you'd be ok with a supergun... as for action? Hmmm...

What do you mean by 'action' exactly?

-AB+

[Anthony1]

If you like Shmups, you'd be ok with a supergun... as for action? Hmmm...

What do you mean by 'action' exactly?

-AB+


Well, that's the thing. I honestly don't know what kind of games you can play with a Supergun. Obviously it would make sense to make sure I could play Neo-Geo MVS games, because then that would be a much cheaper route to certain Neo-Geo games. But in regards to the arcade Jamma games, I really don't know what games would work on this thing and what wouldn't. I'm most interested in games from the 1988 to 1995 or so era, and I'm not sure what games from that type of era would work and what you need for them to work.


For example, what about a game like Final Fight. The original Final Fight? I think it would be cool to play the real arcade version. Or the original Arcade version of Strider or stuff like that? I don't know, I'm just throwing names out there, because I don't really know much about what you can play on a Supergun. I'm just not much of a big fighting game fan, and I know that is why most people get Superguns. But I'm a big Shooter fan, and action game fan. I like side scrolling type action games, stuff like that. Stuff like Cyber-Lip for the Geo or Magician Lord, thats what I mean by action games, of course I can play those on my AES, so I would be interested in other action games from the arcade.

[jajaja]

I got a Super Gun and im not really a fighting fan (if you mean games like Street Fighter, 1 VS 1). I bought it so i can play MVS games :)

[XYXZYZ]

I got a Super Gun and im not really a fighting fan (if you mean games like Street Fighter, 1 VS 1). I bought it so i can play MVS games :)

But... Neo Geo games are 99% fighting games...

Anyway, I too am interested in a Supergun. I'd get it for things like SF2CE, Golden Axe, Double Dragon, etc. But there are lots of things keeping me from going that direction; I don't like it cosmetically for one thing. I hate the idea of a big intrusive circuit board just sitting out there like that while I play a game. I thought about using one of those NES "Video game center" cases for housing, maybe I can set the board in there and keep the lid down. But I don't know if the boards will be too big or not.

Another thing that scares me away is I'm always reading about things like boards dying, I've heard of Sega boards needing special ROMs replaced, that were kept warm by a battery or something. I also get the idea that arcade boards can be somewhat unreliable and need troubleshooting for faulty components now and then.

Also, if I'm going to play arcade games, I want them to be in a cabinet. If I want to go MVS with the Neo Geo, I want an MVS 25 4-slot cabinet... having all the guts laying out there on a table seems too awkward to me.

But still, I may get one just for fun... I'd like to go with that MAS Supernova, just because the joysticks are really cool.

[jajaja]

I got a Super Gun and im not really a fighting fan (if you mean games like Street Fighter, 1 VS 1). I bought it so i can play MVS games :)

But... Neo Geo games are 99% fighting games...

I know Neo Geo have alot of 1 vs 1 fighting games, but far from 99%. I have 19 Neo Geo games (7 are AES) and 37% is 1 vs 1 fighting games. Rest are shooters, sidescrollers, sports and puzzle stuff.

[Darren870]

But... Neo Geo games are 99% fighting games...


You have obv not explored the neo geo scene if you think that 99% of them are fighting.

I have a supergun, you can play pretty much everything that doesn't need a gun or a steering wheel to play it.

Here is my story when it comes to arcade hardware:

I started off with an AES about 4 years ago, great system as everyone knows. Completed a few sets (KOF, SS, AOF) but it just became to much money. I really wanted some high end games that mean it be the only game i could get like that month.

I was looking into super guns for a while, even got to the point where I was about to ask D-Lite to build me one. The day before I did I found one in a thrift store. Great price at $100 with 2 controllers and 3 jamma boards. So I decided to get rid of my AES games and go MVS and get some Jamma boards on the way.

Started doing this and realized I had some extra cash so I decided to buy a candy cab. I wired it for Neo Geo games Only. No jamma games or other arcade games. Neo is in stereo, most others are in mono.

Right now all I do is play on my cab, I dont think its my time to get into anything else but Neo Games. Down the road yea, but not now. Arcade boards take up a lot of room and you need to have the time and care for them. You cant just throw em around like NES carts.

A supergun is great for old acrade games, even if its not jamma, you can get a finger board attached to most games to make it jamma. Such as ghouls and ghosts etc. Some games go up there in price though, like the simpsons and stuff and you can only play 2 players.

Oh and all the jamma boards I own are not fighting ones, there are A LOT of games you can get into. Not only just Jamma boards but STV stuff, CPS stuff, PGM stuff. You are looking at the largest library of games.

[Darren870]

But still, I may get one just for fun... I'd like to go with that MAS Supernova, just because the joysticks are really cool.

Just get the sticks from them, dont get the actual supergun. It is not wired for a lot of stuff.

[Flack]

But I know that most people get Supergun's because they are hardcore fighting game fans, and they want to play the real deal. I'm not really a fighting game fan at all, so should I still be interested in a Supergun?
Where on earth do you get your made up facts from? Superguns are for people who want to play arcade games at home on a real television. If you want to play JAMMA boards in your house, then you should be interested in getting one.

I'm going to try and sell mine at OVGE this year. If it doesn't sell there I'll be putting it for sale online here.

[ClubNinja]

I'm going to try and sell mine at OVGE this year. If it doesn't sell there I'll be putting it for sale online here.

Is that the sexy one?

[Guyver03]

I'm going to throw my hat in the ring here and try to answer some stuff for you. I appreciate the discussions, but I don't think anyone is actually answering your questions, so I'm going to try.

1) JAMMA - It stands for Japan Arcade Machine Manufacturers' Association. It's a group that attempted to help standardize arcade game architecture in the early 80's. Hence, if you have a JAMMA board, it means it's plug and play into any JAMMA style cabinet, save the button layout. This is what the Super Gun it built for. To play almost all JAMMA style games with ease.

1a) JAMMA+ - If you see this, it's nothing special. The JAMMA standard only allowed (I think) 3 buttons per player. If you see JAMMA+, that just means that it requires extra buttons. Super Guns are built to accomodate this as well.

2) CPS I - Final Fight's board style is called CPS I. It's just a standardized way Capcom made arcade boards for while. Final Fight is this style of board and yes, this is fully playable on a Super Gun.

CPS I action games: Captain Commando, Cadilacs and Dinosaurs, Final Fight, Ghouls'n Ghosts, Knights of the Round, Magic Sword, Strider...etc.

3) CPS II - These are the next version of Capcom's arcade tech. Yes, you can also use CPS II boards on your super gun but this will require an adaptor. CPS II boards will remind you more of a "cartridge" which is a game board wrapped up in a nice plastic shell, usually called an B board. The adaptor is usually caled the A board. You have to have the Super Gun conneted to your A board, and then your B board plugged into that.

CPS II action games: Aliens Vs. Predator, Armored Warriors, Dungeons and Dragons (Shawdow over Mystara and Tower of Doom)...etc

4)Neo Geo - Basically the same as a CPS II setup. You'll have your Super Gun connected to the Neo Geo Hardware and the Cart plugged into that.

Neo Geo action games: Burning Fight, Crossed Swords, Cyber-Lip, Ganryu, Magician Lord...etc

Someone feel free to correct me (which I'm sue you'll do anyways even if I didn't mention it :D ). Hopefuly this will help you understand some more about arcade hardware and let you know what your loking at when you see something.

[Anthony1]

Where on earth do you get your made up facts from? Superguns are for people who want to play arcade games at home on a real television. If you want to play JAMMA boards in your house, then you should be interested in getting one.



Whoa...calm down bro. It was just an assumption on my part. For whatever reason, whenever I've heard people mention Supergun's or Jamma Boards or stuff like that, I've always thought of the hardcore fighting game enthusiast that wants the real deal.

I'm sorry if it came off like I was stating a fact, because I really don't know any facts about this stuff. I'm a total newb when it comes to this topic, but luckily I've been able to learn a little bit about it here and there. Fellow DP member Dojosky has been kind enough to talk to me on AIM about the Supergun and MVS games and stuff like that.


I will say this, the supergun seems like the final frontier for me. Not too long ago I got a Neo-Geo AES, and it seems that a supergun is the next logical step, especially for somebody that is totally in love with rgb and has several rgb monitors. From what I've been able to understand, the video encoder might be the single most expensive item on a supergun, and if I just want rgb out, I really don't need that item, so hopefully it will make it a little less expensive.

[Darren870]

Contact D-Lite on the Neo-Geo forums, he can build you a reallll nice one.

[WhiteHenDecapitator]

Take $15 and build yourself one of these...

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/889/supercheapsupergunyj0.th.jpg (http://img401.imageshack.us/my.php?image=supercheapsupergunyj0.jpg)

You can get a cheap JAMMA board for $10, test it out and see if you like the idea of playing arcade games on a TV or RGB monitor.

It's not that fun at all, I would rather stand up and play these games in an arcade myself.

[milhouseOFpain]

[/quote]

But... Neo Geo games are 99% fighting games...

[/quote]


hmmm, i guess there are about 8,000 NEO GEO fighters that i am not aware of.

[milhouseOFpain]

uh...

[Trebuken]

Well I'm at he supergun stage also, and have considered the cabinet issue as well. Even considered the MAME cabinet, which might be best, but the feel would be different.

Questions I still am uncomfortable with:

1) Knowing about JAMMA(+), CPS 1+2, MVS, what do I specifically need to maximize compatibility (Is a Supernova good enough, for compatibility).

2) Is Atomiswave compatibility worthwhile and/or affordable?

3) Can you get a four player model (e.g. Gauntlet)

I know there is an RGB model avaialable, and I also know some have component connections, do the component connections make a difference?

I bought a consolized MVS and think It's quite awesome (better when I pickup some Metal Slug games, and Viewpoint).

We''ll need some pics of Strider on the 113" screen from Anthony1 in the future...

Later,
Trebuken

[Darren870]

Well I'm at he supergun stage also, and have considered the cabinet issue as well. Even considered the MAME cabinet, which might be best, but the feel would be different.

Questions I still am uncomfortable with:

1) Knowing about JAMMA(+), CPS 1+2, MVS, what do I specifically need to maximize compatibility (Is a Supernova good enough, for compatibility).

2) Is Atomiswave compatibility worthwhile and/or affordable?

3) Can you get a four player model (e.g. Gauntlet)

I know there is an RGB model avaialable, and I also know some have component connections, do the component connections make a difference?

I bought a consolized MVS and think It's quite awesome (better when I pickup some Metal Slug games, and Viewpoint).

We''ll need some pics of Strider on the 113" screen from Anthony1 in the future...

Later,
Trebuken

I love the atomiswave, however some of the games are expensive and you need to be wired for 5 buttons. Otherwise I think its loads of fun.

The four player models are specific to the boards, it would be hard to do a 4 player supergun or maybe not even possible.

I've never seen one.

[Anthony1]

We''ll need some pics of Strider on the 113" screen from Anthony1 in the future...




And you can bess believe that you will eventually see that! LOL Hopefully I'll have a better digital camera by then. Final Fight might be the first Jamma board I get. So you might see pics of that first. lol. But to be honest, I really want to play it on a regular 4:3 rgb monitor, like the 2530 or something like that. But no question, I"ll have to try it on the big screen a few times just for kicks.

[XYXZYZ]

You have obv not explored the neo geo scene if you think that 99% of them are fighting.


Yeah, actually I'm quite aware that there are lots of other style games for the Neo Geo. I guess I was exaggerating because the non-fighting games tend to be in an "out of sight= out of mind" situation.

Oh, and can someone address what I mentioned about arcade board reliability? And what's the range of size for arcade boards? I hear the old ones (Pac-Man, etc) can be pretty huge.

[Flack]

Well I'm at he supergun stage also, and have considered the cabinet issue as well. Even considered the MAME cabinet, which might be best, but the feel would be different.

Questions I still am uncomfortable with:

1) Knowing about JAMMA(+), CPS 1+2, MVS, what do I specifically need to maximize compatibility (Is a Supernova good enough, for compatibility).

2) Is Atomiswave compatibility worthwhile and/or affordable?

3) Can you get a four player model (e.g. Gauntlet)

I know there is an RGB model avaialable, and I also know some have component connections, do the component connections make a difference?

I bought a consolized MVS and think It's quite awesome (better when I pickup some Metal Slug games, and Viewpoint).

We''ll need some pics of Strider on the 113" screen from Anthony1 in the future...

Later,
Trebuken

0, a MAME cabinet doesn't feel the same as playing the real boards. The way I see the natural progression is MAME, then Supergun, then cabinets.

1, just by making it JAMMA compatible you are covering the majority of two player games over a good 10-12 year span. MVS should plug right into a Supergun, no worries there. JAMMA+ is literally that, JAMMA plus something else (usually a third or fourth player, or additional buttons). There's no standard there, so each one could be potentially different. And like someone else said, there are lots of cheap converters out there that will convert non-JAMMA boards to JAMMA as well. There are literally hundreds or thousands of games that will work.

[Flack]

I'm going to try and sell mine at OVGE this year. If it doesn't sell there I'll be putting it for sale online here.

Is that the sexy one?
That's the one. I got some use out of it but I have a couple of spare JAMMA cabs now so when I get boards I just typically throw them in one of those cabs now.

[Ed Oscuro]

I hope to pick up a Supergun soon myself.

Games?

If it's on JAMMA, you can play it. As Darren said, most anything without a steering wheel or a gun will work fine.

One thing though - I bet you'll need an upscan converter if you want to do vertical games (many shooters, Out Zone, the arcade Contras, G.I. Joe are examples). Additionally, some manufacturers had JAMMA-incompatible boards that can be hooked into a JAMMA harness or supergun with a converter, but finding these converters can be troublesome (I'm only aware of a Nichibutsu converter made by a hobby by one guy).

[Darren870]

Yeah, actually I'm quite aware that there are lots of other style games for the Neo Geo. I guess I was exaggerating because the non-fighting games tend to be in an "out of sight= out of mind" situation.

Oh, and can someone address what I mentioned about arcade board reliability? And what's the range of size for arcade boards? I hear the old ones (Pac-Man, etc) can be pretty huge.

Explore the neo scene more, there are about 40% non fighting games.

Different boards require different care. CPS batteries need to replaced because they die and are unfixible sometimes once they do. Boards range in size, from stuff as small as an aes cart to stuff the size of a video game system. They are not easily stored either. Maybe the stuff that is cartridge based is, but not the boards themselves.

This never struck me as the site for Arcade gaming though, if you ever get serious into Arcade stuff you should go to the Neo-Geo forums. They have a great community over there.

[Anthony1]

They are not easily stored either. Maybe the stuff that is cartridge based is, but not the boards themselves.



I've heard that you can kinda wrap the boards in bubble wrap and put them in those flat rate priority boxes, that they are about the size of that. But yeah, it seems like the worst thing about this, is going to be taking care of the boards that you happen to have. They have to be stored somewhere when not in use.

[MagicMajenta]

I hope to pick up a Supergun soon myself.

Games?

If it's on JAMMA, you can play it. As Darren said, most anything without a steering wheel or a gun will work fine.

One thing though - I bet you'll need an upscan converter if you want to do vertical games (many shooters, Out Zone, the arcade Contras, G.I. Joe are examples). Additionally, some manufacturers had JAMMA-incompatible boards that can be hooked into a JAMMA harness or supergun with a converter, but finding these converters can be troublesome (I'm only aware of a Nichibutsu converter made by a hobby by one guy).

What is this upscan converter for vertical games? So does it mean when I hook up my Supergun to a vertical game, the picture won't come out or something?

And where can you get an upscan converter?

[Darren870]

They are not easily stored either. Maybe the stuff that is cartridge based is, but not the boards themselves.



I've heard that you can kinda wrap the boards in bubble wrap and put them in those flat rate priority boxes, that they are about the size of that. But yeah, it seems like the worst thing about this, is going to be taking care of the boards that you happen to have. They have to be stored somewhere when not in use.

Some don't fit in there but yea you can do that, however how annoying is it to take out a board to play it if you have to unwrap it from bubblewrap every time, then wrap it back up.

When I get really big into collecting them (when i have the room) I will screw each board to a piece of wood and label it on the side of the wood. They will then slide into some sort of cart/cabinet and I will put a layer of anti-static film above each one while they are being stored.

Just to give you a little idea if your are feeling like a craftsman hehe

[MoreEbolaForYou]

I hope to pick up a Supergun soon myself.

Games?

If it's on JAMMA, you can play it. As Darren said, most anything without a steering wheel or a gun will work fine.

One thing though - I bet you'll need an upscan converter if you want to do vertical games (many shooters, Out Zone, the arcade Contras, G.I. Joe are examples). Additionally, some manufacturers had JAMMA-incompatible boards that can be hooked into a JAMMA harness or supergun with a converter, but finding these converters can be troublesome (I'm only aware of a Nichibutsu converter made by a hobby by one guy).

What is this upscan converter for vertical games? So does it mean when I hook up my Supergun to a vertical game, the picture won't come out or something?

And where can you get an upscan converter?

It means the picture will be sideways, as obviously a vertical game is meant to be viewed on a vertically oriented monitor.

[Trebuken]

Thanks for all the info...

I always figured the boards could be stored in much the same way as PC motherboards. Many boxes might need to be custom made and foam cut, but I always assumed I could handle that..

Wii --> PS3 --> Supergun...seems to be the plan, though if I find a deal....

Later,
Trebuken

[GaijinPunch]

Anthony1:

If you're going to buy one, you might as well spend the money and get a Sigma. It is bar-none, the best you can buy. The stick is fantastic, and for an extra 4000 yen, you can get a cable so it will work on PS and PS2. There's a user at shmups selling his in this thread (http://shmups.system11.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9823). I actually sold him that one in February. Be warned though, that it will cost a lot to ship from the UK. Shipping from Japan to the US was about $90 USD. If you're going to buy one though, get it. It's fantastic. I play mine all the time... and seeing as how you'rea big RGB whore, you'll be thrilled to know there's a 21-pin RGB connector (JPN standard, not SCART, so it'll require some fidgeting making).

[Darren870]

Dont buy one from a website, have somone make one for you. Get it custimized for you needs.

[coreycorey2000]

Does anyone know of a place that gives instructions on how to make a Supergun? I'd love to build one so I can play Neo Geo games. I'd prefer a cabinet but I don't have a truck so I can't very well get one unless I pay hundreds for shipping. I've been looking into it the past few days. Some places explain a little about how they built their Supergun. But I can't find specific instructions anywhere. I am under the impression that one can be made for less than $150 if you make your own. I plan on using a RGB monitor so from what I hear that will knock $50 off the costs. I've found lists of the parts I would need. But nothing specific.

[Darren870]

There is no guide, its really a matter of do it yourself and ask for help along the way.

D-lite (over at NG) has some info up on how to build one at his website:

http://www.multimods.com/

I would do a search on the neo-geo.com forums in the tech forum and put together your own guide. Then if somethign fails along the way ask for help there.

[GaijinPunch]

Dont buy one from a website, have somone make one for you. Get it custimized for you needs.

Why bother unless you make it yourself? The one that I mentioned has anything you'd ever want, and if you don't like it, you can customize it yourself. They offer all the pinouts so you can make your own controllers and/or cables. It's a sturdy piece of machinery, compact, and the stick is better than any other one on the market.

corey:
Try the hardware forum at Assembler or shmups. PLenty of info there. You can probably find a link to Matt's page on making Superguns at Shmups. He had a tutorial a while back, although he doesn't make them anymore.

[Darren870]

Dont buy one from a website, have somone make one for you. Get it custimized for you needs.

Why bother unless you make it yourself? The one that I mentioned has anything you'd ever want, and if you don't like it, you can customize it yourself. They offer all the pinouts so you can make your own controllers and/or cables. It's a sturdy piece of machinery, compact, and the stick is better than any other one on the market.

corey:
Try the hardware forum at Assembler or shmups. PLenty of info there. You can probably find a link to Matt's page on making Superguns at Shmups. He had a tutorial a while back, although he doesn't make them anymore.

Im not saying sigmas are bad at all means, before i stumbled upon my supergun i was going to get a sigma in japan. I just prefer custom sleek builds compared to them, they usually are very expensive when you get them on the newer side. I don't like the one you have linked above, I prefer the mas sticks over em.

Sigma doesnt do component, do they?

[GaijinPunch]

No component... not really desireable if you can get RGB, is most likely the reasoning. And yeah... expensive as balls after the shipping. They're definitely not light, that's for sure.

I don't follow the market, but I've heard the MAS systems are utter shit. Don't quote me on that though.

[Darren870]

No component... not really desireable if you can get RGB, is most likely the reasoning. And yeah... expensive as balls after the shipping. They're definitely not light, that's for sure.

I don't follow the market, but I've heard the MAS systems are utter shit. Don't quote me on that though.

The Sticks are great...the supergun itself, well if you use s-video its nice but they need to update some things.

They need to redo there design and make a standard cps2/3 kick harness standard not cps1. They need to wire also for the newer systems such as atomiswave.

If i didn't get my MAS for $100 with 3 arcade boards and 2 sticks, at a pawn shop, I would have a custom built one or a sigma. Was leaning towards the custom ones by Dean, but then i found my mas.

I wouldn't say uttershit, but not top of the line. They need to redo a bunch of things.

[Anthony1]

[quote=GaijinPunch]Was leaning towards the custom ones by Dean, but then i found my mas.




Yeah, I'm trying to get ahold of Dean to make me a custom Supergun that would fit my needs. I'm trying to see if there is a "relatively" low cost one that he can build, that would just give me RGB out, RCA red and white stereo plugs, and I can plug Neo-Geo AES sticks into it. I would want to be able to play Jamma and MVS games on there, as for what else I'm not sure.

[GaijinPunch]

The Sticks are great...the supergun itself, well if you use s-video its nice but they need to update some things.

They need to redo there design and make a standard cps2/3 kick harness standard not cps1. They need to wire also for the newer systems such as atomiswave.

CPS2 uses Jamma, no? I've got a whopping total of 1 CPS2 board (Progear), but it works fine. Not sure about the Atomiswave harnesses... again, you could always build one. Probably easier than doing a controller. The biggest flaw w/ the gun IMHO is the lack of a setup button. Some of their newer jamma harnesses have one, but I've got an old one.

Word on the controller -- better than the RAPs if you ask me. Looks better (if you can ignore the Skittles effect) and rapid fire frequency adjusts.

The other thing I hate about the system (the newer one anyway) uses 9-pin DINN connections, which I find almost impossible to solder, due to my nubby fingers.

[Darren870]

The Sticks are great...the supergun itself, well if you use s-video its nice but they need to update some things.

They need to redo there design and make a standard cps2/3 kick harness standard not cps1. They need to wire also for the newer systems such as atomiswave.

CPS2 uses Jamma, no? I've got a whopping total of 1 CPS2 board (Progear), but it works fine. Not sure about the Atomiswave harnesses... again, you could always build one. Probably easier than doing a controller. The biggest flaw w/ the gun IMHO is the lack of a setup button. Some of their newer jamma harnesses have one, but I've got an old one.

Word on the controller -- better than the RAPs if you ask me. Looks better (if you can ignore the Skittles effect) and rapid fire frequency adjusts.

The other thing I hate about the system (the newer one anyway) uses 9-pin DINN connections, which I find almost impossible to solder, due to my nubby fingers.

Yes cps2 and 3 use jamma however with 6 button games you need the kick harness and the one mas has installed only works for cps1 games not 2 or 3.

Anthony you might want to tell dean you want it for atomiswave and pretty much everything it possibly can. You dont want to later go down the road and be upset the 5th button wasn't working or some crap. Same with the cps2/3 kick harness...

[ClubNinja]

I'm going to try and sell mine at OVGE this year. If it doesn't sell there I'll be putting it for sale online here.

Is that the sexy one?
That's the one. I got some use out of it but I have a couple of spare JAMMA cabs now so when I get boards I just typically throw them in one of those cabs now.

In that case, tell potential buyers that it has my endorsement!

[Trebuken]

So I went ahead and bought a Super Nova. I will be picking it up in the next few days (paid $150).

Now I have read everything I can find on the web about superguns, particularly the SuperNova and still have questions.

There seems to be discrepancies as to this guns CPS1/2/3 compatibility. Though it seems it is ST-V/PGM/Atomiswave cpmatible. How about NAOMI?

Anyways I want to start buying some boards and want to make sure I get compatible ones and was wondering if anyone had an idea of what is not compatible with this gun?

Also, I am particularly interested in many older (pre-JAMMA_ games an understand that they need adapters. What I have not found out is if each and every one of these pre-JAMMA boards need their own adapter or if an adapter for Ms. Pac-Man might also work with Pac-Man; how would I know before purchasing?

Any thoughts on how to proceed would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[CosmicMonkey]

If you're wanting to play Naomi games, you'll need a converter. Naomi uses a newer standard called JVS. The power plugs straight into the board, audio is via RCA jacks, video is a 15pin VGA plug and controls plug in via USB (that isn't standard USB). You want a Capcom I/O converter ideally. But you're also gonna need a Sega PSU if you want to run a GD-Rom drive. Check over at Sega-Naomi (http://www.sega-naomi.com) for the resulting monstrous set-up.

Bottom line: If you really want a Naomi, get a Naomi JVS cab. Otherwise a Dreamcast with VGA box and official arcade stick will give you the same result, but with much less expense and fucking around.

As for Atomiswave, it does output VGA, or you can get standard 15Khz via the Jamma connector. You'll also need to wire up buttons 4 & 5, which might involve a couple of switches depending on your joystick button set-up. However, I'd recommend just getting the Playstation2 ports of Metal Slug 6, Samurai Spirits: Tenkaichi Kenkakuden, KoF XI and Hokuto no Ken as they're better than the originals.

As for NeoGeo MVS I'd suggest consolizing one if that's all you want to play. Get a 2 slot board 'cos the BIOS is socketed (UniBIOS FTW) and it has built in control pad ports and memory card reader. It simply is a case of soldering 3 wires for power, (via a switch) and the appropriate connector. You'll need a PSU that can supply 12v and 5v; Jameco sell nice small desk-top ones, or you can use a PC PSU. For video output you can either wire a Scart / RGB output or a NeoBITZ video converter to get Component / S-Vid. Consolizing a 2 slot really is very simple, it's up to you how much effort you want to put in and how pretty you want it to look.

If anyone has any arcade / MVS / Supergun questions, shoot me a PM.

As for me, I've realised that old skool games and new tellys don't play together nicely. Hello LCD TV and (thoroughly h4xx0r3d) AppleTV, bye bye Neo AES and DC: no more consoles on my TV. I hardly watch TV and only had a big 32" one for games. Sold the CRT to mates to pay for the aTV and I'm off TV shopping tomorrow. I've gone back to arcade cabs, and got a couple of Naomi Universals which I'm in the process of cleaning and sorting out.