Hi Arcade Alley guys!

[miserere01]

Well, I come here with high hopes everyone. I'm an avid collector when it comes to console games, most noted for my attempts towards a full US SNES collection. I'm coming along nicely, however the arcade scene has been aching for a place in my heart for so long, I just don't know if i can hold out anymore.

I miss the days when my brother would take me to the arcades, and pay my way just so we could play all day. The memories of Marvel Vs. Capcom, X-men, Metal Slug and more are pure gold when looked back upon. I'm sure my recollections are well shared here.

But enough rambling about my personal memories, as I said, I come with high hopes here, with my dream being my very own arcade cab. I've done a little bit of research but I'm getting a bit puzzled, unfortunately. As clearly obvious as it is, I'm completely new to the arcade thing. From what I'm able to understand, they seem to be grouped into a few categories (Please correct me if I'm wrong on anything.)

1.MAME cabs, while boasting a large quantity of games, offer absolutely no feel of nostalgia whatsoever. From what I've accumulated, a MAME cab is nothing more than a PC and a TV stuck inside an arcade cab. Honestly, I'd much rather prefer playing on my laptop as I lie back comfy. MAME cabs don't come across as that appealing to me at the moment.

2.Preserved classics, which seem great! I'd love to have a classic Donkey Kong machine! Unfortunately, keeping separate cabs for specific games with no alteration wouldn't be possible for me really...I'm a 19 year old with a budget that doesn't allow too much to be spent.

3.From what I understand from DP, there are JAMMA cabs, which seem to be the most suitable choice for myself. From what I can understand, most games can more or less just be inserted into the cab, and automatically work, just as they do in real arcades? It sounds a little too good to be true, but I'll let you guys help me on that.

Basically, my dream setup is one cab, with a horizontal screen setup, coinbox, marquee, a real working arcade machine, (hell, when the girlfriends friends come over I want to maybe even turn it to 50 cents if I feel like it.) and the ability to play the REAL DEAL of my favorite arcade classics. I'll compose a small list of games I enjoy from different distributors, as I have absolutely no idea if it'll be possible to just simply plug and play any of these into a cab.

1. Mega man Power Battles (1 and 2)
2. Any and all Metal Slug games
3. Mario Bros
4. Donkey Kong
5. Marvel Vs. Capcom
6. Street Fighter 2
7. X-men
8. X-men vs. Street Fighter

You guys probably get the picture, and the era of games I'm into.

What I'm really scared the most of, is how much experience it takes to create something like this. Does it involve alot of wiring, cutting, splicing etc.? Is there a chance a newcomer like myself could ruin or destroy what I'm working with? If so, how bad? If it's any help at all, I'm a computer repair tech, so while I have no arcade building experience, I DO easily grasp the general ideas of plugging this here and that there, and this card goes here and whatnot.

Finally, I've seen previous posts where people build their very own cabs on budgets such at 300 dollars? Though when I check around ebay for games like those listed above, I see jamma boards in range of 50-100 dollars typically. How much can I expect to spend REALISTICALLY on the arcade cab I'm looking to build?

Another note is that if all goes well and I really do take part in this new little project, would it be in best interest to buy a cab from another DP member in the area? Or my first idea was to go to local arcades, and try to buy a cab? What would be the best/cheapest/most reliable way of going about it? All I've really been able to figure out is that it's probably not a good idea have one shipped from anywhere.

Finally, I'd like to thank you guys here for reading my super long-winded and detailed first post in the Arcade Alley section, and I really appreciate any help that's given! I decided to post this big blurb here, because after researching on Arcade cabs, DP just feels like the friendliest place to get started and just jump in and ask for help! Once again I can't thank you enough for any help received on getting started, and hopefully soon achieving my very own dream arcade cab!

[Flack]

Welcome to the fray, miserere01. You are indeed in the right place. I actually own Marvel Vs. Capcom, X-men, Metal Slug 2 and Metal Slug X, so it seems we might have similar tastes.

You are pretty much spot on on your cabinet categories. MAME Cabinets are essentially cabinets that "look" like arcade games, but have computers inside them running MAME. They are cooler than you give them credit for; when done correctly they are almost indistinguishable from the real thing. They are great for people who want to save space but still want to play multiple games. While you can play those games on your laptop, there's a huge difference in the experience between using a PC joystick or keyboard and playing on real arcade controls. What you refer to as "Preserved classics" I would probably call "dedicated cabinets" -- one cabinet dedicated to one game.

There seems to be a lot of confusion about JAMMA in general. It's been explained in detail around here before, but the short and simplified version of the story is this: in the old days, game PCBs (printed circuit boards -- like a motherboard in a PC) were fairly proprietary. All the wires inside a cabinet (joysticks, coin mechs, monitor, etc) eventually go to a harness. Most old (pre-85) games are not interchangable, especially between companies. You cannot unplug a Pac-Man PCB and plug in a Ms. Pac-Man game; they use different harnesses. In 1985, a standard was created (JAMMA) and if your game is JAMMA then you can plug it into a JAMMA harness. The majority of games post-85 to now are JAMMA, so while it may not be as simple as exchanging an SNES cart, it's still pretty simple.

JAMMA only supports 2 players and 3 buttons per player. Many games that use more than that amount of buttons are called JAMMA+. They use a JAMMA harness but need an additional kick harness to support extra buttons. If you look up a game on KLOV it will tell you if it is JAMMA or not. For example:

1. Mega man Power Battles 1 (JAMMA)
2. Any and all Metal Slug games (NEO-GEO)
3. Mario Bros (NINTENDO)
4. Donkey Kong (NINTENDO)
5. Marvel Vs. Capcom (JAMMA+)
6. Street Fighter 2 (JAMMA+)
7. X-men (JAMMA+)
8. X-men vs. Street Fighter (JAMMA+)

Neo-Geo games (all the Metal Slugs, for example) are cartridges that plug into a Neo-Geo board, which is essentially JAMMA compatible. So having those specific games in a cab really wouldn't be that tough. There are Nintendo to JAMMA adapters so with a working JAMMA cab you would be 90% on your way to completing your goal. The only other part would be picking up those other PCBs, and figuring out how to wire up the additonal buttons for the fighting games.

I am not sure where you are located ... if I knew that it would be easier to hook you up with a DP member who would be glad to at least show you the ropes.

I am currently working on a book that is all about buying and selling arcade games so it might be right up your alley.


My Neo Geo/Metal Slug and X-Men 4 Player, on the trip home.

[miserere01]

A very nice explanation, Flack.

As of where I'm located, it's unfortunately in a tiny little town in north GA. Fortunately it looks as though we have a few here from Nashville, not TOO horribly far away, thankfully.

Another note, I've found a warehouse distributor just about 20 minutes away, selling alot of arcade games! As soon as I grab some cash I'll certainly be paying them a visit, may it be IRL or ebay. I'll make sure to post what I'm buying on ebay here first, though. I want to make sure I don't end up buying something I'll regret.

Also, I think I got a bad idea of a MAME cabinet, Flack. I took a quick look at some shots from the links around the forums, and most looked just silly. So are frontends availiable for a MAME cab that require no non-arcade navigation/configuration? (No Windows XP navigation, crappy frontend reconfigurment between games, etc.) Also, can MAME cabs use quarters and everything? If this is the case, a MAME cab wouldn't be too bad! Though I think I still might enjoy the overall realism of a JAMMA cab more, being a collector.

Can a JAMMA+ board be backward compatible? (JAMMA+ playing JAMMA games.)

Heh, wow you hit RIGHT on with that Neogeo/Metal Slug cab and X-men cab! I'd love to have something like that! In fact I've decided I BELIEVE I want I'd like to do a MVS cab first. They look like they look like the easiest to take of and build, and seem to have a great arsenal for both me and the girlfriend (Metal Slug, AND Bust-A-Move! Hell yeah!)

But yeah, if anyone from the north GA, Chattanooga TN area has any cabs for sale or anything else interesting, post here! I'm taking tons of considerations right now! And to Flack, can't wait for that book, as well as any more words of wisdom from the arcade cab gurus here.

[Flack]

Definitely post to the stuff you're looking at buying; hopefully someone here can help steer you in the right direction.

There are some very slick MAME front ends out there these days. They are completely graphical and require no configuration between games. MAME cabs can use quarters, too. Like I said, it all depends on what you want. I made a point when I built mine to not change anything on the outside. From the outside you would never know mine has a PC inside. (Picture below.)

All JAMMA+ cabs as far as I know will house a JAMMA board. Of course there will be some unused buttons on the control panel but that's not really a problem.

You should be able to find a Neo Geo cabinet fairly inexpensively, especially if it's got a shitty game in it. You can find them even cheaper if they are a conversion and not in the original cabinet. I got my single slot with a 25" monitor for around $150 at an auction. You can find cheap games for $10-$20on eBay all the time. In fact, there's a seller on there right now selling some of the Metal Slugs (2 and X) for $20 each. The Neo Geo is a great cabinet for beginning collectors, as games can be switched out in seconds.


My MAME cabinet, Cactus Flack's, named as a tribute to local arcade Cactus Jacks.

[miserere01]

Definitely post to the stuff you're looking at buying; hopefully someone here can help steer you in the right direction.

There are some very slick MAME front ends out there these days. They are completely graphical and require no configuration between games. MAME cabs can use quarters, too. Like I said, it all depends on what you want. I made a point when I built mine to not change anything on the outside. From the outside you would never know mine has a PC inside. (Picture below.)

All JAMMA+ cabs as far as I know will house a JAMMA board. Of course there will be some unused buttons on the control panel but that's not really a problem.

You should be able to find a Neo Geo cabinet fairly inexpensively, especially if it's got a shitty game in it. You can find them even cheaper if they are a conversion and not in the original cabinet. I got my single slot with a 25" monitor for around $150 at an auction. You can find cheap games for $10-$20on eBay all the time. In fact, there's a seller on there right now selling some of the Metal Slugs (2 and X) for $20 each. The Neo Geo is a great cabinet for beginning collectors, as games can be switched out in seconds.


My MAME cabinet, Cactus Flack's, named as a tribute to local arcade Cactus Jacks.

Yeah I just finished up checking out the MVS carts on ebay, those are so cheap I just GOTTA start there! But first a cabinet! I've seen Neo-geo cabs that can hold SIX MVS CARTS!!! Man I'd LOVE to have that *hint hint to arcade lovers' land* but I can imagine that motherboard is pricey. Anyone have a MVS motherboard with multi cart capability, and, if you're in my general area, anyone have a Neo-Geo cab for sale?

[Flack]

Yeah, Neo's come in 1, 2, 4 or 6 slot varieties. If you feel like driving north to New Hampshire, this one's been for sale for quite some time now.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91554

[Technosis]

Cool "Cactus Flack's" cabinet. Truly one of a kind

[Vynce]

For some reason, I can't get to the link above featuring the Neo Geo for sale in NH! Where is it in the forums, exactly? I got to it once, but I receive an error message every time I go to visit it now.

I only registered here as a means to buy the machine D:.

[WarLordAG]

It is in a forum, Buying/Selling that is only accessible a week after you registered I believe.
Just send ig88vsbobafett a private message.
He is the one selling it.

[Vynce]

Thank you so much. I've sent him a PM.