Considering an arcade purchase.

[ServiceGames]

I am seriously considering the purchase of at least one arcae game and am unsure of what I might need to ask about the condition and general workings before I buy anything.

I have found a few cabs locally but haven't called for more info as I have no clue what I need to know.

Any help and direction would be much appreciated.

[Dot50Cal]

Touching monitors = bad. Dont touch monitors. But seriously, an arcade is a huge pain in the ass at least in my case. I have to rent a garage just to store the damn thing. What game are you planning on getting or is this just a cab?

[andoba]

depends on the shit you want to connect to it, I'll buy a neogeo or something else and connect to the cab using the JAMMA port...

[ServiceGames]

Touching monitors = bad. Dont touch monitors. But seriously, an arcade is a huge pain in the ass at least in my case. I have to rent a garage just to store the damn thing. What game are you planning on getting or is this just a cab?

Well right now I'm just looking for a relatively inexpensive cab and I think I found it.

There's a Marvel Vs. Capcom cab about an hour from me for $200. I'm not sure what shape it's in. I'll probably take a drive out to see it next weekend.

I suppose nostalgia is what has really gotten me started here. I desperately want to play the X-Men arcade from 92. Lat time I saw one was at Hershey Park I think.

[Dot50Cal]

Wheres it at? I think were fairly close to each other. Im up in Scranton, North East PA. I had found a Beast Busters arcade at a local flea market here. Monitor was really far gone though as was the cab.

[ServiceGames]

Just checked it out. It's in Chambersburg. That's about 2 hours away from me.

I live in the general Allentown area.
We really aren't that far apart. That's pretty cool.

Have you ever been down to TNT Amusements in Southampton? I wouldn't buy from them as they are quite pricey, but they have a nice big showroom full of random games set to free play. I've never been there myself but I may make the trip if I am feeling particularly bored some weekend.

[n-y-n]

I have to get rid of my Italian Centipede. Shame since its got special (and original!) artwork different than the "common" american/european version. Anyway, The Netherlands would be too far away from you hehe

http://www.marktplaats.nl/index.php?.../51712751.html

[Dot50Cal]

Just checked it out. It's in Chambersburg. That's about 2 hours away from me.

I live in the general Allentown area.
We really aren't that far apart. That's pretty cool.

Have you ever been down to TNT Amusements in Southampton? I wouldn't buy from them as they are quite pricey, but they have a nice big showroom full of random games set to free play. I've never been there myself but I may make the trip if I am feeling particularly bored some weekend.

Oh wow yeah you are close, I havent been there..Never heard of it :). Im not really that big into arcade anymore and all around here all the previous arcade places (even ones in malls) are closed down :evil: Pretty cool that they have em on free play though!

[ServiceGames]

Yeah I haven't been a big arcade goer for years now. I honestly only visit for House Of The Dead, I won't rest until I 1cc the thing. Currently I can barely get to the Magician with only one health left. I also have a sneaking suspicion that my local arcade is shutting down as indicated by there being only about 8 games there tonight and ALOT of empty space.

I'm only really considering a purchase based on a desire to relive a few great moments in childhood. It's a phase I know, but if I have a cab sitting here with me I will definately use it.

N, why do you have to get rid of it? That things beautiful. I'd deffinately take it if you weren't so far away.

[MottZilla]

It may seem silly, but did you considering getting or building a Supergun? Unless you absolutely must have a cabinet you might get by just fine with a well built SG. Also if it's possible you may be moving to a new place in the future it may be alot cheaper and easier to move than an arcade cabinet.

[Blur2040]

I'll second the "don't ever buy anything from TNT amusements" thing. I used to live right near them...in fact...I had a birthday party there when I was 10 or so (yeah, they do that). Their games are in very nice shape...but well...you'll pay for it.

I don't know if I'd recommend going to the showroom just to browse. My dad used to go there to buy parts from them every so often, but it seems like a place where you'd have somebody around all the time...trying to sell you something. I don't think it would be the sort of place where you can browse for an hour...er...at least not without it getting quasi uncomfortable.

[ServiceGames]

It may seem silly, but did you considering getting or building a Supergun? Unless you absolutely must have a cabinet you might get by just fine with a well built SG. Also if it's possible you may be moving to a new place in the future it may be alot cheaper and easier to move than an arcade cabinet.

Well I have considered it before, but to be honest I have been in a bit of a gaming lul lately and I think if I had an actual arcade cab I would play it much more frequently. although I would not rule out the supergun route. What do you think is a reasonable price range for a decent supergun setup?

I guess I'll probably pass on TNT amusement then. I never would have bought from them. Maybe if I just happen to be in the area I might stop by. No special trip will be arranged though.

No further word on Marvel Vs. Capcom. I've had a miserably busy week and no time to get out there.

[MottZilla]

Well a used cabinet can be as cheap as an upper level SuperGun. If you have a TV with SCART, a working/unused PC ATX power supply, and a good console controller, you could make a SG pretty damn cheap. The most expensive parts are if you need to encode to NTSC video (70$ or so) and if you need to buy a PSU. After that its mainly some cheap wiring, and maybe some case work.

If you have SCART (RGB) input on your TV, I'd suggest the SG route if you wanna save money, if you have decent handons skills. Wiring and some soldering. My SG cost me a fair amount because I spent about 70$ on the Video Encoder board, the PSU was free as it came with my new PC's case, but I also bought wood, paint, and real arcade joysticks and buttons. Your costs will go up if you build your own arcade controllers. It'll be cheaper if you get some older console controllers and rewire them, which requires soldering. I imagine the easiest thing to do would be get a arcade style console controller you like, and use that.

If you have the money and space, I'd say go for the arcade cabinet though. But I wouldn't pay over 400$ for one unless it was something extremely nice. So if you see a cabinet thats in good condition for 400$ or less I'd suggest buying it if you can take it home and have a spot for it. Otherwise if you have the skills I'd suggest building a SuperGun. Or hell, build your own Arcade cabinet.

Basically it's cheapest if you build things yourself unless you get a good deal on something used. The cabinet is a solid way to go, the SG requires some more work.

If you buy a SuperGun setup, be careful to find out that it uses a US power supply (110v not 220v or something else). Also make sure it outputs NTSC video if you don't have SCART RGB. You really have to look at what you are getting. The popular MAS Systems SuperNova is rather pricey, but it comes with some very nice arcade sticks, and it does work. The main complaints against them are their video encoder board isn't that great. So you could go with that and if the video output bothers you, you can wire in your own. However if you have RGB input on your TV via SCART, I think they have a cable to get straight RGB from it. MasSystems's SuperNova I think is 300$.

It's a bit of a gamble to buy a SG, unless it's from someone you know who can talk to you specifically about it. Also, don't buy that MAK supergun, it's way overpriced. Like I said earlier, building your own is cheaper and not that difficult. Plus should it break down, you can fix it. If there's something you need to adjust, you can do it.

[n-y-n]

...
It's a bit of a gamble to buy a SG, unless it's from someone you know who can talk to you specifically about it. Also, don't buy that MAK supergun, it's way overpriced. Like I said earlier, building your own is cheaper and not that difficult. Plus should it break down, you can fix it. If there's something you need to adjust, you can do it.

What do you mean its overpriced? I tried selling one here together with a phoenixed A+B board for 75 euros and noone will take it :crying:I cant imagine people paying a lot for it...

[MottZilla]

Well I meant more like on ebay. I recall seeing a MAK going for 135$ or something as a Buy It Now. Ofcourse again, I don't have any RGB SCART TVs living in USA. If you live in a PAL area with SCART RGB, the MAK isn't that bad of a buy, though I'm not certain about it's flexibility and such.

I did see you selling that SG + Darkstalker A+B boards, and while I'd certainly love a CPS2 game, I didn't bother posting because I really can't afford to pickup any more arcade boards unless they are absolutely great deals on games I really like.

The only games I might consider spending money on at the moment would probably be some good shooters that aren't vertical mount like U.N. Squadron, Mars Matrix, 1944, etc. Even then though, I can't really afford to spend anything on my arcade interests at the present time.

75 Euros for the MAK + Darkstalkers actually is a hell of a deal for a Darkstalkers/Vampire fan. Like I've said though, I already have a SG and I'm not that into the Vampire series.

[cdoty]

I have found a few cabs locally but haven't called for more info as I have no clue what I need to know.

Any help and direction would be much appreciated.

Try to find one with at least one 6 button joystick setup. And, try to find one that accepts JAMMA.. I would guess that most 6 button cabinets are JAMMA. (Street Fighter 2 is JAMMA, with the extra two buttons on a harness.)

JAMMA is less important, as JAMMA is easy to wire in. Creating a 6 button joystick configuration requires a lot of woodworking (or metalworking) skills. (I've become quite addicted to Windjammers and Super Sidekicks 2)

Other than that, ensure it has a decent quality RGB monitor, and make sure the monitor can be flipped horizontally or vertically, based on the games you're interested in.

Personally, I've stuck to a Neo Geo MVS, so I'm quite happy with a Astron belt (converted to Choplifter) four button cabinet. I moved and rewired the two left buttons.

[mairsil]

I could never find a single cabinet that fit my tastes, so I decided to go the "built it yourself" route (http://mouse.pouncingkitten.com/arca...hed-closed.jpg). External: new cabinet kit; 27" multisync monitor (arcade resolutions and up to 1024x768); custom cut control panel with 2 player, six button controls, single trackball and dual lightguns; LCD Topgun LCD stands; foot pedal; partial coin door for looks. Internal: complete JAMMA harness; PS2 (with hard drive full of *owned* lightgun games); Xbox debug (with SSC and HotD2/3); VGA switch; custom speaker amp.

I'm not even sure I want to count up how much it cost...

[MottZilla]

Street Fighter 2 has 3 extra buttons, not two. Also SF2 is Jamma+, not Jamma as it doesn't conform entirely to JAMMA. NeoGeo also (depending on the variant) is not JAMMA, but a varient that is mostly compatible. My MVS board is the same for JAMMA expect for the 4th buttons for each player which are not JAMMA standard.

The problem with used cabinets is the older cheaper ones have smaller monitors generally. So getting an old SF2 cabinet isn't that appealing because as the very least I want a good upright 20" or bigger, if I were to buy a cabinet. So really you'd be looking at more modern cabinets for a 6 button nice jamma. That means finding like a Street Fighter Alpha or MvsC, maybe Darkstalkers cabinet.

I doubt changing the control panel really is all that hard. Wood working is easy if you have the tools. Or hell you could probably buy a replacement control panel on ebay.