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Thread: Wanting To Buy An Arcade Machine

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    Default Wanting To Buy An Arcade Machine

    Hi guys,

    I was thinking about buying an Arcade machine but am unsure which path i should take. I have 2 options (I'd rather buy the cabinet & monitor instead of building a cabinet): buy the eBay machine and put a PC in with the JAMMA board, or just buy the cabinet and monitor from a local amusement game shop and put my own PC in there running MAME.

    The eBay machines are cheap and look nice, although I'm concerned about the build quality - can anyone confirm that their built well? They also run a Chinese version of Windows 2000 on the boards, and apparently updating the board to put more games on or updates is a pain and not recommended. Can anyone confirm this?

    The eBay machine has JAMMA internals, how hard is it to interface a PC with the JAMMA connections? If i do get the eBay machine, i was going to put a PC in there running MAME (Golden Axe, Rastan, TMNT here i come!) and use that as a means of loading and playing games. If i end up doing this, do i need a ArcadeVGA card to get the proper reso/sync? I also want to (later on) to connect a light gun up. Should i go for an original arcade gun or a USB based one? I know the USB one will work with MAME and the PC setup, but am unsure if the original ones have a converter to USB or a parallel port. Has anyone done this before?

    I work in IT and have surplus IT gear to build a good MAME machine for the internals of the cabinet - is something like a P4 3.0GHz, 2GB RAM, Win XP capable of running most games flawlessly? I run CPS2 roms on my current machine (Core2) and everything seems to run quite well. I just want to make sure that everything will work on the box so if it means buying a new Core2 mobo and some RAM then i'll just do that.

    The second option is from a local amusement place (Zax Amusements, South Melbourne) that have a few cabinets in stock (click below for specs and link to pics). I like the Exceleena 1 machine because it looks cool and has the authentic arcade feel. If i get this cabinet i'll mount a PC inside and run MAME on Windows XP (internals are also JAMMA). Again, do i need a ArcadeVGA card for this setup or is a standard AGP/PCIe card acceptable for the 38K monitor? Also, how is the arcade monitor connected to the PC? Via a converter to VGA/DVI? The monitor is a 29" Well-Gardner one, are these good monitors? I was advised that is monitor has a default/proffered
    resolution of 800x600 and that 31K monitors have a default resolution of 640x480.

    On the eBay auction page, the seller advises that Thompson brand monitors are one of the best - how do these compare to the Well-Gardner ones? Are they both generally reliable (as in, they don't blow out every year or two)?

    Are the prices below competitive compared to other amusement places?

    The prices of the individual machines:
    eBay one: $1099 + $150 shipping = $1249
    Unsure of what type of monitor or controls...


    *Amusement Shop*
    Namco Exceleena 1: $1350
    38K monitor, clean with a few scratches on the case, space inside to fit a PC, no included games


    Namco Exceleena 2: $1200
    Same as abouve: 38K monitor, clean with a few scratches on the case, space inside to fit a PC, no included games


    "Windy" (dunno what this one is): $1200
    Looks a bit old and worn, only 31K monitor

    Above link is what the machine sort of looks like, i couldn't find an exact one on the site

    Thank you for reading the above, and bear with me whilst i'm trying to get my head around all this arcade stuff

    Any comments/help welcome.

    tika



Look Here ->
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    Are you in Melbourne?

    We have an old classic one at work that needs some tender loving care, i know they want to sell it, i cant remember the name of the game though.

    Not new, a traditional old arcade machine (like the old space invaders upright standing units). Needs some work like joystick broken from memory.

    The bosses son bought it and it just sits in the corner doing nothing.

    Let me know, can ask on monday.

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    I have a table top machine with a board caled "Xevious".

    I have played the game on mame...but it definitely isn't as good.

    I know it only plays the one game, but it's a great one.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Godzilla View Post
    Are you in Melbourne?

    We have an old classic one at work that needs some tender loving care, i know they want to sell it, i cant remember the name of the game though.

    Not new, a traditional old arcade machine (like the old space invaders upright standing units). Needs some work like joystick broken from memory.

    The bosses son bought it and it just sits in the corner doing nothing.

    Let me know, can ask on monday.
    Thanks for the reply! If you could get a few pics/price of the machine i would be forever grateful

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    Bear with me, ive been trying to call the owner all day to ask him what he's after for it.
    Couldnt get any pics today, was told by the owners brother that one of the joy sticks bind sometimes, the joystick box was unplugged for when it was moved and sitting next to the machine, all looks in good knick, just dusty.

    The game is "street fighter" (i think from memory).

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    Hmmm sniff sniff, I might be interested if tika pulls out.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Godzilla View Post
    Bear with me, ive been trying to call the owner all day to ask him what he's after for it.
    Couldnt get any pics today, was told by the owners brother that one of the joy sticks bind sometimes, the joystick box was unplugged for when it was moved and sitting next to the machine, all looks in good knick, just dusty.

    The game is "street fighter" (i think from memory).

    It must be an upright?

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    Quote Originally Posted by z80 View Post
    It must be an upright?
    Yes Zed.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BillyGoat View Post
    Hmmm sniff sniff, I might be interested if tika pulls out.
    LOL an SF cabinet, I know another who would be interested, though not in Melbourne
    Coding in C is like sending a 3 year old to do groceries. You gotta tell them exactly what you want or you'll end up with a cupboard full of pop tarts and pancake mix.

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    Sorry guys, rang the owner this morning, and the bugger has had a change of heart and wants to hold onto it.

    Will be seeing him later in the week and twist his arm a little too see if he will change his mind again.

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    Thanks for your help Godzilla, i really appreciate it! Keep me posted about any breaking news

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    Hey Godzilla.

    yeah keep us posted.
    I'm in melb and with a Ute so can easily pickup :-)

    They can be hard to find in decent condition. Had a look at a few units and they looked like they had been trashed at a rock concert.

    The plastic ones don't do anything for me though. Grew up with the wooden ones so will stick with those

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    [QUOTE=Godzilla;94335]Are you in Melbourne?QUOTE]

    I didn't see an answer, if you are in Sydney I could offer a lead.
    It's hard to make a come back when I havn't been anywhere
    I finally got my head together, now my bodies falling apart.
    為什麼不做你被塞滿

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    z80,

    does this mean you 'might' want to sell you sit down?

    Matt

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