Xbox 360 Arcade Box - Check it

[rxmarccall]

Hey guys,
im a long time Home arcade builder, ive found tons of useful information on this site and am always grateful for this community. Ive recently started trying to push forward with a Xbox 360 Arcade Box project. ive built a few already but lack the funds to continue on with it, its taken alot of work but these things are sweet. i wanted to post here and try to show it off, im not to great at advertising whatsoever, if you have comments, questions, or advice please let me know! id love to make more of these and sell them, thanks for your time!
The link is below. im not sure about pricing either as it really does take alot of time and hour of work to build one! but im not sure what the people will pay! Maybe its not worth the time building?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/47276576/mbox-xbox-360-arcade-box

Also let me know if anyone is interested in having one built.... thanks again  

[bkenobi]

Just a little advice.  This site is titled "Build Your Own Arcade Controls" which, as it implies, is primarily made up of individuals who are interested in building (or at least discussing) arcade controls.  There's nothing wrong with posting your design here as there are several manufactures who post, but be aware that you probably won't find too many takers here.

That being said, your box does look fairly clean.  Good luck though!   

[Smeghead]

Yeah im ol' school
Keep console out of arcade cabs!   

[ptinolv]

I don't think neither that you will find a lot of buyers in this forum

Your sticks look nice and sturdy, but they seem to target old school arcade gamers (american parts, straight layout, bat top). It may be done in purpose but i think most xbox players want japanese parts (Sanwa JLF joystick, sanwa or semitsu buttons), japanese layout (vewlix or blast city).

If you haven't done it yet, you should check shoryuken.com (http://shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=131127). You may find buyers there.

[shfifty]

ok. Just some honest constructive criticism. If you really do want to sell these, they would have to be drastically improved to be considered by anyone remotely interested in the arcade community. I'm gonna sound harsh, but this is the reality. If i pay for something, i want it to be perfect.

- I can see where you have cut the plexi, the edges are rough, theres also a scratch near the buttons,
- The plexi does not go right to the edge, and the tmolding is not offset to secure it in
- The corners that the tmolding wrap around are too sharp, tmolding should follow a smooth curve
- The joystick looks like its mounted too low
- Button layout is meh, offset/rounded layout is much more comfortable (http://slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html)
- Doesnt a standard xbox 360 joystick require 8 face buttons?
- The buttons arnt labeled, (X B X Y start select etc)
- The graphic looks like a tablecloth from my grandma's house - its soo easy to find awesome graphics (street fighter etc) on the net.
- The box itself, looks like the scrap white laminate cabinet doors i have in my garage.  The bottom left corner looks damaged and untidy
- The official mad catz Super Street Fighter IV FightStick Tournament Edition cost $150. All Sanwa parts. licensed by capcom. Case Closed.

Most of these issues could be easily fixed with a redesign, but the price is still not right. Even the regular edition of the madcatz fightstick is only $66....

[syph007]

You'd have to improve your build quality alot to be able to sell these.  Even first time builders here know to flush trim the plexi, and offset the tmolding to match it up.  A good first try, but maybe you're next try will be better.

[Ginsu Victim]

Yeah im ol' school
Keep console out of arcade cabs!   

There's nothing wrong with using consoles in an arcade cab. The original XBOX and the Dreamcast are both excellent systems for emulation or arcade ports.

[opt2not]

You'd have to improve your build quality alot to be able to sell these.  Even first time builders here know to flush trim the plexi, and offset the tmolding to match it up.  A good first try, but maybe you're next try will be better.

Agreed. While your stick is a nice hobby project, it's not something I can see selling as a consumer product.  It's just not really appealing looking for the money you're asking.

Yeah im ol' school
Keep console out of arcade cabs!   

You realize that Dreamcasts are console equivalents to Naomi hardware right? You realize that a modded XBOX running mame is a great cheap alternative to a PC right?
You do realize that plenty of fighting games and arcade games were released on consoles right? AND do you realize a lot of people put consoles into their arcade machines to play with proper arcade controls right?

 

[Ginsu Victim]

Great minds....

[Smeghead]

How do you run an arcade emulator on an XBOX? Some kinda boot cd?

[Hoopz]

How do you run an arcade emulator on an XBOX? Some kinda boot cd?

Read this or Google XBox mods

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=98838.0

And it's not nearly as hard as the OP in that thread makes it sound.  It can be a 20 minute process instead of 20 days of B.S.

[opt2not]

Great minds....

Hahaha, I get the assist!

[Smeghead]

I would just hate to see Modern Warfare or something in a cab

I actually have a Dreamcast lying around here somewhere. Maybe its worth something now with this information, Play n trade were only going to give me $10 for it!

[Hoopz]

I would just hate to see Modern Warfare or something in a cab

I actually have a Dreamcast lying around here somewhere. Maybe its worth something now with this information, Play n trade were only going to give me $10 for it!

I'll go $15.

[syph007]

I actually have a Dreamcast lying around here somewhere. Maybe its worth something now with this information, Play n trade were only going to give me $10 for it!

I sold a dreamcast with 4 controllers on ebay last year and got 100.  I didnt even pay that for it, maybe I got lucky dunno.

[opt2not]

I would just hate to see Modern Warfare or something in a cab

I actually have a Dreamcast lying around here somewhere. Maybe its worth something now with this information, Play n trade were only going to give me $10 for it!

Well you most likely won't see Modern Warfare, or any game that uses the Analog sticks, as there isn't an eloquent or easy way of hooking those up. D-pad and buttons only.

The DC is a great cabinet machine because of the amount of arcade shooters, fighters, and puzzle games that were released on it. When I say released, I don't mean ported...the DC's hardware is basically arcade hardware, so they didn't have to change the games very much (mostly FE changes). They're also cheap, and the DC controllers are relatively easy to hack up to connect to joysticks and buttons.

There is also Mame emulators available for it...so yeah, if you're willing to throw a PC into an arcade cabinet, I don't see why you wouldn't use a DC (or modded original xbox for that matter).

I sold a dreamcast with 4 controllers on ebay last year and got 100.  I didnt even pay that for it, maybe I got lucky dunno.

That seems about right for a year ago. Current local CL ads in my city has people selling the whole package with a bunch of games for about that much now.

[rxmarccall]

cool thanks for the replys and comments, i know that its not perfect thats why i wanted to post it and get some feedback    i actually already started a second box thats much better done from the start, as the previous was the first run, the second is a half inch shorter and all around much more quality on the build. ill take into consideration all your comments, thanks for your help!

[Desolis]

Not bad for a first build man. My first custom stick looked much much worse. Hell actually, the second one I'm working on isn't even that good, but it's all a learning process. I agree with most of what Shfifty said. A word of advice as well. I would actually list what you made the box out of in your description, instead of just "quality materials". As "quality MDF" would be nothing like "quality exotic wood" or whatever...The Community your targeting will be more interested in exotic materials. Run a Google search on Byrdo. He's done some excellent work and he has pictures of all of it on his site. A great inspiration for what you and I do.

[javeryh]

cool thanks for the replys and comments, i know that its not perfect thats why i wanted to post it and get some feedback    i actually already started a second box thats much better done from the start, as the previous was the first run, the second is a half inch shorter and all around much more quality on the build. ill take into consideration all your comments, thanks for your help!

Keep at it!  You will only get better (and you will build faster too).  The criticisms people posted above are valid but you have the right attitude - back to the drawing board to make it better!  Good luck!

[CapriRS302]

Jeez, you didn't have to rip into the guy, he's just trying to make a buck off of his work, and he wasn't even pushy about his post...

[CheffoJeffo]

Jeez, you didn't have to rip into the guy, he's just trying to make a buck off of his work, and he wasn't even pushy about his post...

+1

I like seeing who is offering what for sale. It lets me refer people to a variety of vendors when they ask about arcade controls and cabinets. I refuse to build a cabinet or controls for anybody else, but I get asked to on a fairly regular basis once people find out about my hobby (just last weekend I had to endure an hour of a guest lecturing me about how this great "MAME" program and an X-Arcade would replace all of the games that I have in the basement ... now he wants me to build him a copy of Knievel's Woody).

It's nice to see someone new doing arcade sticks -- I haven't seen timoe around in a while and Kaytrim has closed up shop (coincidentally I was rereading the issue of GRM featuring Kaytrim just last night).

Keep trucking -- your first build was better than my first joystick build.

[rxmarccall]

Man you guys are to awesome, im glad i finally posted here so i can get all these great comments to help me progress. Im also curious, do you think making custom graphics is just a waste of time? is all anyone wants is a picture of Ryu?!  I would love to make it original with some homemade graphics but maybe the community doesnt want it?  Also in your opinions would you rather have a wood built box or a Plastic built?  i like the wood as it feels more solid and heavy for some good button mashing.  Also what is the best way to file down the edges of the plexiglass? This is a great opportunity to get all the likes, dislikes, and ideas to make the perfect 360 Arcade box.  thanks guys!  

here is a pic of the box, i took if off etsy while i revamp my work

[shfifty]

rxmarccal, if you are good at drawing then making your own unique design would be awesome. Being a big street fighter fan, i personally love the look of sticks with any street fighter art on them, but everyone's opinion is different. I just think it would look better if the art was more game themed.

The control panel i'm building atm uses some images from http://www.creativeuncut.com/game-art-galleries.html. Its an awesome place to source game themed art if your not good at drawing like myself. Also most of the images are quite high res so would look good on a small stick like yours.

With regard to the plexi, i'm having the same problem with my control panel, some of the edges are a little rough. I think the trick is to cut it right the first time. I used a dremel to cut mine, but most people seem to be getting the cleanest cuts with a router and a flush trim bit. I dont own a router so i dont know for sure, maybe someone else can recommend the best solution for this.

In terms of the building material, stick with wood. Good luck with the next build!   

[syph007]

Yes to get clean plexiglass cuts you absolutely need a router and a flush trim bit.  It's easy, fast and you get a perfect edge.

[jaydouken]

do u got ps3 custom arcade sticks for sale