arcade cabinet with multiple consoles question?

[racecar]

hi all i was thinking of keeping my cabnet and putting multiple consoles in it.. i already have a xbox in it and was also looking at putting a ps2 in it

is there a way to switch between the two without having to change the cables in the arcade cab?

also thinking of getting a x-arcade adapter for it?

has anyone done this and liked it? thanks

[severdhed]

i guess it really depends on what you already have.  are you using a TV or some other type of monitor?  if you are using an x-arcade, then you can get adapters for several consoles.  unless they have changed their adapters since i bought mine many years ago, the xarcade console adapters have a 9pin serial port connector on them.  so you can get a 9pin serial port switchbox to switch the controls between the different consoles.  since you currently have an xbox in there, i am assuming you are using a tv.  at that point you just need a video switch box with enough inputs for whatever consoles you want to connect. 

personally, i think console games should be played from the couch....but i do have a ps2 in my cabinet for light gun games.

[racecar]

thanks im using a tv at the moment, i think its a x arcade adapter in it. i bought the lowboy arcade cabinet off the internet it was using the xbox for MAME

i just love playing fighting games in a cabnet and with arcade stick and buttons..

im not sure what a port switchbox is or a video switch box?? any links??

my goal is to have a low boy for console gaming and another for a MAME project

[severdhed]

here is a 9pin serial port switch box...

http://www.pchcables.com/ab4waydb9ser.html

that one will allow you to have up to 4 different console adapters hooked up at the same time to a single x-arcade.  you just turn the knob to switch between them.  ( used a 2 port version in my cabinet a long time ago to switch my x-arcade between my PC and my dreamcast.)  i ordered from that site and was very happy with the product and customer service.

don't forget the 9pin cables as well (male to male i believe)

as for the video switch, this is a pretty common item.  alot of people use them so they can connect multiple game consoles to a tv that doesnt have enough video/audio inputs.  you would have to know what type of video cable connects your xbox to your TV to make sure you get the right one (component, s-video, or composite).  you need to make sure you get the right kind. 

depending on what other consoles you are connecting, and what inputs your TV has you may or may not need to do this.  alot of TVs have multiple inputs on the back, so you could hook the xbox to one of them, and the playstation 2 to a different one, and just use the TV remote to switch between them.  if you dont want to bother with that, or only have 1 set of inputs, then a video switch box would work.  you plug the xbox and ps2 into the switch, and it connects to the TV, you then push a button to switch between the two.

something like this would work fine if you are using component video:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011007&p_id=3027&seq=1&format=2

if you are using s-video or composite, then perhaps one of these...

http://www.walmart.com/ip/RCA-4-Way-AV-Switcher-With-S-Video/3312963

some have remote controls, some dont.  if you are going to use a switch box, you need to make sure you are using the same kind of cables on both consoles. 


I am not doing this anymore, however like i said earlier, i have a ps2 and a pc in my showcase cabinet.  i dont need switch the controls between the two systems, since i only use the ps2 for gun games, however i do use a video switch to change between  the pc and ps2, which both connect to my tv via component video.

[racecar]

THANKS FOR THAT!!!

im thinking the time being ill get a pc in there and switch between that and a xbox

its a old crt tv so i think it might have the normal (red, yellow, white) and S video

ill use the xbox for marvel vs capcom etc and a pc for classic games

much help thanks

[ark_ader]

Exactly how I do it. X Arcade + Switch for Xbox,GC,PS1,DC - and I have the new adapters that have no lag issues.

Nice and easy. 

[racecar]

which adapters do you use??

im thinking of getting a red white yellow box to switch between, not sure of the name of them

and getting another x arcade for the ps2. i have the xbox one in there and seems fine with no lag that i can tell ??

[severdhed]

if you are using the composite video (yellow/red/white), then you can probably pick up one of those video selector switches at walmart pretty cheap. most of them have 4 inputs so you can hook up several consoles.

as for the x-arcade adapters. i have ones for the xbox, playstation(2), gamecube and dreamcast.  i have never noticed any kind of input lag.(although it has been years since i used any of them.)   the serial port switchbox works very well for switching the controls back and forth, i even emailed x-arcade support before buying one to make sure that would be ok, and they said that it is how they recommend doing it.  the guy suggested making sure that one of the consoles it turned off before switching it though, because the x-arcade needs to power down and back on in order for it to properly recognize the adapter. (so if you are playing xbox, and want to switch to the ps2, make sure you switch your controls, then turn your playstation 2 on.)

[racecar]

i live in australia so i dont have a walmart

sweet ill always shut down before switching etc.. . i think if i dont sometimes the xbox x arcade adapter gets the button inputs wrong

cool ill look into it i really want to put a ps2 in there for a couple of the fighting games which arnt available for xbox, for eg tekken and king of fighters

[severdhed]

i can't even imagine not having a walmart.  most stores that sell electronics and video games will have video selector switchboxes....at least here in the US.