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Full Cab or Showcase with LCD?
Lucky S.O.B.:
So long long ago I started down the road of building a cab, bought a dynamo Z-back cabinet, stripped down the cabinet, hooked the monitor up to arcadevga and then stopped... Well 5 years later I got the itch back, and of course technology changes and I have been looking around and I really like the idea of an 42" LCD on the wall with a showcase style controller. Inspired by (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=104064.0)
Looks like this maybe the cheaper and more useful method, since I could use the TV for multiple things in the game room. Plus I plan to do something of a frankenpanel (4 players + 1 trackball), it may actually look better since the panel will be so big.
Whats everyone thoughts? Then there is the question of what to do with the old cab...
Green Giant:
--- Quote from: Lucky S.O.B. on December 29, 2011, 01:13:03 pm ---So long long ago I started down the road of building a cab, bought a dynamo Z-back cabinet, stripped down the cabinet, hooked the monitor up to arcadevga and then stopped... Well 5 years later I got the itch back, and of course technology changes and I have been looking around and I really like the idea of an 42" LCD on the wall with a showcase style controller. Inspired by (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=104064.0)
Looks like this maybe the cheaper and more useful method, since I could use the TV for multiple things in the game room. Plus I plan to do something of a frankenpanel (4 players + 1 trackball), it may actually look better since the panel will be so big.
Whats everyone thoughts? Then there is the question of what to do with the old cab...
--- End quote ---
Cheaper? I don't buy that one at all.
However if you can afford it, go big or go home.
When the money is right I hope to build a showcase shooter built around a modded wii.
BobA:
By the time you make a nice looking pedestal with controls and computer or PCB you are not going to save much by not having to build the top of the cab and what you save will be spent many times over on the cost of the 42 inch LCD. It is however a great looking alternative to a conventional cab with lots of uses for console play as well.
honkey:
I was just telling my fiancee that if I were to start over I would do a showcase with a TV on the wall. I still haven't figured out how to make my arcade monitor work with my computer and I am very tired of trying to find a solution.
Paul Olson:
I am designing a new cab to be used with an LCD on the wall as well. I like the look of the new Silver Strike Bowling games, so I am going to pattern it after that. I had an arcade monitor for years, and I just got tired of messing with it. Now is a good time for LCDs. The shader effects in MAME let you simulate the look of an arcade monitor for the game itself while allowing it to be surrounded by high res artwork. It looks great. The MAME artwork team is also working on widescreen layouts, so it is just going to get better.
Another plus for me is portability. I plan to bring the cab in the living room for parties and hook it to the TV already there.
I bought a 32" TV for this project, and it is too small. The artwork takes up quite a bit of space, so I would recommend a minimum of 42". It is also probably a good idea to get the fastest TV you can afford.