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Hardware cheating: normal desktop trackball on MAME? Griffin Powermate/spinner?

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compute:

I bought a Griffin knob and had a ---smurfette--- of a time with it in Linux.  It can be configured to do just about anything, but I couldn't get MAME to track it quickly enough.  There was no setting to make it work "faster," so you wouldn't have to spin it 6 times to get the paddle across the screen in Arkanoid.  For Windows it may give you more options, but the way it's implemented in Linux is completey dumb.  At the end of the day, if you want real arcade feel, you need real arcade parts.  Those cost real arcade money, which is why I don't have a trackball or mouse yet on my MAME rig :(

P-chan:


--- Quote from: compute on April 17, 2012, 10:21:43 pm ---I bought a Griffin knob and had a ---smurfette--- of a time with it in Linux.  It can be configured to do just about anything, but I couldn't get MAME to track it quickly enough.  There was no setting to make it work "faster," so you wouldn't have to spin it 6 times to get the paddle across the screen in Arkanoid.  For Windows it may give you more options, but the way it's implemented in Linux is completey dumb.  At the end of the day, if you want real arcade feel, you need real arcade parts.  Those cost real arcade money, which is why I don't have a trackball or mouse yet on my MAME rig :(

--- End quote ---

Yeah, I'm just starting on my first 1/2 cab and it's not going to have a trackball or spinner. 

alfonzotan:


--- Quote from: compute on April 17, 2012, 10:21:43 pm ---I bought a Griffin knob and had a ---smurfette--- of a time with it in Linux.  It can be configured to do just about anything, but I couldn't get MAME to track it quickly enough.  There was no setting to make it work "faster," so you wouldn't have to spin it 6 times to get the paddle across the screen in Arkanoid.  For Windows it may give you more options, but the way it's implemented in Linux is completey dumb.  At the end of the day, if you want real arcade feel, you need real arcade parts.  Those cost real arcade money, which is why I don't have a trackball or mouse yet on my MAME rig :(

--- End quote ---

Eh, there are ways to do it cheaply.  Used Happ trackballs show up on eBay for $20 or so all the time (I've picked up a couple at that price), and it's relatively easy to hack an old ball mouse to get a USB interface for one of those.  All told I put no more than $35 into the trackball in my cab, and that includes the mounting plate.

Spinners, unfortunately, are another story (although they can be home-made cheaply if you have the skills and/or patience... which I don't).

leapinlew:

I've purchased a couple spinners from GGG. I'd probably build my next one and hack a mouse. For as infrequently as it gets used, it works fine.

Mysterioii:

I have a slikstik tornado spinner in my current cab and I'm happy with it, and I just bought one from GGG since I'm planning on building a new control panel.  The GGG doesn't spin anywhere near as long as the slikstik spinner, but honestly it doesn't need to...  more of a gimmick on the part of the slikstik.  Although I do admit to just giving it a spin for fun sometimes and seeing how long it'll spin...  :lol  give it a whirl, go feed the cats, water them, scoop 3 litter pans then walk back to the cabinet and it's still spinning...  seriously...  It's kinda cool but nobody actually plays games like that so it's pretty unnecessary.  The GGG one seems fine and I like that it mounts in a standard-sized pushbutton hole.

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