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Can I run MAME/Emulators off a modded XBOX?

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paigeoliver:

The downsides is that it costs quite a bit more than using a PC and your whole setup is tied to a relatively antique piece of hardware.

degenatrons:


--- Quote from: paigeoliver on January 08, 2013, 08:23:42 pm ---The downsides is that it costs quite a bit more than using a PC and your whole setup is tied to a relatively antique piece of hardware.

--- End quote ---
Not sure that it costs more!  I grabbed 5 xboxes for £20 recently.  If you shop around,  you'll find folks almost giving them away.
Antique hardware comes with the hobby and I'm all for using the old consoles.
 
I find that xbox emulates the classic games really really well.  Much credit to the CoinOPS developer (BP) who keeps pushing boundaries and developing this software on the original Xbox.  I'm looking forward to seeing what this old box is still capable of.




sharpfork:


--- Quote from: Alexinedh on January 08, 2013, 08:16:08 pm ---Well I want it to be able to run any kind of arcade rom i throw at it. I'd be very sad if I go to play Galaga and it doesnt work =(  Emulators would be cool, too...
edit: also, i would like to have a functional coin mech, is that possible for an xbox? Also plan on using a PC monitor as a screen, so I assume XBOX helps with that.

--- End quote ---

The coin mech is just a switch like any other so that doesn't matter- it can be PC or Xbox.  One of the things folks like about coinops is that is comes as a package with everything you need= minimal configuration.  Emus are the same, easy as hell.  It runs older systems fine but can be a bit clunky with N64 and Playstation 1.  There is not playstation 2 or dreamcast or anything newer.

If you mean old CRT when you say old monitor, that isn't where the xBox shines.  Were is shines is on an old CRT TV.  I have been using component (red, green, blue RCA- not yellow) in on 480i CRT TVs I get for free on freecycle or craigslist.  These feel more like old skool arcade monitors than a higher resolution computer monitor.  component video on TVs from the xBox is plug and play.  it is a huge pain in the ass to do on a PC.
I have modded xBoxes to run on VGA but that is more complicated than using a PC for sure.


--- Quote from: paigeoliver on January 08, 2013, 08:23:42 pm ---The downsides is that it costs quite a bit more than using a PC and your whole setup is tied to a relatively antique piece of hardware.

--- End quote ---
As I said, we will argue.  I have been picking up classic xBoxes for $10-$15 lately.  The only thing that is going to be any less than this is a super duper "antique" PC with an old ass OS.  I use the KADE for encoding (I'm a part of the team that develops it) and I'm in no way tied to the xbox.  I use the same KADE hardware on xBox, computers, android, Playstation 1/2, and others.

If you have some extra $$$ to spend or already have a PC that can manage Playstation 2 emulation (very CPU intensive) and you don't mind maintaining and tweaking many many components of the OS, frontend, and emulators, go for the PC.  It is much more flexible and can be much more powerful.  If you want to see what you can do with an xBox, look for one and a TV with component video in and give coinops or Vision a try. 
Give this series by Degenatrons a watch for some background:

Alexinedh:

I was planning to use a computer monitor, a flat screen LCD or plasma. Since an XBOX can't play anything hi-res, should I just go for a component TV? Playing PS2 isn't a deal breaker to me.

I'm just trying to decide which way would be simpler for me. I found a beat to all hell centipede cabinet that i'm personalizing. I think I have 26" width to play with, and was trying to aim for something lightweight so I can transport my cabinet to my friends house for gaming parties we sometimes have. I have a computer that a computer store donated to me (512mb ram, some unknown ---smurfy--- processor, no sound card, and 20GB HDD) that is giving me all sorts of problems by not loading the MAME software or ROMs into Hyperspin. If I go that route, I'd have to pay the money to get the computer running again, and buy an ipac because I don't like the idea of having a keyboard PCB soldering inside (seems too delicate for me). I had planned on flat screen LCD display only because I was going to use the computer monitor, which would (could) have been cheaper and much easier to configure to the PC, and so I wouldn't have to purchase a 15 hertz output graphics card if I went with something other than an LCD monitor.

As far as I can understand, my only costs for using an XBOX would be 1) XBOX 2) Cheap $50 TV 3) Software/hardware for mobbing. Am I about right on what I understand? Would you still advise an XBOX in this situation?

Alexinedh:


--- Quote from: sharpfork on January 08, 2013, 09:17:27 pm ---Give this series by Degenatrons a watch for some background:

--- End quote ---

Very cool, I just watched the entire series. It looks a lot simpler while still giving me the options of computer monitor or arcade monitor. Are there any videos how to hard mod the xbox like that? I assume he's hard modding since he disconnected the optical drive.

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