Community Input Requested - What should I do with this old touchscreen monitor?

[ASilver76]

Got a question for the BYOAC membership at large:

I recently was given an old 14" ELO single touch (serial cable) POS monitor w/built-in speakers. It's not a spectacular piece of tech, but it works, the colors are good, and it's base is built to withstand serious abuse. Now, I was originally thiking of making a megatouch out of the thing, but most of the MAME'd megaouch stuff is seriously seriously old and not too impressive. I then thought about just installing a number of touchscreen games with a touchscreen launcher frontend, but the truth is, I still had trouble finding more then a few truly-fun touchscreen games that are PC native. So I thought, what the hell, let's ask the community members what they think would be the best use of the thing.

A couple of points. First, I'm still a novice dedicated arcade system builder. I'm very comfortable with software, pretty comfortable with most PC-related hardware, but have never fabricated or wired anything more complicated then a doorbell. I'm also not a stickler for repro aesthetics or accuracy - if it still looks like a POS system when I'm done with it, that's fine, so long as it works. Lastly, I need to do this on the cheap. The computer hardware I'm going to use is pretty old (nothing more powerful then a Core2Duo w/2-4 gigs RAM) and Windows XP/7. I might be able to scrape together enough for a few arcade buttons, a joystick, and an ipac, but I'd rather not.

And that's it.

A few suggestions have already been floated by people I know:

1) make it a simple touchscreen jukebox.

2) install bluestacks and a touchscreen frontend, and make it into a large android gamestation.

3) make it into a dedicated single-game touchscreen system for kids

4) make it into a "seniorstation":  load it full of computer cardgames and slotmachine games, along with a touchscreen frontend.

5) wire up a retrode2, add authentic SNES and Genesis controllers and he appropriate emulators, and make it into a dedicated hardware/software SNES/Genesis emulation station.

All of these ideas sound pretty good, but as far as I'm concerned, the more ideas the better. So if anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them. Fire when ready.

[yotsuya]

4) make it into a "seniorstation":  load it full of computer cardgames and slotmachine games, along with a touchscreen frontend.

[NickG]

juke.

[jdbailey1206]

1-5 are all good suggestions.  My thought would be do the one thing out of the five that is going to get the most use.  IE Don't build a juke when you know you have two kids that are going to get more use out of it as with a gaming front end. 

[Nephasth]

Juke.

[Thenasty]

6.) Save yourself the headache and send the Monitor to me (free S/H).

[ASilver76]

Hmmm...no one's ever asked me "hey buddy, can you spare a monitor?"

And I appreciate all of the suggestions so few, but please, feel free to add some that aren't on the 1-5 list. Those are just the first few suggestions I received. Feel free to go crazy. Just don't confuse me with a master craftsman like OND. Cardboard and duck tape is more my speed.

[Brian74]

Hmm, besides using it to play pc and android casino games. Use it for MS paint? Build are tabletop cocktail cab or a bartop? Then you could use it for all those things!!!!!!!

[MTPPC]

more than a few popcap touchgames are pretty good. I have everything I need but the cabinet to build my custom megatouch bartop, but I need to just do it.

[Le Chuck]

I'd make a touch-repping station for the BYOAC!!!!  Rep for you for listening to the idea!

[ChanceKJ]

juke.

Juke.

...juke...

GOOSE!!!


Wait... 


Yeah, make a Juke.

[ASilver76]

So some people want me to make a touchable BYOAC repper....sounds vaguely squicky. I suppose the screen should say something like "TOUCH ME! TOUCH ME! TOUCH ME PLEASE! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!" Mmmmm....now I feel dirty, so....no. Thnaks for the suggestion though.

In regards to the other posts, I don't mind Popcap games in general, but any games I install have to be DRM free and not requiring an Internet connection ever (even just to register or active them). As far as I know, all full Popcap games require you to activate them online.