Main > Main Forum
trying to help a family out...
shponglefan:
--- Quote from: Le Chuck on July 21, 2014, 07:43:35 am ---You can make them a pedestal. I'm sure they have a TV with a VGA cable in the back - if not there are plenty of vid cards out there you can get that have component or S-vid out. Either way saves you on materials and saves them on space. Especially if you just make it a large CP box with the computer stuff built in. Do the gaming and sound through the TV. Line the bottom with felt (to protect their coffee table) and get an extra long VGA cable off Amazon for $10. If you craigs a cheap computer or get a donor and make it two player with six buttons each you can do the whole thing as a scratch build for under a hundred easy. Half inch MDF quarter sheets at HD for $9 and you should need one of them.
The space hog argument is crap. Something like this could fit in the top shelf of the closet or somewhere equally unobtrusive.
--- End quote ---
I don't know what giant closets you have (or miniature pedestals), but for anything floor-standing, the space issue is extremely valid. Especially if there is a wife and/or girlfriend involved in the discussion...
Generic Eric:
--- Quote from: yotsuya on July 20, 2014, 10:06:08 pm ---
--- Quote from: Generic Eric on July 20, 2014, 10:03:46 pm ---Extreme Home Make Over: Arcade Edition
Did you ever watch the Extreme Home Make Over show? They transformed homes for people that had hit hard times. The transformations were such, that in the later years of the show, those families they were helping wouldn't be able to afford the utility cost, much less the increase in taxes or insurance.
Lets not kid ourselves and compare unlike things, but there is a point to made about giving someone something they might not take care of long term. OTOOH, its not like OP is giving them a puppy.
--- End quote ---
If the OP gave them 20 games, then maybe your analogy would make sense. It's one MAME cabinet that they can turn off when not using. I'm sure the OP knows how much space they would have. If all they have room for is a two player bartop, plan accordingly.
--- End quote ---
You are not wrong. This what I was trying to impart:
Extreme Home Make Over: Arcade Edition>Puppy>What OP is doing
yotsuya:
You're in Phoenix? Even better. So am I!
jennifer:
Jennifer has given up games for charity before and it never seems to work out well for me cause then the unspoken "lifelong service" clause kicks in and then you are buying new parts for their free games for like ever, and ever and ever. One may not be so bad but a servicing a donation route really kinda blows. regardless of the original intention .... Teaching this family (or the kids) how to build a cab may be better in the long run than just handing them a fish.
pbj:
Ignoring all the above BS - my honest suggestion on this is to get them a hacked Xbox 360, which run about $150 these days.
You can install MAME on it and load it up with as much stolen downloaded junk as you feel comfortable doing. Plus the physical games are dirt cheap now. Maybe progress to an actual cabinet if the kids retain any interest in the arcade games for longer than a week?