Raspberry Pi

[yotsuya]

The reason I modified mine was to remove everything except Mame, as I simply do not understand the desire to play console games with a joystick while standing up.

Amen, brother!

[Jamesbeat]

Indeed.
Considering this forum is for people who build arcade machines (or at least arcade controls) for playing arcade games properly, I am astonished that so many of the same people want to use an arcade machine to play games designed to be played on a gamepad while seated in front of a TV.
To me, that's just as undesirable as using a couch, a TV and a gamepad for Mame.

An arcade machine for arcade games, and a console for console games.
Console games are what an Ouya is for

[yotsuya]

Indeed.
Considering this forum is for people who build arcade machines (or at least arcade controls) for playing arcade games properly, I am astonished that so many of the same people want to use an arcade machine to play games designed to be played on a gamepad while seated in front of a TV.
To me, that's just as undesirable as using a couch, a TV and a gamepad for Mame.

An arcade machine for arcade games, and a console for console games.
Console games are what an Ouya is for

I will say this - I learned from my own experience that it's not the optimal way to do it. Even Atari 2600 games just don't feel right with arcade controls. I quickly ditched all the console emulators from my MAME cab when I realized pushing P1B6 isn't the same as using the left trigger. And try explaining it to someone who isn't familiar with your setup.

Yeah, you can get USED to it, but who's got time for that?

[dkersten]

I suppose it depends on if you have a massive variety of gaming platforms or if this is your one place to game... I tend to agree, with the caveat that some old console games can be easily played with arcade controls (and are somewhat "arcade-like) and hence fit the idea of an arcade machine.  But setting it up to be able to play anything and everything turns it into something else entirely.  Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD. 

I happen to like fighting games, and some of the fun fighting games were made for consoles and can be easily played with arcade controls, so it makes sense to add them to the fighting game list.  But if I ever decide to play just about anything xbox or playstation, I will get one of those consoles and plug it in to my projector and play from the comfort of my theater room. 

[yotsuya]

I suppose it depends on if you have a massive variety of gaming platforms or if this is your one place to game... I tend to agree, with the caveat that some old console games can be easily played with arcade controls (and are somewhat "arcade-like) and hence fit the idea of an arcade machine.  But setting it up to be able to play anything and everything turns it into something else entirely.  Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD. 

I happen to like fighting games, and some of the fun fighting games were made for consoles and can be easily played with arcade controls, so it makes sense to add them to the fighting game list.  But if I ever decide to play just about anything xbox or playstation, I will get one of those consoles and plug it in to my projector and play from the comfort of my theater room.

I could see FIGHTING GAMES working, sure, but try playing StarFox or ActRaiser or any other SNES game. Got unfun REALLY quick. 

[Jamesbeat]

I am constantly baffled by all the cabs I see on the internet that seem to have variations of snes-era Mario games as their theme.

Don't get me wrong, I am a HUGE fan of Mario games, and I regard the snes era as the 'golden age' of Mario games, but these are console games!

To me, playing Super Mario World with a joystick and buttons standing up is just as bad as playing Centipede with a gamepad on a widescreen TV.

The point that I was originally trying to make is that arguing that a Raspberry Pi is unsuitable for a cabinet because it can't run many console emulators is absurd in two counts:

1. It CAN run quite a few emulators

2. Console emulators on a cabinet are silly (except for the fighting games as mentioned above)


If you want to play console games, buy an Ouya.
Sure, the Ouya failed miserably at what it was designed for, but as an emulation machine it's fantastic.
I have an Ouya with a 64Gb flash drive and two PS3 controllers.
It emulates every console that my wife and I ever owned (and some that we never owned) from the 2600 to the Playstation.

My Raspberry Pi-based arcade cabinet emulates all of the games my wife and I used to play, so that's great too.

I am actually considering upgrading to a PC sometime in the future, but only because there are some 3D games my son would like to play.
For '80's to early 90's era games, the Raspberry Pi is great.

[Cynicaster]

I used to think console games on a MAME cabinet was a stupid concept.  I definitely don't do it very often, but over time, I've changed my tune somewhat on this topic. 

It's definitely true that a LOT of retro console games suck with arcade controls.  Atari 2600 games suck in emulation, no matter what.  Most Colecovision and Intellivision titles don't work very well, due to the absence of the number pads.  Atari 5200 is out, because that joystick was floppy and analog.  Tons of NES games were platform-style, which sucks with arcade joysticks.  Titles on the SNES that used the shoulder buttons kind of suck.

But, there are some types of games--namely, shoot-em-ups and beat-em-ups--that not only work great with arcade controls, but, IMO, feel better than when playing them with original controllers.  I realize many of the games that fall into this category have "original" arcade versions that could just be played in MAME--which is usually what I would do--but every once in a while, playing old home console ports can be fun. 

It's kind of like listening to a cover version of a song you like.  For example, I love Robotron and Food Fight on the Atari 7800; in fact, when playing on the cabinet, the 7800 version of the latter is much better than the original due to the fact that the 7800 version is meant to be played with an 8-way stick.  The 7800 version of Robotron supports the dual stick control scheme, which is kind of tough to do on a real console, and the game itself is really quite good.   
 
As another example, I love playing Robotron X (from the original Playstation) on my cabinet.  I'm able to set up classic twin-stick controls, whereas, if I were playing on original console hardware, I'd need to use the buttons to shoot (boo). 

I've got a few retro consoles, but unfortunately, I find that most hand-held controllers from the 16-bit era and earlier cramp my hands, especially when button mashing is required.  Arcade controls help immensely in those cases.  I know most old consoles have "arcade stick" peripherals, but come on, those aren't the same.  They're cheaply made, they slide around on your lap, etc.   

[yotsuya]

Oh, I could definitely see console fighting games, beat 'em ups and SHMUPs working on a arcade cab. But in my experience, thinking "Yeah, man, I can play everything on this cab" will only end in tears (I know, I was *that guy*). Especially when you go to play a game you used to love, and see that it just doesn't feel right.

[Jamesbeat]

Very valid points.
I don't much care for fighters or shoot 'em ups so I don't tend to play them much on any platform.
Actually, that's not quite true. I have started enjoying both of these genres more since I built my cabinet. Arcade controls really do make a difference.

I still maintain that arcade controls are crappy for the types of games that I tend to play on consoles though.

And also that Super Mario World themed cabs are silly

[dkersten]

The idea that Mario games don't belong in an arcade cab is pretty subjective, and there are good arguments both ways.  First off, Mario bros was available in the playchoice machines and does run well with a joystick and buttons.  Second, it is like my star wars thread where Yots said that the star wars arcade game is just fine on a trackball if you didn't know it was meant to be played with a yoke.  If you never played Mario with a gamepad, or just don't like gamepads, then it makes perfect sense to play it with arcade controls.  I have had guests who played most arcade games as ports on consoles, so when trying to play, they were struggling with the controls.  But for me personally, I despise game pads and would rather use a joystick and buttons.  Sure, games like F-Zero were better suited to a game pad than to an arcade controller, but then you won't find F-Zero on my cab either..

I am not opposed to using a Pi in an arcade, but at the same time it doesn't make much sense on many levels.  Sure, you can't exactly argue that it can't play console games because they aren't suited best to a stand up arcade, but then on that same note you would have to look at other parts of the argument that are very subjective and shaky at best:  Cost isn't usually much of a factor, because by the time you get all the accessories you need for a Pi, you could buy a used computer and have more power, performance, and flexibility in FE's (as well as the whole console thing).  Size is certainly not an issue in a full size cab, and really even in a bartop if you decase things.  Power draw is a moot point (as I mentioned earlier).  So what exactly is the benefit for using a Pi, other than to say "I did it."  ?  The answer is nothing, but then again the answer for "why SHOULDN'T I use a Pi in an arcade" is pretty much the same thing, there isn't much reason not to use one unless you have a specific reason in mind.

[Jamesbeat]

For me, the idea of building a cabinet came about because of the Raspberry Pi.

I initially bought one just to run a ZX Spectrum emulator.
That evolved into a multi-emulator console idea. I got most of the way through building it, and then discovered the Ouya, which was a much simpler and more competent system.
I had toyed with Mame in the past, but when I discovered Piplay (or Pimame at that time) I knew that I had to build a cabinet for the Pi.

I initially decided upon a bartop to take advantage of the small size of the Pi, but then I figured that I might as well build an upright, because a bartop doesn't actually save any space (you still need to put it on a piece of furniture to play it)

I ended up building a 'full size bartop', meaning that it is essentially the top half of an upright cabinet in size.
I'm still looking for a suitable piece of furniture to mount it on.
Maybe one day that piece of furniture will also house a conventional PC, but for now I'm quite happy with the Pi.


I still think that the most useful way of thinking about the Raspberry Pi is as a '2000-in-1' board, because with the right SD card image, that's what it becomes.

As a rival to the $325 ArcadeSD, which costs ten times as much and plays far fewer games, the Raspberry Pi is an exceptional product.

As a rival to a full-blown PC with Hyperspin and every emulator under the sun, it doesn't look so impressive, but I would argue that these are two distinctly different use-cases.

[lordnacho]

I've got some leftover parts and a dust collecting Raspberry Pi.  Might give this a try.  Anyone know if a u360 with a button harness would get recognized?  Should be a gamepad, so I don't see why not

Update: quick try, using retropie, doesn't get past the gamepad configuration menu.  recognizes a button i hooked to the harness, but not the actual stick.   

[screamingtiger]

RE:  Consoles on an arcade

I was playing NES games on my PC way back when Nesticle was still being actively developed.  I got used to using a keyboard to play the games, and I love the save state so I can beat all the games I never could as a kid.  For NES, an arcade stick and 2 buttons works real well, along with the ability to save state.   IMO this provides a better gaming experience than the original console.

I am teetering on a line, that SNES may not have a place.  As well as anything newer than that.  The gamepads have alot of buttons and the games we designed with that button layout.  Its difficult to to generally mimic that with an arcade control panel.  There are a few execptions at the game level but I mean in general.

Modern consoles using gyros and sensors absolutely never a place IMO.
I've also never been a fan of current or the previous generation consoles on emulators either.  You are really fighting an uphill battle and using 10X the cpu power to play a game that will only perform marginally.  The systems are still widely available and really its just promoting pirating.

When a system is 15 years old that seems to be a good time to look into emulation.  But in the future, I think you will still need the game pad from the system.  But who knows what the future will bring.