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Raspberry Pi
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 :D (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 :D
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.
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