What would it take to create Mame Hardware..?

[aldub516]

So this post is more just for creative discussion. I personally have no knowledge about what it takes to create this. Ive recently been exploring the best, and most fail safe systems for mame cabinets.. Whether PC, Linux, rasberry pi, or other methods.. Which then led me to think... What would it take to creat a motherboard of some sort, that simply ran mame? or had the hardware to configure a front end, and have it provide the mame frame work. Meaning.. No more pc, no more windows.. Just a piece of hardware (motherboard, chip, something) that would simply be a platform to run mame? The arcade vga got me thinking about it. Im amazed someone has the know how to create a video card just for mame builds. What would be the pros? what would be the cons? Is there a definitive answer such as "you wouldnt be able to update as frequently as software".. or is it more the massive investment of time and money?  Im interested in any types of discussion. Its an interesting topic...I just imagine a beautiful motherboard, with every port and input you could use.. perhaps built in video card for arcades? various video outs.. No more windows crashes, boot logo changing. Again, im interested in the general topic as a whole.. im not trying to come off as a "why the hell didnt any lazy idiot do this yet".. because i sure cant. praise to you geniuses who help me every day

ps.. im pretty sure im about to get ten links.. 5 being 10 page threads about this.. 5 being links to half assed emulation hardware already out..

[mgb]

I'm no expert on the matter but boards like the 60-in-1 are bassically running mame on some sort of embedded linux os

[jamesjones626]

I have seen slot machines crash at a casino in my area. A lot of those run Linux as well.

Sent from my Z993 using Tapatalk

[yotsuya]

or is it more the massive investment of time and money? 

This. We're such a niche hobby to begin with. You basically want a motherboard with a built in JAMMA connector and CGA capability, I would assume. Other than the yahoos who do what we do, what's the other potential market for it? Even the ArcadeVGA is basically an existing product with special firmware to make it use different resolutions. It's not like they're building the cards from scratch.

The closest you're going to probably get to what you want is the ArcadeSD board, which is a)$300 b) isn't technically running MAME and c)doesn't run everything under the sun, but it's plug and play and much, much better than the 60-1, with a better game selection and the ability to run horizontal or vertical. Otherwise, your most economical bet is still a PC.

There was a guy here in the past looking at running producing an OpenJAMMA pcb that would kind of do what you are proposing. But that seems to have gone the way of the Chaddles.

[bulbousbeard]

Look, stop trying to have your cake and eat it, too. If you want to do MAME right, you're going to use a real PC. It's not going to be Raspberry Pi. It's not going to be some ---smurfy--- Chinese JAMMA knockoff. It's going to be a PC and MAME.

It's EASY to do. If you don't use a pointlessly convoluted frontend you could be set up in an hour.

You can buy a used Dell or HP workstation for a hundred bucks or less. A GroovyMAME capable video card is 20 bucks or less. That will be INFINITELY superior to any ---smurfy--- Chinese JAMMA knockoff you buy, and it's like half the price. Why would you pay more for lower quality? If you're using a CRT and JAMMA, there is no reason to go any other way.

ArcadeVGA is a scam. GroovyMAME is better in every way, and the video cards for it are cheaper.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR2.TRC1.A0.H0.Xhd4550.TRS0&_nkw=hd4550&_sacat=0

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883256341&cm_re=refurbished_desktop_computer-_-83-256-341-_-Product

[bulbousbeard]

I'm no expert on the matter but boards like the 60-in-1 are bassically running mame on some sort of embedded linux os

This is correct. Those awful Chinese knockoffs are the true half assed solution. It's just scumbags trying to profit off MAME. I haven't seen a single x-in-1 board that didn't skip frames or have weird glitches that aren't in MAME. Pure crapola.

[yotsuya]

Look, stop trying to have your cake and eat it, too. If you want to do MAME right, you're going to use a real PC. It's not going to be Raspberry Pi. It's not going to be some ---smurfy--- Chinese JAMMA knockoff. It's going to be a PC and MAME.

It's EASY to do. If you don't use a pointlessly convoluted frontend you could be set up in an hour.

You can buy a used Dell or HP workstation for a hundred bucks or less. A GroovyMAME capable video card is 20 bucks or less. That will be INFINITELY superior to any ---smurfy--- Chinese JAMMA knockoff you buy, and it's like half the price. Why would you pay more for lower quality? If you're using a CRT and JAMMA, there is no reason to go any other way.

ArcadeVGA is a scam. GroovyMAME is better in every way, and the video cards for it are cheaper.

You were doing so well the last few days.

He said he wanted to have a discussion, not get berated. While I agree with most of your message, once again, your delivery leaves something to be desired.

[Yenome]

I never bothered with any ?? in 1 boards as i felt they just didnt compare to the stability or upgradability of a regular pc. I feel the best way to go would be to make a list of tested cpu and graphic cards that run the games and front ends optimal. could even have diff price points like the gaming rigs i build low end starts at 400-500 and tops out around 2000 but i know all the parts work well together.

[bulbousbeard]

I never bothered with any ?? in 1 boards as i felt they just didnt compare to the stability or upgradability of a regular pc. I feel the best way to go would be to make a list of tested cpu and graphic cards that run the games and front ends optimal. could even have diff price points like the gaming rigs i build low end starts at 400-500 and tops out around 2000 but i know all the parts work well together.

$400 seems kind of pricey for the low end given how cheap refurbished PCs are. You don't really need that much hardware for a CRT setup. The only expensive emulation setups are LCD setups, because it just takes so much more hardware to get something nice.

[yotsuya]

Having said that, I would welcome a plug and play JAMMA board that let me pick my own roms, but more important, let me customize the front end. Most of the ones I've seen look like ass. The ArcadeSD one is pretty sweet.

[Yenome]

I never bothered with any ?? in 1 boards as i felt they just didnt compare to the stability or upgradability of a regular pc. I feel the best way to go would be to make a list of tested cpu and graphic cards that run the games and front ends optimal. could even have diff price points like the gaming rigs i build low end starts at 400-500 and tops out around 2000 but i know all the parts work well together.

$400 seems kind of pricey for the low end given how cheap refurbished PCs are. You don't really need that much hardware for a CRT setup. The only expensive emulation setups are LCD setups, because it just takes so much more hardware to get something nice.

I agree but i was talking pc gaming not emulation sorry should of made that clear.

[JDFan]

I think the main reason you don't see a decent card like this made is the MAME license -

License

Redistribution and use of the MAME code or any derivative works are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

    Redistributions may not be sold, nor may they be used in a commercial product or activity.
    Redistributions that are modified from the original source must include the complete source code, including the source code for all components used by a binary built from the modified sources. However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need not include anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary form) with the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the operating system on which the executable runs, unless that component itself accompanies the executable.
    Redistributions must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

Since they will not allow the software to be used on any hardware product that is going to be sold it would be hard to covince someone to manufacture the product to give away !! 

From their FAQ's section :

Common Questions

Q. Can I include MAME with my product?
A. No. MAME is not licensed for commercial use. Using MAME as a "freebie" or including it at "no cost" with your product still constitutes commerical usage and is forbidden by the license.

Q. Can I sell my product with the MAME logo on it?
A. No. Putting the logo on your product makes it appear that the product is something officially endorsed by Nicola Salmoria, and constitutes trademark infringement.

Q. Can I use the MAME logo to advertise my product?
A. No. Using the logo in your advertising makes it appear that the product is something officially endorsed by Nicola Salmoria, and constitutes trademark infringement.

Q. Can I use the term "MAME" in the name of my software?
A. Generally, no, especially if it is something that is sold. However, if you are producing a free MAME-related piece of software, it is common that permission is granted. Send a query to double- check first, please.

Q. Can I put an arcade cabinet running MAME in a public location?
A. No. This this a commercial use of MAME and is prohibited by the license. Even if you don't charge money, putting a machine in a public location is "operating" an arcade machine and falls under commercial rules in most locations.

Q. Can my non-profit use MAME or an arcade cabinet running MAME to help raise money?
A. No, sorry. Even for the most worthwhile cause, this still is a commercial use of MAME and is prohibited by the license.

Q. How do I obtain a license to the MAME source code?
A. You can't. See the Copyright section above.

[yotsuya]

$400 seems kind of pricey for the low end given how cheap refurbished PCs are. You don't really need that much hardware for a CRT setup. The only expensive emulation setups are LCD setups, because it just takes so much more hardware to get something nice.

You don't have to pay a ton of money for an LCD if you just want to run Galaga.

[yotsuya]

I think the main reason you don't see a decent card like this made is the MAME license -

Since they will not allow the software to be used on any hardware product that is going to be sold it would be hard to covince someone to manufacture the product to give away !! 

That too, but I was thinking in hypotheticals, since the intent was just to have a discussion.

[bulbousbeard]

$400 seems kind of pricey for the low end given how cheap refurbished PCs are. You don't really need that much hardware for a CRT setup. The only expensive emulation setups are LCD setups, because it just takes so much more hardware to get something nice.

You don't have to pay a ton of money for an LCD if you just want to run Galaga.

If you want a CRT simulation shader, you do need a lot of hardware for even that.

[yotsuya]

$400 seems kind of pricey for the low end given how cheap refurbished PCs are. You don't really need that much hardware for a CRT setup. The only expensive emulation setups are LCD setups, because it just takes so much more hardware to get something nice.

You don't have to pay a ton of money for an LCD if you just want to run Galaga.

If you want a CRT simulation shader, you do need a lot of hardware for even that.

You're assuming most casual players want a CRT simulation shader.

I dunno, if I WANT the CRT experience, I'll use a CRT. If I just want to play Galaga, I'll throw in a 4:3 LCD and a CraftyMech scanline generator. I'm not going to spend $800 to play Ms. Pac-Man when I can get a real Ms. Pac cab with a CRT in it for $200.

I could see buying an expensive G-Sync monitor if I was one of those guys who also wanted to play the latest Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat or HD Steam games on my cab. But NONE of the games I like to play require a widescreen monitor or that level of resolution, so I'll pocket the $725 and stick with a quality 4:3.

[mgb]

Having said that, I would welcome a plug and play JAMMA board that let me pick my own roms, but more important, let me customize the front end. Most of the ones I've seen look like ass. The ArcadeSD one is pretty sweet.

I agree.
It would be nice to have a board like that. Especially one that you can put in machines and legally sell without worry.
I consistently find that as BB said, a pc just works best.
The xx in 1s all have their problems
The front ends on raspberry pi versions are lacking.
The arcade sd looks awesome but it's fairly costly and it doesn't support sone games that are must haves for me.

Again though, it always goes back to the end user. Some people don't mind some of the issues with the different board.

I have one customer who bought all the equipment for building 2 60-in-1 machines and had me build them.
The equipment was definitely not what I would have chosen.
They have vertically mounted wide screen 24" cheap LCDs, JLFs (set for 4 way) and crappy illuminated buttons.
He loves them, but to each their own.

I have another customer who was using a 3-in-1 in his cocktail as well as Happ knockoffs set to 4 way (no true restriction).
On his request, I upgraded the setup to a 60-in-1 with Zippyys set for 4way and he and his kids were thrilled.
This guy also has a beautiful pool table that he hand built and has been offered $10,000 for. So it goes to show that his pool table has a higher value to him than his video game cab that is for casual play.

There is no black and white one type of group in this hobby.
It takes all types and I'm not sure why you, BulbousBeard have a hard time seeing that.
   If all of these more casual guys were to leave the hobby because of elitist top shelf guys talking down to them and treating them like idiots, do you really think the suppliers that we buy our equipment from will be able to stay in business with the orders they'll receive from a few die hards?

Oh and to the op question, JDfan is absolutely right. And that is the main reason why there can not be actual commercially available MAME hardware

[aldub516]

First off to bulbous beard.. You suck dude.. And that's become easily apparent for even a new comer like
Me... I'm talking theoretic ideas on a product that doesn't exist, but  would revolutionize the hobby if it were real.. Maybe it's impossible to happen.. But if you could use your "imagination" and discuss the technicalities behind the idea it could be fun and productive. As someone said, you often do have factual input to learn from, but damn your persona is terrible.. So I don't know how I'm trying to have my cake and eat it. I didn't say "can anyone point me to a cheap half assed corner cutter quick way to set up mame".. This really shows off your inability to stay within the realm of conversation. You even went on a rant about jamma boards and asked why I would pay more money for lower quality.. Then attacking arcadevga as a scam. I never even mentioned jamma, or me spending money.. Or anything in that direction... To people who pointed out the licensing issues, that is an actual answer to my question as far as my discussion. But say it was all in the name of mame, not some company making money off It. Say mame devs were on board..   Back to bulbous... As far as "doing it right and angryangryrant"... The theoretical idea I proposed for fun discussion ideally, would be the "right way".. A hardware board of sorts with all the required specs and software/framework to support the mame hobbyist. 

Let me redirect the question. What would your idea of feasible hardware platform for programming mame systems look like and work like? Yes a dell station cost 100 bucks.. What if a full stocked mame arcade motherboard cost 120? And I'm not talking about stocked with Roms and such. Just like a plug and play open hardware board to set up a system. I've built 3 beautiful cabinets on windows.. All run great. Boot logos, direct to front end booting. No problem aka the "right way". But it's still a windows PC, running 100 other services, filled with thousands of little apps and files for over all computer tasks. I guess I was looking more for an answer from a developers point of view than anything. It just interests me that's all. In my mind I just picture a sweet ass shiny blue motherboard that I can plug everything into, start up and being able to program like I would
Normally, just minus everything else a PC would have.

[yotsuya]

Let me redirect the question. What would you're idea of feasible hardware platform for programming make systems look like and work like? Yes a dell station cost 100 bucks.. What it's a full stocked mame arcade motherboard cost 120? And I'm talking about stocked with Roms and such. I've built 3 beautiful cabinets.. All run great. Boot logos, direct to front end booting. No problem aka the "right way". But it's still a windows PC, running 100 other services, filled with thousands of little apps and files for over all computer tasks. I guess I was looking more for an answer from a developers point of view than anything. It just interests me that's all

First off, Bulbousbeard gotta Bulbousbeard, brother. 

The problem I see is that you want it stocked with ROMS. If we do this legally, you've got to pay royalties or a fee for each and every game you want to put on there, which gets added on to the price.

ArcadeSD and other legit multiboards get around this by selling you the boards with NO roms included. Yes, they're easy enough to get and add, but you're paying for the hardware itself and it's potential to run games, and not the games themselves.

Since you need a PC to run MAME itself, you're still going to need some sort of storage and operating system running in the background. Some of the better multiboards (JROKs come to mind) replace all the hardware and chips into a much smaller, more efficient package and aren't even "emulating" but running the actual code. I bought his Q*Bert board, and I'm going to buy his Multi-Williams board soon, even though I have neither types of cabinets because I respect his efforts, and his stuff is top notch. These are the kind of "all-in-ones" I like to see.

[saint]

ArcadeVGA is a scam. GroovyMAME is better in every way, and the video cards for it are cheaper.

You're entitled to your own opinion, you're not entitled to your own facts.

You may not like the ArcadeVGA, you may not think it's a product with a purpose or that it fails to meet the purpose. That's an opinion. Language matters though, and I've never seen any evidence that the ArcadeVGA is a scam. Andy/Ultimarc is an upright outstanding member of this community who bends over backwards to do right by his customers.

[JDFan]

In my mind I just picture a sweet ass shiny blue motherboard that I can plug everything into, start up and being able to program like I would
Normally, just minus everything else a PC would have.

Thing is how are you going to decide and limit what can be plugged in and how (ie. is it going to support analog and digital connections - what type of video input ( composite, s- video, VGA, DVI, SCART) what types of audio - How many distinct button inputs and what types will it run ( How many joystick inputs, how many trackballs, how many spinners, how many buttons) - Figure each thing you make allowances to add means extra cost and complexity for that shiny blue MOBO - meaning you either waste money building a system for a single player bartop using that MOBO or you have to purchase several and get them to work together for a 4 player MAME build that can play all the games with that 4 player aircraft carrier Control panel - with multiple spinners, trackballs, 4 and 8 way joysticks, etc.

Don't think you are ever going to be able to have a single plug and play board that fits all builds at least not an economical solution - so it is always going to take some thought and planning on what you want the system to play and what offerings come the closest to working with your game list and budget. There is just too many variables for any one shiny blue MOBO to be the best alternative for all of them !!

[mgb]

As to the OPs original discussion as to the feasibility of a mame game board of sorts, I'd say you're best place to start looking into is the Arcade SD (as mentioned a few times)
   I'd say it's the best board in its class though I've never had or used one and I only know what I've seen and read about online.
But as cool as it is, it still has its limits in what games it can play.

[aldub516]

Cool. Thanks for the input and such. I guess that was a pretty open shut case of explanations. And as far as Roms included, I edited that, I meant not included. I guess you responded super fast lol

I never really considered that essentially this would be just a preprogrammed mother board essentially.. And minus the license issue, it's just a matter of someone cloning a well made build and selling it ready to go..

I feel content with this discussion. Thanks guys.. Even you bulbousbeard. Guys like you are essential to forums, for social stability atleast.

[yotsuya]

ArcadeVGA is a scam. GroovyMAME is better in every way, and the video cards for it are cheaper.

You're entitled to your own opinion, you're not entitled to your own facts.

You may not like the ArcadeVGA, you may not think it's a product with a purpose or that it fails to meet the purpose. That's an opinion. Language matters though, and I've never seen any evidence that the ArcadeVGA is a scam. Andy/Ultimarc is an upright outstanding member of this community who bends over backwards to do right by his customers.

Well said. The ArcadeVGA is a great option for those people who want to use a CRT but don't want to delve into the work necessary to use any video card, extra drivers, GroovyMAME, etc. It's a plug and play option. Can you do it cheaper? Sure, but some people like having the ease of use.

[yotsuya]

In my mind I just picture a sweet ass shiny blue motherboard that I can plug everything into, start up and being able to program like I would
Normally, just minus everything else a PC would have.

Thing is how are you going to decide and limit what can be plugged in and how (ie. is it going to support analog and digital connections - what type of video input ( composite, s- video, VGA, DVI, SCART) what types of audio - How many distinct button inputs and what types will it run ( How many joystick inputs, how many trackballs, how many spinners, how many buttons) - Figure each thing you make allowances to add means extra cost and complexity for that shiny blue MOBO - meaning you either waste money building a system for a single player bartop using that MOBO or you have to purchase several and get them to work together for a 4 player MAME build that can play all the games with that 4 player aircraft carrier Control panel - with multiple spinners, trackballs, 4 and 8 way joysticks, etc.

Don't think you are ever going to be able to have a single plug and play board that fits all builds at least not an economical solution - so it is always going to take some thought and planning on what you want the system to play and what offerings come the closest to working with your game list and budget. There is just too many variables for any one shiny blue MOBO to be the best alternative for all of them !!

All excellent points! 

[DietCoke]

Look, stop trying to have your cake and eat it, too. If you want to do MAME right, you're going to use a real PC. It's not going to be Raspberry Pi. It's not going to be some ---smurfy--- Chinese JAMMA knockoff. It's going to be a PC and MAME.

It's EASY to do. If you don't use a pointlessly convoluted frontend you could be set up in an hour.

You can buy a used Dell or HP workstation for a hundred bucks or less. A GroovyMAME capable video card is 20 bucks or less. That will be INFINITELY superior to any ---smurfy--- Chinese JAMMA knockoff you buy, and it's like half the price. Why would you pay more for lower quality? If you're using a CRT and JAMMA, there is no reason to go any other way.

ArcadeVGA is a scam. GroovyMAME is better in every way, and the video cards for it are cheaper.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR2.TRC1.A0.H0.Xhd4550.TRS0&_nkw=hd4550&_sacat=0

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883256341&cm_re=refurbished_desktop_computer-_-83-256-341-_-Product

You know, the doctor *can* adjust your prescription, or if (as I suspect) you don't have one I am sure that your doctor would be overjoyed to prescribe some really strong sedatives.

As for ArcadeVGA being a scam, you should apologize to Andy.  Opinions are one thing, libel is another.

Have a nice day.

[Vigo]

You can buy a used Dell or HP workstation for a hundred bucks or less. A GroovyMAME capable video card is 20 bucks or less.

Ironic. Just last week, Beardy was calling anybody who grabbed used parts for their machine a bunch of dumpster diving hobos and repeatedly posted pictures like this towards any comments on used hardware.



  Hypocrisy must be turning as vogue as Pabst Blue Ribbon.

[yotsuya]

#sooverusedstuff

[mgb]

ArcadeVGA is a scam. GroovyMAME is better in every way, and the video cards for it are cheaper.

You're entitled to your own opinion, you're not entitled to your own facts.

You may not like the ArcadeVGA, you may not think it's a product with a purpose or that it fails to meet the purpose. That's an opinion. Language matters though, and I've never seen any evidence that the ArcadeVGA is a scam. Andy/Ultimarc is an upright outstanding member of this community who bends over backwards to do right by his customers.

Well said. The ArcadeVGA is a great option for those people who want to use a CRT but don't want to delve into the work necessary to use any video card, extra drivers, GroovyMAME, etc. It's a plug and play option. Can you do it cheaper? Sure, but some people like having the ease of use.

Thats the route i took and its been great.
back when i started my cab, there wasnt all the other options though

[Vigo]

ArcadeVGA is a good product, and I would be happy to have one in any of my cabinets. 

[bulbousbeard]

There's nothing hypocritical about recommending quality options. A refurbished PC off Newegg + HD4000 series video card = cheaper and better than the other suggestions. I don't care that much about price past a certain point, but when the better option is cheaper, I'm not complaining.

I'm not treating anyone like an idiot. Treating someone like an idiot is telling them that they're so dumb and/or lazy that they should spend more money on an inferior solution (ArcadeVGA).

When a commercial solution is inferior to a free solution, you're tap dancing near scam country, in my opinion. I LIKE some Ultimarc products. The I-PAC and J-PAC line are great. ArcadeVGA is just crap though. It's more expensive and inferior to other solutions.

You're exaggerating the hell out of GroovyMAME's difficulty. It's three steps. I will help anyone here who has problems with it. I don't like people spending more money on inferior solutions.

[bulbousbeard]

You can buy a used Dell or HP workstation for a hundred bucks or less. A GroovyMAME capable video card is 20 bucks or less.

Ironic. Just last week, Beardy was calling anybody who grabbed used parts for their machine a bunch of dumpster diving hobos and repeatedly posted pictures like this towards any comments on used hardware.



  Hypocrisy must be turning as vogue as Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Wrong. I was calling people diving in dumpsters for ---smurfy--- LCDs that SUCK dumpster diving hobos. There's nothing wrong with buying used products that are actually GOOD.

[bulbousbeard]

ArcadeVGA is a scam. GroovyMAME is better in every way, and the video cards for it are cheaper.

You're entitled to your own opinion, you're not entitled to your own facts.

You may not like the ArcadeVGA, you may not think it's a product with a purpose or that it fails to meet the purpose. That's an opinion. Language matters though, and I've never seen any evidence that the ArcadeVGA is a scam. Andy/Ultimarc is an upright outstanding member of this community who bends over backwards to do right by his customers.

Well said. The ArcadeVGA is a great option for those people who want to use a CRT but don't want to delve into the work necessary to use any video card, extra drivers, GroovyMAME, etc. It's a plug and play option. Can you do it cheaper? Sure, but some people like having the ease of use.

You're being disingenuous. You act like the tradeoff is price. It isn't. It isn't just cheaper. It's SUPERIOR. ArcadeVGA can't even run half the games in MAME at the right refresh rate. It's CRAP for a commercial product.

For something that costs money, ArcadeVGA should at LEAST be as good as as GroovyMAME setup, and it's not. It's a scam.

[yotsuya]

ArcadeVGA is a scam. GroovyMAME is better in every way, and the video cards for it are cheaper.

You're entitled to your own opinion, you're not entitled to your own facts.

You may not like the ArcadeVGA, you may not think it's a product with a purpose or that it fails to meet the purpose. That's an opinion. Language matters though, and I've never seen any evidence that the ArcadeVGA is a scam. Andy/Ultimarc is an upright outstanding member of this community who bends over backwards to do right by his customers.

Well said. The ArcadeVGA is a great option for those people who want to use a CRT but don't want to delve into the work necessary to use any video card, extra drivers, GroovyMAME, etc. It's a plug and play option. Can you do it cheaper? Sure, but some people like having the ease of use.

You're being disingenuous. You act like the tradeoff is price. It isn't. It isn't just cheaper. It's SUPERIOR. ArcadeVGA can't even run half the games in MAME at the right refresh rate. It's CRAP for a commercial product.

For something that costs money, ArcadeVGA should at LEAST be as good as as GroovyMAME setup, and it's not. It's a scam.

I don't think you know what the word "scam" means. I would listen to Saint, he knows what he's talking about.

[yotsuya]

You can buy a used Dell or HP workstation for a hundred bucks or less. A GroovyMAME capable video card is 20 bucks or less.

Ironic. Just last week, Beardy was calling anybody who grabbed used parts for their machine a bunch of dumpster diving hobos and repeatedly posted pictures like this towards any comments on used hardware.



  Hypocrisy must be turning as vogue as Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Wrong. I was calling people diving in dumpsters for s h i t t y LCDs that SUCK dumpster diving hobos. There's nothing wrong with buying used products that are actually GOOD.

Quit trying to circumvent the profanity filter.

[dmckean]

I don't think you know what the word "scam" means.

+1

[Jakobud]

Look, stop trying to have your cake and eat it, too. If you want to do MAME right, you're going to use a real PC. It's not going to be Raspberry Pi. It's not going to be some ---smurfy--- Chinese JAMMA knockoff. It's going to be a PC and MAME.

It's EASY to do. If you don't use a pointlessly convoluted frontend you could be set up in an hour.

You can buy a used Dell or HP workstation for a hundred bucks or less. A GroovyMAME capable video card is 20 bucks or less. That will be INFINITELY superior to any ---smurfy--- Chinese JAMMA knockoff you buy, and it's like half the price. Why would you pay more for lower quality? If you're using a CRT and JAMMA, there is no reason to go any other way.

ArcadeVGA is a scam. GroovyMAME is better in every way, and the video cards for it are cheaper.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR2.TRC1.A0.H0.Xhd4550.TRS0&_nkw=hd4550&_sacat=0

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883256341&cm_re=refurbished_desktop_computer-_-83-256-341-_-Product

bulbousbeard , I don't know who you are, but I can tell you are kind of a new guy to this forum by your post count. Every post I see on this forum by you indicates that you act like a ---meecrob--- who goes out of your way to treat everyone around you poorly. Maybe you mean well and it just comes out bad... I really don't know your situation. But take some advice from someone who has been apart of this community since the beginning: Sit back, chill out and re-read what you type before you hit that "Post" button. Whether or not you have good advice doesn't matter when 99% of what you type attempts to belittle everyone around you.

People on this forum are creative. They are problem solvers. They seek to push the envelope and try new things. The OP of this thread was opening a topic to discuss if it's even possible to get some sort of dedicated hardware embedded MAME thing going. It's just a discussion. Instead of encouraging, your first reply is basically "Don't even bother! Stick with a PC like we've been doing for the past 15 years on here!". If everyone said "Don't bother!" when someone wants to push the envelope then this 15 year old forum would be worthless. The truth is that you don't know everything. It might not be possible to do what the OP wants. But it also might very well be possible to do exactly what the OP wants (and do it right). You want to give your opinion? That's great. Just don't treat people like garbage when you do it.

Don't bother replying to me either because I have more important things to do than spend a lot of time on this forum these days :-)

PS - intentionally trying to bypass profanity filters makes you look like that 14 yr old kid who goes out of his way to make sure a cuss word is in every other sentence he speaks cause he thinks its cool. I'm sure you aren't 14 though so just keep that in mind.

[DietCoke]

I'm not treating anyone like an idiot.

Oh, ok then.  I guess everyone else is wrong.

My money is on you being on the spectrum.  Not that it is your fault, but you need to understand that your manner is largely offensive.  Try re-reading your posts or request a friend or parent to do it for you if you don't want to mistaken for an a-hole.

[harveybirdman]

To the OP, if you really like the look/feel of a pcb just decase the PC.  Or take the plunge and start collecting original hardware.

As far as beardy is concerned I don't see the point in piling on.  I mean we need posters like him around to stir up controversy.  This place is super slow sometimes and I do enjoy the message board beefs from time to time.

Lets not forget he did build and impressive front end even if he does seem to spend more time showing his rear end.

[fablog]

The only thing I have in mind when I read BB's posts is BAN. How many good topics will have to turn bad like this one? I read more comments about BB than about the main subject...boring.