4 Virtuacade Mame Cabinets for sale!

[StLouisRod]

For all those interested in purchasing a quality pre-made Mame Cabinet  , please consider a Virtuacade from my company RU Gaming.  We'll work with you to create your own customized Virtuacade, then deliver it directly to your door!

Simply check out my site www.virtuacade.com, and e-mail me your request to the address at the bottom of the page.  Feel free to include your own required customizations such as t-molding color, video card, memory, CPU speed, plexi on control panel, side art, etc.  

Working together, we can create the Mame cabinet of your dreams!

Hurry, as I'm currently limited to my stock on hand, and units will go quickly!

Thank you,

Rod Unterreiner
Pres. RU Gaming

[eightbit]

How much? Estimated cost of shipping? What exactly is included in your kit?

[Wienerdog]

Yep, I expected to see a little more on your site.  When you say you have 4 kits in stock, do you mean you have 12 sheets of MDF?

[Stingray]

I agree, the site is pretty vague. Nice looking cab though.

-S

[nipsmg]

In case anyone is interested in purchasing the world's best Mame cabinet, the Virtuacade, ...

Wow.. you may find some differing opinions on this site  

--NipsMG

[eightbit]

In case anyone is interested in purchasing the world's best Mame cabinet, the Virtuacade, ...

Wow.. you may find some differing opinions on this site  

Theres nothing wrong with a little marketing hype and for him to express his opinion.

It doesn't look to me like he's serious about selling them since their is almost no information on his site and he hasn't replied here. So it may be the best, but we'll never know since we can't even find out what he's selling.

[Harakiri]

uau...  

[StLouisRod]

How much? Estimated cost of shipping? What exactly is included in your kit?

First of all, I appreciate the feedback (even the negative) from all of you.  In fact, that's a major reason I'm posting here in the first place.  Informed consumers are the most favorable consumers in my opinion  .

Secondly, sorry it took me awhile to reply to your questions here, but I'm a full time programmer/analyst for a major Insurance company, so my free time is limited.  As a result, I only build my Virtuacades "on the side" during such free time.  It's more of a fun hobby to me right now than a serious money-making business, but I get much more satisfaction out of delivering a brand new Virtuacade into a lucky family's home than I do from writing a thousand lines of program code  .

And I apologize about the lackluster web site.  I sell most of my cabinets locally, so the marketing aspect of my web site is not a concern for me right now.  I'm am, however, working on a cgi script to enable an options list with total cost and shipping factors, but it may be awhile before that happens  .  In the meantime, I'll post my quote/options list on the site as best I can.  You can do the math yourself  .  I can tell you that the current base price for a 2-player model is $3500.  The 4-player version is only $65.00 more.  Shipping can run from as little as $150.00 to as high as $300.00 depending on your location.  Since I am located in the middle of the country (St. Louis, Mo.), my shipping charges are generally quite reasonable.

To elaborate on what I said before, I currently have the cabinet kits and all the parts to create 4 Virtuacades.  The truth is, it takes me between 4 and 6 weeks to complete a commissioned Virtuacade, working on it nights and weekends.  I only ask for 10% of the total cost as a down payment, with the rest due on delivery.

I merely created this post to offer folks an option in their search for a fully completed Mame cabinet.  And I am NOT currently selling my cabinet kits or miscellaneous parts individually.

My site should explain the major components of my Virtuacades.  The PC can be whatever the customer desires... Intel or AMD,  though I generally build a PC that is very fast (2 ghz or better), but not bleeding edge.  There's little use for that in a Mame Cabinet these days anyway.  All controls are real Happs controls, with the trackball being a 3 inch golden tee model.

So if someone is serious about having a Virtuacade built with their own customized options, wants it delivered to their door, and wants a quality product, then I may be able to assist you.  Simply send me an e-mail via the address at the bottom of my site www.virtuacade.com, and I'll mail you my options sheet.  Then you can decide if you want to go any further.  If so, e-mail me back with your option selections and any other questions.  Then we'll go from there.  I'm keeping this informal and simple for now.

Happy Maming!

Rod
Pres. RU-Gaming

[eightbit]

I understand that your only doing this in your spare time but you can't post a for sale ad and then go away. No one is going to give you $3500 if you don't have time to respond to a question.

Also your origanel post is misleading. You say you have 4 kits available but you don't sell kits. Around here you would have a better chance of selling a empty cab kit then a complete cab.

Good luck to you.

[StLouisRod]

I understand that your only doing this in your spare time but you can't post a for sale ad and then go away. No one is going to give you $3500 if you don't have time to respond to a question.

Also your origanel post is misleading. You say you have 4 kits available but you don't sell kits. Around here you would have a better chance of selling a empty cab kit then a complete cab.

Good luck to you.

What do you mean "go away"?  I posted my ad last night and then returned to answer a couple questions early the next evening!

I'm sorry, but I don't sit at home all day and monitor this forum.  I also don't feel it's necessary, since I check my sales@ru-gaming.com e-mail address, which is where any serious inquiries will come from anyway.  I'm not posting here to justify myself to you or anyone.

You make a good point about my misleading phrase "4 kits".  What I meant was that I have 4 kits in stock from which I could begin creating a full Mame Cabinet (Virtuacade).  I apologize for not being more specific... especially considering this board appeals mainly to the do-it-yourselfer looking for true cabinet kits.  I will modify my original post to make it more clear.  Thank you.
 

[GroovyTuesdaY]

I think selling  "kits" for people to assemble  is a good idea.
I think the person who can find a way to balance out the final price of a cab. kit vs. the time and money it costs to make it could find quite alot of people intrested.
I know i wouldn't mind trying to "assemble" a cab. compared to building one for total scratch. I have no tools and little experience in wood working and im sure many others are in the same boat as i and would love to be able to just buy a kit for say $300 -$400 TOPS!
Some of the prices are so high , its way outta my range. For example , slikstik sells their for roughly a $1000.00 take some off that for the basic model.  To me that is just way outta my price range, especially for this being my "hobby" . Hobby to me means , 3-4 hundred rage TOPS.  Oh yea, did i mention ....TOPS!! lol

Good luck with your business.  I don't see alot of people contacting your though, at least not with the cab looking like it does. Its kinda plain in my oppinion. It needs some "spunk" to stand out from the crowd a little

groovY~

[paigeoliver]

Hey Rod, I am also a local St. Louis Mame builder. Except that I generally sell my machines for prices in the $500 - $1000 range. So if you get any inquirys from people who totally can't afford that price, could you please direct them to my email (paigejesseoliver@yahoo.com).

Note, that we sell two totally different types of machines, you appear to sell brand new "Deluxe" type Mame cabinets, while I refitted cabinets with more basic controls and smaller displays.

[eightbit]

I know i wouldn't mind trying to "assemble" a cab. compared to building one for total scratch. I have no tools and little experience in wood working and im sure many others are in the same boat as i and would love to be able to just buy a kit for say $300 -$400 TOPS!

I've been a little negative, sorry Rod I'll try to be more positive in this post.

A $300-$400 kit isn't going to happen. When you add up the cost of materials your already going to be close to the $300 mark depending on what is included in the kit and the type of material used. You need to leave some room for a guy to make some money or he's not going to do it. This is why there aren't any cabinet kits any where near that price range and why many of the people that have attempted to sell kits don't do it anymore.

I would say a bare kit would be more in the $700-800 range. You also almost need a CNC to output the quality that most people are going to expect. I could put together a $400 kit for you but you wouldn't be happy with it. Then tack on a $80 to ship it to you and it wouldn't be worth it for either of us.

[GroovyTuesdaY]

I know i wouldn't mind trying to "assemble" a cab. compared to building one for total scratch. I have no tools and little experience in wood working and im sure many others are in the same boat as i and would love to be able to just buy a kit for say $300 -$400 TOPS!

I've been a little negative, sorry Rod I'll try to be more positive in this post.

A $300-$400 kit isn't going to happen. When you add up the cost of materials your already going to be close to the $300 mark depending on what is included in the kit and the type of material used. You need to leave some room for a guy to make some money or he's not going to do it. This is why there aren't any cabinet kits any where near that price range and why many of the people that have attempted to sell kits don't do it anymore.

I would say a bare kit would be more in the $700-800 range. You also almost need a CNC to output the quality that most people are going to expect. I could put together a $400 kit for you but you wouldn't be happy with it. Then tack on a $80 to ship it to you and it wouldn't be worth it for either of us.

Good points!   Hey, a guy can dream can't he lol

[Stingray]

A $300-$400 kit isn't going to happen

I think this depends on what you mean by "kit". If it were just a stack of pre-drilled & laminated MDF with the hardware to put it together, and the buyer supplies his own PC, monitor, controls, interfaces, etc under $300 seems quite doable to me.

-S

[GroovyTuesdaY]

A $300-$400 kit isn't going to happen

I think this depends on what you mean by "kit". If it were just a stack of pre-drilled & laminated MDF with the hardware to put it together, and the buyer supplies his own PC, monitor, controls, interfaces, etc under $300 seems quite doable to me.

-S

Now your talkin! hehe, I would think that if your not going to do any laminating , that it wouldn't cost more then 300.00.   Wood isn't that expensive.   I'm not big into woodworking, so i can't give an honest oppinion on that one, but it just seems like it wouldn't cost no thousand dollars.  *shrug*  

[eightbit]

A $300-$400 kit isn't going to happen

I think this depends on what you mean by "kit". If it were just a stack of pre-drilled & laminated MDF with the hardware to put it together, and the buyer supplies his own PC, monitor, controls, interfaces, etc under $300 seems quite doable to me.

I have almost $200 in wood in this cab-

Sure if I had a CNC I could punch out the cab peices in 10 minutes but then I'd also have the cost of  a $5K plus machine to cover.

[Stingray]

Bear in mind that this is just for the sake of discussion. I'm not trying to talk anyone into producing a kit, nor do I have any intention of doing one.

I have almost $200 in wood in this cab

I don't doubt that you do, that cab is going to be a real stunner when you're finished. MDF would be quite a lot less expensive right? I think even were such a kit priced at $400 it would still have quite a few interested buyers.

-S

[eightbit]

I don't doubt that you do, that cab is going to be a real stunner when you're finished. MDF would be quite a lot less expensive right? I think even were such a kit priced at $400 it would still have quite a few interested buyers.

You make an interesting proposal. Mdf would be half the cost. If the design could be simplified you might be right. Their may be an opportunity for kits. I am actually quite surprised that someone hasn't tried selling a reasonably priced kit. I've seen a reasonably priced cocktail but never an upright.

Rod, sorry for the hijack, good luck with your cabs.

[StLouisRod]

Hey Rod, I am also a local St. Louis Mame builder. Except that I generally sell my machines for prices in the $500 - $1000 range. So if you get any inquirys from people who totally can't afford that price, could you please direct them to my email (paigejesseoliver@yahoo.com).

Note, that we sell two totally different types of machines, you appear to sell brand new "Deluxe" type Mame cabinets, while I refitted cabinets with more basic controls and smaller displays.

Ok, Paige, I'll keep you in mind.  You're right.  We definitely have two different approaches towards the production of Mame cabinets.

And maybe once you move out of your parent's house, you can actually have the room to create lots of your retro-fitted, butchered arcade games that take much longer to build than my kits, have no standardized parts and are therefore very difficult to support after the sale, and can't be built in high quantities  .  

Enjoy making $200 a month on your "hobby".  In the meantime, I'll continue to work with my contacts and follow my business plan to create a business that's actually profitable.

Cheers and good luck, mate  !

[Sephroth57]

wow this whole thread reeks of flaming posts, almost as bad as burning tires  

[CthulhuLuke]

I don't like people that make more than 100% profit..  its just a little excessive ya know.  You build something for $50, spend a good 3 hours on it, I can almost understand selling it for $100, NOT $150!!!   You build something for $1,500, I could understand $2,500 *maybe*, NOT $3,500.  I think everyone just has to realize what we make here is not a huge commercial business that you can get rich off of, its just a bunch of hobby-ists who like doing this kind of stuff.  My friend Jarrod is constantly trying to do stupid get rich quick schemes, don't exploit this hobby, I don't want Happs raising their prices anymore than they already have!

[dirt]

I think everyone just has to realize what we make here is not a huge commercial business that you can get rich off of, its just a bunch of hobby-ists who like doing this kind of stuff.

exactly what i was thinking. just because somebodys cabinet doesn't cost $3500 doesn't mean it is somehow inferior. it still plays the same games and can be enjoyed just as much as the one that has had the price jacked up so some greedy sob can make a quick buck.

just my opinion

dirt

[eightbit]

And maybe once you move out of your parent's house, you can actually have the room to create lots of your retro-fitted, butchered arcade games that take much longer to build than my kits, have no standardized parts and are therefore very difficult to support after the sale, and can't be built in high quantities  .  

Enjoy making $200 a month on your "hobby".  In the meantime, I'll continue to work with my contacts and follow my business plan to create a business that's actually profitable.

Wow back up the boat. There is no reason to go there. You haven't been around here much if you think PO lives with his parents. Stick with the attitude you have shown here and you will kill any potential sales from here if you haven't already. Believe it or not there are people that frequent this board that may be interested in a $3500 cabinet, its just not the norm around here. Your deluding yourself if you think you can build a cab from scratch faster than someone can convert one. You said you posted here for feedback, well we're giving you feedback and now your acting offended like you didn't ask for this.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with converting old cabs to mame. Same as there is nothing wrong with building a game from scratch and padding into the price after the sale support. Even at $3500 you aren't the most expensive cab builder out there. There are other companys selling cabs for $5k a peice.

As far as the people complaining about a huge markup I would bet they have never built anything from wood. Its not 100% profit just because it cost $1500 and it was sold for $3000. There is a lot of time involved and there is a lot of cost in equipment and shop space. Time, space, and equipment are costs involved with building cabs. I just finished this cab- http://hower.us/misc/oak_cab7.jpg and I have a lot of time invested in it and my tools cost me a lot.

[paigeoliver]

Oh wow! What is with the attack Rod? We have bumped into each other many times, and you have never been anything other than friendly before?

I do a conversion of a cheap cabinet to sell from time to time because I often end up with cabinets that just don't have much any other use (video poker cabinets, bootleg cabs, stripped dedicated cabs to games no one wants, etc). I don't do it to really make a lot of money. I am quite happy making about $200 on a game. Of course they aren't standardized, each one is completely unique. I actually go out of my way to use different methods, materials, and controls on each one in order to gain more experience with what is out there, and more practice with different items.

The fact is that I don't WANT to do this for a business. Games are my hobby, it is something I love to do. If it became my livelihood I would soon hate it (and plus, many lucrative part time businesses like this fall apart profit wise if you actually start paying taxes on the income).

As far as support goes, I sell "as is", which I can do because of my much cheaper prices. So far no one has had a problem. A guy I sold to around Christmas just came back asking about getting a second machine.

Oh, and for the record, no I do not live with my parents. And I can almost certainly convert a cabinet faster than you can scratchbuild one. My record was under an hour from start to finish. Oh, and as far as "butchering" goes. My usual cabinets are indistinguishable from the original game externally, or from the converted game (if it came to me that way). If I am starting from a completely blank slate (woodgrain cabinet, no identifiers), then I go with a plain black overlay, and do the controls and marquee that the customer wants.

Anyway, good luck with your game sales, I am sure you will do well.

Btw, have you researched into what new cabinets cost from Dynamo? It may actually be cheaper for you just to buy them and then drop your parts in. I seem to recall 27" new Dynamo cabinets being around $1200. That would probably be the way you go if you wanted to mass produce and reduce labor times (and not to knock your carpentry skills because I have never seen them in person, but they can build a better cabinet than most people).

[eightbit]

I don't like people that make more than 100% profit..  its just a little excessive ya know.  You build something for $50, spend a good 3 hours on it, I can almost understand selling it for $100, NOT $150!!!   You build something for $1,500, I could understand $2,500 *maybe*, NOT $3,500.  I think everyone just has to realize what we make here is not a huge commercial business that you can get rich off of, its just a bunch of hobby-ists who like doing this kind of stuff.  My friend Jarrod is constantly trying to do stupid get rich quick schemes, don't exploit this hobby, I don't want Happs raising their prices anymore than they already have!

Without commercialization of this hobby we wouldn't have multiple keyboard encoders, top switchable joysticks, arcade vga cards or most of the other innovations that have come out in the last 3 years. Their is absolutely nothing wrong with making a profit on selling stuff related to this hobby. There are few people manufacturing and selling products for the love of the game. They may have gotten started in this area because of their interest and passion for the games but they wouldn't last if they weren't making a buck. Its not necessarily a get rich quick scheme, its a legitimate business. Happs isn't going to raise their prices because a couple cabinet builders are building some nice high end, high dollar cabs.

[Stingray]

That unprovoked attack on Paige was completely uncalled for. Well done for not taking the bait and and flaming back.

Eightbit, I just saw your update of the completed cab and as I said in my last post, it did indeed turn out to be a stunner!

-S

[Wade]

I know i wouldn't mind trying to "assemble" a cab. compared to building one for total scratch. I have no tools and little experience in wood working and im sure many others are in the same boat as i and would love to be able to just buy a kit for say $300 -$400 TOPS!

I've been a little negative, sorry Rod I'll try to be more positive in this post.

A $300-$400 kit isn't going to happen. When you add up the cost of materials your already going to be close to the $300 mark depending on what is included in the kit and the type of material used. You need to leave some room for a guy to make some money or he's not going to do it. This is why there aren't any cabinet kits any where near that price range and why many of the people that have attempted to sell kits don't do it anymore.

I would say a bare kit would be more in the $700-800 range. You also almost need a CNC to output the quality that most people are going to expect. I could put together a $400 kit for you but you wouldn't be happy with it. Then tack on a $80 to ship it to you and it wouldn't be worth it for either of us.

You're way off.  Arcadeshopper.com sells those same cabinets that Rod uses for roughly $500.  I have talked to him in the past and he was even willing to go significantly lower!

Eightbit, I think you are making a much higher quality cabinet with better materials.  The Arcadeshopper cabs are just particleboard.  You are putting 110% into your cabinet and thus it is going to be a lot more expensive.

As far as selling kits.  I have often thought about having a bunch of kits made up, because I'm convinced a profit could be made, even selling the cabinets at $300-400 a pop.  If you guys think there really is enough of a demand for kits in this range, everyone speak up!  I will look more into getting a run of them produced and the costs involved.

Wade

[eightbit]

As far as selling kits.  I have often thought about having a bunch of kits made up, because I'm convinced a profit could be made, even selling the cabinets at $300-400 a pop.  If you guys think there really is enough of a demand for kits in this range, everyone speak up!  I will look more into getting a run of them produced and the costs involved.

This thread has officially been hijacked. Rod appears to either be fed up with this discussion or to busy to reply.

If you had a CNC or had someone make them on a CNC I think you could make a nice quality kit and still make enough money to make it worth it. I think they would sell just remember to build enough room into your profit for the one thats going to get damaged in shipping and for the one that the buyer is going to refuse to accept and cancel his payment and the 100 other things that happen when you sell things. A $100 in materials is only a fraction of the cost of selling a kit like this. You've got lots of other expenses.

This has been tried before and I didn't know that there was anyone still offering a low cost kit. I wasn't aware of the arcadeshopper kit. I would have to ask a lot of questions before purchasing that. It looks like a viable alternative for the tool deprived or people lacking work space.

In my opinion the key to selling a kit is to be able to ship it flat. I think you can save alot more on shipping if you went with a 2 peice design like I just built where you wouldn't have 6 foot panels. It would probably be more than one package but the biggest package would be 30X30.

[Wade]

As far as selling kits.  I have often thought about having a bunch of kits made up, because I'm convinced a profit could be made, even selling the cabinets at $300-400 a pop.  If you guys think there really is enough of a demand for kits in this range, everyone speak up!  I will look more into getting a run of them produced and the costs involved.

This thread has officially been hijacked. Rod appears to either be fed up with this discussion or to busy to reply.

If you had a CNC or had someone make them on a CNC I think you could make a nice quality kit and still make enough money to make it worth it. I think they would sell just remember to build enough room into your profit for the one thats going to get damaged in shipping and for the one that the buyer is going to refuse to accept and cancel his payment and the 100 other things that happen when you sell things. A $100 in materials is only a fraction of the cost of selling a kit like this. You've got lots of other expenses.

This has been tried before and I didn't know that there was anyone still offering a low cost kit. I wasn't aware of the arcadeshopper kit. I would have to ask a lot of questions before purchasing that. It looks like a viable alternative for the tool deprived or people lacking work space.

In my opinion the key to selling a kit is to be able to ship it flat. I think you can save alot more on shipping if you went with a 2 peice design like I just built where you wouldn't have 6 foot panels. It would probably be more than one package but the biggest package would be 30X30.

In my opinion the arcadeshopper cabs look nice and are a fair price (with exception of shipping problems) but they aren't ideal.  First of all, particle board isn't my preferred material, it is brittle, breaks, and can't be screwed into.  I'm 90% sure he uses particle board but it might be MDF.  MDF would be my material of choice because it doesn't break as easy, holds nails, and can be painted well.

Arcadeshopper also uses those cheezy "quick-latch" style corner fasteners, which require only basic tools but IMO doesn't leave as sturdy of a cabinet as it could be.  However this step is probably a great idea considering he wants the kits to be as simple as possible to assemble.

Materials cost for a cabinet kit could literally be < $50 if it only includes the wood.  Throw in all the hardware needed to put it together, metal brackets, etc. and it is probably going to be more like $100.

They don't have to be CNC cut.  If MDF is used, templates could be made and a shop could hand-route around the templates.  CNC is probably only worthwhile if you are going to produce huge quantities.  Using templates will get the cuts with a very small fraction of an inch which is definitely accurate enough for most people (far more accurate than my hand-cut cab or most on this forum!)

I have thought about the shipping and I agree, making it a 2 piece cab would make it possible to ship with standard UPS or Fedex ground, which would make it cheaper and more accessible to lots of people.  It wouldn't have to LOOK like a 2-piece cab, the large side pieces could just be cut in half and tongue & grooved so the builder could just glue them back together.  Add a little sanding or some laminate and the seam wouldn't be noticable.  The same kit could be offered with solid sides for those who didn't mind paying more for freight.

Wade

[zaphod]

Wade,

What would you include in your kits for the $300-$400 price you mentioned?  Cut MDF, not finished in any way?  All the hardware required to complete the cab (minus the laminate)?  Light?  Plexi?  If you sell it sans laminate, would that really help the average customer?  If they can't cut a board themselves, do you think they'll be able to handle laminate?  And I think MDF can be troublesome to paint (possible, but a little problematic for the average joe).

You would definitely have to ship in separate packages as UPS has a 150lb max.  If you chop a 6' cab in two, you would also have a max package size of larger than 30"x30" as 6' is 72", and then you need to factor in the packaging (styro around edges, etc).  If you pre-laminated everything for the customer, the "chop" method wouldn't really fly.  It would have to be shipped flat otherwise the shipping would eat you up on such a low-dollar item.

I've seen this topic argued often around here but, besides people throwing phrases like "you could provide a kit for $100 EASY!", I've missed the actual details of what someone would provide for that "$100".

Just the materials alone in my non-laminated cab were quite a bit more than $100.  Not counting the time to build it.  

[Stingray]

Shipping flat seems a much better option imo. This would keep down the shipping charges and the initial cost to the seller as well. I think that most folks who are reluctant to build a cab from scratch would have no problem assembling a kit from pre-cut & routed boards. Providing the parts pre-laminated could be offered as an extra cost option. Some potential customers might be willing to pay extra for laminate while others might rather go ahead and paint it themselves to save money.

-S

[zaphod]

Shipping flat seems a much better option imo. This would keep down the shipping charges and the initial cost to the seller as well. I think that most folks who are reluctant to build a cab from scratch would have no problem assembling a kit from pre-cut & routed boards. Proving the parts pre-laminated could be offered as an extra cost option. Some potential customers might be willing to pay extra for laminate while others might rather go ahead and paint it themselves to save money.

-S

I absolutely agree.  

[Wade]

Wade,

What would you include in your kits for the $300-$400 price you mentioned?  Cut MDF, not finished in any way?  All the hardware required to complete the cab (minus the laminate)?  Light?  Plexi?

I was thinking a bare cabinet.  Meaning, the cut wood, ready to paint/laminate and assemble.  Probably the nuts, bolts and screws needed as they wouldn't add much cost but would be a major convenience.

No light, plexi, etc.  Although if I were going to go forward with this, I might throw those items in at an extra cost if it would help find more customers.

If you sell it sans laminate, would that really help the average customer?  If they can't cut a board themselves, do you think they'll be able to handle laminate?  And I think MDF can be troublesome to paint (possible, but a little problematic for the average joe).

Well, laminate would likely be an option.  IMO, MDF is easier to paint and get a good finish than anything else I've painted.  Some people would rather save $$$ and just paint the cab, I'm sure others would rather have it fully laminated.  Laminate adds to the cost though so it definitely wouldn't be standard.

You would definitely have to ship in separate packages as UPS has a 150lb max.  If you chop a 6' cab in two, you would also have a

Most likely, if made entirely of 3/4" MDF.  However, if beating the UPS weight barrier was a real concern, there are options.  For instance, the rear doors could be be thinner MDF.

max package size of larger than 30"x30" as 6' is 72", and then you

Would have to be shipped flat.  This would be a "build it yourself" kit, not a complete or assembled cabinet chopped in half.

need to factor in the packaging (styro around edges, etc).  If you pre-laminated everything for the customer, the "chop" method wouldn't really fly.  It would have to be shipped flat otherwise the shipping would eat you up on such a low-dollar item.

Even if it were decided that shipped would be truck only.  We're still talking about practically the cheapest cabinet kits out there at around $400 a pop.  Shipping is always paid by the buyer.  The buyer could pay for an assembled cabinet to be shipped if he wanted, or could pick it up in person if he wanted to save shipping costs.

I agree though that shipping is a big barrier.  IMO it is the single BIGGEST barrier.

I've seen this topic argued often around here but, besides people throwing phrases like "you could provide a kit for $100 EASY!", I've missed the actual details of what someone would provide for that "$100".

Just the materials alone in my non-laminated cab were quite a bit more than $100.  Not counting the time to build it.  

I wouldn't say it would be easy, but I am certain a pre-cut cabinet kit could be built for < $100 each.  Whether or not shipping is a problem, whether or not someone wants to go through the trouble of doing this, and whether or not it would really be profitable are something else.


Wade

[BLACK KNIGHT]

I would think that a kit could reasonably sell for $300 or so.  I don't understand why a MAME cabinet is so complicated.  You can goto Walmart and buy a computer desk for $100...granted probably a piece of junk...but a halfway decent one maybe around $200-300.  We paid about that for my wife's computer desk and it wraps around half the room...it's huge with file cabinet drawers, hutch, etc.  I think it was around $250.  I don't see MAME cabinets being so much more difficult...it's a sideways computer desk.  The cost of materials for mine was like $150...I used 3 3/4" 8'x4' sheets of plywood at about $30 a sheet...MDF was even cheaper!  A gallon of Home Depot glossy black paint and some primer about $25, a box of wood screws, some hinges, $20 in plexiglass, and about $6 in cheap 2x4s.  It was around $150...I had a very tight and strict budget...or else the wife would get me!    It ain't the prettiest but I've certainly seen uglier:  http://mywebpages.comcast.net/mtremblay/Myarcade/index.htm

All totaled it cost about $750 so far...still not quite done obviously.

[CthulhuLuke]

Very true 8-bit, I kinda did go the wrong way w/ the conclusions. and I'm very glad we have keyboard encoders, makes my life 100 times better.  I guess I was just mad that someone would come in here acting all cocky bout their product and claiming all this stuff, then bust out a price tag of $3,500.  I am very glad that ultimarc, happs, RandyT, and everybody else has contributed what they can to this community, its grown a hell of a lot since I started up not too long ago.  I wish Happs wouldn't continually raise their prices, and Bob Roberts would stock competition pushbuttons  but all and all it works out great.  Lots of cool tutorials for doing your own projects, like all of Oscar's stuff, and Dhansen's spinner and what not.
          -guess I'm just glad to see this community grow and don't wanna see it get messed up ya know.

I don't like people that make more than 100% profit..  its just a little excessive ya know.  You build something for $50, spend a good 3 hours on it, I can almost understand selling it for $100, NOT $150!!!   You build something for $1,500, I could understand $2,500 *maybe*, NOT $3,500.  I think everyone just has to realize what we make here is not a huge commercial business that you can get rich off of, its just a bunch of hobby-ists who like doing this kind of stuff.  My friend Jarrod is constantly trying to do stupid get rich quick schemes, don't exploit this hobby, I don't want Happs raising their prices anymore than they already have!

Without commercialization of this hobby we wouldn't have multiple keyboard encoders, top switchable joysticks, arcade vga cards or most of the other innovations that have come out in the last 3 years. Their is absolutely nothing wrong with making a profit on selling stuff related to this hobby. There are few people manufacturing and selling products for the love of the game. They may have gotten started in this area because of their interest and passion for the games but they wouldn't last if they weren't making a buck. Its not necessarily a get rich quick scheme, its a legitimate business. Happs isn't going to raise their prices because a couple cabinet builders are building some nice high end, high dollar cabs.

[paigeoliver]

Um guys, I actually think Dynamo sells kit cabinets too. Someone should really check the pricing on them. They could likely be ordered and picked up from your local distributor.

[SirPeale]

Um guys, I actually think Dynamo sells kit cabinets too. Someone should really check the pricing on them. They could likely be ordered and picked up from your local distributor.

http://www.dynamo-ltd.com/dynamo/cabinettemplate.asp?id=3

The prices used to be on the site, but I'm having trouble finding it.  The price for this particular cab was ~$1,700

[Stingray]

Before I bought my cab I asked a local distributor about buying a new empty cab and was quoted a price of $1200. I assume this was fully assembled, but that still seems pretty outrageous for a big plywood box.

-S

[SirPeale]

Before I bought my cab I asked a local distributor about buying a new empty cab and was quoted a price of $1200. I assume this was fully assembled, but that still seems pretty outrageous for a big plywood box.

Brand new plywood box with new tested monitor and all the hook ups.  All you have to do it put a computer in and drill the CP.  If I had the scratch to do it, I might consider it.