About 35 years ago I used to play a lot of arcade games. A friend and I recently visited Fun Spot for several hours of playing those old early 80s games, and we decided that we needed to relive that experience more frequently. So we've decided that I should build a couple control panels and run MAME.
And I'm overwhelmed a little, and need some help and suggestions. Any and all suggestions are very welcome.
First, to frame things, there are only about 20 games we're really interested in.
Robotron, Major Havoc, Centipede, Defender, Dig Dug, Galaga and Joust are the most important ones. Others are of that era, but those are important and cover the gamut of the controls needed, and also define the layout a bit, and the necessary controls. We have absolutely no interest in fighting games, shmups (whatever that is), Sega, NeoGeo, etc, etc. Just 1980-1983 arcade games.
My first pass at a proposed layout is attached, and is currently about 26 inches wide and 13 inches tall. I'm expecting it to get a little bigger once I get parts and do a mock-up, but that's the general idea. The plan is to use 1/2" birch plywood. I have to admit that I care little about aesthetics or authenticity - I just want a fun time with new, quality parts. The cabinet will come eventually, but for now the CP is required.
I should also mention that I don't have time to build 2 or 3 panels, and have little desire to swap them in and out of the cabinet, since I have room for only one cabinet. So I'm trying to build the best single CP for the games I want to play. If that's possible. I want to have a fun time with quality parts, not a perfectly authentic experience.
So, for the parts... I have to admit that I've only looked at UltiMarc and a little at GGG.
For the trackball, the U-TRAK FlushMount Arcade Trackball looks perfect to me. As does the SpinTrak Rotary Control with a knurled knob and heavy flyweight. Please correct me if I'm missing something.
For the buttons, it just seems sensible for me to go with the SuzoHapp Classic pushbuttons. But I am curious about the Competition buttons. Any comments about the feel beside the convex/concave difference? Are they "right" for the early 80s games? Not authentic, but what do they change when playing the above games?
Now for the big question... Which Joystick?
Yes, I know this has been asked and answered a million times, and I've read many many threads, and I'm still a bit lost for the games I want to play. I hope that the games above give some perspective into what I need and want.
I'm inclined to just go for the classic Happ "bat" 8-way, but will those really detract from those games that only support 4-way play? Cost is not an issue (within reason). I can easily purchase the U360, but will those be as good as the Happs for Robotron or other 8-way games? Are they significantly better then the 8-way Happs for a 4-way game? Is there a better choice?
Since I'm building the CPs, I know that I can always buy new parts and retrofit them, but I'd rather do it once. For now, at least - maybe the bug will bite me hard...
As for the PC to run MAME, I have my old HTPC, an ASUS Chromebox with an i3, and 4 GB RAM with a 16 GB SSD. I believe it has an Nvidia card of some sort, but it does have onboard Intel 4400 graphics capabilities. My thought is to use that to run Ubuntu on it. I can probably throw an old copy of Windows 7 on it if that would be better.
One concern that I have about this PC is that the choice of controls might not be ideal. With a I-PAC 2 or 4, plus trackball, spinner, and 2 U260s it will need a lot of USB connections. That's easily solved with a hub, but can Ubuntu or Windows even handle that many "mice" attached? Or am I missing something about how these USB devices act? Or should I look at purchasing a new mini PC that's more suitable, or building one? (Note that I'm very comfortable with computers, just not knowledgable at all when you put MAME on one.)
Again, any and all suggestions are very welcome. Thanks in advance.
PS: Sorry about posting the controller pic 3 times. I don't know how to delete 3 of them... [Fixed - DeL]