For the most part, do people think these are real arcade machines?

[the3eyedblindman]

For all of you that have homebuilt arcade machines, do guests think they are real arcade machines, or right away do they know you built them? Just a question ive always had. (By real arcade machines I mean just an original of whatever game, like a mortal kombat or NBA Jam machine.)

[neuromancer]

I only recall one instance of anyone wanting their machine to be exactly like a real arcade machine, and that was someone who had a defender in good shape that developed a problem and so he wanted to put a PC into it and have it boot up and play defender.

Of course, he didn't build the cabinet, becauase it *was* defender.

Most people want cabinets that play many arcade games of different styles, and they make cabinets to accomodate that, including extra controls and combinations of controls that were never in any arcade cabinet.

And most people choose to express thier own personality in the details and finish of the cabinet, although a few people do choose to replicate an actual cabinet.

Bob

[RayB]

That doesn't answer his question.

[pointdablame]

That doesn't answer his question.

Neither does that

I only have conversions, so people think my machines are "real" because they are.  I would imagine that only the hardcore arcade friends you may have would even question the authenticity of your cab.  Most people would see an arcade machine and think its an arcade machine, ya know what I mean?  Unless your cab looks like total crap, or people had seen you building it, I don't think most people would know.

[mahuti]

Everyone WOULD think that my machine was a defender, if that's the game that I left on all the time.

[Jakobud]

For all of you that have homebuilt arcade machines, do guests think they are real arcade machines, or right away do they know you built them? Just a question ive always had. (By real arcade machines I mean just an original of whatever game, like a mortal kombat or NBA Jam machine.)

A normal person doesn't know the difference until you tell them.

[skid_68]

For all of you that have homebuilt arcade machines, do guests think they are real arcade machines, or right away do they know you built them? Just a question ive always had. (By real arcade machines I mean just an original of whatever game, like a mortal kombat or NBA Jam machine.)

A normal person doesn't know the difference until you tell them.

lol! A normal person eh. What dose that make all of us. WERE ALL FREAKS.

[whammoed]

Freak, huh?  I've been called worse.  And no-one except an arcade buff would know that mine isn't a "real" arcade game.  People are generally amazed when I tell them I built it.  It is hard for them to even comprehend.

[telengard]

For all of you that have homebuilt arcade machines, do guests think they are real arcade machines, or right away do they know you built them? Just a question ive always had. (By real arcade machines I mean just an original of whatever game, like a mortal kombat or NBA Jam machine.)

Hehe, the other day when showing my house (it's for sale) the guy said wow, cool, you have an arcade game.  I've never heard of 'Sturcade' though.  So I guess that means he had no idea I built it.

[arcaic]

I have several original Arcade machines (Defender, Robotron, Joust, Starwars, Asteriods among them) and without exception anytime I leave them on by themselves I cant help being concerned that they are about to catch fire or blow up or simply pack up in some way.

The strange thing is with my Mame cabinet I just built I find myself having the same twinges of concern and have to remind my self 'it's a PC, it wont bust and if it does it'll only be 100 bucks to fix'!

I guess I'll get used to it and treat it like any other PC I have sooner or later.

Weird.  

Cheers

Andy

[patrickl]

I even had a hard time convincing people I built my PocketGalaga myself. As if you could go out and buy a 12" wooden cabinet with an iPAQ 2210 inside. It's amazing how people think you can only buy things in shops.

[Tahnok]

Unless they really know their arcade cabs, they will have no clue that it is hand built. People even think that my uncovered MDF cab is real! The majority has never heard anything about this hobby.

I have actually heard of people putting "Built by <Name Here>" on the marquee so when they tell people they have proof.

[pocketbikez]

the first time a new guest sees my cabs they say "COOL! you have an arcade machine!" then while checking it out they do a double take, probably because of the extra controls, and they ask what game it is. i tell them its homemade and it runs a pc program called mame with thousands of games inside. they look surprised and as if a light turns on in their head they ask if it plays their favorite game from the past, usually robotron, defender, pacman or donkey kong. after they play a few games they have a euphoric look in their eyes and they seem amazed that i built it from scratch.

like all of us i also get the "you should build more and sell them" comments. i wouldnt do this as it would take the fun out of it and from seeing that mame cabs on ebay bring in maybe $300-$500 profit, it wouldnt be worth my time. maybe for $2000 profit id spit out a couple a year.

[SirPoonga]

Considering I have a PC monitor and it's obvious that I have a PC monitor and everyone that has played on my machine saw me build it....

[the3eyedblindman]

the first time a new guest sees my cabs they say "COOL! you have an arcade machine!" then while checking it out they do a double take, probably because of the extra controls, and they ask what game it is. i tell them its homemade and it runs a pc program called mame with thousands of games inside. they look surprised and as if a light turns on in their head they ask if it plays their favorite game from the past, usually robotron, defender, pacman or donkey kong. after they play a few games they have a euphoric look in their eyes and they seem amazed that i built it from scratch.

like all of us i also get the "you should build more and sell them" comments. i wouldnt do this as it would take the fun out of it and from seeing that mame cabs on ebay bring in maybe $300-$500 profit, it wouldnt be worth my time. maybe for $2000 profit id spit out a couple a year.

That is exactly why I asked the question. When my arcade machine is up and running, I dont want people to think like oh he doesnt have a real one, he just built it. I want people to say Wow! You have an arcade machine in your house!, what game is it, ect. That is why I think I am going way beyond just to make it look perfect. Like when I had my problem fitting in my over under coin door, and people just responded buy a new coin door, that wasnt going to happen, because almost all "real" arcade machines I see, have over under doors.This is also the reason my cabinet is being painted all black, and there will be no reference to "mame" anywhere on the outside. Thats why I was askin the question. If anyone else wants to share there comments on how people react when they see there cabs, go right ahead, im interested...

[Tailgunner]

All of mine were real arcade games at one time, and as far as I'm concerned, they still are.

[Tahnok]

and there will be no reference to "mame" anywhere on the outside.

I don't think that is really a problem. About as many people have heard of MAME as have building a cab, not a whole lot. Most people just think that MAME is some game that they have never heard of.

However, if you really want people to think that it is a real cab you could style it to a real game (complete with artwork and marquee). Then, until they notice the extra controls, they would just think that it is a standard single game cab.

[danny_galaga]

most of my sisters friends who don't know me that well think it is the real deal. my friends of course knew since i told them i was building one. just been doing some renovating around the house and it got covered in plaster dust. thought it had a good 'just discovered in a warehouse' look about it...

[Minwah]

Freak, huh?  I've been called worse.  And no-one except an arcade buff would know that mine isn't a "real" arcade game.  People are generally amazed when I tell them I built it.  It is hard for them to even comprehend.

Same here...people always say 'so you made this from an old arcade game'...and it's not even finished yet...

[Santoro]

People usually think my cab is a real one.   I love the look of disbelief when I tell them I built it from scratch.

[DougHillman]

First off, they are real arcade machines.  They're built from real arcade parts aren't they?  And they play real arcade games don't they?

Secondly, (since I do understand what you mean) the vast majority of people would never even consider that someone would build something like this for their home, so they assume that it must be something commercially produced.

Thirdly, why is it important that people believe it's an actual original commercially built cabinet?   I'd bet that most people would be far far more impressed that you personally built the thing than if you'd just bought it.

[the3eyedblindman]

First off, they are real arcade machines.  They're built from real arcade parts aren't they?  And they play real arcade games don't they?

Secondly, (since I do understand what you mean) the vast majority of people would never even consider that someone would build something like this for their home, so they assume that it must be something commercially produced.

Thirdly, why is it important that people believe it's an actual original commercially built cabinet?   I'd bet that most people would be far far more impressed that you personally built the thing than if you'd just bought it.

I was waiting for a responce like this, thats why i left an example in my original post, mortal kombat and NBA Jam. What I mean is real commercially produced arcade machines. You know what I mean. Ones that you dont build. Yes, i know ours are real machines, but you know what i mean when i said "real". I was just wondering how many people thought that these were authentic, real, coin operated machines, like ones youd find in an arcade or back of a restaurant or club.

[the3eyedblindman]

And its not really important if people think its a real arcade machine, as you pointed out, it was just a question ive always had, just to see peoples opinions and comments. So keep postin peoples reactions on your cabs  

[Stingray]

Mine is always mistaken for a real arcade machine the first time anyone sees it. At this point pretty much everyone I know knows that I built it (converted it actually) myself. The other side of that is that now I own a genuine Space Invaders machine, and everyone assume that I built it.  

-S

[paigeoliver]

How your handbuilt or converted cabinet is viewed will largely depend on the quality of job you do. If you have an X-Arcade bolted onto a cabinet, or they can see the TV or PC monitor then it is really going to hurt the effect.

[dommer]

The ups guy saw my cabinet and said "wow, does that thing still work?".  I didn't have the heart nor the time to explain to him that since I built it a year ago, it's should be expected to still work.

[AlanS17]

When asked what game mine was I would just tell them "take your pick". When I showed them the Windows desktop they started to realize what I had done. Even still, I'm not sure if they realize how much is PC and how much is arcade machine.

[simplygriff]

My friends just get a kick out of playing mine as it sits on my dining room table in front of a PC monitor.  I don't have a cab yet just a working setup with arcade controls and a trackball.  It still flips people out.  I can't imagine what people will say when I build the cab and have it in my game room/basement.

[Arcadiac]

Most people who visit know that mine is a conversion, not because its a crappy job or anything, its just not an arcade machine in the purest sense of the term, meaning to me Pac-man etc.  I used a bright blue color and wanted it to look as individual as possible, not just another horrible black box.  And when asked what games it will play I reply "What is your favorite?".  I set them loose with a few plays on MAME and then it doesn't really matter, because they are AT the arcade!  Watching people's eyes light up when they realize that they can play their own personal favorite is what makes this enjoyable for me.  And its really cool when we get down to talking about how its done.  Many consider this nothing short of computer voodoo when I explain how it was done.  Still gotta admit this is the coolest project I've attempted and actually completed yet!
Thanks to all here, couldn't have done it without ya!! ARCADIAC!

[Gunstar Hero]

That PocketGalaga is fantastic.

[Gunstar Hero]

Whoa. Posted too soon.

Anyways, when people ask for quarters to play your cab, you know that people think it's real. =)

I love it when that happens.

[RayB]

I had my neighbor help me move in an old Atari cocktail table from my car and I asked him if he knew what it was and his response was "a projection TV?" (He's in his early to mid 20's).

 

[Carsten Carlos]

Anyways, when people ask for quarters to play your cab, you know that people think it's real.

As my cab only works with coins, I always put a big box of them on the table!

Of course my friends all knew that I was building that cab, but I'm pretty sure that there's no difference for them to a real arcade cab, except that they don't have to pay. Look & feel are good enough I guess!  

[danny_galaga]

ok, this thread is a bit old, but i had an old housemate drop by the other day. when he saw the cab he said that it looked like new and was it easy to restore 

[ekans]

Funny thread. Same kind of discussion exists in the replica car scene.

I owned a Factor Five Cobra for a few years and it never failed that I would get asked "is it a real car?" or "is it real?" by 75% pf people I talked to.

After a couple of months of long answers explaining how it is modelled after...improvements on the original...make myself sound smart...blah blah blah...I settled for "of course it's real, you can see it, hear it and drive it can't you?"

I see the same thing in the MAME scene. Whether you built it or someone else that worked for a company that marketed them, the cab is there and does what it is supposed to do, therefore it is real.

If your happens to make coffee instead of play games, well that's another story...

[quarterback]

That PocketGalaga is fantastic.

Where/what is it?

EDIT:

[NoOne=NBA=]

I get asked "what was it" all the time.
The look on most people's face when I tell them it "was a pile of wood in my garage" is pretty classic.

I built a pretty generic cabinet, but included design elements from several cabs I really liked.
I've got the front-sweeping sides from the Asteroids cabs, the oversized marquee from Star Trek, etc...

My modular control panel really takes attention off of the cabinet itself though, so most people think that I modified an existing cab to be able to fit "all those controls" onto it.