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FA: Another "LAME" MAME Machine on ebay
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menace:
I find that a bit odd--we all know that with a conversion cab--the time is in the clean up (of the old cab) and the setup of the PC--configuring resolutions, etc--since he has done neither I find the price to be a bit steep as well.  I'm not going to comment on the whole ROM thing (be like me the kettle calling the pot (him) black) Although he shouldn't have said as much in his listing...
SirPoonga:

--- Quote from: RayB on October 19, 2005, 03:47:40 pm ---SirPoonga: Are you really trying to say this guy is not in any way shape or form trying to mislead people? Come on! He's trying to sell $200 to $400 worth of used parts and using "marketing" to try and get over $2000cdn for it.

I guess every used arcade game on Ebay should start advertising the "potential" to play 5000 games because in theory, every arcade cab could be converted to MAME.

--- End quote ---
Again, a misinterpretation.  First off, I said I am not trying to defend the guy, just pointed out what you said is not correct and t hat if this guy reworded his auction it would be a legit auction.
No, I did not say the guy isn't trying to mislead.  I'm just saying he is using marketting tactics to try and sell his cabinet.  Like you said, he is using marketting to try and sell $400 worth of cabinet for over $2000.  Like I said, I wouldn't pay $2000 for a cabinet if it didn't have a computer in it.  But on this forum we are well informed on how much something like this actually costs.

But that is what marketting is about.  There's a joke in the reader's digest that goes something like this. My company holds an annual softball game with the marketting team vs the engineering team.  Usually the engineering team wins.  This year was no different.  In the next company newsletter there as a section about the softball game written by marketting.  It said "Marketting had a great softball season, they only lost one game.  The engineers had a horrible season, only winning one game."

As a smart consumer hopefully you can see past marketting ploys, obviously, like many of you here.

Because you know what mame is you assume the 5000 he is talking about is mame games, which is probably right in this case.  But he doesn't say 5000 mame roms, he says 5000 games.  This is entirely possible, even if he wasn't smart enough to realize the wording allows that.  I run about 300 games on my cabinet, all legal.  Thank you shareware arcade games, see the sticky thread in software forum for cool computer titles that work in an arcade cabinet settings.

Since a normal arcade cabinet isn't intended for emulation saying it can play thousands of games is not a good marketting tactic.  Here, it is the difference in the intended consumer.

Other products do the same thing.  Think of the first apple ipod.  How many people have 20 gigs worth of legal mp3s?  My collection of legal mp3s only takes up about 10gig.  The ipod nano 4gig is enough for me to put my favorite CDs onto.  So the marketting point that the 20gig ipod can hold tens of thousands of songs is possible, but not probable.  It is probable, like with this cabinet, that one will put 20 gigs worth of illegal mp3s on it.  But no one seems to complain too much about that, other than the riaa.  But here, when someone claims a cabinet can play thousands of games we complain, when it is possible, but not probable.

Again, I am not defending him, I was just correcting what you said.  Like you said mame does not support 5000 games.  Yes, it does.  However, only about 2/3rds of it is playable, about 1/3rd playable by canadians and americans.  But you didn't say playable, you said supported.  Also you can have a gutted cabinet and have the parts preserved so you can get it back to original in 5 minutes.

If I was selling my cabinet on ebay I would say it can play thousands of games, because it can and makes it look good.  I wouldn't mention mame or supply roms like this idiot though.  I would mention, because it is a good marketting ploy, that the games that can be played can be actual arcade games (from starroms) or arcade like shareware games and provide examples (like Gish).  that would be good martketting because hopefully it would show the consumer that the cabinet can be used for more than just emulation, which is actually what makes a PC cabinet fun since there are alot more legal software titles that are cab friendly than legal arcade games.

CheffoJeffo:
If he even gets a bid at that price, I'll be buying a whack of fighter cabinets at the next Starburst auction (typically C$125-C$200) and ordering a bunch of ArcadeVGA boards and JPacs .... sell 3 of those at his prices and I can get a Major Havoc!

Cheers.
RayB:

--- Quote from: SirPoonga on October 19, 2005, 04:54:21 pm ---
--- End quote ---

OK you know what, I understand where you're coming from. Companies like cell phones advertise "free phones" and then the catch is you have to sign up. There are laws in place that make them include disclaimers in all materials and ads that promote such claims. IE a * next to the sentence and then small print telling the exact details.

You are saying that this guy is stating that there is no PC, etc, etc and therefor it's just "marketing". I'll give you that.

But the difference here, and hence why this guy makes me sick, is that first of all I truly believe he has the intent to mislead. He's counting on that one sucker to buy it with the impression that when they get it home and turn it on it will instantly be working with 5000 games. It's kind of like those people who sold empty Xbox boxes using listings that at first glance gave the impression that a full console was being sold. Plenty of people got suckered on those auctions.

Secondly, unlike a cell phone company, where you will be told the "catch" before you can get your free phone, this guy's buyer will be bound to the "Ebay contract". The buyer will feel ripped off when he finds out the truth. He will give the seller a negative. The seller will claim innocence. Or if he catches on sooner, he will back out of the auction and then HE risks getting a negative just for coming to his senses. It's not right.
 :(

PS: His listing does say though "This arcade has all mame roms, chd's, art, cab, ect. with easy arcade front end, you scroll up and down the list to select the game you want while you listen to your favorite MP3's, you only have to use the joysticks and buttons to use the menu."  How do you explain that????
Crazy Cooter:
www.mamedev.com has a form to fill out for reporting auctions.  Include the link, seller id, and auction #.

(no I didn't report it... I'm lazy tonight)
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