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Is it a good idea to share my PC with my arcade?
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brained:
I run mk2 on a 1ghz celeron and it runs gr8 :D
deadkenndys1105:
Its would be ok if you use a switcher with to monators.  I might be doing that soon Because my MAME pc wont play some games.  I have my contol pannel for fighters and it would play the most basic one smoothly.
Dizzle:
I share my PC with my arcade cabinet... never got around to buying a dedicated machine for the arcade cab and I'm still not in any rush to do so.  It works great for me.  Depending on what video card you have, it may have more than one output which would eliminate the need for a monitor switcher.  I did need to buy a couple of USB extension cords, but it was worth it.

I even find myself surfing the web on my cab every once in a while.
pmc:
If you buy a junker PC you'd still need to buy an S-Video card and IPAC and then you have to rewire the control panel. I'd do the math to see if replacing the Xbox is cheaper.

Or consider a Dreamcast. You'll have to hack the controls into the existing Control Panel but it'd otherwise be a very cheap alternative.

Good luck. Let us know what you end up doing.

-pmc
Mark70:

--- Quote from: Dizzle on March 24, 2006, 08:25:36 pm ---I share my PC with my arcade cabinet... never got around to buying a dedicated machine for the arcade cab and I'm still not in any rush to do so.  It works great for me.  Depending on what video card you have, it may have more than one output which would eliminate the need for a monitor switcher.  I did need to buy a couple of USB extension cords, but it was worth it.

I even find myself surfing the web on my cab every once in a while.

--- End quote ---

Interesting topic.  I too have one PC for home and for my cabinet.  My cabinet is in the basement.  My primary PC is upstairs in the spare bedroom.  In order to play I have to move my case downstairs, crawl inside the lower part of my cabinet and connect the PC.  I had wondered if there was a good way to network the controls and video output.

My house is pre-wired with Cat-5 so setting up a network is no problem, really just the cost is the obstacle.

I'd be interested in any information people have on this sort of "Media Center" PC.  It seems to be an emerging idea with Microsoft Windows XP Media Center edition.  Is this just another way to market a home network, or is it a way to use one PC to send media throughout your house?  I'm interested because I'm considering my arcade cabinet part of a "Media Center".  Espicially using the GameEx front end, the jukebox feature taps right into play lists etc in media player.

Afterall, it is called media CENTER.  Which implies one central source for all media.  I picture it like the office where the PC is, is the media center and the brain/storage facilty for the media system, and TV, kitchen, entertainment room, arcade cabinet should just be the interface locations.

Hope this is on topic.  I don't mean to derail the thread.  I hope I'm expanding it.
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