Overstock.com "Taito Floor Model Retro Arcade Game" $559.99 Shipped?

[lseelba]

Is this a good deal and does anyone have information on this thing?  I heard it is Jamma based but no one knows for sure.  Would it be easy to make it six buttons per player and drop a PC in there with a J-PAC and play some SFII?

http://www.overstock.com/?page=proframe&prod_id=1882597

[kjoel0123]

Looks like a wanna be cheap piece of crap with good looking stickers on it..  I bet its just one of those $10 video game units connected to a no frills parts.

I heard alot of others talk about these and they are crap !! period .. no coin door, no lit marquee. Hell I think target even sells this crap , that to me says it all !!

[AlanS17]

Everything I've been able to find about the bartop version is that it is JAMMA comptible. Considering it's brand new, being under $600 would make it a decent deal. I couldn't find any info on the monitor, but my best guess is that it is CGA. That means you'd probably want an ArcadeVGA video card for any PC you plan on using. I've used a J-Pac with a similar setup and it worked like a charm.

As far as using a SF button layout, I don't think that will be a problem at all. There looks to be plenty of room between players 1 and 2. I bet you could just drill new holes straight into the existing control panel to add more buttons.

All-in-all, I think this looks like a good option for someone and wants a quick and easy solution. Unfortunately, I'm having the same problem with tracking better info on the subject.

The only thing I could find was this:
http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/GameRoomClassicsCabinet-08012006-02.html

... but that's for the bartop version.

[AlanS17]

Looks like a wanna be cheap piece of crap with good looking stickers on it..  I bet its just one of those $10 video game units connected to a no frills parts.

I heard alot of others talk about these and they are crap !! period .. no coin door, no lit marquee. Hell I think target even sells this crap , that to me says it all !!

Obviously an emotionally charge post. I haven't heard anything one way or another. I've just read an unbiased, professional review online that had decent things to say about the bartop version.

I think it's a good place to start if you don't have the technical skill or will to build a machine for yourself. About the only left for someone to do would be the set up the PC that goes in it (and add more buttons).

The absence of a coin door isn't so bad. You can always add credit buttons underneath. Plus there's got to be at least one extra button already on the control panel to access the menu. That could easily be remapped as a credit button.

[GoPodular.com]

Read the retroblast review of the Taito countertop model (it's a mixed review):
http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/GameRoomClassicsCabinet-08012006-01.html

In one of the pics on the second page you can see they don't even use glue to hold the sides together.  There were some other "issues" with the way it was put together.

The good news:
"According to our contact at PVG Tech, the cabinet runs off of a standard JAMMA board and a standard arcade monitor, and that their board can easily be swapped out for any other JAMMA game. Considering the JAMMA harness is what ties this cabinet together, I’m rather convinced that this cabinet could be converted to a MAME cabinet using an Ultimarc J-Pac with minimal effort, even with space being somewhat limited."

Here's the pic showing no glue:

[Stobe]

FWIW, every one of these that I've seen in a store has had the control panel busted.  It looked like very thin partical board (maybe 1/2").

For people who are not the BYO type, and can baby the machine, it is probably a decent deal.  But if you wanted to take this cabinet and hook up a computer using JPAC/AVGA, this is an expensive start.  Go to an auction, or check ebay, and get a Jamma cabinet for much cheaper.  Or find someone with an abandoned MAME project.

-Stobe

[lseelba]

Thanks for the good information everyone.  Hopefully the full size version will be sturdier than the countertop model (maybe even use glue!)  According to the product description, it's got a 21" monitor (hell thats bigger than my computer monitor), and stands 61" tall.  A little short but not miniture by any standards.

[AlanS17]

A 21" monitor isn't a standard size, but it's better than the 19" that comes in most arcade machines.

[GoPodular.com]

I wonder if it's *really* bigger than a 19" arcade monitor.  They might be pulling the: well guys, the tube size is 20.6"... so we can call it a 21"... even thought the viewing size is only 19.5"...

My 21" PC monitor is barely larger than a 19" arcade monitor.  The difference is less than 1/2".

If you decide to buy it from Overstock, you're going to have to keep it.  There's a $250.00 return shipping fee + 15% restock fee + a $50 repackaging fee for non-defective "large" items.

Stobe, what was busted on it?  The wood itself?  What store was it at?  Maybe lseelba can check it out in person before commiting to one.

[AlanS17]

I have a 19" PC monitor that I'm putting into an arcade machine. It's a direct replacement for the 19" arcade monitor coming out.

[GoPodular.com]

What brand is it?

[AlanS17]

What brand is it?

It's a Dell flat CRT.

[GoPodular.com]

LOL!  I've been ripped off!  Mine is a Dell flat as well.  I forget the model number, but it was advertised as a 21".

[AlanS17]

LOL!  I've been ripped off!  Mine is a Dell flat as well.  I forget the model number, but it was advertised as a 21".

LOL that sucks dude. Don't know what to tell youo there.

As for the sturdiness of the cab, you can always reinforce it with $10 worth of lumber and glue if you decide to buy it and are still concerned.

[lseelba]

Screw it.  It's almost doubled in price now.  Any consideration I once had is now gone.

[AlanS17]

Screw it.  It's almost doubled in price now.  Any consideration I once had is now gone.

Yeah, it's definitely not worth it anymore. Is till think it was decent at the original price, though.