Purpose of the marquee? Can you do away with it?

[Anubis_au]

Hi again

I was doing some research on cabinet shapes etc for a small form-factor cabinet. The front-runner and current plan is to build a cabinet based on an Aussie lowboy, like what Holdennut and hbm*rais both built:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=54567.0
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=28763.0

But in my research wanderings, I've also discovered an Aussie company that builds arcade machines that is of their own unique design.

http://www.blacklight.com.au/urban/cabs.html

The biggest thing that stands out is that these machines don't have a marquee at the top, so they mount the speakers at the front.

For some reason, I like this design. Its very clean. Except it doesn't have a marquee. But since I plan on Knievel side neons with a MAME logo, everyone will still know that my machine was a MAME box. So, strictly speaking, I wouldn't need a marquee at the top announcing what it was.

So, does the marquee have a purpose other than (traditionally) advertising what game it is playing? Is it functional in terms of shielding the screen from overhead lights and glare etc?

What do people think of the Blacklight marquee-less design?

[leapinlew]

Not for me... the whole point was nostalgia for me.

[SavannahLion]

As a kid, marquees were crucial in a typical arcade. Each cab was packed in tighter than a virgins ---Bad words, bad words, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when saint censors you?--- and when you had a crowd of people around a popular game, the marquee was the only way to know what game it was.

Oh, for me it's the nostalgia. I like walking into an arcade and seeing a sea of lights. Too bad most arcades are so loosely packed that five people can stand between cabs.

[Organic Jerk]

Each cab was packed in tighter than a virgins ---Bad words, bad words, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when saint censors you?---

That's some image.

[leapinlew]

Too bad most arcades are so loosely packed that five people can stand between cabs.

That have to be loosely packed. You could get hurt if your within 10 feet of some "pro" playing Dance Dance Revolution.

[philby85]

Hey Anubis,

I bought those plans but I haven't made a cab with them yet. I liked as it was different a bit quirky. I am building a lowboy design at the moment which has a marquee but smaller than normal.

cheers

Philby

[Joystick Jerk]

Bah, FLIMSHAW! We won't have any of this arcade cab sans marquee tommyrot from now on, will we!

[philby85]

Say what?

[Anubis_au]

I believe he called you a flimshaw... I dunno, act insulted?

I bought those plans but I haven't made a cab with them yet. I liked as it was different a bit quirky. I am building a lowboy design at the moment which has a marquee but smaller than normal.

Do you have a thread posted or some plans or pics you could share? Where in Oz are you from?

[vrf]

For me, the nostalgia was in the game. The marquee was something you glanced at on the way to plunking your quarter in. So I think it is definitely expendable. I think the marquee-less designs actually fit a home much better. That one you linked to would blend into more homes than the usual cabs.

I might try a lowboy type after I finish my bartop.

[SavannahLion]

To be fair, it's probably something to consider the decoration of the house itself and the actual placement of the cab. I like the marquee myself, but I'll bank my GF would rather have a cab without one. It's more subdued that way and isn't likely to overwhelm our soon to be redecorated home.

We're going with a lightish yellowish whatever the ---fudgesicle--- its called color with dark brown not-quite chocolate for accents. Our floor will be dark with dark squishy couch and light birch(?) wood furniture. An arcade in the corner flashing a colorful marquee and sporting skittles buttons would look out of place in the contemporary setting.

[Joystick Jerk]

Yeah, but who keeps a cab in the living room. If you've got it in a spare room, to hell with the decor of the house.

[NoOne=NBA=]

Yeah, but who keeps a cab in the living room. If you've got it in a spare room, to hell with the decor of the house.

I've got three of them there.
My two Nichibutsu cabs (Crazy Climber and Radical Radial), and a Jaleco Pony sitdown cab.

I've always been partial to the cabaret cabs like these.

[Havok]

a Jaleco Pony sitdown cab.

You mean to say you have THIS in your living room?

[Anubis_au]

hmm... a marquee at the front, not the top... interesting...

I've honestly never seen that before, and although the idea came to me I dismissed it, but now that I've seen it, it's a possibility to consider...

But would there be a point in a front marquee if you have the circular side ones ala Neon MAME?

[rovingmind]

My wife said an arcade cabinet in the living room would be Ok as long as SHE got to paint the sides and the marquee.

I'm dickering on a dead cocktail.

[NoOne=NBA=]

a Jaleco Pony sitdown cab.

You mean to say you have THIS in your living room?

Nope.
Older version.

[ChadTower]

I'd love to see more nontraditional designs.  I've been contemplating some myself.  This community puts so much talent and imagination into functionality but we haven't seen all that many truly divergent cabinet concepts yet.

[vidmouse]

One thing that hasn't been touched on yet in this thread is the idea of mounting the speakers in front vs on a top speaker panel.  For me, this was one of the benefits of going w/ a more traditional design, and in playing I can say it definitely made a difference for me in terms of game immersion, b/c the speakers are up there right close to your head.  Mounting them in front?  Don't know if it'd be the same effect but I would wager not.

That said, I do agree that non-traditional cabs are very cool and would encourage people on building them, it just wasn't for me (for my 1st one -- heh, maybe the 2nd).

[SavannahLion]

Yeah, but who keeps a cab in the living room. If you've got it in a spare room, to hell with the decor of the house.

I had a spare room. I've got one of these living there now, I'm converting it to have this. If it were up to me, I'd decorate the room in a Baby Pacman theme as fair compensation, but she isn't having any of it.

[Joystick Jerk]

What about Ms. Pacman? Play up the whole feminism angle of it, and maybe she'll go for it.

[GAtekwriter]

Unless I'm just looking at it wrong, it doesn't look like it would be comfortable on the neck for long periods of play.  It looks like you're bending you'd be bending your head downwards at a large angle, doesn't it?

Jim

[ChadTower]

You'd be sitting.

[SavannahLion]

What about Ms. Pacman? Play up the whole feminism angle of it, and maybe she'll go for it.

She really likes Bubble Bobble and Centipede. But she won't even have that damn baby dinosaur for decoration. I'm hoping, once we get the living room done, to figure out how to mesh a contemporary Bubble Bobble cab with a jukebox as a glorified iPod dock. Then wire the whole house with speakers. I figure that's the winning combination. I have a sneaky suspicion what's turning her off is not just the colors usually associated with the cabinets, but the control panel and the "heavy duty" look of the coin mech. Dropping the coin mech is easy. Toning down the CP is not.

I know there's a gamer in there somewhere. I found a 1st gen Gameboy with a Galaga/Galaxian in the house.

[ChadTower]

Everybody needs Galaga.

[philby85]

Everybody needs Galaga.

Never a truer word was spoken Surely thats a basis for a religion. ( no offence)


cheers

Philby

[hbm*rais]

A lowboy is a nice way to pack a descent sized screen in a very small form-factor that is not "toyish". I think it's hard to get a better screen size / cabinet size relation without going for an LCD.

As for the marquee, yes, it's mostly a aesthetic/nostalgic thing. But that doesn't mean that you should ignore it. As lowboys generally (not your case) don't have sideart, the marquee is what defines it. Having different marquees and changing them from time to time may be a way to keep your cabinet fresh. Maybe now you're into classics, but next month you'll be more into fighters or shmups... Your cab may change with you  .

On a more practical note... While the marquee itself may not have any practical reason on a home arcade, the space it creates with the inner side walls of the cabinet helps to isolate your peripheral  vision a bit, it makes the game more absorbing, you get less distracted by what's around you. It also provides, in my opinion, a better place to mount the speakers. The sound is right in your face, much more connected to the game.

As for the Urban Arcade, I'm sorry, I think it's a horrible design. The main thing I don't like about it is the angle of the screen/glass. If you're going to have such a low angle, why not just make it horizontal and have yourself a nice little one sided cocktail? At least you'd have some place to rest your beer  . You could probably keep the screen turned toward you and make just the glass horizontal.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for new and non traditional designs, It's just that that one doesn't cut it for me. If I were you, I'd either go with the traditional and proven lowboy (thanks for mentioning mine, BTW) or would come up with my own thing, based on critical approach of various designs. I'm pretty sure you can come up with something a lot better than the UA.

Hi again

I was doing some research on cabinet shapes etc for a small form-factor cabinet. The front-runner and current plan is to build a cabinet based on an Aussie lowboy, like what Holdennut and hbm*rais both built:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=54567.0
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=28763.0

But in my research wanderings, I've also discovered an Aussie company that builds arcade machines that is of their own unique design.

http://www.blacklight.com.au/urban/cabs.html

The biggest thing that stands out is that these machines don't have a marquee at the top, so they mount the speakers at the front.

For some reason, I like this design. Its very clean. Except it doesn't have a marquee. But since I plan on Knievel side neons with a MAME logo, everyone will still know that my machine was a MAME box. So, strictly speaking, I wouldn't need a marquee at the top announcing what it was.

So, does the marquee have a purpose other than (traditionally) advertising what game it is playing? Is it functional in terms of shielding the screen from overhead lights and glare etc?

What do people think of the Blacklight marquee-less design?

[spacies]

MUST...............HAVE.....................MARQUEE.

When I was a teenager running excitedly around the inside of a new Arcade Parlour, thats what I was looking at. MARQUEES!

Because the machines were usually crammed together thats the only way to distinguish one from another.

Only on the odd occasion, a new release machine would be standing alone with visible sideart.

That Oz deign is ugly IMO.
And it looks like a home slap up job.

Sorry.

[TOK]

I concur with Spacies on this one. The Urban machine looks unfinished. No One NBA's Jaleco cab is much cooler looking and a similar size.

[Anubis_au]

For me, this was one of the benefits of going w/ a more traditional design, and in playing I can say it definitely made a difference for me in terms of game immersion, b/c the speakers are up there right close to your head. 

That's why I asked... I was also wondering if the proximity of the speakers to the head made for a more immersive gaming experience.

It looks like you're bending you'd be bending your head downwards at a large angle, doesn't it?

I don't know what angle the screen is in the blacklight cab, but if I did a topless it would be the same angle as a lowboy, which is comfortable.

While the marquee itself may not have any practical reason on a home arcade, the space it creates with the inner side walls of the cabinet helps to isolate your peripheral  vision a bit, it makes the game more absorbing, you get less distracted by what's around you. It also provides, in my opinion, a better place to mount the speakers. The sound is right in your face, much more connected to the game.

You make a good point with the peripheral vision thing... see, there might be more to the marquee than simply holding a sign.

It seems everyone is inclined towards a marquee either for authenticity's sake and / or to help make the gaming experience more immersive...

If I were you, I'd either go with the traditional and proven lowboy (thanks for mentioning mine, BTW)

Credit where credit's due... you made an awesome cab, one definately worth following.

[Crowquill]

All-in-all the marquees were there for advertisement. It was a glowing sign trying to get you to play the game. But it also served as the best place to put artwork that would give character to the cabinet. Many companies did very nice side-art, but with cabinets lined up in an arcade, you would rarely see the side-art. Bezels and CPOs were OK, but they still had to have a functional purpose. The only purpose of the marquee is to look pretty and draw in new players.

Speaker placement depends on what you want to do with the cab. If you want it to double as a hi-fi jukebox, careful planning is more in order. If you're mostly playing classic games on it in your home, then the beeps and booms aren't going to matter much whether they're pointed straight at your head. In a crowded arcade, you want to be able to hear YOUR game. Having speakers closer to your head helps accomplish this. Cocktails weren't really marketed to arcades. I'm guessing this is why speaker placement was less important. On my Ms Pac cocktail the speakers are actually mounted at knee-level.

I think there might be something to the thoery that the upright's sides are tall to help block glare on the screen. It seems though that that type of design was eventually dropped. Some of the most popular conversion cabinets--Centipede, Williams cabs, and Dynamo's--have a more upright monitor that isn't enclosed by the sides. In their case, the sides cover up the monitor's electronics.

[Crowquill]

I once tried to make a streamlined MAME cab that was optimized for home use. It was designed to match the light maple and silver that most of the furniture in my office is. I finally found the old file.
Everything's packed in very tightly, but at least in theory it should have worked well. No marquee to be found. Speakers are recessed behind the control panel. It was going to be powered by a PowerMac G3.

[philby85]

Hey Anubis,

I have sent you a pm re pics and plans.

cheers

Phil

[btp2k2]

IMHO doing away with the marquee is like doing away with the joystick.

The marquee is an integral part of a cabinet.