Stacked monitor arcade cabinets?

[DarkBubble]

When I was a kid, some games had a second smaller monitor on top, namely TMNT or other games that had long lines on almost a daily basis, so that the crowds could watch the action.  I never see these referenced and I haven't found anything about them.  Were these factory options or were they just slapped on top by the operators?

In an age when dual monitors can be done easily, I'm surprised that I've not seen anyone MAME one of these setups or build their own.  I realize that it wouldn't be the most practical feature, especially if you don't have enough arcade buddies for tournaments, and it'd be too high to make it worth using for marquee display if you've got a standard marquee on top, but something about that extra monitor made the already large TMNT look like it would kill your whole family with a single blow.

[unclet]

Why spend the extra cash for a second monitor just so people behind you can watch you play.   Just tell them to move up about 5 feet and watch you play on the normal monitor.  how many people are you expecting to have watching you play?

Now, I would agree dual monitors would be nice to have for "Punch Out" and other games which had two monitors. 

[gonzo90017]

If i'm correct the latest MAME supports dual monitors for games like Xmen right? Has anyone fooled around with something like that?

[JimmyU]

I'm trying to remember which games had two monitors used for gameplay.  Here are the ones I can think of off the top of my head:

Horizontal - X-men (6 player)
                Tecmo Bowl

Vertical - Punch-Out
             Super Punch-Out
             Arm Wrestling

[FrizzleFried]

...playchoice ...but not really during play...

[DarkBubble]

Why spend the extra cash for a second monitor just so people behind you can watch you play.   Just tell them to move up about 5 feet and watch you play on the normal monitor.  how many people are you expecting to have watching you play?

Now, I would agree dual monitors would be nice to have for "Punch Out" and other games which had two monitors. 

Well, as I said, I dont't think it'd be practical, nor did I have any plans to do so.  However, if I were going to do it, I've got plenty of spare PC monitors that could be just as easily used.  No need to shell out extra cash for a not-so-useful feature.  I'm merely curious why those cabs don't seem to be spoken of.  I'd seen enough of them that I thought maybe more people would have had memories of them.

Now, if I could do up a 6-player X-men, I wouldn't hesitate.  The wife would surely have me committed though.

[JimmyU]

The 6 player X-men and Tecmo Bowl were HUGE cabinets.  I just saw a Ninja Warriors one that consisted of 3 monitors!!

[DarkBubble]

Oh yeah.  Ninja Warriors was friggin' huge.  They had that at the local 'cade when I was in 3rd grade.  It's almost funny how much hardware was used on such a simple game, but I guess you can say the same about X-Men.  One thing about it, though, a 2-player X-Men cab just doesn't cut it after you spend most of your time on the game using a 6-player cab.

I now realize how truly awesome my old arcade was.  They had all the good ones.  Motion versions of classics like Galaxy Force II, After Burner II, G-Loc, Radmobile...big games like Ninja Warriors, X-Men, and towards the end they had the massive Galaxian 3.  On top of all that, I got my first taste of Discs of Tron there, and it was the environmental version.  *drools*

God, do I ever miss real arcades.

[paigeoliver]

That was most commonly seen with laserdisc games which could drive a television set directly, thus many ops put a TV set on top of the cabinet so people could see the action.

Many Nintendo games had stacked monitor (playchoice, Punch Out, etc), but they had different things on the different screens.

Stacked monitors on anything else is a custom job or a playchoice conversion.

[DarkBubble]

Yeah, Punch Out!! and Playchoice I was used to seeing.  The monitors resting on top of the other cabs, while appearing to be retrofit, also looked to be fabbed up by someone who knew what they were doing.  They boxes were typically black, though I don't recall if it was paint or vinyl, with rounded corners and t-molding.  I couldn't ever see what was holding it to the top of the cab (I was under 5' back then ), but my guess is angle brackets.  They were always so well-made that I assumed that they were a factory option.  When TMNT hit, I had no choice but to wait in line for 20-30 minutes, and the only way to see the action was the top monitor.  It's not something I want to build, just something I wasn't sure had been done much elsewhere.

Maybe some of the local collectors saw the actual machine I played on.  Some of them are or have been game techs and have pretty long memories.

[paigeoliver]

TMNT doesn't even have a flat top on the cabinet, it slopes backwards fairly steeply. Your memory is probably of a conversion TMNT machine, and the monitor on top could have been in any sort of housing. TV sets and displays inside little boxes have been around for decades. The box it was in could have come from anywhere.

The extra display box might have been a professional job ordered from someplace, but it was not a factory option, and is considered completely separate from the game. I have seen thousands of games at auctions and have plenty of buddies who have gone through thousands more and NONE of them had a top display that came with them. Although several have hooked up the extra display on laserdisc games or on English Mark Darts (another game that had an output jack for an external display).

[MAGG]

The 6 player X-men and Tecmo Bowl were HUGE cabinets.  I just saw a Ninja Warriors one that consisted of 3 monitors!!

Darius and Darius II are using 3 Monitors, too. Just in case you like shumps

[Level42]

How about Sega's F355 ? THAT would be nice