I just purchaed a USB Ipac from ultimarc.com, and 2 8-way joysticks and 20 buttons from Xgaming on Ebay.
I decided to go with a 2 player setup for right now .. just simple stuff till I get the hang out it, or feel the need to go to 4 player or add spinners and trackballs. I'll probably have 6 action buttons per player, which should work for stuff like Street Fighter, Mortak Kombat, etc etc
I'm still not 100% sure what I want to use as a monitor. I'm keeping my eye out for a mid sized TV with S-video, or a large computer monitor. I don't plan to spend a lot of cash on it.
If I really get into this, I'll probably upgrade to some good rotary joysticks so I can play Heavy Barrel and Tron, and maybe go to a 4 player setup (I really like the SlikStik quad setup!)
One quick question .. I see on the Ipac that the wires just screw into place .. on the switches, are they soldered or just have some type of connectors?
Thanks!