3rd side on a cocktail cab?

[matman]

I am currently building a cocktail cab and am considering putting a 3rd side on it.  I've seen some threads on size of 3rd side with respect to comfort (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=77334.0) and some people have discussed "in hindsight" if they would have done it or not. (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=91110.0)

What I'm wondering is how is the view from the side?  Is it worth it building a third side for games like street fighter or double dragon?  Or is playing these types of games on a cocktail cab not worth it.  I'm trying to conserve space, so an upright isn't really an option.

My current path is to build the cab 2 sided and then decide if I want to add the third side or not (possibly making it a modular add-on).  Once i get the two sided version built, I'll probably have a better idea, but I thought I'd get some opinions here first.

[javeryh]

I'm trying to conserve space, so an upright isn't really an option.

Uprights take up way less space than a cocktail.   

[matman]

heh..i guess it depends on how you look at it.

[Ginsu Victim]

Vertical space usually isn't a problem, so, yeah, an upright is smaller than a cocktail.

[javeryh]

heh..i guess it depends on how you look at it.

Not only is the footprint larger (for the most part), you need space on BOTH sides to accommodate people!

[z]

A cocktail cabinet can take up more space, especially with CPs on 3 sides:
Upright
32" deep x 28" wide footprint (just guesstimating)
Add 18" to depth for players standing (or stooling) in front (another guesstimate)
Total depth = 50"
Width = 28"
Total square inches = 1,400 (9.72 square feet)

Cocktail with only 2 CP, one on each end
24" deep x 36" wide (just guesstimating)
Add 18" to width for players sitting on each end (18" x 2=36")
Total width = 72"
Depth = 24"
Total square inches = 1,728 (12 square feet)

Cocktail with 3 CP, one on each end plus one on wide side
24" deep x 36" wide (just guesstimating)
Add 18" to width for each player sitting on each end (18" x 2=36")
Add 18" to depth for players sitting at wide side CP
Total width = 72"
Depth = 42"
Total square inches = 3,024 (21 square feet, twice the upright!)

These are only rough numbers since they will vary depending on the number and size of people playing at any one time.  It can be deceptive, an upright catches your eye and looks huge while a floor space eating cocktail can be hidden under a tablecloth.

As for the screen appearance are you going with a tube or an LCD?  I built mine with a tube, if I was building again I would build with an LCD (they were still high $$$ when I built mine).  The tube looks fine from all three sides but I would love the shallow and lightweight LCD for the option of building in a tipping top/screen hinged on the 3rd panel side (that would need another thread, sorry to distract).

If the cocktail will be your only cabinet then I'd say build the 3rd CP so you can enjoy more games.  I went module on my 3rd CP but just leave it on all the time out of laziness

Z

[NoOne=NBA=]

What I'm wondering is how is the view from the side?  Is it worth it building a third side for games like street fighter or double dragon?  Or is playing these types of games on a cocktail cab not worth it.

The view angle from the sides is the same as the view angle from the ends, so I wouldn't let that stop me from playing a particular game.
There were alot of cocktails that that had horizontal screens.

Some, like Asteroids, had players on both sides.
Others, like Joust, had both players on the same side.
Alot of the Pong ones, and Warlords, had people sit at the corners to play.

[CheffoJeffo]

I did a 3-sided cocktail as my first cab and still use it ... not in the gameroom, but at the cottage where there are no other cabs.

I like having the 3rd side for horizontal games, but would never consider it for games that I wanted to play everyday (not an issue since it isn't here in the gameroom).

Oh, and it takes more floorspace than anything except for my showcase cab. ... and even that is close.

If I could only have one cab and it had to be a cocktail (and if space is your only restraint, you should reconsider), I would put three sides on it ... recognizing that it takes a ton of floor space.

The Joust cocktail is a special case -- the monitor is tilted towards the players, so the view angle isn't the same from the ends as it is from the side. And it is the only cocktail cab I have seen that is comfortable to play on for extended periods of time.

[matman]

I'm less concerned about it taking up floor space as much as overall space..if that makes sense..the area i want to put it at is better suited for a lower profile cab - hence the cocktail cab.  I should have made that clear in the original post.  This is all great feedback.

[VespaGuy]

I recently completed a cocktail cabinet. At the time I built it, I decided against adding the third side controls, convincing myself that it would be a classic cabinet that would only play the original cocktail games that "flipped" between players.

I quickly learned that some of the most fun games are those that let you play simultaneously. And the number of simultaneous games for a head-to-head cocktail cabinet is pretty low. Also, almost everyone who sat down to a game of Frogger or Q-bert would quickly start asking for some other game that would have worked great had I added the third panel.

I began seeking out as many more games as I could. Games like HotShot Tennis and Space Invaders II worked ok. And some horizontal games, like Hat Trick or Gauntlet, when oriented vertically, work really well in a head-to-head cocktail setting. But other than a small handfull of games, I was stuck with mostly back-and-forth type games.

It wasn't until recently that I realized I was using a much older version of Mame. When I upgraded to a newer version, I discovered that there is now a cocktail option for all games. This means that you can display horizontal games with two images - one image facing each player - specifically designed for a cocktail setup. So even though I don't have my third side control panel, I've been able to add some great 2-player simultaneous games (Metal Slug, Joust, etc).

If you don't find this type of setup distracting, you can limit your cabinet to 2 sides and still play any horizontal game you want. Just make sure you have enough buttons on player 1 and 2 controls to support the fighting games.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably add the 3rd panel. But I have to admit that the dual-image cocktail setting has been a very acceptable solution for me.