Anyone ever buy the X-Arcade Cabinet?

[Gavica]

Looks pretty nice, but kinda expensive at $1000

http://www.xgaming.com/htm/arcade-machine.shtml

They also sell the screen for $380

http://www.xgaming.com/htm/wells-gardner-mame-arcade-cabinet-machine-monitor.shtml


I wonder if this setup is worth, close to $2k with shipping and everything.

[HaRuMaN]

no

[TrAb]

I wouldent, you could get a awsome candy cabinet for that...

[javeryh]

no

+1   

[garnerb350]

no

+1  

+1 and I own a tankstick....

spend that money on some plywood and get a cheap 21 inch CRT ...and build....
You wont believe the respect you will get from it when friends come over to visit...
P.S. married or single... doesnt matter....you will get laid because of it too...

[severdhed]

x-arcade makes great products...for beginners.  if you have never played with mame before, and just want a quick control panel to play some games on, then the x-arcade is fine.  i was happy with mine for a long time.  but as you use this stuff more and get into it, you realize that there is better stuff out there, and there is no store-bought controller that can compare to the flexibility of building your own.  

as for their cabinet kits, i have never seen one, but that is way too much money. if you dont have the tools or don't feel up to building an entire cabinet from scratch check your local craigslist, check with local operators, find yourself a empty cabinet for $20 or so and do it yourself.  you will be suprised how rewarding it is.  i think i speak for most of us here when i say that the process of building it and getting everything working just right is vastly more rewarding than actually playing the games.

[Jack Burton]

I don't think a "beginner" should go spend $2000 on a cab.

+1 for no.

For $2000 you can find a nice big upright cab in your local area and a very high quality monitor, encoder, and arcade parts. 

X-arcade joysticks and buttons are inferior to real arcade controls and their encoders are not good either.

[drventure]

+1 for no as well, for 2000$? That's a lot of cash for saving just a little time, esp if you have a saw , a drill and a router already. Even if you don't, you can pick those up on CL or the classifieds for cheap.

[jholman76]

 i think i speak for most of us here when i say that the process of building it and getting everything working just right is vastly more rewarding than actually playing the games.

are we supposed to play the cabinets we finish? I thought we were just supposed to keep building new ones... since arcades are almost extinct I am in the "last man on the face of the earth" stage and we have to start repopulating!!

You definately speak for me. I like to create. I love the "no way you built that" reactions from friends.


joe

[jfh2112]

I have an X-Arcade dual stick that I gutted and am using for my MAME cabinet. I have X-Arcade sticks in my MK machine.

I would not buy this.

You can save so much money by building this yourself. My woodworking skills are laughable at best, and the cab I built nearly three years ago is still standing, much to my surprise.

Also, all that money you saved by building your own or even by buying an old cabinet, you can spend on goodies for your cab!

[dmckean]

You could buy a new empty JAMMA cab with monitor for less than half that.

[slapaham]

haha, nope, I'm not rich... or stupid... all the points have been mentioned as to why not to buy one.

[severdhed]

I don't think a "beginner" should go spend $2000 on a cab.

that's not what i meant.  i was referring to their control panels.  $200 for the tankstick isn't a bad deal for someone who just wants a simple no frills control panel to sit on their desk.  I would never recommend anyone spend that kind of money on a cabinet like this.  everyone says their stuff is inferior, but honestly i cannot tell difference between the x-arcade buttons i had in my cabinet, and the happ buttons i replaced them with.   yeah, the wiring on their encoder is crappy, but you cannot beat it for connectivity to game consoles.    i bought a 2 player xarcade unit around 2002, and honestly, if i hadn't bought it, i probably never would have found this website.  but the truth is, i got it, used it for console games and forgot about it.  a few years later it dawned on me that i could use it for MAME, then i set it up on a stand so i could stand up and play, then i started lookign into building an arcade cabinet..and thus i found BYOAC.  i then built my own panel using the components from the xarcade, and eventually built another panel with u360s and happ buttons. 

i think personally that the xarcade product is great because it introduces people to this hobby.  yeah, most people who buy an xarcade eventually replace it, but that doesnt mean it isnt a good product.

their cabinet is a rip off however and i would not tell anyone to buy it.  especially when you can usually find an empty cabinet for next to nothing if you look around for a little while.

[ryofire]

Actually my university has one. It's ugly, but it's a lot more solid (IOW BIG AND HEAVY) than Id expect. I tried to move tip shake it etc to no avail. It's good for what they use it for, but I wouldn't want it.

As far as the controls go HanaHo has a much nicer 2 player controller (or so I have heard) for a similar price. They actually make cabs to. I own one of their smaller ones, but mines an old E-3 demo unit that is very different from what their selling now. Strangely mine came with an X-Arcade dual controller. But then I did get mine for $250 secondhand.

I think the usual complaints about X-arcade controls are that even though they claim to be real arcade controls they are designed and produced separately from anything that ever touches a real arcade machine and have less quality control. Whereas HanaHo for example just grabs them out of the same bin so to speak.

My own experience with my used X-Arcade is mixed. It's extremely buggy unless i plug it into a PC directly PS/2 and have a PS/2 keyboard plugged into it (mines an older model though). I keep an aluminum wrapped wireless keyboard transmitter plugged into mine on my cab. I have had 1 button stick but it was an easy fix. Once everything was set up and programmed It worked great.

[Gatsu]

I wouldent, you could get a awsome candy cabinet for that...

for cheaper I think depending on where you look.

[Gavica]

What about this one?

its about 1/4 the Price.

http://www.mameroom.com/ProductDetail.asp?ID=UAIICAB27E3

[thomascirca]

You can build a four player cabinet for less than 500 bucks (that's what I'm doing, nearly finished). It may take a bit of time, but its so much more rewarding than buying something premade. I have used one of those cabinets at an arcade... something about them just felt off. I would avoid it if you could.

[x-arcade]

Hi guys, in response to your dialog on our X-Arcade Machine, please check out our limited-time promotional pricing on the Starter Arcade Machine.

To celebrate our hometown Pittsburgh Penguins™ recent Stanley Cup™ Victory, we’re offering a once-in-a-lifetime special price on any X-Arcade™ Mame™ Cabinet.  Inject a real, authentic, 75″ tall, 500lb commercial-grade arcade machine into your home for only $799!  Based on the award-winning X-Arcade™ Tankstick which allows you to convert any computer or game console into an arcade machine, this limited-availability offer provides an indestructible arcade experience at an unbeatable price.

Hurry and convince your wife to let you order the best priced Home Mame™ Arcade Machine Available!
http://www.xgaming.com/htm/arcade-machine.shtml

Need help convincing your wife?  http://xgameroom.com/your_wife.shtml

Xgaming
support (at) xgaming.com

[HaRuMaN]

^^^  been a member for over 3 years, but starts pimping out his product yesterday.  weird.

[garnerb350]

^^^  been a member for over 3 years, but starts pimping out his product yesterday.  weird.

I agree.

Hmmmm...the plot thickens....Strange things are afoot at the Circle K....

[Ginsu Victim]

That x-arcade doesn't include the monitor in the pic. They want $425 to add a 27" WG. So $1224.95 for what's pictured.