For those who don't read the news page... ;)
Plans are moving ahead on manufacturing our Pac-Mamea cabinets! Pac-Mamea was the first cabinet to feature an integrated set of rotating control panels, and now it will be the first commercially available cabinet to do so as well. We are currently talking with a cabinet maker to determine costs of fully assembled cabinets, and/or build-it-yourself kit versions, both with our one-of-a-kind, self-locking rotating design.
If you're interested, click here (http://www.1uparcade.com/orders.html) for more info, and to get on the mailing list if you would like to be notified when the cabinets are available. We are expecting to have the price set by the end of February, with cabinets available soon thereafter. Prices should be competitive with Hanaho's full cabs and SlickStik's kits.
(http://www.1uparcade.com/images/CProtation.gif)
Availability: The only thing that's holding production up right now is that my builder can't accept my 3D files, so I have to take the model apart and trace out each panel in CAD, then give it to him so he can run it thru his software to see how much wood and cutting time is required, and then give me a quote. This should all be done within this week or next, and if the numbers are good, kits will be available early next month, with full cabinets available soon after.
Options: I intend to have either a yoke or steering wheel
option. Pedals and 4-player controls would be an add-on thing that can be easily attached by the customer, but that will be available later on.
Quality: I will make them as cheaply as possible, while using the best
materials appropriate for the purpose. I don't want to get a reputation of making cheap crap that falls apart quickly. If you are thinking of these as cheap $30 Wal-Mart bookshelves, try mounting a control panel to one of those shelves, invite a few middle-schoolers over and see how long it lasts. These will be sturdy cabinets, and unfortunately the labor won't be cheap because they're not being made in a third world country.
Pricing: The prices I use right now should be interpreted as maximiums, not minimums. I am estimating between $1000 to $2000 for kits, and $2500 to $3995 for fully built cabinets with controls, monitor and PC. This is the price range I don't want to go over, in order to remain competitive Hanaho or Slikstik. If I can sell the kits at $700 and still make a good profit, I will. I'm sure I'd sell a lot more at that price!
I'm very excited to finally be able to offer my cabinets to the public. I welcome any questions or suggestions that may result in an improved product!
1UP
1.) It looks like the Tron handles (looks like you'll be replacing these with trigger sticks) are a bit close together on the second control panel. Is there anything keeping you from moving the right side one a little further over towards the right, besides the fact that the panel looks better when it's totally symmetrical? It seems like 2 player games that use this panel might have the participants bumping into each other. Moving the sticks further apart would also seem to leave more room between them for accessing the spinner and the trackball (looks kinda tight in there now)...
The only reason they are so close together is that I like to stand centered when playing 1 player dual stick games like Battlezone. I don't know of any 2 player games that use trigger sticks, so this was not even a consideration. (I know they probably exist, but I've never played them. If you can think of any, let me know.)
The panel was pretty much designed to play Battle Zone, Missile Command, Tempest, and Tron. When I designed my prototype for this panel, I basically just held my hands where they felt comfortable, marked the board and drilled. Actually, I did put a lot more thought than that into the layout of the Tron panel. I measured it to be symmetrical and made sure there was enough room to mount the trackball in between. The placement of the trackball and spinner were carefully considered, so that none interferes with the other. There are several inches of spare room around my hands at all times. I have never found this arrangement to be uncomfortable or awkward.
2.) I've seen that virtually all the combination control panels available today (with the 8 way sticks) have the 4 way stick way up at the top of the panel. while this configuration doesn't look like an issue with a standalone controller(where the display is positioned wherever makes sense), with a cabinet setup it seems like this would have the player hunched over the control panel with their head right up against the monitor glass. Is there some logistical problem with moving the 4 way further back into the center of the panel or even way back to the bottom side? This seems like it would be a much preferable setup for the 4 way without interfering much at all with the 8 ways...
Something I've learned during this project, is that if everyone does something exactly the same way, then there's a reason for it. Moving the 4 way down to the center brings it much closer to player 2's hand. Bring it down to the front edge of the panel, and it's a fraction of an inch from his wrist. This virtually assures that at some point, player 2's hand will bump the 4-way, which is daisy chained to player 1's stick. Bumping elbows is one thing, it's quite another when you're actually moving the other player's joystick. Take a look at the pic below, and tell me which position is least likely to cause problems:
(http://www.robandmitsue.com/1uparcade/images/posts/3sticks.jpg)
Another reason for this arrangement is that it's usually better to have your buttons either directly to the side of the stick, or slightly lower than the stick--it's just more comfortable that way. I would feel very uncomfortable playing Galaga with the stick down near the front of the panel. Besides, my 4 way is only 2 inches farther back than the 8 ways. I can switch from using the left stick to the middle stick without changing my position at all, other than a slight side-step to recenter myself. Two inches is not enough to make you go from a comfortable upright position to hunched over with forehead pressed to plexi unless you're Mini Me.
3.) With the steering wheel option on the 3rd control panel will there be any additional controls? I'm just wondering what games will be of much use with just the wheel and no pedals... ???
I thought that I had mentioned this before but...pedals will be another add-on option. I am devising a way to have them mounted on a base that clamps to the bottom edge of the front kickplate. My intention is to make the wheel and yoke interchangeable, so you don't have to choose one or the other. Of course, if you go for a yoke instead, you don't really need pedals, as the y-axis works well as an accelerator and brake. I've personally used my yoke as steering wheel and accelerator in Spy Hunter, with good results.