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Using a Wii as your base platform
Kongo621:
Hello all,
This is my first post on the forum! I have been using the site for a while to get ideas and information on building my first cabinet. After what feels like an eternity, the cab is more or less done. Some minor details remain but it is up and operational. As I'm sure you all know, now I am thinking of my next project. I was wondering if anyone has made a cab using a Wii as the base platform. I was thinking it would be easy to take one build a cab around it and use it to play games like metal slug anthology, smash bros., etc. It would be very slim, relatively inexpensive and fairly straight forward. I was curious if anyone has done this yet and if it was a project that would be worth the time to undertake?
paigeoliver:
It would be easy if you considered reinventing the wheel to use a different platform that would both cost way more and have far less function than an old PC, then yes it would be easy.
I know a local guy who builds multigame cabinets who insists on putting Xboxes in them instead of PCs, even though it costs a lot more and the results aren't as good as just using an old PC.
Not meant to be insulting, but you could do way better with a specialty theme cabinet than a Wii. Out of every console you can put into a cabinet I would put it second to last place (with the Atari 5200 being last place). It isn't easily done and the vast majority of the software available for the system is not cab friendly, and most of the software that is cab friendly is also available on PC.
TPA5:
The Wii would not be a terribly useful base to start from. The emulator support is not really there, and wiring arcade buttons and joysticks would be quite dizzying and difficult. It is indeed best to just use a windows-based PC that you found from Craigslist or some such. I know other folks use Xbox's and Dreamcasts for bases as well. I cannot vouch for how useful those are, but I know some people have controller hacks ready to sell in the BST section for wiring arcade parts to. It could be worth looking into, depending on the reasons why you would want to start from a console base rather than a PC base.
Kongo621:
Oh, the only reason it crossed my mind as an option is because I have a Wii collecting dust in the other room and thought it might work as an option. I don't really want to start a project that will be a big head ache for little reward, thanks for the heads up.
paigeoliver:
Just make your next cabinet have a vertical screen instead of a horizontal one. It will stand out way more from your other machine and will be quite fun.
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