Decisions Decisions for the Newbie BYOAC'er

[CaptainMarvel]

As someone who is as "newbie" as newbie can be within the world of Build Your Own Arcade Cabinet (BYOAC),  the "what kind of monitor" issue is one of the most daunting issues (for me) that I am currently contemplating as I am planning out my project.  Sure I would like it to be as "authentic" as possible ... but then again, I am thinking I would also like to integrate console emulators as well (not 100% sure of that one just yet).  So I continue to read through discussions such as these toward researching and (hopefully) ultimately figuring out what the best overall solution will be.



As an admitted "Child of The 80's" - the MAME (classics) arcade game aspect of my BYOAC project is probably most important to me.  Truth be told, I've never really been much of a "gamer" in terms of today's major consoles and games.  So many buttons/combinations ... I miss the "good ole' days" of the Atari joystick + button.  (go ahead, throw all of the "old geezer" jabs you want at me ... I'm turning 44 YEARS YOUNG on Oct 10 (2013) and I'm still benching 305+ at the gym every week.  So  )



I do have a PS3 and a handful of games - but even our 14 y/o daughter doesn't play them much anymore (more interested in being social and boys - ugh) - and our PS3 sees most of it's use as a BlueRay player and access point for NetFlix and, sometimes, YouTube videos.  (I know, I know ... Don't hate me for not being as geeky as I should be)   



So while the #1 game priority for me are the classic arcade games, there is a part of me who would still like to try to integrate some of the older console systems as well - such as the Atari 2600, ColecoVision, Intellivision, Nintendo, etc.   (Okay, I know the games from those days are little more than big ole squares with sound effects . . . but it's a nostalgia thing, ya know?)




I suppose, if need be - so preserve the best visual integrity possible - I could always plan TWO separate cabinet projects ... one for the classic arcade games (and appropriate monitor) and one for the Hyperspin type of array of console emulators.  I mean, it would be cool to have a mess of gaming options to play around with ... and for younger visiting relatives and guests form time to time.



So, any constructive thoughts, insight and/or advice for this mixed-up nostalgic newbie BYOC'er?



 

[yotsuya]

My opinion- separate them out. Build an arcade cabinet for just the arcade classics, and then maybe a bartop or standalone for console stuff. See CoryBee and Rablack97s stand alones for more info. Unless you're going to hook up game pads, some console games just don't translate over well to arcade controls. Glad you're giving it some thought! 

[unknownclient]

I agree that it would be best to build a cabinet just for the MAME games with a CRT tube for the most authentic experience possible. CRT tubes are becoming harder to find. There are some options to build them yourself using CRT TV's which you should be able to find on craigslist, goodwill, etc. Here is a website to make a CRT TV into an arcade monitor. http://www.8liners.com/datatech/monitor.html  From there your other options are to buy a used arcade monitor on arcade/MAME forums. Next would be to buy a makvision CRT.
http://www.arcademonitor.com/
http://www.twistedquarter.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=200_201&products_id=325
http://www.xgaming.com/store/category/arcade-parts-and-accessories/

Personally I am building two arcade machines. One will be a dedicated MAME cabinet, while I do not care about authenticity as much I will be using a Billabs 26 inch LCD. The other cabinet will use a 32 inch LCD TV to play newer arcade games and console games. Take the time to read all the MAME/Arcade emulation forums, there will be projects posted by other members. I have been working and planning my build for 4 years. I am now just starting to build, buy, and piece together both machines. My billabs LCD is being delivered today! But then I still have to transfer a computer into it, build the control panel, setup the OS, install all my emulators, tweak all my emulators, test, tweak, etc. From what I have seen other members do, it usually takes a year from start to finish.

[rCadeGaming]

I think there might be a little confusion here.  I don't see why you need to two different types of monitors.  Both the arcade games and the console games you're talking about originally ran on 15kHz CRT's, and both will look best on a 15kHz CRT.  There is not much difference between an old TV and an old arcade monitor, they're both 15kHz CRT's.  You could get everything looking good on the same cab.

I agree with unknownclient that using a second-hand TV is a great option, but using one of those 8-liners chassis's is not the best way to go.  They only work with certain tubes, and no one around here has confirmed their quality.  It would be better to use a CRT TV with a component input (make sure it's still 15kHz only, meaning it should NOT be able to display 480p or higher), and an RGB to component transcoder.  Check out the links in my signature.

Also, I would recommend using the real thing for the console games, especially given how cheap those consoles are these days.  As yotsuya said, some of those games won't transfer well to arcade controls, and part of the nostalgia will be using the real controllers.  I think you could still do MAME and consoles in the same cab (that's what I'm doing), but in your case just wire it up so the control panel works with MAME, and when you switch over to the consoles, you plug real controllers into them.