mame cabinet but with nintendo controllers

[knightrdrx]

I have a dell computer hooked up to a 26 lcd tv right now with Maximus Arcade. I have 4 Super nintendo controllers with usb adaptors.
I decided against having arcade controls because I don't want to play NHL 94 for a half hour standing up with a joystick mashing buttons.  It just won't be easy for all the console games. I prefer to sit on a couch.  But I would love to that come over and just play attraction that an arcade cabinet has.
I feel the ones at recroommasters are great but without the top it looks like an overpriced computer cabinet and I would like to use a bigger screen.
So I was thinking of sticking the computer inside a small ikea cabinet thatl ooks like a box (Besta $55) and mounting the controllers to the top sitting over holes to run the wires through.
I can turn the computer on by drilling a hole in the door of the cabinet and putting some sort of stick through that would push the button on the computer...the computer would be lined up against the other side of the door. I have no other ideas for this.
And put the tv on top...or eventually mount it on the wall.
Any other ideas? Does this seem like a good idea or am I losing the potential to make a real arcade machine that can have a joystick and controllrs...$that would cost well over $500 though and that would not be wise for me to spend now.
The ikea shelf pegs fit into the back of the SNES controller screw holes so a few of those can hold the controllers in place on top of the cabinet.

[Gatsu]

Just my thoughts on it, if you want a cab, go all the way. If you want a home console, leave the pc out in the open and use it like a game console. No point in hiding it in a box and poking at it with a stick to turn it on.

If you go the full cab route, there are a ton of options to help keep costs down. You've got most of the electronics already. You'd just need the boards to wire up your control panel. And an i-pac is what....$40 on Ultimarc.com. You can get a 2 player set of sticks and buttons for $35-$40 on ebay, or from one of the many vendors in the Buy/Sell/Trade forum here on BYOAC.

If you've got access to the tools and have space you can either build one to potentially save some cash, or buy a used cab and gut it to work for what you want. Or if you don't have the space and tools, there are some pre-made kits like you mentioned at recroommasters. You could go with the sit-down cab style if you wanted, so you're not playing NHL 94 standing up, and you could fit the 26" LCD in that cab. They've got a couple of standing style cabs for a decent price too.

You could go for a bartop style kit like several of the guys on the Buy/Sell/Trade forum here. One of those may fit a 26" monitor and fit the guts of your pc. They are affordable and don't require a ton of work to finish.

But ultimately it's up to you and what you want to spend money on. If you don't have cash to spend, you're gonna put more elbow grease into it to get where you want. If you are willing to drop more cash, the work-load can become lighter. It's up to you and ultimately what you want. If you want a glorified SNES console, you've got it already and just leave it hooked up and use it like you would a real game console. If you want an arcade cabinet, then I'm sure you don't want an ikea frankenstein thing with holes in it you poke with sticks.