the 16-bit console wars, cabinet repurposing

[shadowolf]

Finally months after I recieved two empty arcade cabinets.  I am ready to begin work on the first full size arcade.  My plan for the first one is to instal a sega genesis and snes console into the cabinet,  themed around the 16 bit wars with color coordinated sides red for Nintendo and blue for sega.  The features I have planned for this system will allow me to do everything from the outside onlyhaving to open up the cabinet to choose games/ controllers.  I have already wired the consoles for  power and reset buttons so they can be placed on the outside of the cabinet.  The consoles themselves will be mounted on the sides of the cabinets to allow insertion of the games from outside. I am going to use controller extensions flush with the front of the cabinet to allow a player to plug in regular controllers/light guns.   *(I am still trying to figur out a way to have all four controllers plugged in at once for each console  and have a switch to select which control is currently being used.  So any ideas on that thought would be greatly appreciated. )*   I will be wiring 8way joysticks and happ competition style buttons to each systems with d sub connections so I can easily add anything else in the future.   I will also instal buttons on the outside for the monitor controls and sound.  The cabinet will need some work to get it back into shape but it will be well worth it.   I look forward to completing this project and will be posting pics as I go.

[johnrt]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

Are you sure about this? Console game are best played on... well... consoles. An arcade cabinet is for arcade games in my opinion. What you are trying to do is to camouflage your consoles as an arcade machine. You may think twice about that. Why not build an arcade cabinet with arcade games?

Anyway, that's just my humble opinion.

[a1pharm]

I agree with johnrt - you should rethink what your ultimate goal is.  Shoving some consoles (which were still "competing" with arcades) into an arcade form factor without a way to play actual arcade games doesn't seem like a worthwhile project.

Why not just make a typical arcade?  Or, make a display cabinet similar to the ones you would see in the video game stores during the 16-bit console war of 1991-1994.

[shadowolf]

Hey guys!  Thanks for the constructive criticism.  I do appreciate all opinions.  As I mentioned with using the d-sub connectors I will be adding other items to the arcade such as mame to run more common arcade games.  I just wanted something a little different as far as the cabinet goes.  I've always been a fan of gaming on any platform.  I grew up playing on arcades and eventually went into consoles,  and I've always felt there was something lacking.  Arcade controls just make the games feel more intense than a controller you hold.  Even the "arcade" style controllers just wasn't the same.  The console systems have put out many great games.  I just feel that some of those games would be great to play in a real arcade style platform.  Like I said I have another cabinet I also recieved a larger four player setup to work on also.  Neither of which had anything of the original game items so no restoration    but they were free so i wasnt passing them up.  So this is my Frankenstein cabinet to have fun with, no retail all sentimental.

[Locke141]

There are multi carts out there for the SNES and SEGA Genesis, like the Everdrive products. That way you would never need to change the carts to play all the games you legally dumped over from the original carts you legally own.

As for the switching of remotes you could get a Parallel Port Switch Box (see list below for the first two I found on google). With one of these per player you could hack a two SNES & Genesis remotes to one end and your arcade controls in two the other. At least I think that would work.   

• http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2906846&SRCCODE=WEBGOOPA&scid=scplp629717&kpid=2906846&gclid=CK74t7DO7cICFWgV7AodCmQA0A&gclsrc=aw.ds
• http://www.showmecables.com/product/2-Way-Manual-DB25-Switch-Box.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=47-200-057&zmam=49733141&zmac=5&zmas=1&zmap=47-200-057&gclid=CJHQ7a_O7cICFcvm7AodTVYAeA

[shadowolf]

Yeah I know all about the erdrives I have the N64 and Snes ones.  I wasn't as impressed with the snes one based on how it loads the roms.  I might sell it and try out the sd2nes versions.  That parallel switch box might be able to do it. I believe I would have to use two controller extension cords for each system. One for the plug ins on the front of the cabinet and the other to go from the switch box to the console itself simply by placing the right pins for each of the three from the ends of the cords.  Thanks locke that was a big help, and will definitely help with future items.

[Locke141]

One for the plug ins on the front of the cabinet and the other to go from the switch box to the console itself simply by placing the right pins for each of the three from the ends of the cords.  Thanks locke that was a big help, and will definitely help with future items.

I don't know about the Sega Genesis but (I added a link about the Sega Genesis) for the SNES you need to hack a remote between the box and the console. The controllers for the SNES and probably the Genesis are serial. That's how they have more buttons then pins. The pins don't correspond the a single button/direction. 

Read this:

• http://www.artlum.com/gameduino/nes.html
• http://pinouts.ru/Game/snescontroller_pinout.shtml
• http://www.slashdev.ca/2010/05/25/ps3-gamepad-with-home-button/
• http://www.pjrc.com/teensy/index.html
• http://www.instructables.com/id/SNES-Teensy-USBPS3-Gamepad/step1/
• http://pinouts.ru/Game/genesiscontroller_pinout.shtml[Sega Genesis]

 

There is probably a cooler work around but hacking 4 joystick (2 SNES & Sega Genesis) should be fairly essay.