Author Topic: ArcadeVGA is here - screenshots! (Read 6376 times)

OSCAR · « **on:** February 13, 2003, 11:34:25 pm »

First let me say this... What an incredible piece of hardware!

Like so many others, I've spent many hours in front of an arcade monitor swearing at my PC, my video card, my monitor, AdvanceMAME, ArcadeOS, Bill Gates, & countless others while I was wondering what I could have possibly done in a previous life to make configuring this beast so difficult. Ahh, enter the ArcadeVGA. Now I only have one person to swear at.... as if I only had to!

What a breeze this is to install and configure! I was running MAME32 & reading this message board on my W-G 7901 literally minutes after I opened an AirBorne Express package which originated from the U.K.

Thanks for the great product, Andy, this is definitely a milestone!

I've taken a number of photos and they are available at www.oscarcontrols.com/arcadevga.

Ghoul · « **Reply #1 on:** February 14, 2003, 12:29:08 am »

Lol this looks like such a wonderful solution I curse buying my tv and video card before the announcement. It would have only cost me an extra 60 bucks for a brand new 25" WG arcade monitor and video card.

dhansen · « **Reply #2 on:** February 14, 2003, 12:29:12 am »

WOW! Cool Oscar! Could you post a pic of Donkey Kong or Pac Man? I'd like to see how the vertical games size up! Hmm what's another $89? I've already spent thousands on these things!

Thanks!

OSCAR · « **Reply #3 on:** February 14, 2003, 08:53:54 am »

Okay, I'll put some vertical shots up later this evening when I get home. I rotated the monitor vertical and fired up Galaga real quick this morning and it looks arcade perfect. I'm going to have to do a bit of degaussing before I take any pics, but you will not be disappointed with the results.

I have to say that I've been reading posts regarding this new video card, both on this forum and Ultimarc's, with great interest as I knew I would get the opportunity to test out the card myself before long. I have been running Windows on an arcade monitor for some time now through the use of a Blade3D & the Mon-Arc+ TSR, and I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. However, I did not realize that it would look this good! While using MAME/MAME32 is certainly possible with the Blade3d, there are not many usable native resolutions with the card and it doesn't support hardware stretching so you are typically left with a little picture in the center of the screen. This is why AdvanceMAME has been so popular for arcade monitor users as it allows the creation of custom video modes. Since I have used the ArcadeVGA, I cannot see myself using AdvanceMAME again, it's just that simple.

For anyone else that has also been reading some of the not-so-positive feedback on the Ultimarc forum, after trying this for myself it appears that most of them are due to one of two things:

1. They did not follow the installation directions correctly.

2. They do not fully understand what interlacing is, or why it is necessary for a 640 x 480 resolution. As good as it is, the ArcadeVGA will not magically turn an arcade monitor into a VGA PC monitor because a 15KHz monitor is physically limited in the resolutions it can display. Everyone, even those experienced with monitors, should read the Monitor FAQ on Ultimarc's site, it explains it all.

All that said, I have never seen games displayed so perfectly in MAME. THIS is how they looked in the arcades!

dhansen · « **Reply #4 on:** February 14, 2003, 09:12:38 am »

I was probably more interested in seeing a vertical game on the horizontal monitor...sorry for the confusion. Thanks Oscar!

Yeah, it seems like advancemame users are a little touchy about this new card. I've been using advancemame for years but would love the time back that I spent configuring this beast! It was always such a pain finding the correct pclock, etc. values for my monitors.

Doug

OSCAR · « **Reply #5 on:** February 14, 2003, 09:23:09 am »

Quote from: dhansen on February 14, 2003, 09:12:38 am

I was probably more interested in seeing a vertical game on the horizontal monitor...

LOL! Figures...

Quote

Yeah, it seems like advancemame users are a little touchy about this new card.

Well, there are people out there that enjoy beating their head against a wall because it feels so good when you stop...

JLR2000 · « **Reply #6 on:** February 14, 2003, 10:07:34 am »

Oscar, once again thanks for your "report". You always do an ace job on things....

My ArcadeVGA is on the way....I've had a cab with a 19" Horizontal WG19K610 in it sitting for almost a year now. I got a good deal on it, I saw it workink and the monitor is mint with no burn in. My intention was to make a dedicated driving games cab using my MadCatz PSX steering wheel using a USB adapter. I didn't really plan it out, I just wanted the cab and had that idea in the back of my head. Well, once I started doing the real research I realized that Windows on an Arcade Monitor was not "plug and play" possible.....until now! I'm still finishing up my cocktail cab but I can't wait to start up on this project. I've never worked with an arcade monitor before, so like my other projects this will have a new twist for me...(like how to even power the thing...)

Anyway, thanks for the pics and positive feedback. Your opinion is worth a lot around here.

OSCAR · « **Reply #7 on:** February 14, 2003, 11:16:42 pm »

The page has been updated with some pics of Donkey Kong and Pac-Man running both on a horizontal and vertical monitor.

www.oscarcontrols.com/arcadevga

dhansen · « **Reply #8 on:** February 15, 2003, 12:25:59 am »

Thanks Oscar! I ordered mine this morning after seeing your screenshots! The latest Pac-man and Donkey Kong shots look perfect!

Thanks again! Gutsy move posting this stuff on Valentines day...

Doug

cpetro · « **Reply #9 on:** February 17, 2003, 06:32:15 am »

Just for curiosities sake, is there any chance of some screenshots of a recent windoze game(s) running on the ArcadeVga?

Perhaps one of the HalfLife/Quake clones, or WarCraft or something, if the card would support it. This will be quite interesting

DZuroff · « **Reply #10 on:** February 17, 2003, 08:47:38 pm »

Definitely a nice picture! Before I ask this question just bear in mind that the only stupid question is the one not asked.

Will the ArcadeVGA work on a television or is it strictly for an arcade monitor?

Man, I am so torn here! Do I go the cheap route and get a TV... or do I save my pennies and go with an arcade monitor? Ungh!

I have been duking this out in my brain since I discovered the wonderful world of arcade cabinet building/restoring and I just don't have a clue!

I know this next question can't be answered in a flat term, but I just want to get an idea on what I am looking at as far as differences in price. What would a 27" arcade monitor typically sell for?

Dariusz · « **Reply #11 on:** February 17, 2003, 09:21:25 pm »

Oscar,

Based on you experience to date, I do have a question for you regarding the ArcadeVGA card working on the WG D9200 monitors?

I cannot get a complete view if the ArcadeVGA card will have any benefit on an WG D9200, as no one can give a confirmed answer (or it just may be my lacking understanding of how it all works).

Basically discussion from an earlier post on a different subject: (posted by Android)

'Don't have an ArcadeVGA yet, but based on previous answers here's my take: if you connect your d9200 to the arcade monitor connector of the ArcadeVGA, then it will work just like an arcade monitor (perfect resolutions with ordinary mame, at native 15khz), but you will loose your ability to drive your monitor at higher resolutions (640x480, 800x600). On the other hand, if you connect it to the SVGA connector, then your setup will behave like a d9200 with an ordinary card, i.e. you loose the ArcadeVGA's built-in ability to use perfect resolutions @ 15khz.

So unless I'm missing something, it is pointless to use the ArcadeVGA with the d9200'

Are you able to confirm the above statement(s) as I thought that the ordinary SVGA connector on the ArcadeVGA card (top connector) is for PC monitors that only have the D-connector VGA connector (like the WG D9200), whereas arcade monitor connector of the ArcadeVGA (bottom connector) is for arcade monitors only that need to be wired up for the connector (ie. the WG D9200 can not be used as it has a D-connector VGA connector.

Kind Regards,

Dariusz

OSCAR · « **Reply #12 on:** February 17, 2003, 11:11:44 pm »

Quote from: DZuroff on February 17, 2003, 08:47:38 pm

Definitely a nice picture! Before I ask this question just bear in mind that the only stupid question is the one not asked.

Will the ArcadeVGA work on a television or is it strictly for an arcade monitor?

Man, I am so torn here! Do I go the cheap route and get a TV... or do I save my pennies and go with an arcade monitor? Ungh!

I have been duking this out in my brain since I discovered the wonderful world of arcade cabinet building/restoring and I just don't have a clue!

I know this next question can't be answered in a flat term, but I just want to get an idea on what I am looking at as far as differences in price. What would a 27" arcade monitor typically sell for?

While the card supports S-Video out, the best features of the card aren't realized through the TV-out port. If you are strictly going to use a TV, you might as well save a few $$ and find a more conventional ATI video card with TV-out. But if you may upgrade to an arcade monitor in the future, then perhaps the ArcadeVGA would be a good investment for you. Check www.wellsgardner.com for typical pricing on arcade monitors. You could probably find a better price than Wells, but you may have to do a bit of digging around. The deals are out there, you just have to find them!

OSCAR · « **Reply #13 on:** February 17, 2003, 11:22:51 pm »

Quote from: Dariusz on February 17, 2003, 09:21:25 pm

Oscar,

Based on you experience to date, I do have a question for you regarding the ArcadeVGA card working on the WG D9200 monitors?

I cannot get a complete view if the ArcadeVGA card will have any benefit on an WG D9200, as no one can give a confirmed answer (or it just may be my lacking understanding of how it all works).

Basically discussion from an earlier post on a different subject: (posted by Android)

'Don't have an ArcadeVGA yet, but based on previous answers here's my take: if you connect your d9200 to the arcade monitor connector of the ArcadeVGA, then it will work just like an arcade monitor (perfect resolutions with ordinary mame, at native 15khz), but you will loose your ability to drive your monitor at higher resolutions (640x480, 800x600). On the other hand, if you connect it to the SVGA connector, then your setup will behave like a d9200 with an ordinary card, i.e. you loose the ArcadeVGA's built-in ability to use perfect resolutions @ 15khz.

So unless I'm missing something, it is pointless to use the ArcadeVGA with the d9200'

Are you able to confirm the above statement(s) as I thought that the ordinary SVGA connector on the ArcadeVGA card (top connector) is for PC monitors that only have the D-connector VGA connector (like the WG D9200), whereas arcade monitor connector of the ArcadeVGA (bottom connector) is for arcade monitors only that need to be wired up for the connector (ie. the WG D9200 can not be used as it has a D-connector VGA connector.

Kind Regards,

Dariusz

I haven't had the opportunity to test the ArcadeVGA with a D9200, so keep that in mind when you read my reply.

The benefit of the ArcadeVGA is the built in video modes at 15KHz. Since the D9200 supports 15KHz, then certainly it can take advantage of the ArcadeVGA. What you lose is the higher resolution modes like 640 x 480 non-interlaced and the 800 x 600 res the monitor is reported capable of handling. If you require these resolutions, then perhaps the ArcadeVGA isn't for you.

I'm not sure why you would think having the ability to have the 15KHz built in video modes would be pointless? If you are happy with your setup and using AdvanceMAME to build your own video modes, then perhaps....

You should be able to connect the D9200 directly to the middle port of the ArcadeVGA and it will behave just like a W-G K7400, but I'm just speculating. I connected my NEC presentation monitor (15-31KHz monitor) which is similar to a D9200 directly to the middle port of the ArcadeVGA (via vga connector) and it fixed my monitor at 15KHz and I had all the built in modes available in MAME.

OSCAR · « **Reply #14 on:** February 18, 2003, 01:57:43 am »

Quote from: cpetro on February 17, 2003, 06:32:15 am

Just for curiosities sake, is there any chance of some screenshots of a recent windoze game(s) running on the ArcadeVga?

Perhaps one of the HalfLife/Quake clones, or WarCraft or something, if the card would support it. This will be quite interesting

Sorry, don't have those... but here are a few shots from some other 3D type games.

DemonStar SM1 - http://www.mking.com/

Torc - http://gamingplace.proxad.net/download/preview/228355.html

More pics are at www.oscarcontrols.com/arcadevga/3D. Not too bad for a 15+ year old monitor running at 15KHz! Ahhh, this ArcadeVGA continues to impress...

android · « **Reply #15 on:** February 18, 2003, 03:21:42 pm »

Quote from: OSCAR on February 17, 2003, 11:22:51 pm

I'm not sure why you would think having the ability to have the 15KHz built in video modes would be pointless? If you are happy with your setup and using AdvanceMAME to build your own video modes, then perhaps....

As you correctly stated it, having all 15khz modes is not in itself pointless. My comment was from the point of view of ease of connection to a PC. With the d9200 you pretty much have a plug and play solution and you have the best range of options for the least amount of work. If you need perfect resolutions then AdvanceMame + d9200 can get you there without the added cost of the ArcadeVGA, but you need to invest some config effort. However, if you want all of the above with minimum effort then ArcadeVGA + d9200 is the way to go.

tom61 · « **Reply #16 on:** February 18, 2003, 09:26:42 pm »

Quote

While the card supports S-Video out, the best features of the card aren't realized through the TV-out port.

Quote

Will the ArcadeVGA work on a television or is it strictly for an arcade monitor?

You can't install the drivers for it without an arcade monitor(well,you could, but you'd have to be a good guesser), and I don't think the TV-out port works without the drivers installed. Hmm.... might have to try that later and see if it is enabled by default.

OSCAR · « **Reply #17 on:** February 18, 2003, 09:43:34 pm »

You are right, Tom61. The TV-out on this card behaves differently than any other Nvidia or ATI TV-out card I've used! The TV-out is not enabled at boot even if the only monitor is connected via s-video. The ATI drivers ARE REQUIRED to enable TV-out and TV-out only works with Windows loaded. Good catch, I didn't think to try that before I posted.

So basically an arcade monitor (or other 15KHz compatible monitor) is required for driver installation.

dhansen · « **Reply #18 on:** February 18, 2003, 10:43:19 pm »

Hey, we all owe Oscar a debt of gratitude for testing, documenting, and sharing all of his findings. I feel like a lazy --I'm attempting to get by the auto-censor and should be beaten after I re-read the rules-- cause I haven't updated my web site for two years!!!

Thanks Oscar!!!

Doug

Dak-ak · « **Reply #19 on:** February 19, 2003, 01:55:07 am »

interesting... how nice did the windows game graphics look on the 15khz monitor tho? I know a still of a LCD screen will look great, but the games will typically get a weird shadowy effect... ive already ordered an arcadevga of course, but i would like to know what you thought of hte results

~Dak~

SirPoonga · « **Reply #20 on:** February 19, 2003, 04:58:27 am »

Quote from: Dak-ak on February 19, 2003, 01:55:07 am

interesting... how nice did the windows game graphics look on the 15khz monitor tho? I know a still of a LCD screen will look great, but the games will typically get a weird shadowy effect... ive already ordered an arcadevga of course, but i would like to know what you thought of hte results

~Dak~

That's the torc screenshot from above.

Hey oscar, you probably don't have a way to do video captures, huh?

OSCAR · « **Reply #21 on:** February 19, 2003, 11:49:01 am »

SP - No. At least not in a way that would provide a realistic representation.

Dak - Of the few Windows games I've tried, I thought they looked great. The above pictures are a pretty accurate representation of what it really looks like I'd say. The text is actually a bit sharper than how it shows up in the pics, but that's about it.

Doug - Hey, thanks!

dhansen · « **Reply #22 on:** February 19, 2003, 07:34:57 pm »

Ohhh man, just got a package from Ultimarc! Whooo hooo!

Will be posting some pics of my own!

Doug

JLR2000 · « **Reply #23 on:** February 19, 2003, 11:32:56 pm »

Guys,

I have my JPAC and ArcadeVGA, but I've been waiting to complete my Cocktail cab before tackling this....

The PC I originally earmarked for this project doesn't have an AGP port, I guess it will be for the jukebox project (the project list never ends...) I've been looking at inexpensive Mobo/CPU combos and I was wondering if you had any recommendations. I've been considering this: http://www.econopc.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=MCPCDU1013&sc=pr

I should say that my plan for this cab is to make a dedicated driving cab for games like ChaseHQ using my MadCatz Steering wheel/pedals for the PSX with a USB converter. I've used this motherboard before with success, but I would like to hear other's suggestions/opinions/recommendations...

Thanks, the ScreenShots really got me excited about starting this project.....

SirPoonga · « **Reply #24 on:** February 20, 2003, 01:25:15 am »

Quote from: JLR2000 on February 19, 2003, 11:32:56 pm

Guys,

I have my JPAC and ArcadeVGA, but I've been waiting to complete my Cocktail cab before tackling this....

The PC I originally earmarked for this project doesn't have an AGP port, I guess it will be for the jukebox project (the project list never ends...) I've been looking at inexpensive Mobo/CPU combos and I was wondering if you had any recommendations. I've been considering this: http://www.econopc.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=MCPCDU1013&sc=pr

I should say that my plan for this cab is to make a dedicated driving cab for games like ChaseHQ using my MadCatz Steering wheel/pedals for the PSX with a USB converter. I've used this motherboard before with success, but I would like to hear other's suggestions/opinions/recommendations...

Thanks, the ScreenShots really got me excited about starting this project.....

http://www.econopc.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=MCSHXP1700

$10 more, better proc for emulation and a better motherboard. I hate PC Chips and ECS, they are cheap motherboards.

OSCAR · « **Reply #25 on:** February 20, 2003, 01:36:41 am »

Quote from: SirPoonga on February 20, 2003, 01:25:15 am

I hate PC Chips and ECS, they are cheap motherboards.

Ditto. Might as well add Gigabyte and Chaintech to that list, too...

But I'm picky with mobo's. I will only use good 6-layers like Abit, Asus, or Soyo's for my own PC's.

SirPoonga · « **Reply #26 on:** February 20, 2003, 09:25:14 am »

Quote from: OSCAR on February 20, 2003, 01:36:41 am

Quote from: SirPoonga on February 20, 2003, 01:25:15 am
I hate PC Chips and ECS, they are cheap motherboards.

Ditto. Might as well add Gigabyte and Chaintech to that list, too...

But I'm picky with mobo's. I will only use good 6-layers like Abit, Asus, or Soyo's for my own PC's.

I like shuttle for a cheap mobo. I've had two, I bet if I could replace jumpers that I stolen from my AMD 5x86/133 that it's still run fine.

rampy · « **Reply #27 on:** February 20, 2003, 12:31:33 pm »

Quote from: SirPoonga on February 20, 2003, 01:25:15 am

http://www.econopc.com/applications/search/itemdetails.asp?sku=MCSHXP1700

$10 more, better proc for emulation and a better motherboard. I hate PC Chips and ECS, they are cheap motherboards.

Hey SirP, not that you are a shuttle spokesperson.. but a few questions:

1. is that mobo's vid able to be disabled?
2. I can't find how much memory the onboard video is.. is it *gasp* shared system memory (I HATE that...)
3. how well does the trident blade do mame (HW stretch etc)
4.should I just start a "whats the best cheapo mobo for mame"
*shrug*

rampy


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