Console insead of a PC for an arcade cab?

[project86]

Anyone around here using a console (maybe Xbox or Dreamcast) instead of a PC in an arcade cabinet? I would prefer using a PC but obviously the cost on these consoles is a lot lower. I'd be happy to be able to pick up an old JAMMA game, then use one of those adaptors and run a DC or Xbox and be up and running.... but only if the resulting gameplay is decent.

[versapak]

I have one with an Xbox and another with a Dreamcast.


The Xbox is an excellent system for an arcade machine. Modded with a nice big hard drive, you can run a huge amount of great arcade titles. There a few arcade emulators, such as FBA and MAME, that run extremely well.

You won't be running many emulated 3d games, and no hard drive games, but pretty much everything else runs A+.

If you are a fan of SHMUPS, then the Dreamcast is certainly a prime choice, along with many other arcade ports that it holds in its library.

[sphetr2]

Also- check out MAME4ALL for Dreamcast. It is a MAME emu ported to DC, and supports the .36 romset. Better than nothing!

[Goz]

Right now I have two console cabs. One Dreamcast for shmups and one running a modded PS2 with 200GB hard drive. At one time I had a DC, Gamecube, PS2, and Xbox in a large US NAOMI cab with a hi-res monitor. It really comes down to the games you want to play how you go about it though.

[ark_ader]

Depending on your requirements for playing games in a cabinet, my only recommendation would be an original xbox.  You could go the softmod route and get all the emulators working and get a xbox to Ipac harness from Ultimarc or a X arcade controller board.

Xboxes are going cheap these days, and it will lend itself to your gaming requirements in the long run. Mods can run up moolah quick, ie softmod tools, new HDD, etc.

If you decided to not softmod the xbox, there are plenty of retro packs out there that play the core arcade experience, including the Soul Calibre and DOA titles.  You could always mount the xbox between CP and coinbox for disc swaps.

Dreamcast is a nice idea for a cabinet playing the Mame basics and DOA and Soul Calibre for a lot less money.  Depends what you are after.  Dragon's Lair or Space Ace is not out for the DC, but if you are not into laserdisc games - the DC is a good option.

[daywane]

dreamcast has some great games .
but the above  seems to lead that mame and dreamcast works.
mame and dream cast STINKS!

[daywane]

Also- check out MAME4ALL for Dreamcast. It is a MAME emu ported to DC, and supports the .36 romset. Better than nothing!

I will check this out. maybe mame and dreamcast have advanced.
I tried mame and dreamcast out about 1 tear ago.
nothing to right about. frame rate stunk and most had no sound.

[sphetr2]

Also- check out MAME4ALL for Dreamcast. It is a MAME emu ported to DC, and supports the .36 romset. Better than nothing!

I will check this out. maybe mame and dreamcast have advanced.
I tried mame and dreamcast out about 1 tear ago.
nothing to right about. frame rate stunk and most had no sound.

Yes, that was MAMED and MAMEDC. Those suck big hairy ...eggs

MAME4ALL, however, is the f'in shiite! LOTS of roms are supported, almost all at full speed! And it's the alpha 2 release! And still under active dev! Hells yeah!

There is a torrent floating around somewhere on the internetz that has MAME4All and all roms for its romset...search.

[slycrel]

I have an xbox in an arcade cabinet.  It's pretty handy, but it's more limited than what you get with a PC.  less customization, though what's out there is nice.  And virtually no boot time, that's what decided it for me.

I went with the iPac and xbox adapter for that, for what it's worth.

Best of luck.

[sphetr2]

You can also use the X-Arcade BYOA Kit for DC and Xbox. It lets you switch between analog and digital with the press of a button. (simulated analog, of course)..

So you can play more games.

[Howard_Casto]

The xbox is a decent chioce if you can't afford a pc, but in all honesty it has severe ram limitations that keep you from playing a lot of games.  Also the guis to the emulators are rather basic and genrally speaking you can't display as much artwork as you can on a traditional fe, meaning it can be confusing to navigate. 

[versapak]

The xbox is a decent chioce if you can't afford a pc, but in all honesty it has severe ram limitations that keep you from playing a lot of games.  Also the guis to the emulators are rather basic and genrally speaking you can't display as much artwork as you can on a traditional fe, meaning it can be confusing to navigate. 

The GUIs can definitely be considered limited compared to PC,but there are some pretty decent ones out there (especially for the emulators that support command line launching).

As for the ram constraints...

The number of games it can run are pretty vast, especially with virtual memory (No it is not as good or fast as having the actual ram there, but it hasn't really been detrimental to any of my experiences).

Also you have some great modern console games like Soul Calibur II, DOA 1, 2, & 3, House of the Dead III, Guilty Gear X2 #Reload, Lego Star Wars 1 & 2, and more. A lot of those you don't get on PC.

Of course on PC you have a LOT more control options, which can be a major advantage, especially if you like spinner/360° steering or trackball games.

The only real solution is to have one (at least) of each.

[project86]

Great, thank you all for your replies. I still think at some point I'd like to have a PC so I can run laserdisc games, more mame games, have a better frontend, etc. But I think initially to cut cost I might go with an Xbox. I found several local guys who will mod or sell me a modded unit for relatively cheap. I also do like the idea of being able to play games like DOA or Soul Cal, which are very arcade-like. Also House of Dead type games will be fund with a lightgun.

[versapak]

Great, thank you all for your replies. I still think at some point I'd like to have a PC so I can run laserdisc games, more mame games, have a better frontend, etc. But I think initially to cut cost I might go with an Xbox. I found several local guys who will mod or sell me a modded unit for relatively cheap. I also do like the idea of being able to play games like DOA or Soul Cal, which are very arcade-like. Also House of Dead type games will be fund with a lightgun.

The Xbox has a daphne port, and can run Dragon's Lair 1 & 2 and Space Ace pretty darn good.

[sphetr2]

Xbox can run MUGEN as well.