console based light gun cabinet...suggestions?

[severdhed]

hey guys, i was planning on building my second cabinet here soon, i was going to build a stand up cabinet with a vertical monitor with trackball, spinner, and 4way stick.  but as it turns out, money is a little tight right now, so i think i'm going to add those controls to my existing cabinet for now, since it will be alot cheaper.

anyway, i really would love to have a light gun cabinet.  i saw some kids playing one at a local pizza place the other day and it really made me want one.  My existing cabinet uses an LCD monitor, so other than topguns, i don't have much of a choice. I tried wiimotes, but i couldn't get the buttons working, and i couldn't get them to automatically connect via bluetooth, and i don't want to have to exit MALA to sync up the controls every time i want to use them.

so, i got to thinking...we have a 26" TV in our bedroom that maybe gets used once or twice a year.  i already got the OK from the wife to use it.  i went to the attic yesterday and brought down my snes, segaCD and Saturn, to play around with the lightgun games that I have.  i fired up lethal enforcers on the SNES, it was fun (i was playing by myself with both guns), but it looks horrible.  i also have it for the sega CD, which looks a little better, but still not very good.  then i got out Virtua Cop on teh Saturn.  while not the most visually impressive game, it was way better than lethal enforcers, and a ton of fun to play. (until my wife made me shut it off and go to bed)

so i was thinking that i could make a console based lightgun cabinet for not alot of money.  The only problem is, i don't know which console/games to get.   other than the old lethal enforcers guns for the snes/sega genesis...the only other light gun i have is a logic3 predator 2, which works with both the sega saturn, as well as the playstation. (both konami and guncon games)

i thought about doing one with an xbox, since i could mod it, make a nice little frontend that would run the games from the hard drive, but it looks like house of the dead 3 and silent scope are the only lightgun games available for the xbox...which sucks. HOTD games are fun, but i would like to have a little variety.

no matter what i go with, i already have the game consoles to use....i think i have 3 playstations in the attic, i also have a second PS2 that i could use, or a dreamcast.  i would have to buy lightguns for them, but i should be able to get some on ebay or possibly at the flea market for cheap.

i just don't know which way to go.    the dreamcast would be cool, because i already have some dreamcast light gun games..just no guns. 

# Death Crimson OX
# Death Crimson 2 (Japan-only release)
# Confidential Mission
# The House of the Dead 2
# Virtua Cop 2

however the playstation/ps2 seem to have the most avialable gun games.  and i do already have a playstation gun.  i would just use my saturn with virtua cop, but once again, i would like to have at least a few games to keep some variety there.

playstation games are easy to find, there are tons of them at the fleamarkets around here.  i just need some advice.

if you were going to build a console gun cabinet, which system would you use, and what 3 or 4 games would you have to have?

[Kajoq]

PS1 with two true GunCons.

You get Time Crisis 1, and 2.  The Point Blank games. Elemental Gearbolt (ZOMG AMAZING underrated game), etc.

[AwesomeAlbert]

ps2 with jap guncons2 or similar (black instead of orange, with recoil and lazer aim) , hd loader and harddrive. you can backup any gun game you want.
i have time crisis 3, its awesome you get the arcade feel. ninja assult its not that great. resident evil dead aim doesnt really feel like a gun game. i havnt tried out anyother games. i was meaning of doing the same thing you are planing, lost track though. ps2 has more gun games out than the xbox, you can play ps1 gun games too.

i play duckhunt on my xbox 

[severdhed]

what emulator are you using to play duckhunt on your xbox, and does it support the lightgun?

[severdhed]

today i stopped at a few local pawn shops, to see what i could find.  i found a guncon controller for the playstation for $3 so naturally i bought it.  at another place, i found a guncon2 controller for the PS2 (with the usb port) for $10, so i also bought that.

i have few questions though...

the guncon has a playstation controller port, and a yellow RCA port with a passthrough on it, which i assume i plug into the TV, and then plug the playstation video cable into it. (is that correct)

if so, then how do i connect my guncon 2?  it has a usb port, and a yellow MALE rca plug, but there is no passthrough.  i am assuming that it is missing an adapter or something.  can i use a standard RCA - Y-adapter/splitter, or do i need some kind of special adapter for this to work?

i couldn't find any lightgun games at the pawn shops, but i do have a $30 gamestop/eb giftcard burning a hole in my wallet.  i found time crisis 3 for the ps2 used for $17.99, which i may pick up, but i need to know if i can use my playstation guncon controller as well as my ps2 guncon 2 at the same time on my ps2 to play this game?   if so, is that the case for all of the guncon2 games?  are there any that will not work with the guncon?  Depending on how i like these guns/games, i will probably try to find another one to have a matching pair.

[CheffoJeffo]

I've always been meaning to pick up one of these, but haven't yet ...

http://www.excellentcom.net/super.html

[severdhed]

from the looks of this diagram, i am missing the cable labled "External Cable"  anyone know where i can get one, or if a rca splitter will work?

[AwesomeAlbert]

xbox
mameox128plus is mame emulator for xbox that supports a small list of lightgun games...havnt tested it (like i said lost track of the project)

fcultra is the nes emulator for xbox that supports light gun, works very well , tried it with duck hunt (didnt try out anyother nes games)

i have hotd 3, for the xbox, its alright, i think it suppose to be the "best" gun game for the xbox

ps2

there is a small list of games, like mention above i tested a few of them, way more choices in total than the xbox
time crisis 3 is very good imo (need to get more time crisis games) , it would be awesome to run two ps2s with two tvs. (it splits the screen with one tv, need te pedal too to get the full effect).

havnt tried emulators with gun support for the ps2 (i dont think they do)

give me two weeks (wife graduates from college this weekend) and ill find more info on the matter.

[severdhed]

i picked up Time Crisis 3, and vampire nights tonight at EB.  vampire nights works with both the guncon and guncon 2, time crisis 3 only works with the guncon 2, so i cannot play 2 player until i get another. 

i got my guncon2 working... i found an adapter that came with my saturn/playstation gun..  it plugs into the playstation(2) av jack and has the 3 rca inputs, and then another playstaion av jack...i think it is for people who have to use an rf adapter.  i just plugged my guncon 2 into that device, and then the standard playstation av cables into it.  i hooked up the guncon like normal, and they both work fine in vampire nights.

my friend has a dreamcast gun (i think) so i am going to see if i can borrow it for a day or so to try out the dreamcast games.  as it stands right now, i am going to check the flea market locally here to try to find more guns and games.  perhaps i'll install a ps2, and a dreamcast and put them on an av switch. 

i have another question..if i play ps1 lightgun games on my ps2, can i use the guncon 2? or will i have to use the standard guncons?  if i have to use the standard ones, perhaps i'll install a ps1 in the cabinet also, that way i can leave the guns connected all the time and just pull out the two i want to use.

[AwesomeAlbert]

here is something to look at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_light_gun_games

I have cheap aftermarket guns, they have a switch from guncon to guncon2, im guessing you need different guns. i havnt tested this, i dont own any ps1 gun games.

the ps2 seems to be the best choice acording to the list, if you can play both ps1 and ps2 games, you have a greater range of choices.

i saw some dude playing duckhunt with a guncon...hmmm, maybe nes gun games can be added to the list of ps2 gun games.

[NoOne=NBA=]

I would put a PS2 in it, but make it so the guns are easily swappable.
I've tried all kinds of different guns, and the original Guncons are by far the best.
I actually bought a pair of completely black ones from Japan, so that I can build a cab around them.

If you want to know how well your guns stack up, put in one of the Point Blank games, and fire up a stage that requires you to shoot 50 times as quickly as possible.
Those stages showed me how well my cheap guns, and other not so cheap guns, were really performing.

The Point Blank series is the ones that I would keep above all else.
They are fun, not completely repetitive, and are always the hit of the party.

[severdhed]

yeah, i think the PS2 is the way to go for sure.  i didn't realize that my saturn/playstation gun was that bad, it seems fine for playing virtua cop on the saturn..but when i tried to play vampire nights on the ps2, i noticed a big difference between it, and the guncon/guncon 2. 

i think what I am going to do is build the cabinet, with a door on the front bottom, where the coin door would normally be.  i'll have the consoles sitting in there, with a place to store other guns.  i'll put two gun holsters on the panel, and have it so that i can pull out any two guns i want to use.    i'm still thinking at this point that i may try to get some dreamcast guns, that way i can play confidential mission, and house of the dead 2.

[severdhed]

i have another question about Time Crisis 3.  in the arcade, there were 2 monitors, and two pedals...  i don't have a second guncon 2 yet, so i can't try out 2 player mode...how does this work with the pedal function?   for player one, the reload button also puts you in cover...what happens when player 2 uses this button?  does it put both people in cover also?  or can player 1 only control the cover function and player 2 just uses it to reload?

the reason i am asking is that i am thinking of making a reload pedal (or possibly a hand held button for my other hand)

[severdhed]

i looked through the time crisis 3 manual tonight ( i bought a used copy at EB that didnt come with the manual, i stopped back in this evening to see if i could get the manual for it)  and as it turns out, on two player mode, it does it split screen, which explains how the pedal situation is handled.  it also shows that you can link two ps2s together with two copies of the game and two TVs for the true arcade experience.  i would love to do this, but i know that 90% of the time i will be the only one playing this cabinet.  i love playing arcade games with friends, but i just dont have that many friends that come to visit that often...so i'll have to stick with a single unit for now.  i did manage to get copies of House of the Dead 2, Confidential Mission, Virtua Cop 2, and Death Crimson OX, all for the dreamcast...so now i just need to track down some lightguns cheap.

my friend has the Interact dreamcast light gun, we tried it out today. it works well, and those games are fun...but it doesnt feel as good as the guncon guns.  i'll still pick some up if i can find them cheap though.

i also made a discovery about time crisis 3....you really need a pedal, or at least a button in your left hand to really enjoy it.  i played yesterday pressing the Dpad with my thumb for the hide/reload, and it works ok, but tonight i hooked up a gamepad and held it in my left hand and used that for reload, and that was much, much more fun. 

i saw that Red Octane made a reload pedal

http://www.redoctane.com/reloadpedal.html

so i was thinking that i would try to make my own...it can't be that difficult, and i already have a ps2 controller that i disassembled for another project that i never finished.  i'm just not sure if it would be better to make a pedal, or just something i can grip in my left hand with a single button on top.  (perhaps like a bicycle hand grip with an arcade pushbutton on the end.

i guess technically, i could put the controller pcb in a project enclosure with a detachable connector on it, and make a pedal and a hand switch, and then i could just plug in either one....  if i do that, i'll be sure to post pictures.

[AwesomeAlbert]

i was about to reply the info on timecrisis 3 !! i would love to run two tvs and two ps2s too. i have a 36" tv, its the biggest tube tv i believe, on two player mode the screens are too small. it keeps the in proportion so the top and bottom are black. its about a 16-17 inch diagonal screen.

i have some high clear guns that i bought on ebay, they have a jack on the bottom for a pedal attachment, i dont have one, never seen it. i wonder if just a headphone jack stuck in there will work. Using the button on the grip isnt fun, it hurts my fingers. the autoreload function doesnt work on timecrisis 3, it keeps changing guns. its better on hotd on the xbox.

i was thinking of making a gun console arcade and putting it next to my mame arcade that is running a tv as a monitor, and just a switch. it might not be cost efficient to buy a second ps2 just for this though.

[severdhed]

my cheap gun with the pedal jack uses a standard miniplug connector, (like a headphone jack, but not stereo,) ive used it as a reload pedal on virtual fighter, and it works ok..but i'd like something a little more robust.


and on a side note, if you need a second PS2, eb/gamestop has them used for $69.99 i beleive, which is pretty resonable.