2-Player Computer Space Restored with 22k games.

[arcadefan]

22,000 games in one machine!!!

Just finished my Computer Space 2-Player conversion to Hyperspin. For games that I did not have movies for, I had to recycle movies from other systems but it still works to give you an idea what the gameplay is like.

See the youtube video showing how it works/looks:

youtu.be/HWw0gNAOgyY



I documented everything I did including how I built the custom bezel out of fiberglass, how I made the custom dry transfers and more on my website. I first restored the cabinet, then converted it to use a computer to play various emulators. You can find the full story here: http://www.mechanicalarcade.com/computer-space.htm

I started with a cabinet that had already been stripped. There was no point in trying to find original parts because the original gameplay was terrible and it is unlikely anyone anywhere in the world has a full internal set for a 2player cs. This way I preserve the cabinet, it still plays CS, and it is fun.
Hope it inspires others out there.

[Blanka]

Blasphemy!  
Poor original CP.

[Superully]

Hope it inspires others out there.

i sure hope it doesn't!!! how can one abuse a dedicated computer space like that? unbelievable

[Corbo]

Oh dear and it's not even April 1st  

It looks like a good job but I fear you're going to get a roasting for converting a CSpace cabinet like that.

[drventure]

I can't tell what the original condition of the unit was, but it does look like he saved the original CP.

Either way, I like the way he did the control panel, it keeps the general look of the original machine, but expands its functionality.

I'm all for restos, but conversions can work too. and this one's certainly not bad in my book.

Finally, doesn't look like he did anything that would prevent it from being swapped back to original if he wanted. I like that as well.

[bryan95502]

This is what gives MAMErs a bad reputation..

This is wrong on so many levels

Please stop gutting rare machines for MAME!

Pick a Dynamo or even a common Pac Man is you have to use a classic..

And stop calling a cleaned up cabinet restored!! Restored is a word used to describe "brought back to it's original state"

 

[isucamper]

Guys, I don't think a Computer Space was destroyed to make this.  It was already gutted (from what I can descern).  He's preserved/restored/cleaned up the original cabinet and made a brand new panel.  I don't think he's done any more harm here that what was already done when he found it. 

[ChadTower]

I'm a little bit on the fence with this one.  If it was gutted already, and that is certainly possible because of the nature of Computer Space, he didn't wreck a Computer Space.

Still... he could have traded that cabinet for any other cabinet he wanted.  Probably 4-5 of any cabinet he wanted for MAME.  The cabinet alone would sell for hundreds to someone who wanted to try and do something better with it.  I know I would look long and hard at a good empty Computer Space cabinet to try and find a way to make it at least play like an original.

[drventure]

Well, he didn't set it on fire and video tape it.

And I agree with isucamper. It doesn't look like he took a working cab and destroyed it. In fact, since he shows the original CP leaning against the wall in one shot, there's no reason to believe it couldn't be restored completely at some point.

There's no frankenpanel grafted to the front, no cutting on the fiberglass, no other mods that I notice.

And lets face it, I can totally see wanting to use +that+  cab vs trading it for a standard refrigerator box cab and maming it. Those computer space cabs just look awesome.

To me, looks like he did the cab a service, and preserved it almost completely.

[ChadTower]

I think I'm on board with that.  It could have been put to a purer use but it doesn't appear to have been damaged.

Now, if we find out it had original parts in it, even if they were dead, all bets are off.

[Vigo]

This is probably the the most controversial mame cab I have ever seen. You could very reasonably argue either way about this one.

I would like first give my hats off to Arcadefan for making a very tasteful build, and for not butchering one of the most rare cabinets out there....

I popped on his website, and here is what Arcadefan had to say on the matter:

This was a perfect game for conversion. The game I received had been stripped. It was only a cabinet and a control panel plate. Also, there is not much point in restoring a Computer Space to working condition because...well, it sucked. That is why it was a marketing failure. This two player version also has a control panel that is just large enough for enough controls for an emulation conversion. The bonus was I did not have to modify the cabinet at all and it could be converted back if that were needed.

That being said, I still can't help but feel a little put off by it. I dunno, maybe that's just jealousy though. 

[ChadTower]

Yeah, doesn't really matter if the game is fun or not, it is an important piece of history. 

[Donkbaca]

I think its horrible.  Its a rare cab, doesn't matter if it was gutted, it would have been better off in the hands of someone that would have restored it.  And I'm not even a resto guy.

The CP is horrible in my opinion. Considering the akward angle of the controls and the three large odd buttons on the cp.  No way there are 22,000 games worth playing on there.  The thing can't play anything with more than three buttons.  Aside from the 2nd player being too close to 1p for my liking, the 2p would be forced to play goofy foot.  Why even put a 2 player on there at all?

I mean it looks interesting, but in my opinion its something that is not really all that playable, if its not playable its not enjoyable.  And movies on it?  REally?  Someone is going to sit in front of that thing on a stool for 2 hours?

[ChadTower]

I think its horrible.  Its a rare cab, doesn't matter if it was gutted, it would have been better off in the hands of someone that would have restored it.  And I'm not even a resto guy.

Speaking as a resto guy this would be a really difficult project to do as a pure resto.  I don't even want to think about how hard it would be to find original Computer Space guts.  The game is pure TTL so you can't short cut it and run a dedicated mame.  I would be awfully tempted to put a real b/w TV in there but rewrite the game and run it on linux.  I just can't imagine there are all that many Computer Space boardsets sitting around on shelves waiting for the right cab to come along.

[Vigo]

I've been trying to think over the feasibility of a restoration on this as well. It's just a shame since the cab is in great condition, but I don't think you can expect anyone to pay 5-10k on a restoration of a machine that will not sell for that. Chad's method would probably be the most feasible way to pseudo restore it.

If I ever came across a computer space cabinet, Maming it just would not be an option for me...

[yotsuya]

Restore/MAMEING ethics aside, I like the look of the control panel. I think it keeps the flavor of what the machine would look like back in the 70s. I'm not sure how easy it would be to play games on it, but the design is commendable.

[Donkbaca]

OKay.  Lets pretend the cabinet had all the internals gone, and the thing was sawed in half when he found it.  Its still horrible.  What could you possibly enjoy plying on it with 8-liner buttons, and cramped conrols where player 2 has to play backwards?

[RayB]

Even gutted the cabinet has value to restorers who have the guts but possibly a damaged cabinet.  We're talking about a game that sells for over $1500 even non-working.

[arcadefan]

Blasphemy!  
Poor original CP.

You mean the poor original cp which someone else painted over and drilled holes in to mount new joysticks and additional buttons, that "poor cp" which I removed the paint from and at least made usable, but also saved without damaging it for another restoration?

i sure hope it doesn't!!! how can one abuse a dedicated computer space like that? unbelievable

Well, why dont you go out to your garage, grab the board for a 2 player cs and a populated panel, with a tv, and bezel, and instruction sticker, and power supply and send them to me. I am just too lazy to buy them at the home depot store where I am sure they are stacked up because they are so popular and easy to find.

This is what gives MAMErs a bad reputation..

This is wrong on so many levels

Please stop gutting rare machines for MAME!

Pick a Dynamo or even a common Pac Man is you have to use a classic..

And stop calling a cleaned up cabinet restored!! Restored is a word used to describe "brought back to it's original state"

 

So, read my previous reply, if you want it restored, just pull those impossible to find parts ouf of your ass and sned them to me. Let's see how easy it is for you to come up with the parts. And as for gutting a machine, if you bothered to actually look at the website which details this RESTORATION project, you would see it was gutted when I got it. It is now playable and fun and not unplayable or playable-and-boring. It has new life and everyone who sees it loves it. The only complaints I have seen from people who actually saw the game were that the original cs game on it is so boring and then they go back to mame or the other console systems.


I was very careful to make sure the original cabinet was not altered so it could always be turned back into a 2pcs. It was restored because the original cabinet was restored as much as possible so the parts that are original are restored then I added new pieces to make it usable.

I think its horrible.  Its a rare cab, doesn't matter if it was gutted, it would have been better off in the hands of someone that would have restored it.  And I'm not even a resto guy.

The CP is horrible in my opinion. Considering the akward angle of the controls and the three large odd buttons on the cp.  No way there are 22,000 games worth playing on there.  The thing can't play anything with more than three buttons.  Aside from the 2nd player being too close to 1p for my liking, the 2p would be forced to play goofy foot.  Why even put a 2 player on there at all?

I mean it looks interesting, but in my opinion its something that is not really all that playable, if its not playable its not enjoyable.  And movies on it?  REally?  Someone is going to sit in front of that thing on a stool for 2 hours?

Movies? Does no one read anything? The only "Movies" on it are arcade related documentaries, tv news reports about arcade games like exidy vs lakeland, etc. There are no "movies" on it. The CP is not awkward at all and it works well for one or two players. If I had it to do over I would have included six buttons per player though. The three large butons are suitable because they are supposed to look period correct just like the joysticks. The two joysticks are also used for games like robotron so it does not "have" to be a 2 player if you have some religious objection to two player cabinets.

OKay.  Lets pretend the cabinet had all the internals gone, and the thing was sawed in half when he found it.  Its still horrible.  What could you possibly enjoy plying on it with 8-liner buttons, and cramped conrols where player 2 has to play backwards?

Why are you "pretending", the webpage clearly says it was gutted, does no one read anything at all?. What is backwards? Many games have the joystick on the right and I have no problems playing with a js on the right or left side, besides, there is a button in the joystick for fire if anyone is so physically limited that they cannot use both hands at the same time.
OK, so who is going to be the first to send me all of the parts needed to restore it to original state for free? Dont trip over each ovther, time to stand up and follow through. You said it should be restored to original state so who is going to provide those parts to turn it into a boring game that no one wants to play?

[ChadTower]

FYI:  people don't follow links to webpage blogs.  They read what you posted here.

[Donkbaca]

Why should we send you anything?  You could have sold the thing and used another cabinet.  That's pretty much the point.  Someone would have restored it, there is a market for these cabs. I think that was more the general point.

The CP is attrocious in my opinion.  Why are the controls on player 2 backward?  How are 8 liner buttons period correct? 

yeah, design is important, but so is usability.  It doesn't look fun to play, and what's the point if its unplayable?  WTF do you have games on your system that require more than three buttons to play if you only have three buttons? 

If you like, then fine, its your cab, and you can do what you want with it.  If you enjoy it, then that's great, more power to you. 

But if you were expecting people to be all "ooh that's awesome"  sorry you didn't get the reaction you wanted. 

[RayB]

Part of the problem ArcadeFan is you start your video off saying "fully restored". Restored means bringing the thing back to its original state as much as possible. What you have there is a conversion.

[FrizzleFried]

Funny thing is that he could have sold that GUTTED computer space cabinet for enough dough to buy 10 Dynamo cabinets...

>BRILLIANT!<

[FrizzleFried]

[Movies? Does no one read anything? The only "Movies" on it are arcade related documentaries, tv news reports about arcade games like exidy vs lakeland, etc.

3:29 of your video... "MATURE MOVIES"... Hmmm.... I'm guessing I'd rather not use that nifty new control panel of yours.

Thanks but no thanks.

[isucamper]

You could have sold the thing and used another cabinet.  That's pretty much the point.  Someone would have restored it, there is a market for these cabs. I think that was more the general point.

He has done nothing to prevent this from happening!  It is as it was as he found it!  It's even better than when he found it!  If you're that anxious to restore the thing make him an offer!!!!

Seriously.  No harm has been done here.  I guess you could argue that this keeps someone from restoring a computer space who is dying to have an empty cabinet to restore, but you need to introduce me to this person before I cry foul over what this guy has done. 

[Vigo]

You could have sold the thing and used another cabinet.  That's pretty much the point.  Someone would have restored it, there is a market for these cabs. I think that was more the general point.

He has done nothing to prevent this from happening!  It is as it was as he found it!  It's even better than when he found it!  If you're that anxious to restore the thing make him an offer!!!!

Seriously.  No harm has been done here.  I guess you could argue that this keeps someone from restoring a computer space who is dying to have an empty cabinet to restore, but you need to introduce me to this person before I cry foul over what this guy has done. 

I'm really on the fence about this whole cabinet, but I appreciate the cabinet hasn't been butchered....and, it is his personal property. It might just be destined to be a hyperspin cabinet for many years to come, and it sure isn't going to get any easier over the years to restore this machine.

I think what is upsetting is that it that a rare piece of arcade history has been used in a bit of a tawdry fashion. It's a big put off to anyone who appreciates the original cabinet for what it really is. It is sort like the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where the Cross of Coronado was dug up by that gang. Indy knew the piece belonged in the museum, so he was pissed that the gang just dug it up for profit.

Well, you just hate to see something so cool go to this kind of use. 

[isucamper]

I can appreciate the Indiana Jones metaphor. You are very much talking my language.

However, I don't think it quite fits.  If he had thrown a 48 and 1 in this and a cheap CP, and then was selling it for 2500 bucks on ebay, I'd agree with you.  But there was a lot of love put into his build.  If he's planning on keeping this and playing it for 20 years, he is as passionate as Indy was. 

[TopJimmyCooks]

This place is trying to become KLOV or worse.  I would be interested to see if anyone is ready to step up with their original Computer Space boards, harnesses, power supply, monitor and original controls to mate with this cabinet and metal CP.  If they did, I would encourage Arcadefan to accept a reasonable fair market offer and sell them the cab and CP.  And I suspect with the cash he could transplant his mame rig to a smoking custom enclosure made by himself or the custom builder of his choice. 

There is a big point that many here are missing.  Arcade cabs are made of low grade sheet goods and obsolete monitors.  They didn't include Dye sub printed sideart and bondo and JLF's in their original construction.  For all the preservation talk, there's not a lot of walk the walk going on.  All the original fabric of these cabs is going to continue to decay and will eventually be sawdust and rust.  This is accelerated if they are not used.  I say that this fiberglas cab could probably be rotting in a warehouse or basement, getting cracked, getting old, getting dissed by it's unknowing unappreciative owners, but instead it's in a conditioned space, cleaned up, liked, reversably renovated, fully left to be restored to correct configuration at some point, and oh, by the way, being used to play games.  Better by far than the first option.  The slight chance that Arcade fan would possibly somehow wear out this game is insignificant compared to the likelihood it would be destroyed by most other people who came across it. 

In the auto business, most of the cab resto's i've seen here or on Klov, while cool "drivers", wouldn't get in the for sale corral at a Concours show.  Wrong formula of paint, parts not remachined, re-chromed or re-made to factory perfect, wrong numbers, missing original factory crayon markings, on and on.  Get over yourselves, you're making toys, not museum pieces.  Yeah, I said it.  The market will just not bear $3000 of work going into a $800 game, the market (us) is not willing to pay.  You can buy a new repop of every correct original part on a '65 mustang and build a  brand freaking new original one, but you can't buy a reproduction wico stick . . .

So until you are ready to serve up that minty CS board . . . please be a little nicer.

[puts on firesuit]

[ChadTower]

Where is the blog link he yelled about?  I can't even find it and I'm looking for it.

[isucamper]

Ok.  This is going to be my last comment on the subject as I don't want to drown the thread with a minority opinion and everyone deserves to be heard.

I would be willing to bet that at this point in time there are more computer space cabinets in existence than there are sets of hardware to put in them, let alone working sets of hardware.  If you were to restore one, where do you draw the line?  Do you get the exact model of black and white monitor that originally went in the thing or do you settle for a different model?  If there didn't happen to be a working board set left in existence then what?  Use a substitue of some kind?

Before you rag on this guy think about this:

Before he got a hold of it this cabinet it didn't play Computer Space.  Now it does.  

[ChadTower]

Before he got a hold of it this cabinet it didn't play Computer Space.  Now it does.  

Is Computer Space actually in the mame set?

[isucamper]

4:13 in the video

[Donkbaca]

Yeah let's take a rare cabinet and put garbage controls on it and call it a resto

I have a '53 vette in my garage. Can't fin the original wheels so I am going to put 14 inch rims and hydraulics in it. Think about it before it was just sitting in a warehouse, and now I can use it to advertise what a jackass I am to the public

[jimmy2x2x]

As far as I can see no harm was done to the cab in this project, and I think the CP looks sympathetic to the overall design.

Would be much nicer to see this very rare piece being used for its original purpose and that can still be done at a later date!

So, what's the harm? I don't understand such harsh comments.

Nice job, enjoy your cab!

[opt2not]

Didn't follow the link, didn't watch the video. Truthfully, I could care less as the title alone gave me enough of an idea as to what's this all about. Just your garden-variety conversion that really doesn't deserve this much attention. His cab, his decisions, if he doesn't care for the history of this culture that's his prerogative.

Though I applaud him for having the balls to show it off. I personally would have kept this one under the safe opinions of friends and family.

But RayB's right...the label of his being a restoration is a misnomer. This is a renovated conversion.

[Blanka]

Is Computer Space actually in the mame set?

No, like PONG, it is NO computer game, but an discrete logic game. No memory, no instructions, no processor, but just some integrated logic operators.

[ChadTower]

Is Computer Space actually in the mame set?

No, like PONG, it is NO computer game, but an discrete logic game. No memory, no instructions, no processor, but just some integrated logic operators.

I already knew that.  That's why I asked.   

It's entirely possible someone wrote a ROM that emulates that, though, for MAME.  Or they could have written a game that acts just like it.  That would be a lot easier and is what I mentioned above as my most likely approach.

[Vigo]

I took a look back at the MAMEing a rare/valuable cabinet threads of the past, kinda picking up the arguments brought up in the past and comparing back to here. It sparked a couple questions in my mind.

To the "MAMEing brings life back to the machine" crowd: On past threads, your crowd had often pointed out that the cabinets in question were a lot more common than the preservationists made them out to be. Like the case where the guy had MAME'd a broken Galaxian. Being the case that this Computer Space cabinet is rare/highly demanded/unique/of historical significance, does that change your stance at all? At what point to you, as arcade enthusiasts, consider any obligation to preserve a rare piece of arcade history? I don't think the old argument of the modifications being reversible fits well in this case either. The cabinet itself survived for 40 years without much more than a scuff and some missing buttons. Turning the cabinet into a Mame machine only takes away any incentive to restore this cabinet back into a Computer Space.

To the "Maiming is murder!" crowd: You guys always pointed out that any person who appreciates old arcade machines has a certain obligation first and foremost to try to preserve rare and significant machines if possible, and if that was not possible, try to get it to someone who can professionally restore it. Is there a reasonable loophole in here for machines that are too rare and too valuable to easily have it accurately restored? At some point, it would be putting an unreasonable expectation on the cabinet owner. I'm not saying a restoration is impossible, but does not exactly seem fair to sit and expect the owner to hand the cabinet over to somebody could end up just as easily do a hack job of a restoration.

[Donkbaca]

To me this particular cabinet is unique.  Most cabs are ---smurfy--- particle board or other wood, you can easily replicate them.  This cab is hard to replicate.  I generally wouldn't care if a wood cab gets messed up.  Given the unique situation of this particular cabinet, I think its best as a museum piece, or resto.  

mameing doesn't bring life to a machine, unless you don't have the original hardware and you run a dedicated MAME for that set up.  That's my opinion.  Like if you really liked Tron, had a Tron cab, resto'ed it all up but didn't have the boards.  Running a dedicated MAME, that only ran Tron on it would, in my opinion, bring life to the machine.  Taking a cab and loading it up with a bunch of stuff, half of which you can't even play, does nothing to honor the machine, in my opinion.  Instead, I think its the opposite, you are taking something unique, and making it just like every other PC out there running a front end.

Re mame is murder.  I wouldn't go that far.  I don't think anyone has an obligation to do anything.  That being said, when you have something rare, its irrational to not take full advantage of the situation.  If all you want to do is play mame, you can build a rig out of cardboard and duct tape (you can, I have seen pics)  The most rational thing to do would be to sell the cab, use that money for a generic cab and use the rest of the money to spend a nice weekend with your family.  Ebay the damn thing is what you should do  

Really, I think the outrage, at least for me, and I am not a restore all the classics type of dude is this; you see the cab and you are like "wow, I have never seen one of these before, what game does it play?"  Doesn't matter if the game was ---smurfy---, or not fun, I would want to play it and connect with history.  Now you see it, and you are like, "that's neat", and then you step up to it and its nothing special, its just an ordinary mame cab with a small monitor and ---smurfy---, ---smurfy---, ---smurfy---, ---smurfy--- controls.  The crime is taking something unique and special and then turning it into something common and ordinary.

[Vigo]

Well, I have been on the fence about this whole thing, and my questions may have been taking either side's stance a bit far, but I am trying to threash out the two opposing viewpoints on the matter, but I think a lot of what you said rings true. Especially the last sentence.

It's hard for me to determine what a reasonable expectation should be. If I personally stumbled up on this cabinet, I don't know if I would have the time, money, or resources to restore or do the cabinet any justice. I would not want to give the cabinet up either.  I couldn't just Mame the thing either, even it it was a non-instrusive MAMEing.