Arcade cabinet questions.

[Euphoria526]

Ok so I'm not really a hobby guy, but my roommates mentioned possibly getting one in the future. My question(s) are:
Would it be best to just buy complete? Is there somewhere we can call?
What would an ok rig cost to get made?
Just curious. Thanks guys

[stilly]

What is a gaming cabinet?

Google gives me this:

http://www.amazon.in/Circle-CC-830-Professional-Cabinet/dp/B00OLKLEV4

[Euphoria526]

A gaming cabinet. Not sure what else to call it, but like the stand up arcade machines.
I've seen threads on hobbyiests building them I'm this section before..... wrong terminology maybe

[Euphoria526]

Funny. Google brought me to this-

https://www.google.com/amp/www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/how-to/amp21364/how-to-build-an-arcade-cabinet-for-gaming-and-storage/

[bohoki]

they are a huge monstrosity and while they are fun to play the thousands of arcade roms the benefit of a mounted joystick is not really worth having a huge often stinky carcas of an arcade cabinet

they use that particle board which absorb odors for years like a sponge and are very heavy

there are many different types depending on the one you get or build you can make it a bit smaller sif you will be using a lcd monitor

also you will probably want to make it a 2 player so it will be wide and you will want enough buttons to play fighting games most people want a spinner for tempest and a trac ball for missile command
making it so it works for many games really make it cluttered

learn from this site

http://www.wickedretarded.com/~crapmame/

[Euphoria526]

Well the idea is to buy one outright, not build it myself

[UEDan]

Arcade cabinets can be fun but they take up a lot of space. I own a full size dedicated arcade(light gun) and a home made bartop(Sticks/buttons). I love arcade games, but both are gathering dust at the moment.

How complete do you want it? Most of the time you'll have to set up the system.
Not too many places will sell a complete full size system.
X-arcade is one of the few. But its close to $3k. You can build one for WAY cheaper.

Places like https://www.harumancustoms.com/ will flat ship you a bartop kit.

Biggest issue, what are you looking to play? Like bohoki said, different controls needed for different games. I have to build a 2nd bartop with a trackball because I want to play missile command =/

Go here for plans and inspiration: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?board=1.0

[osis32]

personally I prefer getting the dual stick control box. it's plug and play and you can put it away. I built mine from a kit before these were available but if I were to do it again I'd just get a pre made like this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B071FX663V/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500444561&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=pandoras+box+4s%2B+ultra+thin&dpPl=1&dpID=51O8BsIQcbL&ref=plSrch

[stilly]

OH. I get it.

But, why not just get MAME32 and run it on your computer? There are many emulators actually, but MAME32 is always fun.

HOWEVER, I would start looking for CUSTOM ARCADE FURNITURE or ARCADE MACHINES and you might find some decent links.

http://www.dreamarcades.com/tables.shtml?gclid=Cj0KCQjwhrzLBRC3ARIsAPmhsnXThqlyIfG87tGnTWmIDm-jHeLSxAK0PNaevXk8tx9WOoyPnvkvcBEaAht0EALw_wcB

https://shop.xgaming.com/collections/arcade-machines/products/arcade2tv-showcase-with-250-arcade-classics?gclid=Cj0KCQjwhrzLBRC3ARIsAPmhsnX5BsDybgGHzUe6qPnQBpiEPUjSTxnoYK0S5q4vDu3mWeoIm0beCcwaAic9EALw_wcB

When you got the money to buy one of these AND the game room to put it in, I say GO FOR IT!

But until then, I say GO DOWNLOAD EMULATORZ! Good luck.

AND I tell you what. You want the KEY words in your search:
CUSTOM ARCADE MACHINE BEST HUGE

You will find these guys among others:

https://www.mameroom.com/webstore_home.asp

[spddrcr]

Years ago I worked in an arcade at night putting together machines and cabinets. You definitely don't want to build your own when there are so many vintage cabinets on the market.

One of the easiest ways to go about this is to pick up an old street fighter cabinet. any of them from street fighter 2 on up will work and can be modified or retrofitted to play M.A.M.E. emulated games using a raspberry Pi setup. the sticks and buttons are fairly easy to repair as long as it wasn't assembled by a hack and those original monitors in those cabinets last a lifetime if taken care of correctly. search craigslist.

[spddrcr]

actually take your pick:

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/vgm/d/classic-arcade-games-for/6195210225.html

If it was me I would grab the Neo-Geo cabinet and call it a day.