Posts Tagged ‘mame’
Fred’s Tech Corner: My Arcade 1up Raspberry Pi Cabinet
I converted my Arcade 1up Street Fighter cabinet to a Raspberry Pi arcade machine using ETA Prime’s tutorial as a starting point (links at the bottom). I replaced the joystick as per his tutorial, which required very basic drilling, but kept the existing buttons because I liked them. I did buy a kit with replacement buttons in case maintenance was needed. I used the LCD Control Module that ETA prime mentions as well as the USB control modules he has in his videos (came with my joysticks/buttons as part of a $40 complete kit).
I voice displeasure with Arcade 1up’s customer support, which I still stand by, but I am happy to report that this week I did receive a replacement bezel out of nowhere with no notification. With this new replacement bezel all is well, clean, and scratch free. So prepare for a long wait (2 1/2 months in my case) but your replacements *should* hopefully show up.
The settings I use for the Pi are largely covered in my previous setup video. I did figure out Neo Geo, which is working in this demonstration. As I indicate, configuration is a big part of this project and there were far too many tweaks to get into here. My advice: know that setting up the pi, resolutions, sound, and controls are going to be a taxing part of this process that may take a long time. Make sure you have decent knowledge of the Pi if you plan to embark on this venture. Read on for a price breakdown and links.
New Retro Arcade, The Emulator Frontend We Wanted Game Room To Be
A new development has come from the folks at Digital Cyber Cherries called New Retro Arcade that utilizes Unreal Engine 4 and a bunch of assets to simulate an actual arcade for your MAME emulation. This program is what we all probably hoped the Xbox 360’s Game Room was going to be but never was. You can browse your arcade, complete with random lights, sounds, and crazy carpeting, and play whatever you like. Built into the program are random arcade activities like darts and bowling, but the real draw is picking up that SNES controller, Gameboy sitting about, or walking up an arcade cabinet and playing the game. You can see in the video below that of the authenticity retained by this program, scanlines and rounded edges are a welcome part of it. The demo has it running on a GTX 780 TI, but it clearly doesn’t seem to need that power, however the average Windows XP MAME machine is probably not going to have the chops to run it. It’s a good start, but I’m going to want to test it myself and I can’t see it replacing my MAME machine as my go-to for arcade emulation, but if I get some sort of VR helmet in the future it does appear be an enticing recreation. Clicking on the company name above will take you to the site to get this free download.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blE43U3PTGQ]I Love My MAME Cab
Man do I love my MAME cab. In the culture of emulation, I’m not too keen on the concept. I understand that emulation is necessary and that it has been an essential tool in not only archiving these great works of the past but also in allowing me to play import and fan translated games I otherwise never would have experienced. Still, I think that more often than not emulation gives way to piracy. If I want to go get Super Mario Bros 3 on NES, I’ve got a slew of choices: I can buy the original hardware and game, I can emulate illegally, or I can purchase legal emulated versions (Virtual Console). In most of those scenarios I opt to purchase the tangible hardware/game – but this is not always the case as I have never purchased a Turbografx-16 CD console to play the handful of favorites like Rondo of Blood and instead “settled” for emulated, legal, Virtual Console and PSN versions. On the arcade front the story is a bit different. Not only do I have to pony up large sums of money for the hardware/software – in this case being a working cabinet and PCB board – but I also have to make space, transportation arrangements, power consumption, safety, and in many cases repairs. It’s one thing to buy a PS1 game from Kentucky, have it shipped to you, resurface it if necessary, and then enjoy it. For a good working Salamander cab I may have to pay $500-$1,000 upfront on eBay, drive to Kentucky with a large truck, move the whole thing over 1,000 miles without damaging it and paying for gas/transport, move it into my house, and then most likely degauss a monitor, replace some wires, re-solder some button connections, and if I’m lucky I can play that single game for about 30 minutes before it’s time for my A.D.D. brain to move onto the next new thing.
Podcast: 1 Coin = 1 Credit
Fred and Trees discuss the wonderful world of arcade games. As this is a broad topic, all format is thrown out the window and discussions include what makes up an arcade, arcade title eras, arcade games vs. home consoles, atmosphere of arcades, MAME, and of course more games than can rightfully be named here.
Intro song is Pac-Man Fever by Buckner & Garcia
Outro song is 1980 by Dirt Nasty
Gaming History 101 