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Post by mpanayiotakis on Aug 9, 2005 18:41:53 GMT 2
What do you think about this one ? www.lunacade.com/index.phpI decided to get a mame machine after all because it can be easily fixed if anything goes wrong. Needless to say that I encountered many problems while I was searching for a suitable arcade-type console. Prices are extremely high and this includes the shipping cost which due to the weight is enormous! The shipping of the lunacade costs only 65 euros though! The other positive thing is that they can ship it as a "sample" so I won't get customs fees. If you have any other suggestion, I'll be happy to hear it!! Michael
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Post by andycole on Aug 10, 2005 10:11:16 GMT 2
This sounds like a good solution to your particular requirements, Mike, essentially because it's small and light. However, I didn't see the price, and you must remember that all you're getting here is just an empty box with a control panel in it. You have to add your own monitor and PC. OK, just seen the price. 600 euros! That's a lot of money for what you're actually getting, but like I said, it suits your requirements. You could probably import a full sized mame cabinet for the same money, though. The cost of the components there are probably less than 100 euros. You're paying for the convenience of having it built. I think with a little bit of searching you could find all the knowledge required to build such a unit. OK, it might not look as good but you'd save a packet. I've played something similar but much more basic at an exhibition in london. I'll see if I can find photos. In summary, then, I personally wouldn't pay that much knowing how cheaply it could be made, but then I'm tight! Andy. edit: I found a link that goes into a lot of detail of the process of building your own. If this looks too scary, then I guess you'll have to buy one. Click here
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Post by mpanayiotakis on Aug 10, 2005 15:04:03 GMT 2
Thanks Andy, I'll take a look. You wouldn't believe the prices some people have asked me for a similar or a full sized cabinet (without the computer of course). The nearest price was 1200 euros plus, and shipping would cost more than 300 euros!! I suppose if I could find another arcade cabinet I could convert it to a mame cabinet but it's impossible to find one here nowadays (all arcade games have been banned for some years now).
You are correct that the wood and the other parts cost about 100 euros but I couldn't possibly make something like the lunacade by myself. The computer needed to play most mame games won't cost much (motherboard + cpu + memory + hard disk, around 250 euros, maybe less if used) and I already have an old 15-inch monitor to use in the case.
If anyone knows of any site that sells mame arcade cabinets (at a good price) let me know!
Michael
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Post by andycole on Aug 11, 2005 16:26:49 GMT 2
Mike, check this out. It's an industrial strength arcade controller that plugs straight into a PC. You could buy one of these and build a cabinet around it. Andy.
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Post by jayme65 on Oct 7, 2005 14:28:15 GMT 2
Michael,
What did you finally do? I'm myself wondering if I'll build/buy an arcade cabinet ;-) Have you some feedback/help on that topic?
Thanks
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Post by mpanayiotakis on Oct 7, 2005 15:39:45 GMT 2
I bought the lunacade and I've built it already. I'll take some photos and I'll post them here soon. I think it's one of the cheapest and compact solutions you can find. Very easy to build and looks great! Restoring an old arcade machine is only worth it if you're looking for a specific game. But, eventually you will get bored of it so it's better to build a mame machine as I did. The good thing with this is that you have virtually another pc in home, you can upgrade it if needed and run all sorts of emulators/programs with it. Update:Michael
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Post by Gamewatchcollector on Oct 7, 2005 21:30:01 GMT 2
Hey Michael, That's pretty cool and the price is fair It'll be fun to play all those classic games while they're FREE to download! I don't have my own place yet so will need to wait if so BTW, is the marquee part standard size so you can buy/swap others? Kevin
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Post by mpanayiotakis on Oct 8, 2005 2:46:52 GMT 2
Thanks Kevin! I'm not sure about your question.. An email to the lunacade webmaster would probably answer it. I never bothered with it since I'm not planning to change it..
Michael
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Post by pulse8 on Oct 8, 2005 7:40:00 GMT 2
Looks great Mike. You'll relive some old memories with that piece of equipment I'd say pulse8
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Post by theblackwizard on Oct 8, 2005 10:29:26 GMT 2
Very nice Mike . I have always wanted to do this. I currently play Mame v0.97 (with about 12GB or games!!!) on my PC with a wireless joystick, but it's just not the same as an old style Arcade machine or "Pinny". All I can say is that I'm GREEN, very GREEN........ . Cheers, Damian.
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Post by MikeDotBe on Oct 8, 2005 11:05:56 GMT 2
Hi guys,
i have buyed the book on ebay (read here in the previous messages)
as soon as i receive it, i'll try to share it with all of you... or at least the one that are interested in arcade machine
Mike
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Post by mpanayiotakis on Oct 9, 2005 0:12:14 GMT 2
Thanks guys, I always wanted to do this and lunacade's case is cheap enough. Believe me, when you play with this machine, the feeling is very different than playing with a joystick on a computer! I'm thinking of adding a coin slot as well. I'm not sure how to do that but I think I can find lots of information on the internet.
If anyone decides to buy this case, I can help him with the building process!
Michael
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Post by devster on Oct 9, 2005 11:22:19 GMT 2
Excellent Mike, excellent! It looks very nice. I thinks I'm going to have to get one of these!!!
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Post by andycole on Oct 10, 2005 11:18:33 GMT 2
That cabinet looks really nice, Mike, and I guess it's the best solution for someone who isn't good with electronics, etc. I think I'd be inclined to block off the stand you are using so it's solid black wood, it'll hide the keyboard and make it look more like a proper cabinet. Andy.
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Post by mpanayiotakis on Oct 10, 2005 23:25:18 GMT 2
The reason I bought something like this Andy is because I needed the space to put the keyboard and some other items on it and because I couldn't find a decent black one at the dimensions I wanted. The colour of the stand is similar to the colour of my desk and shelves so it doesn't seem out of place..
Michael
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