Simple Cocktail Table Arcade Build

[Justin]

Here's a pretty cool DIY cocktail table arcade build. This doesn't seem all that complicated, if you have a decent workspace and a few of the right tools I think any of us would be capable of using the stencils and completing this build. Pretty cool!

 

 

[DegasElite]

That would be really cool to build. Thanks for posting, Justin. :O)

[RickR]

I'm going to save this for a future watch. 

I've gone down this path before, and building out the cabinet and controls is do-able.  It always comes down to configuring retro-pi or whatever platform you choose to run.  It just seems so finicky.  You can get the main menu and a few favorites to work just fine, but then as you start expanding to other arcade games or other systems, the controls get all hosed. 

I've seen people get very excited to buy pre-build retro-pi builds and they are happy because everything works out of the box.  But then shortly after, something gets hosed and they send out a "help" message.  The response is always "I hope you backed up the SD card as it came".  WTH.  Too fragile.   Or they can't get a certain game to run.  "Oh, you need 0.35b of the rom, not 0.42". 

But no worries, I'm going to keep trying and keep researching until I find something that works and stays working.

Thank you for posting.

 

[TrekMD]

That is really cool. 

[Atari 5200 Guy]

I have an old Dell desktop with a P4 and running XP I was wanting to do something like this with.  I was going to use MaLa front end but I can't find it anywhere.  I really liked how you could manipulate every aspect of it and make a front end that was your own.  I might just hang on to it after all.

 

[RickR]

9 minutes ago, Atari 5200 Guy said:

I have an old Dell desktop with a P4 and running XP I was wanting to do something like this with.  I was going to use MaLa front end but I can't find it anywhere.  I really liked how you could manipulate every aspect of it and make a front end that was your own.  I might just hang on to it after all.

 

I have a friend who may be ditching a Dell "centrino" laptop that I hope he gives to me so I can try this same thing.  I saw an article that MaximumRD linked a while ago about a version of RetroPi that works on normal computers (not just Raspberry Pi). 

It's a good idea because I imagine it has plenty of power for most emulation, and if you wanted, you could build a cabinet around the laptop (add a screen, add the controller as USB, etc. 

 

[Smell Dawg]

On 12/3/2021 at 7:53 AM, RickR said:

I've gone down this path before, and building out the cabinet and controls is do-able.  It always comes down to configuring retro-pi or whatever platform you choose to run.  It just seems so finicky.  You can get the main menu and a few favorites to work just fine, but then as you start expanding to other arcade games or other systems, the controls get all hosed. 

I've seen people get very excited to buy pre-build retro-pi builds and they are happy because everything works out of the box.  But then shortly after, something gets hosed and they send out a "help" message.  The response is always "I hope you backed up the SD card as it came".  WTH.  Too fragile.   Or they can't get a certain game to run.  "Oh, you need 0.35b of the rom, not 0.42". 

But no worries, I'm going to keep trying and keep researching until I find something that works and stays working.

Super validating to hear your opinions/experiences on this matter!  After getting a couple Arcade1Up machines, I found myself wanting more.  Only recently did I stumble across the [now defunct] iiRcade stuff; that had the bones of an ideal consumer experience; just buy/download the game and it works!  I've tried playing the RetroPie game with a few devices with overall good results, but am willing to pay for a more consumer-friendly "it just works" experience. 

I've been following along with what Polycade has been doing, but they are very clearly focused on the commercial market... just crave the plug-n-play experience they offer!

So:  In the 19 months that have passed since you posted this (😆) - do you have any discoveries or solutions to share??
 
🙂

[RickR]

Yes!  I'm glad you brought this up because I have been looking into this a lot recently.

There is a site on-line called "arcadepunks.com", and they have pre-built images for Rasp Pi that seem to work really well.  Not a lot of config to do unless you have something custom in your setup.  But if you have a Rasp Pi 4 and an Xbox controller...it is mostly plug and play. 

BUT....there's always a but.  I don't have a Rasp Pi anymore and it seems impossible to find one for a fair price.  I gave mine to one of my kids.  So I'm just going to wait until they become available.

In the meantime, a similar package exists on the same site for the Playstation Classic.  I've been experimenting with that, and it works really well.  Lots of arcade games.  It's super easy to setup and use. 

BUT...my 128gb USB stick is old and too slow.  I need to buy a new/faster one.  But I have no idea how to tell if a memory stick is going to be fast or slow. 

 

[Smell Dawg]

Oooof, there's a LOT of information to wade through over there!  I seem to recall having a RaspPi 3 with an old version of RetroPie... Perhaps it's still around, hiding in a basement box somewhere.  And, WOW, I see what you mean - they don't appear to be as cost-effective these days!

With the mention of standard xbox controller, now wondering now if a couple daisy-chained x-input controller boards can be directly connected to a Pi for an arcade setup.  Not really sure how it all works, but sounds possible.
 
Coinops Legends 3?  "Includes 630 curated MAME titles and 55 console games"?  This seems like something worth following up on!
 
To your comment on the USB stick - I also ran into that problem when I was trying to mirror my Windows installation to the Atari VCS.  Up until that point, I wasn't aware there were substantial speed differences... but my decade-old drive wasn't up to snuff, so I feel your pain!
 
 

[RickR]

The really nice thing about the Playstation Classic hack is that it has a nice controller already and it's all configured.  Things just work.