Probably something about Hondas vs Ferraris?

There's really zero comparison between buying a $300 lightweight toy, and investing literally five times that (are you really paying that much for an Astro City in The Bay now?) into a heavier cab that require more knowledge to own and isn’t really comparable at all. Yes, you can run a POS Pandora's Box in it, that isn't even actually Jamma, but you get what you pay for with those too.

These threads always turn into this "just buy the real thing" drumbeat, and it's pointless. I strongly advise anyone to not do that. If you want real CRTs and real cabs by all means, but know what you're getting into, and realize it's not at all like slapping together a toy cabinet that just works out of the box.

It would be like me laughing at you using an Astro City for MAME, instead of running real boards. Why would I do that? Let people be, and have some relatively cheap fun with something they're gonna get tired of after a bit anyways.

It’s about what makes sense for people, not what’s authentic or your personal preference.

Astro Cities are great! I have four. But that’s why I also know what a pain they can be. I’ve got a spare Nano MS29 chassis I’m still trying to solve a sync problem on. I know how the PCB that was shipped “fully working” can show up with no sound. (Had to replace the YM2151 synth chip, not uncommon on CPS 1 boards.)

I moved them all the other day, thankfully they do have wheels in the back, but they are heavy. Stairs would be a problem. Some doorways would be a problem.

Point of all this don’t go this route if you aren’t into being the owner of something heavy and prone to esoteric issues. Get the 1Up and have fun for a bit.

That's great. My setup is arcade perfect because I only run real boards. That doesn't make me somehow superior, it's just personal preference. You're not the first person to put MAME in an arcade cab, nor will you be the last. I hope you have fun with it.

If anyone wants to try it, reach out to this person, sounds like a great resource.

Just be aware that it's a much bigger project than picking up a toy mini cabinet, that's all.

We're talking about arcade cabs being superior to 1Ups, and they're not, they're different, is my point. Just like MAME is one thing, and real boards are another. I'm not pushing people to run real boards instead of emulating, and I think it's silly to push buying real cabs over 1Ups. They're just not similar enough in terms of anything. Cost, time, weight, commitment, anything.

So when you say

that's what I'm refuting. No, it's not, for most people.

That’s my issue. We still play Street Fighter every week in various flavors, but MK doesn’t have the same longevity. Fun games, but janky and unbalanced and just not enough competitive depth to keep playing.

I’d love to add a real MK cab to my collection, be fun, but once the nostalgia faded? Would probably just take up space. And I only have so much of that, games gotta earn their keep.

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Yes, they’re linked, why each pair has the same image on them. Everyone gets their own control panel and monitor, we’re not savages.

Honestly once you’re used to it it’s very hard to go back heh. It means “less games” on the cabs, but they get a lot of use this way.