(Topic ID: 232029)

Video game noob question

By albummydavis

5 years ago


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  • 11 posts
  • 8 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 5 years ago by Strohz
  • Topic is favorited by 2 Pinsiders

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#1 5 years ago

Stupid question- is there an easy way to utilize an extra flat screen tv to play a boatload of classic vids? I can’t put in a cab, no space and my wife is at her wits end with 13 pins and a superchex. Anyone ever do anything similar?

#3 5 years ago

MAME is just a PC and you can connect to anything...the real issue is where you put the controller section, whcih ends up being pretty big

EDIT: Or nevermind me and look above

#4 5 years ago

So, I’ve looked at retropie before-it seems like they are all console emulators. Am I wrong?

#5 5 years ago
Quoted from albummydavis:

So, I’ve looked at retropie before-it seems like they are all console emulators. Am I wrong?

Yes, Retropie has MAME emulators available so you can play the arcade games.

#6 5 years ago

You should probably also check out the different Pandora’s Box units that are available.

#7 5 years ago

If you wanted to engineer a solution you could get one of those fighting game sticks, or build one, and then put a retropie in. Then boom, MAME on any TV with arcade controls. This is also something people sell pre-made, so you could just buy one too

ebay.com link: Raspberry Pi 3 Video Game console Retropie in an Arcade Fighting Stick MAME

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#8 5 years ago

I've been thinking of doing something similar. Can someone who understands it basically explain the differences/advantages between a Retropie and Pandora's box set up?

#9 5 years ago

This is one of the few times you'll hear me say this, but check Craigslist. There are a lot of guys out there putting together cheap mame and retro-pie systems in old arcade cabinets or as just large controllers built in. If nothing else, it will give you a good idea of what is available. Most of those 3000 in 1 machines you see use unlicensed games. Trying to get everything together yourself is a good way of accidently loading your computer up with malware. If nothing else, it can give you a good idea of what is available.

#10 5 years ago
Quoted from Strohz:

I've been thinking of doing something similar. Can someone who understands it basically explain the differences/advantages between a Retropie and Pandora's box set up?

Retropie is more or less the front end that runs off a raspberry pi and it comes with all the emulators loaded (you still need ROMs) but its basically very minimal work to set up (drag and drop ROMs to a folder on an SD card, plug card into Raspberry Pi and it does the rest). It supports most consoles and MAME through the Playstation era. It has hdmi and bluetooth so it's very versatile and cheap to play around with.

The downside is that the Raspberry Pi is just that, not very powerful. I have one built that I use on my TV in my family room and there's very noticable button input lag. It works and it's fun to mess with, but it's not great.

Pandora's box is basically a pre loaded board you can buy and throw in a cab. It runs better than the 60 in 1 board but some games are hit or miss on performance and sound, but its literally plug and play and has a deep selection of games so alot of people use it.

If you want to have the BEST multicade experience, I'd recommend building (or buying) a hyperspin setup. It's not a quick build, but it will give you a super slick interface, all consoles, mame, etc, and the best performance.

#11 5 years ago

Thanks for the explanation, that was helpful!

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