Xbox in an arcade cab?

[jay_red]

Hey guys, I am currently looking for a cab for my house, ideally it would be a multi slot neo geo, but I might settle for a cheap/empty cab to do a mame set up. I had thought of what kind of PC I would need to use, but then it hit me, I could use an original xbox, I have one lying around getting no love, its compact, and hooks up to a CRT with no problems.

Has anyone done something like this? What does the front end/dash board look like on a modded xbox? Will it be a pain to get to the emulator and roms quickly? One thing I like about the PC option is the sweet mame front ends that exist that make it a snap to get right into games. How good is Mame and Neogeo emulation on the xbox? from what i have read it is pretty good but how about some real life feed back?

[o.pwuaioc]

I don't have it personally on mine, but I've seen it on friends', and it looks easy enough to me, nothing complicated at all. Granted it's been a few years now since, but I think my memory is holding up well.

[CRTGAMER]

What does the front end/dash board look like on a modded xbox? Will it be a pain to get to the emulator and roms quickly? One thing I like about the PC option is the sweet mame front ends that exist that make it a snap to get right into games. How good is Mame and Neogeo emulation on the xbox? from what i have read it is pretty good but how about some real life feed back?

Maybe try the XBox on your regular TV first? You can see how much is emulated and how well, before installing into a cab. A PC with an inexpensive VGA CRT monitor from the Thrift store gives better emulation options.

Agree, PC Mame is sweet. I love how the Front End can search by Year, Genre, Manufacturer, Controller Style among others. I run Mame on a PC and Mac and am disappointed with Macmame's Front End. Even MacMame InfoX is not as thorough in search options as PC Mame.

[darth_blunted]

In my MAME cab I use Gameex front end http://www.gameex.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbW2ypwF ... _embedded#!

There is a free version (has less options including the best option)

Then there is the paid version which is great and will not eat your cash away.

This front end will work with most emulators including dosbox. The best thing about the paid for version is that this front end will run random games in a demo mode from all the different emulators on your machine.

This video even though it is very poor is my cab running in demo mode using gameex
in demo mode, at the time I recorded this it had jus been updated and there was a bug introduced which allowed you to see the mouse pointer and the emulators loading up it does not do that at this time.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbubWkKlUZU

Alos the community is great if you have a problem with set up they get back to you fast infact it's like they are waiting for you to post problems I litterally posted and fixed problems while posting a thread and in a min or 2 somebody responded and had an answer I never had any major problems and highly recommend this front end!

[Hatta]

If you're going to go the MAME cab route, you'll want something a little more flexible than the Xbox. Don't get me wrong, what the Xbox can do is amazing for what it is. But a cheap HTPC will outclass it in every respect these days.

[s8n]

hi jay_red

Hey guys, I am currently looking for a cab for my house, ideally it would be a multi slot neo geo, but I might settle for a cheap/empty cab to do a mame set up.

Are you partial to Neo Geo cabs ? i prefer mid 1990's Cabs like Astro's , Egret's , Atomiswaves etc. If you shop around you can grab one at a great price , a gutted Cab without components can end cost more to set up.

I had thought of what kind of PC I would need to use, but then it hit me, I could use an original xbox, I have one lying around getting no love, its compact, and hooks up to a CRT with no problems.

You could use your XBOX1 but i recommend a cheap PC as you can do more and emualte more with it. You may think how do i connect it to a Cab , simply get a 'J-PAC' i recommend them highly for PC to Cab's although their Console to J-PAC sux.

[The Last Horseman]

I'm just bumping this becaus I am also interested. Where would the power for the Xbox run out? I was thinking that some of the cave shmups that didn't make it to the US could be played on this. If possible, fuck MAME PC, Ima get me one on Xbox. (Also, I've been needing a personal justification to get an OXbox. Steel Battle Wolf Chaos and Gun Valkyrie weren't good enough Justification.)

[mugenmidget]

If you're going to go the MAME cab route, you'll want something a little more flexible than the Xbox. Don't get me wrong, what the Xbox can do is amazing for what it is. But a cheap HTPC will outclass it in every respect these days.

Definitely agree with this, plus if you use an Xbox you're stuck with interlaced video in standard definition. If you want games to run in their native resolutions, you'll want a PC with either a video card supported by Soft-15KHz or an Arcade VGA card.

You could get a scan converter to get a similar effect with the Xbox, but the money you'd spend on one of those would probably be better spent on a new PC.

[jay_red]

well I ended up getting an old gutted nintendo cab, am currently repairing some minor wood damage to it. I decided to go with a PC for the MAME emulation, I will be connecting it to a 20 inch TV via S-Video. After all is said and done the most expensive thing will be the controls, looking to spend about $75 on Sanwa Parts. Thanks for the suggestions guys.