How It Became
I first learned about the program called MAME years and years ago and I enjoyed playing the classic games that were no longer in many arcades with it. Recently I discovered a product called the X-Arcade which gives you a real arcade feel of control playing games. I purchased one and hooked the X-Arcade up to my home theater PC and had a blast for several months but it left me wanting more.
Jumping online, I learned of people creating MAME arcade cabinets and this got me even more excited. After reading for hours and hours I started my quest in searching for a cabinet with a large enough control panel (joystick area) that would suit the X-Arcade to be dropped in. After some searching, I found an empty Virtua Fighter 2 cabinet which worked out perfectly. The cabinet itself costed me $200. You yourself, may be able to find a similar cabinet for less or free. On this website you will see many pictures of the transformation of this cabinet along with tips and howtos. This entire process believe it or not, simply took about a week.
Version 2 Upgrade
The arcade underwent several improvements over time, with each version bringing new enhancements and refinements.
Version 3 Recent Upgrade
New Creative Labs Inspire T2900 2.1 Sound System, New Control panel (X-Arcade Components), Overlay, Marquee and plexiglass. Each upgrade brought the cabinet closer to the authentic arcade experience.
The Build Process
Starting Point: Empty Virtua Fighter 2 cabinet with some deep scratches but in good condition. The cabinet had been partially converted to Zero Gunner and needed significant restoration work.
Key Steps:
- Removed old control panels and stickers
- Sanded and painted with flat black paint and clear coat
- Created custom two-piece control panel for the X-Arcade
- Installed new ballast and wired speakers
- Integrated Athlon XP 2100 PC with 512MB RAM and Radeon 9000 Pro
- Added accessible amp controls for volume adjustment
- Installed illuminated coin slots for authenticity
- Created custom marquee featuring classic games
The cabinet was powered by an Athlon XP 2100, 512MB of Crucial DDR RAM, Abit nForce 2 motherboard, and a Radeon 9000 Pro 64MB DDR with TV Out for excellent 2D output. The system was connected to the local network for remote terminal access, making maintenance and updates easy.
The Final Touch: A custom marquee was created featuring all the classic games from my childhood - every game in those screenshots represents a distinct memory of a time and place. This personal touch really brought the project together and made it truly special.
It was a blast to build and provided countless hours of entertainment!
