My Arcade System
Introduction
For several years now I have observed the incredible advances in arcade machine emulation. Faster personal computers have allowed accurate emulation of vintage gaming systems from what I call the “golden age” of video games (1980s era). Actually, most games I remember playing as a kid are easily emulated with even the most basic, obsolete PC hardware!
In addition to emulation, en entire community do-it-yourselfers has flourished around the idea of building an arcade machine using real arcade controls. For many years now, it has been possible for the average handyman to build an arcade box, stick a PC inside it, hook up the controls and start playing games. Ok, well there’s lots of software to setup too. . .
Here’s my take on this idea: A 4-player “portable” cocktail-style arcade system. First, you might wonder, why a cocktail table design? Ironically, a cocktail design usually takes up a lot of space--you have a table that is the arcade system and chairs around--it can fill the room! However, using a tiny computer and an LCD monitor can suddenly transforms this design into a table-top device. But why 4 players? Wouldn’t a 2-player system be even smaller? Well, sure, it would be, but there are some really fun 4-player games out there! Besides, you can always build your own 2-player version if you like!
The following pages illustrate the unique design and give a few details of the project:
