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Completed Full-Size Arcade Machine (Mostly) for the Kids

Marzipan

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Thanks, Friendly.

That briefly crossed my mind, but I think the final price would probably be too much for most people. Assuming I had nothing, my guesstimate would be:

$200 - Case
$200 - Computer (if you find a decent deal used)
$200 - Software (Assuming legit, Windows-based OS and Launchbox for a front-end. Could also go Raspberry Pi-based for cheaper, but more difficult config)
$120 - Monitor
$60 - Buttons and joysticks
$50 - Amp and decals
$20 - used speakers (hopefully)
$30 - Peripherals (wireless KB/Mouse combo - PS3 or alternative controllers would be more)

So that's almost $900. I assume the build would be a bit quicker, with experience and using full plywood panels instead of fiddling with scrap materials, but it would still take a fair few hours. I'm thinking that I'd want to see a solid $600 for my time, and any headaches of getting everything to play nice together.

That would mean around $1500, at least, which I think most people would choke on.

Not to mention that my wife would kill me, because I'd never get our kitchen done...or, you know...started. lol.
considering that used one's that play only a single game are $5K or more, I suspect you'd do just fine @ $2K to cover your time / labor.

you;'d just need to streamline the platform...or size it down a bit or something.
 

sswilson

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considering that used one's that play only a single game are $5K or more, I suspect you'd do just fine @ $2K to cover your time / labor.

you;'d just need to streamline the platform...or size it down a bit or something.

If a person wanted to do something like that, I'm pretty sure there are mods for Arcade1Up cabinets that'll showhorn a MAME setup into one of their stand-alone cabinets which would cost a lot less than $2K.

(Gotta be careful with this discussion though.... it'd be really easy to morph into a discussion of forbidden fruit..... ).
 

Marzipan

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If a person wanted to do something like that, I'm pretty sure there are mods for Arcade1Up cabinets that'll showhorn a MAME setup into one of their stand-alone cabinets which would cost a lot less than $2K.

(Gotta be careful with this discussion though.... it'd be really easy to morph into a discussion of forbidden fruit..... ).
well...while I've never looked into it before...I've never heard of such a thing. but you never know.
 

Izerous

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Plywood and a plunge router would go a long ways with some templates to reduce time making multiples faster and cheaper. But then you would also likely want a pocket hole jig and other things and unless those tools are already laying around now your tooling cost is jumping quite a bit.

I glanced at a video of those 1up arcades they are surprisingly small. I don't think he would have nearly been as happy with the results. If anything and you want to take the construction costs out of it try to find places that deal with real used arcade cabinets and buy a used one and gut that for a conversion, but then that increases the.price again even used real cabinets can go for quite a bit of money.
 

Izerous

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Also as an aside these guys make cabinets in Edmonton and the prices are 2-5k per unit which shows that his estimation of 2kish isn't far off.

 

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