My Dreamcast Arcade Cabinet

[dark]

I used to be all about the original hardware and still have a lot of stuff like my large dreamcast collection, but video games/systems just got way too expensive for me in recent years, especially things like arcade boards, or getting all the little pieces you'd need to have a working model 3 or naomi 2 setup just to run one game. Once I figured out that I could run almost every Virtua Fighter game on a ~$100 8 year old pc, there just felt like no reason to spend hundreds of dollars on rare and old brittle arcade boards.

I love Virtua Fighter 3, the first three games have a bright and slightly cartoon-like look due to the lower polygon models and simpler textures. VF4 and 5 are great games and are fun, too, but technology reached the point where the characters and their textures looked more realistic and the 90s sega charm is gone. I have to agree VF3 got the short end of the stick in terms of how the different types of cabs look. That last one you posted is so ugly lol why the heck did they make it that deep? Second to last one looks like it was a Virtua Fighter 1 cab that was upgraded with a conversion kit for VF 2, and then upgraded with a conversion kit again for VF 3.

[dark]

I'll chime in as well, I'm modding an arcade1up to be a Virtua Fighter cabinet. It's powered by an old PC with various emulators and ought to be able to run almost every version of Virtua Fighter pretty well outside of a couple glitches in MAME emulation of VF1 and Demul emulation of Naomi 2 VF4 - though I have various console ports on saturn and PS2 of those titles that can be emulated well, so the glitches aren't a big deal.

The guts, controls, software setup etc is basically already done, at this point, mostly just need to finish the custom graphics which are designed to follow the style of a US Virtua Fighter 1 cab with a couple modifications (ie., 6 button street fighter layout instead of 3 buttons per player, modifications to better fit the slightly different shape of an arcade1up cab, no mirrored marquee because that significantly jacks up the printing cost for some reason).

now that I think about it there is rumor arcade1up has a vf cab coming

https://www.segadriven.com/2020/08/mult ... ks-online/

Arcade1up has confirmed this is a fake image someone put together. But my modded cab will look similar to it when the graphics are done.

[dubcity]

I agree on the pc being able to do everything. I just got a saturn and looking at optical disk emulators for it they are all expensive. the price of a cheap pc that will play the games now. my ten year old pc with a newer video card can emulate them all now so I'll go that route. look up coinops on pc at arcade punks. you can get model 2,3 atomiswave, naomi and everything else and just play. I get the collector aspect of saying you have the original boards and can show them off. it's like having vintage cars. you look and feel cool. but to just play the games for cheap get a pc and emulate.

[dubcity]

Arcade1up has confirmed this is a fake image someone put together. But my modded cab will look similar to it when the graphics are done.

ok I wasn't aware of that. pretty good mock up then.

[DaiNew]

Yeah agree both. No doubt part of it is the collector feeling with the original PCBs etc. But as you say, it's crazy money nowadays. Same for collecting Dreamcast games to be honest. I've never used a CDI or anything like that, but the games I'd want to buy by now are so expensive it's never going to happen any other way.

Agree on the PC front though. It makes sense to play it that way as the variety available is just that much better. That's why I might look into a MAME set up at some point.

Those original sega VF cabs look pretty naff compared to yours o have to say.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[Sega1Dream]

Hey Dubcity,

I did use the Wingman converters at first as an option to use other controllers for the joysticks. I was not impressed with the minimal VMU size and not all the games actually worked with it (Mortal Kombat Gold for example). Soldering the controllers to the wires wasn't too bad of a tacks and it did give me the flexibility to add any peripheral that the Dreamcast has (such as microphone for Seaman Arcade )

Since the arcade has the coin slots for "Pay to Play", I wanted full control over how the user accesses the Dreamcast via the GDEMU. Since there are controls for scrolling up and down on the GDEMU, I use a relay to simulate the button press. This allows me to know what game a user is playing and how long. In addition, I can add multiple game systems in the arcade (Xbox, Gamecube, PS2), and have them all ready to go. By selecting a game on the 8" screen, I can program the correct system to turn on and switch the input for the TV and game controller to the joystick (similar to macros on a universal remote). This allows me to play the "real" system games and any indi game that comes out for Dreamcast, Switch, or Xbox while feeling like its all on one eco-system.

Nice work on the Arcade! Apparently pandemic gave you and I the same idea. I decided to build an arcade from scratch. This is 100% built from the ground up and is pure Dreamcast. Just above the control board there is a 8" screen that is used to select games. Using a raspberry Pi, the screen, controls, and coin slot are turned on/off. This allows game play to be charged (if I want to). It's really just a timer that turns the controller on/off. I figure I might actually do a YouTube showing this is all it's glory and explanation when I am all done.

I assume yours took longer then expected too? I thought a couple month, but almost a year later. Lol

very nice setup! I like how you have wired the joysticks and button into dreamcast controller pcb. allows you to use the vibration packs and vmu.
8 inch screen is really unique. why not use monitor screen to select games?

took me almost a year for mine also. modding the two systems, and artwork took the most time. I'm using zero delay encoders with split ps2/ps3 cords going to adapters. ps3 cord goes to brook adapter for DC. ps2 cords go to xbox adapter.

[Sega1Dream]

Thank you for noticing the cup holders. No lie, I built the top half around that concept, so they didn't feel like an afterthought. My Dad was out here for Christmas and I was trying to explain to him that cupholders in a arcade cabinet are not all that common (I understand why with liquid and electronics). He thought I was crazy to think they were a big deal and just poked fun at me as if I created the pet rock... "it did make over a million dollars though"

@Sega1Dream

I like the cupholders idea on your cabinet

I have some universal cup holders to install on mine but haven't decided where on the side to put them yet

[dubcity]

really cool man. the relay idea sounds pretty genius. well done. we need cup holders for the beer. no other way to game lol.

and your dad sounds cool too.

[dubcity]

Update to my cabinet.

I've taken the og Xbox out and put my Saturn in.

DC had 5.20 gdemu now with delta island tray mount. DC is connected VGA to GBS-C to upscale then to tv.

Just added a saroo to the Saturn today and that is connected to retro scaler. I'm soon to add classic to that chain.

I've switched out the zero delay encoders for brook Xbox fighting boards. Those are connected to USB switches and then to brook wingman SD.

[dubcity]

Cable management pics