Question: What's the best arcade cabinet with a flatscreen?

[zaphod]

The features i'm looking for are
a) very fast response time on the LCD (good enough for shmupping/etc)
b) dual controllers with enough buttons (6 or 8 + start)
c) rotatable screen
d) JVS hookup. there should be a jamma to jvs adapter if I need one.

Currently the Taito Vewlix F (if I can find one) seems like it's pretty impressive.

My plan is get a jvs/universal cabinet, get either an ipac or JVS pac to allow MAME gaming in addition to real boards.

Is there a better option? I like the sitdown factor of the vewlix as well, but if there's a better option I'd like to know it. I know the Vewlix L has a worse response time on the screen, so i'd prefer to stay away from that, and also it only takes typex instead of being a universal.

I plan to be coming into enough money to drop on a real cabinet within a few months.

PS: f no lcd really is good enough, then i'm willing to go for a big old CRT.

PPS: going the make you own vewlix route might be worthwhile too, but i will need a hardware list, including a TATEable monitor with great response time.

[Fudoh]

There one problem with all the 32" cabs: they all use HD-Ready 768p displays which have severe problems in displaying images with scanlines. So, if you intend to use external sources with scanlines (e.g. a XRGB or the SLG3000) you won't be happy with the Vewlix or any other cab.

So, if you scanlines, I'd highly recommend the "do it yourself" way and using a proper 1080p display (which can handle the scanline scaling).

PS: The HRAP Premium VLX is available from Amazon.com for $299. Use this (with a little mod), buy a proper TV and the rest (Jamma/JVS hookup) should be a piece of cake.

[zaphod]

I plan to use
a) real boards
b) mame box
c) possibly game consoles

I'm willing to forgo the scanlines.

I'd get a namco adapter for hooking up jamma boards to JVS (confirmed lag free) if a jamma hookup isn't present already.

[zaphod]

ANyway, back t the original question.

What are the other cabinets besides the vewlix F that have the 33 inch screens and how do they compare? (i've already said no to the vewlix L because it has a lower quality LCD screen)

THe objective is to be able to play as much as possible with a minimum of fuss and cabinets.

Is the right thing to do to get 2 tri-sync CRT cabinets, one vert and one hori?

[fagin]

I have a Sega Lindbergh but I have no idea how it compares to the Viewlix. It was originally bought for SFIV, but I only ever use that specific set-up for HD stuff. For low res stuff I use either my vert or hori Sega Tri-Sync Naomi's.

Depends on what you want to do, how much space you have and ultimately how much cash you want to spend.

[zaphod]

I'd like to try and get buy with as few cabinets as possible.

I actually am pretty unlikely to play many hi-def games i think but i do want to leave the possibility open.

I was thinking a modern 33 inch jvs cabinet would accept pretty much any jvs/jamma board i could throw at it, as well as MAME.

It seems what i probably need is two cabinets, one hori and one vert, both candys with tri-sync monitors. if so, which one should be the mame box? (it seems silly to have two)

Options seem to be

1) one hori candy cab and one vert.
2) one andy cab with easily rotatable monitor 9one person needed) and one HD cabinet.
3) two and one
4) hack something together.

[fagin]

Only you can answer the question about which one should be for mame, but it would be very easy to have a VGA switch box between the two.... but that would require separate set-ups for the two screens. Can be done though.

If you are really in to everything being as genuine as possible, you can't beat lo-res in it's native aspect ratio.

The best cab for rotating would be an Egret 2, but it is not recommended that you keep tating the monitor backwards and forwards. These cabs are getting old and things can break.

If you are not looking at HD stuff in reality I would junk that idea and plough your cash in to a hori and vert cab set-up.

[zaphod]

Well, which looks better?
Running vertical mame on a hori screen, or hori mame on a vertical screen?

I think i see what you are getting at, but not only does it have to output to both monitors, but take input from both cabinets. SO i think i'd keep it to one.

I will be doing typex definitely, so do need JVS for sure.

I have dreams of running typex(2) games and mame on the same PC to save power/space (yes, i'd buy the original kits!), but looks like i'd need to dual wire the controls in parallel with an I-PAC, or hack up a switch box to change the jvs IO from a jvs pac to the io connector.

[fagin]

What do you think? Vert on a vert screen rules. It depends how many vert shmups (or whatever) games you wish to play and how "proper" you want them to look.

If you're wiring for JVS to PC (or PS3) don't bother with an I-PAC. You want one of these -> http://jvspac.kirurg.org/

All done via USB and works with a PC and PS3. If you shared a single PC you could just buy two of them and use them on two USB ports.

[zaphod]

I'm well aware of the JVS-pac.

HOWEVER.

I can't have it hooked up to the jvs pac and the serial port at the same time, because the jvs pac and the typex game can't both be master. But if i dual wired with the i-pac, then the ipac would provide mame input, and the io board would provide JVS input.

Are there any HD shmups for arcades? (like maybe Otomedius?)

[PC Engine Fan X!]

And count that latest arcade Darius 4-player shmup running on a HD monitor setup as well.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[zaphod]

SO mame emulated darius would also benefit from a widescreen display somewhat.

But yeah, i'm probably not gonna need any HD.

SO clearly I'll need 2 candy cabs.

QUestion is how to use only one mame box, and hook up any board in either cab as needed?