solidus
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Posts posted by solidus
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I really, really hope everyones answer to this is 'of course not!'.
Please people do not go into debt for this stuff
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I only have experience with the Anbernic and Miyoo handhelds.. and I would say they are a no brainer if you do not mind emulation and want something portable. As for a stationary console though... I dont really have hands on experience. For me, the best route was always to build a very cheap, small form factor PC and just run retroarch.
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18 hours ago, Cynicaster said:
I'm not familiar with that emulator, but I'd have no reason to exclude it unless you were unable to adjust the DIPs to the correct settings for the games we play. Can that be done with FBneo?
Yep you can modify them. This is the emu in case youre interested. https://retropie.org.uk/docs/FinalBurn-Neo/
Its a fork of Finalburn Alpha. Its considered to be more accurate than MAME for many games especially neogeo.. so I tend to use it alot.
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Hey all, not sure if this was mentioned anywhere... but is using FBneo via retroarch OK for this? I tend to play all my arcade games with that and use MAME for special cases
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2 hours ago, CreeB said:
This game was ruined for me when I first heard of inflation fetishes... anyway, I used to play this one at my local arcade all the time.
I dont really want to know what that is lol
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Been playing this game non stop for the past few days. I think it may be my first time ever honestly.. as I cant recall playing it before. It has a surprising amount of strategy if you are trying to bust high scores. Its a ton of fun trying to set guys up under rocks... also deceivingly difficult. I think Ill be enjoying this one for a while.
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1 hour ago, Bill Loguidice said:
Not to be like an ad, but it's relevant, so in case you're interested, the Legends Gamer ($199.99) is being upgraded to the Legends Gamer Pro for free if you put in a reservation before June 30. It's the same as the Gamer except with the addition of a trackball.
It's the same type of quality controls as found on the Legends Ultimate full-size arcade, and easy to upgrade should you want to swap in different buttons or sticks (or bat-tops). It's a two part system. The first part is a streaming box to hook up to your TV that has 150 built-in arcade and console games, as well as access to game streaming (either free from your own PC or via a service from optimized servers), online leaderboards, running games off USB, etc. The second part is the two player wireless arcade controller, which has both Bluetooth and USB connectivity, and can work with other devices.
This is interesting. I wonder how input lag is with the streaming... Ive tried some streaming stuff before and I noticed lag. I imagine things like fighters and shooters where response is crucial may be problematic... Ive played Doom 2016 using a shadow PC and it was really laggy and hard to enjoy
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1 hour ago, doubledown said:
Well 1942, TMNT, and The Simpsons used WICO 8-way leaf joysticks (different colored knobs, game dependent)...available as reproductions HERE (this is the 4" shaft version for thicker control panels, there is also a shorter 3.5" version for thinner metal panels), and most of these probably used mating leaf-switch buttons as well.
Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and all of the NEO-GEO MVS games (pretty much), used HAPP's competition micro-switch joysticks, and matching buttons. From my understanding, the Spanish company iL (Industrias Lorenzo, S.A.) use to make HAPP's parts back in the day, but then after their merger with SUZO, manufacturing went to China, but iL still continues to make their products in Spain, and sell under their own name. So basically you can buy HAPP's Chinese made Competition joysticks/buttons, or iL's Spanish made EuroJoystick, and PSL-L buttons. People say HAPP's quality went down when they switched to Chinese manufacturing...I don't have a frame of reference for this, but when I want these kind of parts I simply get the iL components, they're sold at lots of the online shops. One thing to consider with either of these sticks...they only come with a molded bat knob...in lots of different colors. So if you want a ball knob...you're out of luck...or are you!?! iL does make replacement shafts for their EuroJoystick with a 6mm threading on the top so that you can install any color ball or bat knob you want (that you can purchase with this thread size/pitch). I've used these on several occasions, mostly for 1 reason, I don't care for the overall height of, or the diameter of the fattest part of the molded bat knob for a stick in my lap. Both of these sticks are made for 3/4" thick control panels, but my aluminum enclosures are only like 0.090" thick. The enclosures don't afford enough room below the joysticks to drop mount the stick's bases that far, so by getting the replacement shafts (available in 2 different lengths/heights), I get what suits my needs...normally the "standard length" when I use a taller bat knob, or the "extended length" when I use a ball knob.
Worth noting, if you do want to, with any regularity play any sort of fighters...get a micro-switch stick. The leaf-switch sticks can be very sensitive (which is great when you want them), but difficult to not hit diagonals, when you don't want to...kind of hard to explain maybe. So as an example of my recommendation to you would be like this:
Buttons - CONCAVE Plungers (90s era appropriate) or Convex Plungers
I prefer Concave plungers, as they were the standard shape from the 1970s leaf-switch pushbuttons - thru the 1990s micro-switch buttons. The Japanese controls companies started the convex plunger trend for some reason. Again all of this is personal preference. Fortunately though as the iL products are mass produced in an enormous amounts of quantity...they are readily available...and pretty affordable.
On the opposite side of this would be either of the Japanese companies' (Sanwa/Seimitsu) joysticks. As stock, they only work with thin metal panels, but shaft extensions are available. The biggest "feeling" difference in these compared to the HAPP or iL, is the spring tension of the stick. The Japanese ones, are very freely moved (light-weight spring), and the Western Happ/iL, are stiffer. Basically any pre-made modern day HORI, or whoever's, arcade stick made for say the PS3/PS4, XBOX ONE, will be these Japanese styles of sticks. So if you have experience with and like the feel of modern home-use arcade sticks you may want to look into the Japanese products, if you want a firmer, more robust feel (80's/90's arcade), then go with the Western controls.
So much awesome info..thanks! Im assuming those sticks have no gates and have a full 360 degree movement right? I assume thats what I want for shmups in particular where I dont need to hit specific directions like I would to do combos in a fighter, and instead want smooth movement in all directions and everywhere in between.. basically like a controller analog stick
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14 hours ago, doubledown said:
Do any of the games you like to play have an arcade-counterpart...could be a start of what type of controls to use...match what the arcade used. Also keep in mind that while basically all controls can be mounted in a thin metal control panel, approximately 0.125" or thinner, some controls, like most of the Japanese stuff (Sanwa, Seimitsu), will only work on these thinner panels. If your enclosure has a top of plastic or wood, that's 1/2" thick (or more), most of these Japanese controls won't work, unless you counter-bore (remove) material from the bottom to "create" this thinner area for them. A lot of arcade companies did some pretty creative stuff with their control panels regarding this back in the day, as most of the cabinets back then were 3/4" plywood and the likes. All modern candy cabinets, use thin metal panels, so components made for them, are the norm...again in the realm of the Japanese components. Off the top of your head, is there any arcade game, or home console arcade stick, that you remember liking the feel of? Based on that I might be able to help with recommending some parts that would be similar.
Your biggest options with joysticks would be the knob...round ball top, or tapered bat top...and the switches...clicky micro-swtiches, or silent leaf-switches
Then with buttons your major options are the plunger...concave plunger, or convex plunger...and the switches...clicky micro-switches, quiet key-switches, or silent leaf-switches
In the realm of the arcades, leaf-switches (for joysticks and push-buttons) were the defacto standard until say the mid to late 80s, when micro-switches started taking over. On an abused public accessed arcade machine, the leaf-switches can require some occasional maintenance, not so much with the micro-switches...but some people hate hearing click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, and so on. There are "quiet" micro-switches made, but you can still hear them, and again there are cheap micro-switches, and good micro-switches. Offering different forces required to actuate, sound levels, length of travel until actuation...but most controls don't have all of these options when purchasing...they would be upgrade parts you could purchase separately/later if you chose. Some of the controllers I've built, I made to replicate the arcade experience of a particular game...so I used the same (when possible), or similar types of controls. If the original had leaf-switch joystick and buttons, that's what I used, same goes for micro-switch versions.
Whats interesting is that, the arcades I played as a kid are quite different from the games I am into now. Im in the US, and Im not sure if that has much to do with it, but the arcades near me were filled with fighters and beat em ups. I grew up playing Street Fighter, Ninja Turtles, Simpsons, Mortal Kombat, etc. Nowadays I am much more into shmups, run n guns, etc. My favorite 'arcade' game these days is likely Metal Slug, 1942, Gradius, etc. Funnily enough, I have never actually played much of these games on an actual arcade, simply because I never saw them... so I have no frame of reference
Its not to say that I wont ever play fighters or beat em ups, its just that my current motivation for an arcade stick setup is to play shooters and run n guns. I am not sure how that effects my choices, as I am not particularly nostalgic for a certain feel at this point...
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On 6/5/2020 at 6:12 PM, ClassicGMR said:
So I got my SmartiPi 2 display with the Raspberry Pi 4 4GB model a few weeks ago. I finally got around to setting it up today. I HAD decided to install one of the newer fancy shmancy GUI OS that have come out recently but the screen is too small to make it worth the effort.
I just went with RetroPie and a 64GB SanDisk Fit 3.0 USB drive to hold it all. I was able to safely overclock to 2GHz on the CPU and 700MHz on the GPU chip. I never saw the temp go over 50° C but I have yet to push it harder than testing PSX games. I'll still be keeping one of my SNES30 gamepad for it. The Fit drive is a nice touch since it doesn't show at all. ?
I cannot believe how many things I forgot about setting up the RetroPie and quality of life addons life transition loading screens, getting the screen scraper to work right, finding my favorite theme again (showcase) and setting up the arcade ambiance. I still think it was a pain but not as bad as the first time I ever set up. ?
The HDMI display is very good but there's no sound. I had no idea. So I had to come up with a speaker solution. I went with a $6 Gigaware Universal Mp3 Folding Speaker that runs on AAA batteries (I have rechargeable) and has a volume control. We'll have to see how it goes!
Any tips on good things to get setup? Im using retropie for the first time actually, but on a PC. Ive only ever used Retroarch standalone. Currently everything is default except shaders.
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8 hours ago, Cynicaster said:
Looks like doubledown has some very nice and meticulously designed projects; impressive indeed.
I just hope those projects don't have the effect of discouraging you because they look too difficult to build, because it's possible to go much more basic and still get a very usable and fun result.
Regarding that tutorial posted earlier that uses some kind of pre-existing box, that is certainly one way of doing it, but I'd argue that building a box is so easy and inexpensive that it doesn't really make sense to base a whole project around some kind of box just because it happens to be available.
I built one a few years ago for my brother where I had a hard deadline (Christmas) to get it done, so I couldn't afford to go too crazy with the details (like art work.) I built a box and control panel out of white melamine board from Home Depot. I covered the control panel with some clear acrylic (I think it was ~1/8" thick, also from Home Depot). I spray painted the underside of the control panel cover black, so the end result was a shiny and smooth black surface. I installed t-molding around the edges of the melamine to trim it out. It was a simple design but it was clean and effective for little effort. Wish I had a photo but I don't.
There are many ways to build a box but an extremely simple way is to use a Kreg pocket hole jig. I'm pretty sure a chimpanzee could be trained to build a box with one, and the result is sturdy as hell.
Also, you'll really want a router if you don't have one, with flush trim and slot cutting bits (for t-molding, if you're using it).
Yea I am definitely going to just build a box at this point. Seems like the way to go. Im more concerned with picking the right parts at this point.. as I have 0 experience. Will be interesting to learn though. I really want something simple to start.. mainly to play shmups honestly
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57 minutes ago, doubledown said:
I'm sure the plastics could work well, depending on pricing for raw materials (I'm sure wood would probably be cheaper, but who knows), and then to determine how you would be fastening the pieces together. Obviously having a drill press can really help, the biggest problems would be hole accuracy, and cutting/drilling the holes, for the buttons and the joystick's shaft clearance hole. Button hole sizes required, will depend on the buttons selected, they're all a little different from one brand to another HAPP, iL, Groovy Game Gear, Ultimarc, and or any of the Japanese styles. For example old 4-piece arcade original leaf-switch push-buttons (available from ArcadeShop and others) need a hole >1.130", where as GGG Classx buttons are smaller at >1.068". For the joystick's clearance, most of the time you're safe somewhere between 1.125" -1.500", again depends on the stick. I would suggest getting your components, taking their actual measurements before you did any actual cutting/drilling. Obviously if you're drilling larger clearance holes, you're limited by the size of bit you can find, in my case, I can use a 1/4" or 3/8" end mill and make any hole exactly the size I want to the 0.0001". Just for further research for you (if you're into that sort of thing), here are a few places I buy new components from (I'm not affiliated with any, just a customer) so that you can see what's out there:
Mikes Arcade
Groovy Game Gear
Ultimarc
Focus Attack
Arcade Shop
Paradise Arcade Shop
Suzo Happ
Arcade Shock
...I'm sure there's a few others I'm forgetting. It can be slightly daunting if you actually are the type of person who would do research, take time and plan it out...but assume whatever you do, after you've done it, you'll have learned a few things, and/or disliked at least one thing about it, and want to make a 2nd one that's "better" in your mind...trust me! I don't know if you've checked out the link in my signature to my website which showcases my portfolio (not a store site, just a Google site with pics of what I've made), but it may provide some inspiration for you.
If at some point you get near a finish, and want to do some CPO artwork, depending on what you're looking to end up with let me know, I do all my own...literally. I may borrow some images from the internet, but most I digitally draw, print, laminate, apply double-sided adhesive sheeting, and trim for application (all at my house). I currently can do up to 9" x 16.75" so if you're looking for something for a control panel overlay, I'd be happy to help. I've provided some artwork for some others guys for their projects. Of course if you want just a plain colored housing that's fine too...just thought I'd offer.
Thank you thank you! Really appreciate all the info. And yes Im going to check out your site and let you know if I need anything at all. Artwork would be awesome
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2 hours ago, doubledown said:
All the custom ones that I've made, I've used Hammond Mfg., Aluminum sloped top, or Steel flat top, black powder-coated enclosures (depends on the size I need, and the depth required for the controls I'm using). I really prefer the metal enclosures, but then working with metal can be tough/impossible for some...I happen to have access to a CNC mill at work to make mine. Plus being factory powder-coated, I don't need to do any painting or other finishing to them. My personal feeling, and again simply my thoughts, a lot of the home-made controllers I've seen look a little too home-made for my tastes. I realize that I have an unfair advantage with access to a mill, but that's just my good fortune I guess. Obviously buying any enclosure (of any kind), you'll will be at the mercy of what is commercially available, if you make your own (from wood or other material), you can obviously build any size you want. One issue to consider with wood, depending on how big you make it (and thickness and species of wood), it can get heavy, potentially heavier than you would want in your lap for any long period of time.
I agree with you totally.. a lot of them do look very homemade. I do not have any CNC equipment.. but I do have a decent set of tools, drill press, band saw, etc. I have been thinking some kind of plastic like Lexan or PVC/ABS would be a good route. It will look alot cleaner than plywood I think. Seems like Hammond actually makes stuff like that as well
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Lol, promised the wife I would cut down on the electronics projects this year to lower the clutter and collection.. but this may have to be an exception. @doubledown, any advice on the box? Thats really the most confusing to me. I have seen some people use jewelry/cigar boxes... but I feel like my best bet is to build one from scratch out of wood. Or even better some kind of PVC/Lexan/etc and some kind of glue
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11 hours ago, doubledown said:
That is a pretty good guide, I feel the box is just a little smaller than I would like, especially if I considered 2 rows of buttons. Here's the layout I made upon actually testing comfort and ergonomics, and use when applicable (when I'm not replicating a specific arcade game layout).:
Again comfort and ergonomics is personal preference. I developed this from actual arcade layouts, info guides I found online, and actual print-out testing...and this is what works for me.
This is really good. Seems like a lot of people prefer to have more wrist/forearm space if possible.. which makes total sense. Alot of the premade ones seem like the controls are very forward on the board, closer to the player
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7 hours ago, Cynicaster said:
You could probably build a decent stick for under $100.
USB "zero delay" encoder - $20
Happ Competition joystick - $15
6 game buttons - $18
2 admin buttons - $4
controller box materials - $20
^^ those are the basics, for under $80. Artwork would be extra.
Or, just look for a used X-Arcade stick, which is basically the same thing only pre-made for you.
The advantage of sticks like these is you can easily replace sticks and buttons if/when they wear out, or even if you just want to try out a different brand of parts. My secondary MAME rig uses an X-Arcade stick with upgraded joysticks (the stock ones are admittedly not very good, but the buttons are fine).
Whatever you choose, I'd urge you to make sure it's something comfortable and sturdy. Having your controller flop around on your lap or slide around the coffee table because it's too small and light is not a recipe for fun, IMO.
You know.. I think I wanna build one
Do you think this guide is decent? http://terntek.com/blog/blog/2017/08/01/how-to-build-an-arcade-stick-for-pc-or-retropie/
Seems like its all in all not too much of a project. I have soldering skills and other electronic tools as I have done a lot of handheld console builds and such
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7 hours ago, Zoyous said:
Well, you mentioned you're not interested in fighters, so this might sound a bit odd in light of that, but... you might consider the Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro. It does have mostly fighting games built-in (plus 20 additional hidden games that include several Metal Slug games), but more relevant to your interests, you can connect it to a PC and simply use it as a controller if you're not interested in the built-in games. And from what I've heard the stick and buttons are pretty good quality... I've seen it recently for $110-120 new, so it can be found pretty near your price range.
I actually had no idea this existed. Very interesting. If the build is quality, you are getting games as a bonus which is really cool. On my radar now
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All good answers
I am starting to flirt with the idea of getting into speedrunning, 1cc attempts, etc and Im feeling like those things are nearly impossible without doing your practice runs using save states. Obviously when going for the actual run you wouldnt use them.. but I cant see how I can practice hards parts enough without using states. Like I said I previously really only used them when I wanted to shut down for the session and be able to pop back in. But Im thinking Ill have to be more lenient if I want to do some challenge type runs
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49 minutes ago, doubledown said:
Unfortunately this is very subjective to personal preference and your definition of "not absurdly expensive." The two biggest things to concern yourself with (once you've got a price in mind) will be the components used in the stick, and it's overall size and ergonomics. That being said, there are only so many "pre-built" options on the market...so unless you look into custom building one (or having one custom built), you're limited by what is currently available. Chances are, inexpensive sticks will feel inexpensive, and/or uncomfortable. More expensive options can/may feel and work a lot better...but then are obviously more expensive. Market prices probably range between $25 - $250-ish for pre-built sticks, and maybe in the range of $100 - $450 if you had something custom built. You really need to define/determine what you're looking to spend, what sort of games you're looking to play, and what you need controls-wise (i.e. number of joysticks/buttons/trak-ball and the likes).
That makes sense. Well firstly Ill play shmups, and other arcade games. I generally don't play any fighters. A 3 button may be fine, but 6 is likely ideal especially for genesis 6 button games or other arcades that used 6. Those buttons plus a good stick is really all I need. I would be fine going used as well, and I don't really want to spend over $100 if possible. Hoping that going used could help keep me in that range and still get something quality.
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2 minutes ago, AtariBrian said:
Just like anything in this world you can't have both good quality and cheap.
Well sure, which is why I said not absurdly expensive
Im fine spending money, but I dont think I need the highest quality, competition quality fightstick you know? I just want to play arcade games in my living room, non competitively. I just dont want the joystick to drift after 2 months, or have to toss the whole thing if something breaks and not be at all repairable in pieces.. if possible
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So I am in the market for an arcade stick that I can use on my lap or on my coffee table while playing emulators on my living room TV. I have a PC setup that I use while sitting back on the couch, and I normally just use controllers. Do you have any suggestions for a good quality but not absurdly expensive USB arcade stick? I would use it for things like MAME and well as shmups... or pretty much any games that would work well with it.
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So I have always been wary of using save states abusively, especially in older games. Many games with credit systems were designed at a certain difficulty based on X number of lives and continues, and save scumming just totally ruins that. Therefore, I have always used save states as the equivalent of 'leaving on my console'. Where if I have to stop playing for that session, and the game has no built in save mechanic, I would save my state to continue next time.. but never reload that state mid game or anything. Lately though I have been thinking, if my ultimate goal is to 1CC certain games, does it make sense to use save states in order to get a feel for each section of the game and beat it a few times.. then just try for 1CC runs without them? I am playing Castlevania: Bloodlines now and not using save states abusively.. and I am having to replay the early levels so many times just to get to the later levels that I am struggling with. Been thinking of just saving state at the later levels so I can practice them. I still havent beat the full game yet though. I know there are no rules to any of this clearly, but just wondering what you all do in order to not ruin games by abusing state saving, but still use some modern convenience.
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For me its the XB1 controller for anything from PS1 emulation to modern pc games. Anything earlier I use a SNES controller converted to USB. Only exception is Ill use my 6 button Genesis controller for games that utilize it.
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I bought one used on LetGo a few months ago. It wouldnt read a single disc. I opened it, use compressed air on everything, then cleaned the lens with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol and a cotton swab. It hasnt failed to read a single disc since. I highly recommend doing this yourself. Its very easy and fixes read errors pretty often it seems
Its not to say that I wont ever play fighters or beat em ups, its just that my current motivation for an arcade stick setup is to play shooters and run n guns. I am not sure how that effects my choices, as I am not particularly nostalgic for a certain feel at this point...
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Can anyone share thoughts/feedback on those modern emulation consoles?
in Gaming General Discussion
Posted
Exactly. Plus the used market is flooded with old PC parts. You can use Aliexpress/Ebay and build a small PC for a few hundred bucks. Mine has parts from around 2011 and runs everything up to PS1/N64 flawlessly. I have a 2011 era i7 cpu and a pretty crappy Radeon GPU just for a bit of an up scaling boost for 3d consoles.