Retro Space arcade cabinet dispenses with (most of) the throwback formalities
Yeah, we get it, those arcade glory years were indeed glorious, but we're a bit past the point of needing a retro cabinet at home large enough to house an entire army of quarter gremlins just to rock a bit of MAME standing up. Retro Space chucks the cabinet chubbiness, keeps all those mashy buttons, robust joysticks and spinny white ball things we know and love, and adds in a full-powered PC and a 24-inch 1920 x 1200 LCD. It's a tad bit boxy, but we'll probably manage to overlook that for another decade or two. No word on price, but expect something in the two or three thousand dollar range.
[Via Boing Boing Gadgets]
[Via Boing Boing Gadgets]



















Building a full size MAME cabinet is still near the top of my lifetime To-Do list. It's a ridiculously expensive novelty, sure, but dammit it's fun!
trust me, you will get much more satisfaction and play time out of it if you build it yourself. that said, i'd still trade it to get the tip of my finger back....
Wait, so where do you put in the quarters?
You can actually build one for pretty cheap assuming you have a spare computer and monitor or tv sitting around. My cab cost less then $250 in materials, though it is pretty plain looking. It's really the details like coin doors and custom vinyl art that add up.
How much does this thing cost? I want one!!
"...but expect something in the two or three thousand dollar range."
the cabinet could use some artwork.
Your avatar could use some color.
"Your avatar could use some color."
Says the person with no color to speak of in his avatar.
when engadget starts writing articles about my avatar, i'll dress it up a bit k?
I like it. Less floorspace than a regular cab but retains all the good stuff. I'm not sure how interested I am in standing up for extended gaming sessions these days but at least now condo dwellers or people with limited floorspace can scratch that MAME cabinet itch.
Go to Wal-Mart and get some $10 barstools. Problem solved! (Or considering the scratch you put down for this thing in the first place, get some nice comfy ones from an actual furniture dealer.)
Theoretically...
Ben Hect could build a cabinet and put a PC inside that runs Crysis and instead of a joystick and buttons, you'd have a keyboard and mouse.
Then the artwork on the side could be of Nomad in his nanosuit.
Can you imagine what that would be like?
Probably almost exactly like the Games for Windows Crysis demo I saw at Microsoft's Digital Life booth last year?
Yeah I can imagine it. It would be like standing up and playing Crysis.
So, completely awful.
Better be damn durable - I beat the hell outta those buttons when I was 10.
cause u were using it wrong :P
Dude, I got 100 extra lives in exchange for humpin' a turtle. I was doin' it right.
clearly you weren't
Hey man, whatever an Italian plumber decides to do after downing a couple of shrooms is between him and his princess..
Much as I try to avoid being a grammar nazi, in the interests of education I'd like to point out that you don't need the word 'bit' after tad. A tad is a small amount (a little bit, if you like), so this is like saying 'a little bit bit'.
dude, don't talk about your johnson
I was in the market for a big yellow monolith my wife would demand I keep in the basement. Perfect!
Grow some balls and stop letting your wife dictate where you put your toys.
....since when do I need a full HD monitor to run old arcade games? It'd almost be cheaper to get 320x200 bricks :^).
Since its a full-powered PC, you may want to do other things on it, including plugging in a keyboard and mouse.
The 1920x1200 display resolution makes for better looking 'vector scan' based games. Like Battlezone or Star Wars. Since those games are rendered with lines, not pixels.
Looks like a copy of my slim cabinet I build about 5 years ago.
http://www20.brinkster.com/mymame/
@mike
www.NoOneGivesAShit.com
@phanbouy - umm, then why click on this post? (unless you're just trollin')
@Jason - umm, because both bragging and spam in the same post is extra lame? (unless you're just clueless')
You're right it's bragging - unless it actually just looks similar, which it does.
You're right it's spam - unless it's totally related to the topic and posted by joe schmo hobbyist.
If you're not interested in MAME projects, then by all means waste your time being a jackass on a post about a MAME project. GTFO, troll!
sure, they're similar in design in the same way a road bike and mountain bike both have a chain and two wheels. copied, my ass. this one looks better. ;p
Oh, I see it now. I somehow read right over the word "copy" like it wasn't there. Sorry, mike, but I've seen a bunch of MAMEs like yours - and many well before your circa 1999-designed website came out.
Why I did I have to fail along with you??
I kind of like the boxy. It is in itself a very retro look. Especially with the yellow color scheme.
So... are you supposed to bolt that thing to the wall? Because it doesn't look stable in the least.
I guess it's fine if you're playing Ms. Pac Man, but I wouldn't want friends play SF2 or Track & Field on that thing, I'd be too afraid the entire thing would topple!
So... are you supposed to bolt that thing to the wall? Because it doesn't look stable in the least.
I guess it's fine if you're playing Ms. Pac Man, but I wouldn't want friends play SF2 or Track & Field on that thing, I'd be too afraid the entire thing would topple!
I'm out, simply because it breaks playing MK3. At least with my X-Arcade I can have a proper RUN button, even if I do have 2 BLOCK buttons.
How about some OLED buttons a la Optimus Maximus that change to display their function based on what game you're playing.