TABLECADE DeLUXE 2

INFORMATION PAGE

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Are you bored with your PC and console games? Have they just become so complex, that they are no longer fun to play? or do you just wish you could play the games you played in your youth?.What many of us would like, is the chance to have an arcade at home, but cost and space prevent many of use from ever doing something about it, but here is an affordable solution, one which will transport you back to the dawn of arcade videogames, and offer you not one classic game, but the possibility of a whole videogame arcade in a single cabinet, all played in the comfort of your own home or office.Just think, no longer will you spend hours reading instruction manuals, games from this era are simple to learn, and yet offer a challenge even to the best game players, but most of all, they are games which you will enjoy playing, and come back to again and again.

Do you remember playing any of these all time classics? ....

It's possible to play all of these and more!

NEW!! Version 3 adds the following...

In my continued efforts to squeeze the most playability out of the same system, I have now made a revision to the system, which adds an additonal pre-configured game selection menu (Not Mame™), giving you the ability to play around 90 extra games (subject to the same conditions).These are mostly 90's shoot em ups, some Japanese, as well as a few puzzle, and fight games, there are also a few adult themed games, which can be removed from the menu if required.For details on these games, check the game lists (there maybe a couple of duplicates which haven't been removed).To avoid problems, and make it easy to use, all of the games on this new menu have been configured for single player only, due to most requiring simultaneous play.An additional fire button will now also be provided (As seen in the non animated image below) on the main player controls, as required by many of these, this will also dispense with the previous workaround on the few existing games which needed 3 buttons, of remapping the controls to make use of the 2 player start button as a 3rd button.

Building game cabinets has been a hobby of mine for over 7 years, initially just for family and friends, and now of course I'm prepared to build them for others that want one.It's fair to say, that I'm a real classic gaming enthusiast, which comes from having spent my early years growing up as the videogame industry was evolving, and from living near to a popular seaside resort, with lots of amusement arcades.I have a vast collection of original game PCB's, commercial packages, and all manner of retro electronic games and computers.Of course the games of today are amazing graphical wonders, as the technology to power them has evolved, but despite this, many people, especially of my generation, still find there's something missing, gameplay, and it's for that reason that many people are going back to the old classics, which thanks to PC and emulation technology, and the *use of the original game code, are as much fun to play now, as they were 20 years ago, and that is what this cabinet is all about, fun.It basically provides you with a completely self contained cabinet, with all the nescessary PC hardware, controls, and interfaces required to be able to play many of these great games again.Of course you can do all of this on your desktop PC, but it's just not the same.So, to find out more about this cabinet, please make a selection from the menu below on the left.

MENU

Please select from the options below, to return to this menu at any time, simply use the back button on your browser

• How is it made?

• How does it work?

• What games will it play? and what you need to know about emulation

• Is it easy to use?

• What is the cost / spec?

• Why collection?

• Contact details

• Mame usage licence

HOW IS IT MADE ?

Well of course it started with the design, my goal was to make a tabletop cabinet, which worked in a similar way to the original cocktail tables, only smaller, and more attractive, so that it wouldn't look out of place within the home or office, and so that it looked more like an item of furniture, than an arcade machine.It's constructed using Pine, Particle Board, and MDF, and is constructed in a similar way to the original machines.The whole cabinet is built around a pine coffee table frame, with the sides made from particle boards, and then covered with easy wipe clean wood effect vinyl.The control panels are formed from MDF, since it's hardwearing, and these are mounted at an angle which allows for comfortable play.The cabinet is then hand painted, with around 2-3 coats to give a durable and attractive finish.During the drying time the PC hardware is setup and tested, ready for installation, the components are removed from the case, which allows me to keep the cabinet size down.The monitor is also removed from it's casing, and mounted within a wooden frame, in a similar way to the originals, after which the controls are then all soldered up.The final job is to fit all the trims, and of course the glass top, and then test it all.The process is obviously not as simple as that, and does infact take about a week, and each is individually handbuilt.There are of course quite a few similar cabinets, but not many are so well made, most of which although quite nice on the outside, are simply MDF cabinets on the large US cocktail table design, with a PC and monitor wedged inside.

HOW DOES IT WORK ?

Hmm, this is the technical bit, but I shall do my best to explain it as simply as possible..

OK, as you may or may not know this cabinet works, not by using original game hardware, but by emulation software using a PC.There are many different types of emulators, but the way they work is basically the same, they allow a PC to operate as a different piece of 'virtual' hardware, in this case a real arcade machine.The software emulates all of the parts of the PCB, microprocessors etc, that made up the hardware system of the original game cabinet, this has a great advantage, realiability, since the game hardware is emulated, it can never fail, compare this with the actual games themselves, many of which are over 20 years old, and therefore near the end of the life span.Still with me? good, one of the problems however with the very early games was creating sounds, and so before the days of chips capable of generating all of the effects, they used seperate discrete circuits for each sound.Emulating these circuits is extremely hard, and therefore emulation has solved this problem by using sound samples, these are basically high quality recordings made from an original game, converted for use with a PC!.As you can imagine the more complex a game is, the more work there is for the PC to do, which is why I use a PC system, powerful enough to be able to handle the emulation of these early games, which the cabinet is designed to play.My cabinets work in a version of pure DOS, since I like to have the same feel of an original machine, something you obviously won't have using Windows, this also enhances startup speed, helps with reliability (no windows conflicts!), and avoids the problems of owning a Windows OS licence.However, as you'd expect, software capable of emulating games in DOS, is not going to be very easy to use on it's own, and indeed it's not, imagine typing something like this everytime you wanted to play a game...

c:\

cd vantage

vantage pacman -soundcard 1 -samplerate 22050 -scanlines -vesa2  (you get the idea!)

So, instead my cabinet uses a customised 'front end' menu, which has been especially adapted by myself for this cabinet, in simple terms this means that when you want to play a game, you just select it from a list within the menu, then behind the scenes the front end software generates the DOS command line for that game.However to set all this up to work correctly, takes a lot of time, as each game may require many different settings, resolutions, orientations, so you'll be pleased to know that I have done this for you for each and every game.Of course the emulator simply emulates the hardware the game was designed to run on, what you then need is the game itself..

WHAT GAMES IS IT ABLE TO PLAY ?

This cabinet was originally designed to play the games offered on the original cocktail cabinets, however since then it's evolved, and is now able to include many which were played on upright cabinets.It's been especially configured for playing the all time classics, games from the mid - late 70's (The bronzeage of videogaming, some in glorious monchrome!) to the mid 80's, with some even from the 90's.Now, I've already explained in simple terms how emulation works, but that as you may remember merely turns the PC into a videogame hardware system, or videogame computer, so what about the software, the game itself?

On the original cabinets, the game software, or code, wasn't stored on CD's or Floppy Discs, it was programmed onto ROM chips.To make use of these for emulation, and also for producing new ROM chips as an aid in game restoration, the code contained on these chips, has been extracted, and converted into a file format for use on a PC, ROM images.So now, thanks to a lot very talented and dedicated people, there is now a huge archive of original preserved game code, after all, videogames are as much of an important part of our culture now, as music.The last time you'd have seen most of these games was probably 15 or more years ago, quite simply most of these would simply not exist without emulation.

Because emulators use the original game code, the game looks and sounds just as the original machine you'd have played did, but the code itself is also copyrighted, and therefore so are the ROM images, and despite the fact many of the manufacturers no longer exist, the copyright does, so to use ROM images legally is generally understood to mean that you own an original game or PCB, own a commercial emulation package which uses those ROM images, or have obtained a licenced copy for your own personal use, ie from StarRoms.Due to the complex nature of emulation, it may have been nescessary for me to install some ROMs which I am entitled to use, to enable me to configure games settings, and demonstrate the cabinet, but you are reminded that you should remove any of these that YOU are not legally entitled to own.They are provided at no charge, since they must never be sold, hence they are freely available for download for personal use, subject to the conditions.

So, back to the original question, what games will it play? Well in all, its possible to play around 300 classics, all of which are listed below.There are 3 seperate lists, this is due to the multi emulator system I use, the first being a list of games which are playable with or without the use of Mame (TM), some of these are duplicated in the other lists, so assuming you're OK to use Mame, ie you do not intend using it for commercial use, these duplicates can be removed from the first menu.*update* there is now an additional  4th game menu, which adds around 90 games.

An impressive list I'm sure you'll agree, but just in case you're thinking 'I'm sure I've seen other cabinets which play 5000 games?' let me explain why that number isn't actually true.

1. Mame™, which is the biggest emulator, does indeed emulate over 5000 games, however around half of these are simply clones of the same game, with maybe just a different name!

2. Many games are Japanese, not simply Japanese games, but actually in Japanese and so may not be playable.

3. The main purpose of an emulator is to document the hardware, not to make games playable, and quite simply, there are a lot of games which don't work, they may start up, but are not playable, or may have missing sound or graphics, due to not having been fully emulated.

4. Some games will simply not be playable due to the processing power required, and run so slowly as to be unplayable, indeed there some games which won't work even on a 3ghz PC!.This cabinet is not able to, and is not intended to play, recent games

5. Finally, to legally use any of these games, it is required that you own them as the original games, or PCBs, and I don't know of anyone with a collection that large.Personally I own around 250 games, either as PCB's (some of which I sell), and others as commercial emulation packages, which use the original game roms.

So if like me you prefer quality over quantity, you'll be pleased to know, that only games which are fully working, have been pre-configuredand..

EASY TO USE ?

Extremely so, but even so, I provide the buyer with an instruction manual, but quite simply, you plug it in and switch on, the cabinet will automatically boot up, and then load my menu system.From here on everything is controlled using the joystick and buttons, no keyboard, no mouse!.The menu, due to it's size has several different navigation options, move the joystick up or down, will scroll the list up or down, moving the joystick left or right, will page the list up or down (ie a screen at a time).Pressing either fire button reveals the other menus.All the time the current game is highlighted in the list, once you've chosen a game, simply press the 1 player start button to confirm and load the game.Once the 'attract' mode is running, simply insert a coin, by pressing the credit button, and then play.When you've finished with a game, simply press the exit button, and you'll be taken back to the menu.A lot of cabinets use a menu system called Arcade OS, which although very good, looks more like a windows system, so I decided to use a specially customised menu system, which is much simpler, and easier to use, it's also has a nice plain look, with a larger font, and helps add to the arcade feel.You also now have the option of viewing some video intro's whilst the cabinet is starting up, nice eye candy, but since they delay the menu start, it's an option, rather than the default.Some cabinets have an authentic arcade sound in the background, all adding to the overall experience, those using PCI  sound devices do not usually have this feature, but have slightly improved sound quality.

CABINET SPECIFICATIONS:

Standard Cabinet cost is now £450 with used controls, with spec as follows...

Construction: The cabinet is made from from pine, particle board, and MDF.cabinet panels are covered with wood effect vinyl, and finished with black UPVC trims.The top is finished with 6mm 'semi' toughened, grey tinted glass for safety and improved visual clarity.The top is hinged for access to the major parts, and the control panels are removable should you need to replace either a joystick, buttons, or microswitches, or on some cabinets access the FDD.

Size: (approx) L 31.5" / 800mm x H 20" / 510mm x W 23.5" / 595 mm

It will fit into most hatchbacks and estate cars, or of course a small or large van, but please do not bring a motorbike!

PC: Refurbished PII/PIII/Celeron based systems, using 100mhz SDRAM, and where possible I prefer to use ATI AGP graphics

Montitor: Quality used 15" SVGA

Sound: Generally ESS Technology or Creative Sound Blaster sound

Other Features: Volume Control, access to FDD, 80's amusement arcade background sound when on menu, startup 'eye candy' video

Controls: Genuine arcade quality joysticks and buttons by various brands, Happs, Suzo, Cherry etc, all fully tested / refurbished

Since this cabinet uses new, and refurbished parts, it is not possible to offer any guarantee, however that's not to say that should you ever have a problem, that I will not try my best to help, and indeed you are more than welcome to return it for repair.Fortunately I'm proud to say that with over 7 years experience in building game cabinets for hobby, this has only been nescessary once.Also I normally have spares about, should you need to replace anything.

Upgrades: This cabinet comes with quality used controls, the design of which may differ from those seen in the pictures, the button colour scheme may also differ from those shown.If you wish, you can upgrade to all brand new joysticks and buttons for an additional £40, these will usually be like those seen in the photo's, and are of the same quality as those used on the XArcade line of products.

Toughened safety glass, with machined edges, really a must if you have young children around, an additional £30.I do not use perspex or similar, simply because it is easily scratched.

COLLECTION:

So why do I insist on collection? well there are a number of reasons really.Firstly I've used a couple of respected transport companies previously, at the buyers insistance, both have resulted in the cabinets being badly damaged, despite being well packaged, and ultimately were sent back to me to repair, for which of course I have to charge.Unfortunately most carrier companies are not equipped to handle these sort of items safely, and are more suited to boxed items, and to 'crate' this item would cost you a lot of money.Secondly arranging delivery is expensive, it is usually much cheaper to collect, even if it's a long distance, and since I can normally be very flexible with collection times, it needn't interfere with your working day.Finally I think it's important for the customer to see how it all works, and it actually working, this allows me to give you a full demonstration, and also offer any further help, or even add a personal message if it's for a gift, or a business name, if it's for corporate use.

I'm located approx 14 miles from either J11 M1 or J20 M25, so accessible from most areas, although I appreciate it could be quite a journey for some.

CONTACT DETAILS:

Email:

tablecade at davesvideoarcade.co.uk (replace at with @)

or if via ebay, mrcoinop at talktalk.net (replace at with @)

Due to rather a lot of timewasters calling, I will only provide my contact number to those ordering, but since most information is quite technical, it's much easier to explain by email, than a phone or text call in any case.

MAME LICENCE:

Any games mentioned, and all game images remain the trademark and copyright of their respective manufacturers.

Mame™ is FREEWARE, but is now a pending/registered trademark on behalf of the Mame Development Team

I fully respect their new licence and terms, I simply provide people with the hardware required to use emulation within an authentic self contained, user friendly enviroment for their own personal use.It is not provided with or designed for use with any coin acceptance system (Commercial/Operated Use).It is not my intention to in any way promote piracy, merely to allow owners of videogame PCB's, like myself to be able to play all of their owned games in one small cabinet, without the need to use various harnesses and Jamma adaptors.If a game that has been installed for demonstration, that you do not own a PCB for, or are licenced to use, then it must be removed.This cabinet operates using Freeware software, or software of my own design, therefore the price is to cover the cost of build only, ie materials and time, no profit is made, and no charge has been made for any of the software.These are not produced on a commercial basis, I am not a business or trader, they are individually hand built to order on a hobbyist basis, by an enthusiast, with a passion for the retro gaming.

It is possible for me to build a cabinet which does not use Mame if required, which will offer a smaller selection of games, email for details

Although Daves Video Arcade kindly hosts this site, it accepts no responsibility for it's content whatsoever.