I learned everything I needed to know about making arcade controls from http://www.arcadecontrols.com. Excellent website. My sticks go to a PS1 DS controller, and to my computer through a USB converter. If you decide to go this route, be sure to use an official PS controller, else there will be input lag through the converter.
OK, How exactly do you obtain the 'hardware' for running the game board? Or is the game board the hardware itself? I've always thought the game board, and hardware were two different things, and if you would like to change a game, you just change the wiring to the next game board. Wow, I really sound like an uber-n00b here.. But it's really really interesting and I don't mind cashing out for all the things I need to build me one of those babies
A Supergun is something you plug the game board into. You would need to buy a Supergun, the game board, and joysticks if they weren't included with your SG. As for where to get these, I don't really know of the best place. Ebay would be a good start. If you're looking to build your own SG, the site that colour_thief posted is probably the best one. http://chadsarcade.co.uk/oldsite/Superg ... nIndex.htm
So the SuperGun IS like the 'hardware' itself.. I thought it was 'like' Sega's Linderberg running different games like House of the Dead 4, Virtua Tennis 3, and etc. etc. I recall there was a link for TGM1 gameboard over the the JP Ebay.. Seems 'reasonably' priced, and WAS tempted to get it.. I'll have to think about this and get a soldering pro to do up the wiring for me.. I'm googling up Ebay US "supergun" and wow, I found it. http://cgi.ebay.com/Arcade-supergun-mot ... dZViewItem http://cgi.ebay.com/ARCADE-SUPERGUN-FOR ... dZViewItem Such a tiny unit to run the game board. So buy game, hook up to board, hook everything else TV/monitor, and we're ready to jam yeah? How exactly do you obtain games? I thought you need a license for that or something.. Or like from an official distrubutor.. And roughly, how much? Thanks guys, great info -sihumchai
By buying an old arcade cabinet, removing its game board, and inserting your game's board. Pretend that each arcade game board is a separate console. Many of these can play only one game, but a few (Neo-Geo, Capcom Play System) can play multiple games from cartridges. Supergun seems to be an adapter to use JAMMA arcade boards with more widely available consumer hardware. As for game pricing: It varies. Just about everywhere that doesn't ban video games outright *cough*Greece*cough*, you can buy a lawfully made game board on eBay and then run it privately on free play mode. In some (not all) countries, you may need to buy a separate license to connect your game to a coin slot; in others, this license to publicly perform is attached to the game board. And please convert your eBay URLs to use the syntax. Otherwise, you're widening the board.
Aw man, sorry, I can't edit the post. Anyways, I think it's damn cool to set up an 'arcade' over at your home theater. Just a little box with a game board on top of it, now that's pretty f%@#$ cool man. I don't really understand the "how to build a Supergun" site. Especially the part on "what you roughly need".. Looks like I'll have to get one over from Ebay, and see what I can do about it.. Not too soon tho'.. *huge sigh* Maybe if I'm really lazy, I'd have to save up some huge cash for an arcade cabinet and the game board. Now that would suck.
What american people call a "Supergun" is "just" a power supply unit with basic bridge input to the monitor and controller. JAMMA is an acronym for "Japanese Amusement Machine Manufacturers' Association" and is a 80's connectic unified standard for Arcade game ... it should me more appropriate to call it an "arcade JAMMA system"... Anyway there is no strong hardware inside, and this is why you can find lot of scheme for easy and personnal build... The Real Hardware is on the game PCB : Not designed for large public sell, they don't have box protection (or rarely) and produced in very limited quantities. the real value is not the supergun, but the game PCB itself cause each piece is like a "collector item"... really difficult to find, and near impossible to repair...
Well, do you guys actually know where to find purchases of TGM1/2/3 PCBs(and others maybe)? Maybe it comes in bulk sales from a specific distributor? TGM3 uses different hardware? Not JAMMA? Or rather, a slightly modded JAMMA to include 4-buttons? We're already off-topic, maybe CT could split these posts.
They're related enough to keep together I think, at least for now. Like Jago said, there's nothing too much inside the supergun. Power supply, speaker, video converter, and joysticks. And fuses for safety. I chose to build my own because a lot of them are set up for European TVs for some reason. Also, I didn't want to pay for bad joysticks. <a href="http://img226.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bottom2kc.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/2397/bottom2kc.th.jpg" border="0"></a> <a href="http://img164.imageshack.us/my.php?image=top9an.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/1936/top9an.th.jpg" border="0"></a> <a href="http://img226.imageshack.us/my.php?image=innards5ft.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/6906/innards5ft.th.jpg" border="0"></a> <a href="http://img164.imageshack.us/my.php?image=outtards5ng.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/1244/outtards5ng.th.jpg" border="0"></a> <a href="http://img226.imageshack.us/my.php?image=connections7wj.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/5516/connections7wj.th.jpg" border="0"></a> <a href="http://img226.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screen7rw.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/4430/screen7rw.th.jpg" border="0"></a> As for buying the games, your only option is Japanese PCB shops (they deal in used games) or Japanese auction sites. The only game you could get from a distributor would be the latest (TGM3) and it would cost a crazy amount of money to buy it new.
The free, but illegal, alternative to a Supergun is emulation. Not sure on the rules of discussing emulators/roms on this forum though, so all I will say is that there are roms for TGM, TGM2, and TGM2+ out there somewhere. Good luck finding them if you decide to go this route.
Unfortunately even with the best case scenario of using a serial port with your controller, there is lag present in emulation. It shouldn't be of concern to you right now (I couldn't feel it until well after I became Gm), but it eventually becomes quite noticeable. It's hard to do a good time attack when your reaction time is being artificially increased by a few frames. This issue is actually my greatest concern of MAME. Slight lag is harmless in Pac-Man, but it really hits TGM hard. I guess it would affect any game played seriously... It's just that, say, Death Mode isn't actually intended to be played any other way. In a hypothetical distant future TGM games could become practically extinct... And laggy emulation wouldn't be able to preserve the true experience. Ah well, hopefully they'll resolve the issue before then.
A properly wired bidi parallel port is guaranteed lag-free on a real-time operating system, but PC makers have lately skimped on parallel ports, thinking that they would be used primarily to drive printers.
Suprisingly, I don't get any input lag from my PS1 -> USB connection. I'm a Street Fighter fanatic, and 1 frame links and cancels become a necessity in high level play, but I have no problem pulling them off with the same timing as I use in arcades.
Native software should be pretty responsive... It's the actual emulation that's responsible for the lag somehow. I'm not entirely sure of the technical reasons but there's a nice thread <A HREF="http://www.bannister.org/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=000059">here</A>. Here's some averaged reactions times measured with different setups: Code: 189ms Video, NES on TV 194ms Video, NES on video capture 227ms Video, emulator using custom serial joypad 236ms Video, emulator using keyboard 254ms Video, emulator using keyboard, vsync enabled 231ms Video, emulator using custom serial joypad, vsync enabled Obviously that's not concrete proof, but the largest gap between actual hardware and emulation was 65 ms, or about a 4 frame lag.
Ah. Well then, I must admit defeat. haha Doesn't explain how I am just as consistent on computer as arcade, but it does make sense. So the emulation route has a drawback. It is still probably the most practical option for most people...
