1-Up Arcade Cabinets (mods possible)

[Oregon Pacifist]

I noticed these guys at Walmart for $300 and it immediately caught my interest. I'm thinking about getting one at some point so I can mod it with quality buttons/ sticks and make a mini-MAME cabinet out of it. Does anyone else have one of these and if so, have you modded it?

Here is a video that goes over how to mod one of these using Raspberry Pi/ MAME:

 

[Zoyous]

These cabinets have beautiful artwork, but there are a few problems. The artwork on the control panel rubs off quickly (Arcade1up is offering a plastic overlay on request). Also, the control panels are completely horizontal, instead of having a standard shallow angle, so they can become uncomfortable to use for extended play sessions. The fiberboard is quite thin and light, so these cabinets can wobble when being played. There is only one speaker and two volume settings. Finally, the built-in games are drawn to the display using a "nearest neighbor" interpolation, resulting in inconsistent pixel sizes sometimes. However, I do like that these are being made and I hope Arcade1up will continue to refine and improve them.

After researching these, I ended up getting an Alpha 3/4 cabinet from Rec Room Masters, which is a similar size but made of much sturdier materials and higher quality controls. It's wider, making two-player games more comfortable. It's a bit more expensive, and you have to provide your own display, speakers and CPU. I put a 200 watt subwoofer in mine and it sounds awesome! The cabinet artwork isn't nearly as good, but eventually I'll order some custom artwork. Overall I'm really happy with it.

 

[Oregon Pacifist]

These cabinets have beautiful artwork, but there are a few problems. The artwork on the control panel rubs off quickly (Arcade1up is offering a plastic overlay on request). Also, the control panels are completely horizontal, instead of having a standard shallow angle, so they can become uncomfortable to use for extended play sessions. The fiberboard is quite thin and light, so these cabinets can wobble when being played. There is only one speaker and two volume settings. Finally, the built-in games are drawn to the display using a "nearest neighbor" interpolation, resulting in inconsistent pixel sizes sometimes. However, I do like that these are being made and I hope Arcade1up will continue to refine and improve them.

After researching these, I ended up getting an Alpha 3/4 cabinet from Rec Room Masters, which is a similar size but made of much sturdier materials and higher quality controls. It's wider, making two-player games more comfortable. It's a bit more expensive, and you have to provide your own display, speakers and CPU. I put a 200 watt subwoofer in mine and it sounds awesome! The cabinet artwork isn't nearly as good, but eventually I'll order some custom artwork. Overall I'm really happy with it.

Thanks for the insight. I wasn't aware about the control panel artwork rubbing out. I definitely wouldn't want that and would gladly take the protective plastic. I played a demo unit at my local Walmart and didn't even notice the fact that the panel was completely horizontal. I definitely expect some wobbliness considering the small size of the cabinet itself. I wasn't aware of the monitor doing the "nearest neighbor" interpolation either but when I was playing the unit in-person, I didn't even notice and thought it looked nice and clear.

I'll look into the website you mentioned and make an educated decision as to what to ultimately purchase.

 

[Zoyous]

Here's a good thread to keep an eye on regarding some of the hidden games found in the Arcade1up cabs, various mods people are doing, and so forth: http://atariage.com/forums/topic/27...ade-cabinets-to-see-release-this-fall/page-67

 

[Kodama]

If you're gonna mod the hell out of it, it seems cheaper and overall better to stay away from this thing and just buy/make your own cabinet rather than spend 300 bucks on essentially plastic and a cheap screen/speaker...

But if you are comfortable with this as is and just wanna mod in some games, then I guess it's a worthy investment. Too short for me honestly and I'd rather get something more solid for that kinda money...

 

[Oregon Pacifist]

If you're gonna mod the hell out of it, it seems cheaper and overall better to stay away from this thing and just buy/make your own cabinet rather than spend 300 bucks on essentially plastic and a cheap screen/speaker...

But if you are comfortable with this as is and just wanna mod in some games, then I guess it's a worthy investment. Too short for me honestly and I'd rather get something more solid for that kinda money...

I know exactly what you mean. The size is appealing to me because my kids can comfortably use it and I've got a small frame so it shouldn't be a problem. I would get the plastic cover for the control panel though. Here are the good things about the 1-up Arcade cabinet:

1. Official artwork on the cabinet
2. Easy to assemble
3. LCD monitor included. It's decent quality but not stellar. It'll get the job done.
4. Pre-drilled holes for buttons/ sticks (not a full DIY project)
5. Includes speaker (which isn't great but again, gets the job done).

Here's what I plan to do with it:

1. Follow ETA Prime's mod tutorial; install Raspberry Pi, new sticks/ buttons.
2. Only load roms on it that take advantage of the stick/ button layout (mostly fighters and brawlers). Pac-Man would not be a great fit because of the 8-directional stick.
3. Install folding cup holders on the sides of the cabinet.
4. If the included speaker sound horrendous in my home, I'll upgrade it to a decent pair of PC speakers.

If placed in a corner at a 45 degree angle, it should help with the wobbliness of the cabinet during intense sessions.

All in all, the whole project should cost a little under $500 which is cheaper than a lot of other arcade projects can run.

 

[Zoyous]

If you're gonna mod the hell out of it, it seems cheaper and overall better to stay away from this thing and just buy/make your own cabinet rather than spend 300 bucks on essentially plastic and a cheap screen/speaker...

Not really. Personally, I'm pretty handy with woodworking, so I'm capable of building my own cabinet. But there's no way you'll come up with something that is of a comparable functionality and appearance at this price point. Not to mention the time involved. As for the smaller form factor, I think it's brilliant. It's comfortable to play on seated, and there are optional risers if you prefer standing. I'm 6'6" so even a full size cab is too short for comfort. Plus, I don't want something so heavy and unwieldy that I need another grown man to help me move it around.

Basically every forum on the internet has someone saying "you might as well build something from scratch" when the topic of these cabinets come up. But there are plenty of people who just want something that's plug-and-play, and quite a few people who want something that's an attractive starting point that they can then enjoy modding and tinkering on.

On the other hand, there are quite a few "from scratch" MAME cabinets that are so bad, so ill-conceived and poorly executed, that they make you feel embarrassed just looking at them. So all in all I think this a great product - imperfect, yes, but a welcome option in the marketplace.