Finally - a real update!!!!

So yeah . . . it's been a slow year for the arcade.  But it IS still moving.  Progress on the space mural, as well as the Horizons cab.  I've got the control panel front cover and the back access door installed.  All that's left to finish on the cab is the filler panel between the control panel front and the keyboard drawer, a filler between the screen bezel and the control panel top, a little painting and the first cab will be at 100% completion!!

Well . . . I still have to finish up the batch file front-end for Horizons as well, but that's not a big deal, really.  Once this cab is finished, I'll most likely start work on either the cocktail cab or the Hyper 3D pinball cab.  Stay tuned!!

Long time, no post!

Yeah, it's been a friggin' eternity since the last time I put anything up on the blog (or the website). So much has happened over the last few months; almost every 'hobby' has been put off. The reason for this is that there's a new baby in the arcade!! Gabriel Joseph, born April 16, 2012. He's taken most of my attention, and of course the schoolwork has continued to be significant time-eater as well. I have also embarked on a new chapter in my work life as well. I'm now a data programmer for a major clinical research firm.

What can I say? Too busy to make the arcade dream progress to another level. That's not to say that I haven't been planning / thinking about it. This week I will accquire the PC that will be used for the eventual 4-player mega-cab. When I get done, this beast should literally play thousands of arcade games through MAME, along with Rogue Synapse's versions of Space Paranoids and The Last StarFighter.

Hopefully the next project I will show will be the addition of more black light sconces, progress on the space mural and the completion of the Horizons Cab. Stay tuned!!

Mini Arcade Tour

I thought it would be fun to create a little video of the arcade space, to show the slow but steady progress. Hopefully I can make some good progress during Christmas, as I'll finally have some time off from work and school. Check out the vid below!

Fun with Ms.Pacman

Went to our local arcade recently (yes, we actually have an arcade!), owned by a local pizzeria (Valentino's). Once there, my friend Rick and I enjoyed a few games of Ms.Pacman. The machine's DIP switches were set for ultra-fast game play, and Ms.Pac flew around the mazes at an astonishing rate. Check out the video that Rick filmed . . . please forgive the quality, as my phone isn't that great for videos.





Anyway, it was fun while it lasted. It's just a little too bad that I suck at Ms.Pacman!

Gathering the talents. . .

I know, I know. . . . it's been an insanely long time since I've posted on the blog (or the website). But between a new job that keeps me ultra-busy and taking night classes (I'm about a 3/4-time student), it leaves little time or energy to work on my beloved arcade. Fear not! I'm gearing up to get some things done soon.

I have acquired a couple PCs for use as cabs:  An older HP  that will be used for the video pinball cab (see earlier post). An NEC that will most likely be used in a cocktail cab that I have planned, and tan IBM unit with see duty in the Horizon's sister cab, called 'Vertigo'.

Anyway, the Horizons cab is almost completed and I have new pics to post soon. I will also be adding to the 'Cab Tech' section of my website, and will include some good shots of the Horizon build.

3D Pinball Cab Concept Sketch

So I have been thinking about what the next cabinet is going to be. Since I won't be able to afford a real pinball cabinet anytime, I wanted to make a cabinet based on a pinball emulation that, to me, is about the best I've ever played. Produced back in the mid-90's, Hyper-3D Pinball was awesome! I played it forever and a day when it was new. The original game only seems to like running on Windows 95, but I still have the old HP computer (with the bad-ass Pentium 75 CPU) that I played the game on back then. The sketch you see here is a general cabinet idea I'm going for. Although the HORIZONS cab isn't fully completed and I should finish it first, I figured it can't hurt to plan ahead a little bit. . .

Bad News for Home Arcade Enthusiasts. . .

GAMEROOM MAGAZINE IS DEAD!!

    Since 1988, GameRoom Magazine has been a wonderful resource and inspiration for home arcade collectors and builders. Starting with a focus in jukeboxes, GR expanded into the realm of pinball machines, video games and eventually had articles featuring home game rooms. Because of a continued poor economy, GR has had a difficult time getting enough advertisers to maintain its operations, and closed its doors in November of 2010.

    I was fortunate enough to have had an article published in GameRoom's "Coin-op Confessions" section, back in May / June of 2010. It was a wonderful magazine and it will be dearly missed. More details about the demise of GR can be found here.