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Galaga Arcade Cabinet Review

I had a Galaga machine in great condition about 8 years ago. I ended up selling it for around $750. They might be selling for more now. :) I still play it on my MAME cabinet. :thumbsup:

Heather
 
They still run about the same. I've seen them go as high as $1500 for a mint-conditioned, fully-restored machine. I've also seen them as cheap as $350 on the local Craigslist, though they were in tatty enough condition that I passed. That and I can't stand the idea of tearing up a historically-significant game for a MAME cabinet (which is what I want an arcade machine for)

So, right now, I have a MAS Systems arcade stick modded with a MC-Cthulu from Toodles (godlikecontrols.com), and it's able to play PC, PS3, 360, X-Box, Turbo Grafx, Genesis, SNES, NES, etc... just gotta swap cords (which must be wired up, of course - I use an 8-pin DIN as the connector rather than ethernet, however... longer-lasting, IMHO).

All in all, it gives a nice arcade-like feel for most games, though I do miss a trackball and 4-way stick when trying to play those games.... Right now, my buddy and I are on the hunt for cheap cabs to MAME-ify with a full-panel layout that covers all the bases.
 
I made my MAME cabinet a few years ago. You can take a look at it on AmiBay if you're interested. There's a link to it running in a YouTube video.

Heather
 
How much are these usually selling for?

Again, depends on condition and location.

A local dealer offers refurbished Galagas for around $900. I picked mine up for substantially less. However, I have had to do a lot of wood work on the cabinet and the artwork is still a bit beat up. If you're patient and skilled with repair you can usually find machines pretty cheap to work on.
 
I bought my machine for $300. The artworks is so-so, the monitor has some burn-in, and I had to replace the flyback and replace a couple chips on the main board. But I like my machine just as it is and wouldn't have it any other way. People who use LCDs in 80s arcade games are defeating the whole purpose of having an old arcade game... to have that old school experience!
 
I don't have quite a big enough price range to get one of those big cabinets, so I settle for a NES and a Galaga cartridge. However, I would probably set fire to it before connecting it to a flat screen,. I enjoy using one of the four vintage TVs I have to play Galaga.
 
People who use LCDs in 80s arcade games are defeating the whole purpose of having an old arcade game... to have that old school experience!
HAH! No doubt! I can't stand how people will hook up their old machines to an LCD.. I can't stand the stretching features on it, let alone the harsh look of all the colors!

I made my MAME cabinet a few years ago. You can take a look at it on AmiBay if you're interested. There's a link to it running in a YouTube video.
Heather, I'm quite jealous of your monitor - I've lusted after that one for quite awhile, but couldn't justify the $400 price tag - and then when I could finally swing it, they didn't offer them. And I've not yet taken taken the time to track one down... but IMO, a real arcade monitor is the ONLY way to go with this. Even though the cab my buddy and I found will be using a TV as he needs to do it on the cheap (it's a Mortal Kombat cab we found on Craigslist for $75, no guts)
 
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Heather, I'm quite jealous of your monitor - I've lusted after that one for quite awhile, but couldn't justify the $400 price tag - and then when I could finally swing it, they didn't offer them. And I've not yet taken taken the time to track one down... but IMO, a real arcade monitor is the ONLY way to go with this. Even though the cab my buddy and I found will be using a TV as he needs to do it on the cheap (it's a Mortal Kombat cab we found on Craigslist for $75, no guts)
When I decided to make the MAME cabinet, I pulled out all the stops. There's actually a company local to me that makes arcade cabinets so I had them make a custom one for me that would work with the Tankstick. I mounted the monitor myself (with the help of multiple friends and ratchet straps!). That monitor is HEAVY!

Using an old TV or even a nice CRT monitor is the next best thing to using an arcade monitor. I agree with others here that using old consoles on modern LCD televisions is horrible. A friend recently upgraded to an LCD TV and he gave me his Sony 36" Trinitron television. I'm in the process of hooking up all my retro consoles to it. :D

Heather
 
What have you found is an "arcade" monitor? Most the system I've seen internally it's just a TV or just a VGA monitor without the casing.
 
The Wells-Gardner D9200-series were true arcade monitors, but they were capable of VGA resolutions (think of 'em as Multisync, if you want - that's what they were!). They even optionally came with VGA cables for specific use in MAME cabinets or more modern arcades (like Tekken 5) that utilized a specialized computer rather than a traditional Jamma board.

If you check out Heather's Amibay posting about her MAME cabinet, you'll see that she referenced this series of monitor. You can even read a nice review of the D9200 on an old RetroBlast post.

Heather, so far as your retro-console TV, I've found that the auto-switching Phillips RF Modulators work GREAT for this purpose. One or two of these on your TV and you're set!
 
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@barythrin

Maverick1978 is correct. The monitor I used in my arcade cabinet is classified as an Arcade monitor. The maximum resolution of the one I have is 800x600. While they are essentially the same technology as a CRT Monitor or television, these are specifically geared toward arcade machine use. :)

@Maverick1978

Thanks for the link to the RF Modulator! I've modded most of my consoles to use Composite output but there are some that still use RF output so that might be a good option. I've ordered a 6-Port S-Video/Composite switch box to go along with the two 4-Port switch boxes that I already have. I have lots of consoles that I want to hook up. :thumbsup:

Heather
 
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