• Please review our updated Terms and Rules here

Good Retro Game Room Ideas?

Smack2k

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2013
Messages
1,348
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
I am looking for ideas on how to build a good, long table that will house all or most of my retro computers / peripherals / monitors so I can game on them when I want, and be able to swap out like machine types when needed (Ataris / IBM-PC Types / etc..) Trying to come up with a good plan for not just a long table that can hit the corners of the room and turn (L-Shape) but also allow for good cabling, and a "stations" type approach where I can again swap out like computer types in an easy manner and keep things organized as possible.

Plus areas for software...

Not sure if I am coveying this idea properly or not, but hoping if a conversation gets going I can get my thougths out!!

Maybe some of your setup ideas would help as well, so if you hvae pics, show em!!
 
Last edited:
I like Wiremold 4000/6000 for managing cables and power:

oZeZKWC.jpg
 
Smack2k said:
...ideas on how to build a good, long table that will house all or most of my retro computers so I can game on them when I want...
I think everyone with two or more vintage computers has given this problem some thought.

To do it right you need an electric narrow-aisle forklift in the middle of the room that can raise your chair-platform to two or three levels of table top, with computers, layered along the walls. :)

If only that was practical... I'd use a Raymond narrow-aisle model to save space; but OSHA (in the US) wouldn't approve of lifting a platform with someone on-board without a few impractical safety mods. A scissor-lift platform would be more acceptable to them, but more bulky.
 
I haven't setup my retro computer yet, but I did do my game consoles.

First I used some tracks and shelves (wide enough for a console) for the top loading, disk based one since you don't have to exert any force when inserting a game in them. I run controller extensions in wall mounted conduits.
I then use the second half of an old metal and glass "L" shape computer desk, on which I place two 6'x3/4" hardwood plank and I then fixed to them a 9'x5/8" pine board.
I've put my old 27" CRT in the middle and then placed the cart based consoles on either side of the TV. Again I used some extensions for the controller and run them along the wall at the back.
The extensions for the controller are channeled under the desk and come out in the middle under the TV.

All the game systems are hooked to s-video or composite switches which are in turn hooked to the CRT.

So... My Dreamcast, Saturn, PS1, PS2, Gamecube are on the shelf. My NES, SNES, Sega Genesis and TG-16 are on the table.

My games (mostly disk based) are on shelves above the consoles. I have Everdrives for all my cart based system so I don't hunt for cart anymore.
 
For game consoles I have an array of painted cinderblocks and boards. Imagine rectangle spaces just large enough to slide in consoles (famicom, fairchild f, nintendo, play station 3, atari whatever, commodore of the month, a vcr, blue ray, nintendo 64, etc in rows from floor to ceiling. Also in larger spaces are a few well placed tvs or monitors that can be switched to handle three units each. Works pretty well. I swap in different systems. The kids use them more than I do, but it looks good and all of the cables are in the back. The best part is that the kids can throw balls / be kids with friends in the basement and they harmessly hit the cinderblocks and not the games so I don't worry about what they are doing. The other nice thing about cinderblocks is that you can rearrange if you need to.

For vintage computers in two differnt rooms I have four large tables that I use to set up whatever I am working on at the time, but not for display or permanently. Everything has a shelf to return to when done.

I think part of this hobby is space management....and what works for my purposes may not match yours. I'd love to see what you come up with. I take pics from time to time of my workspaces and post to the pictures directory of my website to document what I had going on at the time.

Bill
 
Last edited:
All at once.

The creator/builder of those cart krikzz.com doesn't sold them directly but it has links to resellers. I went with http://shop.retrogate.com/. I received them about a week later. I bought naked board for the SNES and the Genesis since I had a few sport cart to recycle. You just need to have a game bit to open them up and cut a slot for the SD card. I bought a complete NES one and the TG-16 is a naked board because of the form factor.

I also got from fleebay a 4meg/game cheat cart for the saturn that let me play burned cd and remove region lock. You can do the same for the Dreamcast, PS1 and PS2 with the help of a gameshark disk.
 
Sort of exactly what you said you didn't want to settle with but I found it cheap to buy 3 8' 2x4 boards and a 4x8 sheet of wood and nail those together. Made a cheap but sturdy 8' table top which I use two 5363s for the stands. Would only take a few of those to fill a room/wall and you could just toss cabling behind them, or bore some holes in the top.

Beyond that I also utilized multiple KVMs (depending on whether I could use ps/2 or AT connections) or RCA video switchers to use multiple RCA/RF devices on a single commodore monitor. Works pretty well as long as you don't end up 1. painting the table with latex paint (rubber feet will stick and apparently was a "stupid" idea which nobody told me when they helped paint it), and 2. don't use it for storage ;-)
 
Back
Top