Other details

A few bits and pieces I haven’t yet mentioned…

The system switched in by turning it on at the wall (to turn on the internal lights and electronics) then opening the front door and pressing the iMac power button. After the system loads you get the MacMame menu, shown above, which gives you access to all of the games on your computer, and can be controlled using the joysticks and buttons. Games can be quit and started with those controls also, so after the unit is powered on there’s no need to fiddle with the keyboard and mouse.

The big question most people have is “how much did it cost?!”

From above you can see it’s almost up to $900NZ, although I suspect I forgot to include a couple of things in this list, and have since bought other things such as the t-moulding and will eventually fix some of the arcrylic in it. So safe to say, if you end up making one of these, it could get up to $1000.

Of course, many things could have been done on the cheap. The buttons and joysticks I bought are pretty good, from a reliable manufacturer, but much cheaper versions are available. The VGA converter was probably an expense I could have worked around, and I also spent a lot on making sure I had good quality paint and rollers, brushes etc. Anyone with a colour laser printer at home could also save on the huge amount commercial printers will charge you for doing the banner and marquee.

As for my next project, I’m looking at building a coffee table with arcade controls hidden inside but that can be folded out when required. It will be at a height that can be comfortably played while siting on the couch, and will plug into and run via the HTPC (computer) under my TV. Of course, I don’t need two arcade machines so I’ll eventually try and sell off this one. Anyone interested feel free to contact me via the comments section!