Hasta La Gadget!

A couple of weeks ago we saw a Kickstarter fundraiser for a desktop arcade machine based on the Raspberry Pi. It turns out that hacker and tinkerer Jeroen Domburg has already made a tinier, yet also functional machine based on the same computer.

Wow. So many wonderful features in such a tiny package. I think it’s as small, if not smaller, than the Space Invader cabinet we saw a while back, but this one runs MAME so it can run tons of classic (and not-so-classic) games. It has a transparent cabinet made from laser-cut acrylic, a 2.4″ LCD screen and an itty bitty OLED display up top that displays the logo of the game being played (if available). It runs on a Li-ion battery that can be recharged via USB.

This project is definitely not for beginners, but if you have the skills Domburg has posted a thorough step-by-step on his website.

[via TechCrunch]

The $35 Raspberry Pi hobby board is one of the most innovative pieces of circuitry that we’ve seen yet. It’s so simple and cheap, yet it leads to thousands of hackers and modders cooking up their own concoctions of circuitry brilliance. One modder in particular, Sprite_tm, recently made a pocket-size MAME cabinet out of a Raspberry Pi and a few other pieces of circuitry.

Sprite uses a Raspberry Pi board to run the MAME from Linux, and then uses use an SPI-controlled 2.4-inch TFT display instead of dealing with video outputs. Sprite also wanted to have the cabinet run off of batteries in order to make it portable, so he used old mobile phone batteries along with a cleverly-designed charging circuit. So, when the power supply is connected to +5V, the batteries charge up, and when that power is removed, an ATtiny85 microcontroller provides 5V of power to the cabinet using the mobile phone batteries.

Sprite even added a marquee to the MAME cabinet, which is a tiny 128×32 white OLED display, in this case. The display will show the logo of the game currently being played on the cabinet. Everything in the system is set up to be completely seamless when switching between games, and it automatically re-configures the controls and marquee when switching to a new game.

While this may not be a permanent and dedicated arcade solution for most gamers, the ingenuity behind this tiny Raspberry Pi-powered MAME cabinet is one of coolest mods we’ve seen recently, bar none. The video above shows Sprite himself testing out the machine by playing some Bubble Bobble and then switching to Nemesis later on.

[via Hack a Day]

Raspberry Pi MAME cabinet brings the arcade to your tiny fingertips is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Now that arcade centers are mostly gone and their patrons have more gray hairs than time, some companies have capitalized by coming up with accessories that turn the iPad into a mini arcade cabinet. But if you’re skilled at building PCs or programming, you’ll be better off with the Picade, a mini arcade cabinet kit that’s meant to be powered by small PCs such as the Raspberry Pi.

The Picade was invented by Pimoroni, the some company who came up with the Pibow case for the Raspberry Pi. As I said, the Picade will be delivered to you as a kit that can be assembled in under an hour. It has all the components you need – an LCD, arcade joysticks, illuminated buttons, amplifier, speaker and of course the cabinet panels. You just have to supply its brains – a Raspberry Pi, a Pandaboard or any mini-ITX PC will do. You can also use the Picade as an additional monitor when you’re not gaming.

As mentioned in the video, the Picade also has a Mini version. Check the graphic below for the comparison:

You can reserve an early unit of the Picade Mini by pledging at least £120 (~$190 USD) on its Kickstarter fundraiser, while a pledge of at least £192 (~$305 USD) gets you the full Picade. If you’re put off by the bare cabinet, then you’ll be happy to know that the final kit will come with various original artwork that can be applied to the panels.

Remember that disassembly friendly, unnamed Xbox 360 arcade stick Razer trotted out at TGS last year? It’s back, and while it hasn’t gained any traction in the moniker category, it’s received a few notable hardware tweaks. Razer’s TGS team told us the stick has been through a total of thirteen revisions since it entered closed beta last year, and is now entering its final beta before production. Leveraging feedback from over 200 enthusiasts, Razer has made a number of tweaks to the controller, including alternative joystick tops, an included miniature screwdriver and a honeycomb screw-mount bottom so modders can install custom PCBs.

The new unit also wears an acrylic cover, allowing perspective buyers to swap Razer’s default artwork for a custom inlay. Just like last year, this unit features Sanwa Denshi components — but picky players will be able to swap them out for their preferred parts without fear of voiding their warranty. Razer couldn’t tell us how long the final beta phase would last, and only said that the stick would be released once it was “perfect.” Our host did hazard a guess, however, that it would be out by early next year. Want to see more? Relive our TGS booth visit after the break.

Continue reading Razer’s customizable fight stick returns to TGS for final beta, is still nameless (video)

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Razer’s customizable fight stick returns to TGS for final beta, is still nameless (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 01:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So, you have this zany interest in arcades? How about having fun with this rather pricey (but you will not regret it if you are a true blue arcade lover, although the missus might have a thing or two to say about that!) £4,000 Arcane Arcade Table sitting right smack in the middle of your living room? Yes sir, the Arcane Arcade Table is definitely one of the better and more elegant pieces of playable furniture our eyes have ever set on to date. Carrying more than 100 classic arcade games that we have come to know and love over the years, you can indulge in some Bubble Bobble in the mornings, spend your noon siesta time with Legend of Kage, or relax with a bit of Dungeon Crawl right before you call it a night. Not only that, the Arcane Arcade Table will be MAME compatible, meaning you can include a theoretically infinite amount of emulators to enjoy your favorite consoles and arcades.

The integrated dual-core processor inside is accompanied by a 500GB hard drive, relevant Ethernet ports, and a built-in LCD display, and it will surf the Internet just fine by itself, thank you very much. The included fold-out control station will boast of authentic joysticks, spinner, trackball and a brace of buttons that allows up to two players to play, so it evokes the good old arcade feeling in the comfort of your home, minus the dark and smoky environment. Each table will also boast a pair of 30 watt speakers built-in to each end of the table to make the whole arcade experience more real.

[ Arcane Arcade Table copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]