This post originated from an RSS feed registered with .NET Buzz
by Doug Thews.
Original Post: PC Arcade Gaming Update
Feed Title: IlluminatiLand
Feed URL: http://apps5.oingo.com/apps/domainpark/domainpark.cgi?client=netw8744&s=JETBRAINS.COM
Feed Description: A technology blog for people enlightened enough to think for themselves
I've been happily playing Defender for the past week on my PC. As a refresher, you can install the MAME emulator (see previous post for a complete discussion).
Everything works great, right down to the idiosynchracies of the mutant AI (which is expected since your running the exact EEPROM bits from the Defender machine). The one problem was that it's just too hard to play that interactive of a game with your keyboard or a joystick. To get that real arcade feel, you need some kind of arcade game controller.
I found the X-Arcade controller. It interfaces via the keyboard PS/2 port and sends keyboard signals, which the MAME emulator uses. It plugs into your keyboard port and it has a pass-through connector for your keyboard to keep it connected to your PC. It also has 4 programmable switch positions so that you can keep up to 4 programmable keyboard combinations for your favorite games. This is a much better way to play an arcade game on a PC.
I found the X-Arcade controller to be well constructed. It's pretty heavy and made of wood with 11 programmable buttons and a single 4 direction joystick. It also has a "flipper button" on each side to help you simulate the feel of pinball. The only difference between this controller and the 80's arcade controllers is that the buttons are not pressure sensitive. If you played a lot of arcade games in the 80's you remember that those buttons were kind of springy and had some resistance. The X-Arcade controller uses binary switches so the button is either pressed or not. There's no resistance and no spring. It does feel a little different.
Now on to the technical challenges. I was a little disappointed with the technical support after I installed the device. At first, I was getting intermittent delays (and on one machine only 1 out of 20 actions were getting through). According to technical support this is a known issue between the controller and the voltage provided via the keyboard port on the motherboard. Apparently it's so much of an issue that it almost always happens. If this is the case, then another interface should have been selected during design phase.
BUT, X-Arcade did suggest a workaround to the solution. You can buy a Y-Mouse adapter that takes 2 PS/2 connections and combines them into a USB connection. It's predominately used to connect multiple keyboards to a single PC. The way I used it is to just connect the X-Arcade controller to it and then plug the USB into my PC. Windows XP recognized an extra keyboard device (the first being my original keyboard plugged into the keyboard port) right off the bat and everything works great! The voltage supplied by the USB keeps this thing humming and I don't get any loss of keyboard input from the controller. One note is that if you use a non-powered USB hub and connect multiple devices in additionl to your X-Arcade controller, you may experience a similar problem because of the lower voltage available. Use a powered USB hub in this case.
OK, that's my PC arcade setup. I was thinking of getting one of those empty 80's arcade cabinets and use a cheap PC, MAME emulator, the X-Arcade controller and a 19" monitor mounted to the cabinet to build the ultimate 80's arcade that plays well over 1,000 games. The cost - under $1000!! Not a bad deal.
Previous Topic
