I do a bit of voluntary work in a place that has the full size version of these. My main gripe is the joystick. The ball bit is screwed on, not joined to the stick, so the ball keeps needing to be screwed back tight. Also I’m not sure if I’m just remembering things differently, but I’m sure the original sticks were longer. These feel too short for me.
Pretty sure the ball bits are always screwed on (Archer: Phrasing!). If it’s coming loose some locktite or nylon plumber’s tape should hold it in place.
+1 for Loctite! Use the good stuff and it’ll never unscrew.
Also, the sticks aren’t shorter, you’re just bigger.
I made one of these, albeit not a very good one - the exterior is made of stained wood but hey, I’m still proud of it :)
I made one of these a few years ago, but I used an Odroid XU4 instead of Raspberry. For the system image (and games) I got it from ArcadePunks.com
I love it because it’s an arts and crafts project and a computer project all packed into one. I definitely want to try this. I think instead of buying something with RetroPie already installed I’d just get a cheapy mini computer and install it myself. You could totally get away with using old hardware from a pawn shop or yard sale, even.
Made one for my brother! Super fun, albeit a bit buggy. Nowadays Roms can be a bit tough to come by, and I’ve been meaning to upgrade him to a pi 4 but they are super expensive due to shortages.
I run a retro gaming elective and have really wanted to build one (or more) of these for it. I think I’m finally ready :)
elective?
After school activity for my students
oh cool i thought it was another of those communities/magazines/whatever to join.
what era of games do they prefer? how old are they?
pi4’s are coming down at least here in the UK it might be worth reaching out to the community see if someone is near the store and if that wors out a bit cheaper. I would reccomend everyone keep a dedicated backup of their roms it’s becoming a bit of a faff to replace corrupted copies 🥧 🐷
I built a stand up retro arcade machine a few years back with some spare parts and wood I had. I never finished making it look “pretty” but tye functionality was there.
Here’s the thing, I kept it in the garage and because of that it wasn’t in the most super convenient location. It barely got used. But it sure took up a lot of space. I was ready to take it apart but my interests have switched to building something else and with that change I’m using the cabinet as a monitor stand instead.
i think in order to have it in a convenient location it needs to transform from typical furniture. has anyone made a stealth Mame box yet?
Honestly, after o built the arcade, that’s when I just went with a cheapo mini retro console hooked up to the TV. It makes infinitely more sense since I’m in the living room so much of the time and everything is there. Hook up some wireless controllers to it and you’re good to go. If you want the old school arcade style stick,yiu can buy those as well.
i did that as well and it came with 100,000 games for $50! the SD card got corrupted and it fails to boot after less than a month of mild usage.
Don’t let that stop you from trying again. The benefits of having all the old games you used to play within reach is worth trying with a better device. I recently bought a handheld device to see if having hundreds or even thoughts of games on the go is something I would use. Havent set up the device yet though.
