Newcomer looking for advice on SF3 setup

[DorianGray]

I am a longtime fan of the Street Fighter franchise and have spent years chasing the "arcade perfect" setup. Recently I learned about the CPS-3 board and Supergun combo. I have done a bit of research and it seems that I will need a CPS-3 board with a Street Fighter 3 cart, the CD-ROM and disc and a Supergun to make it all work. It also sounds like there are a few options/variations, some of which are better than others. Below is a list of what seems to be the most ideal setup.

• A modded cart, one of the mods removes the need for a battery and the other mod is the Darksoft mod (I know this included 6 games, but I am not sure what else it does).
• Using an SD card/reader loaded with the software (from the disc) is also the preferred mod from what I gather (as opposed to the cd rom).
• A modded board that removes the need for a battery on the board
• Recapped board (do some capacitors need to be replaced over time?)
• Enough ram to run the games, I have seen 1x64Mb+2x128mb being the ideal amount (are these the "SIMMS"?) Are there different or better brands of ram?
• A Supergun (is there an ideal variant that will work best with the CPS-3 setup?)
• I currently have fight sticks with the Brooks Universal Board, will they be compatible with the Supergun/CPS-3 setup?
• What kind of video outputs should I be looking for on a Supergun for arcade perfect performance, I was planning on hooking it up to an old CRT but I'd like the option to switch to something more modern

I was hoping for some help confirming/clearing up some of my research and/or any advice you might think is helpful. I am looking for reliable parts, that will last a while and I am not exactly sure what to ask/look for. I was also wondering what the current fair market value range for the setup would be (not including the Supergun). I noticed that one just sold for $1400, but I have seen others sell for a wide range of prices. A turnkey setup would be ideal but basic wiring/soldering won't be a problem. Thanks for the help!

 

[9999 Damage]

Welcome! I just got into arcade stuff two years ago. Before I answer your questions, I want to answer some questions about the arcade hobby that you didn't ask.

Do I need to know how to do DIY electronics work?
For CPS3, you could just buy a working setup. However, as I got more platforms, I soon found I couldn't get far without getting tools and learning to DIY for a few things (crimping cables, soldering, programming EPROMs) since a lot of the tasks seemed like a waste to outsource (e.g. ship heavy, fragile hardware to solder 2 wires, or fix a kick harness that was shipped with a few wires misrouted).

Do I need original hardware to have the arcade-perfect experience?
For CPS3, yes, but I'm hopeful that Jotego's long-term CPS3 implementation for MiSTer will be just as good as his CPS2 implementation-- which is to say, indistinguishable to players at Evo. MiSTer isn't cheap, either, but it's a lot cheaper than getting a CPS3 Ultra SIMMs setup.
(Important caveat: Most MiSTer cores aren't cycle-accurate to original hardware, and are arguably comparable to software emulation with less input lag.)


As for the questions you did ask:

Battery: CPS3 doesn't need a mainboard battery for any reason. If your motherboard came with one, you can remove it.

CD vs. drive emulator etc.: Buy a working setup. If it does what you want, you're done! Modding a stock CPS3 just to run a single game from alternate media sounds like a waste of time and money to me. But if you want easy access to all SF3 revs and the three other comparatively obscure games on CPS3, you could get Darksoft Ultra CPS3 SIMMs with the Ultra BIOS Cart.

Recap: IMO don't bother unless A) there's a cap clearly behaving badly, B) there's a cap known to be troublesome on other instances of that board (and I'm not aware of any on the CPS3 except the battery), or C) you're sending it to a modder who's doing some other install anyway. If you don't know what you're doing, you can make things worse. I have done some preventative shotgun recaps like what you're describing, but my last one broke my System 16B and it's hard to justify spending a lovely day investigating a non-urgent problem.

Connecting your stick/controller to a supergun: You'll need a USB-to-DB15 adapter. I like USB2DB15, but I've also used the (rarely available) Undamned USB adapter with Brook adapters.

Connecting to a TV: You need a supergun, kick harness, power supply, A/V cable, and (if connecting to a modern display) an upscaler or CPS3 Digital AV mod. I have something to say about each of these, but it's getting late. My recommendation is to try to get a Home Arcade System supergun, but RGB just sold out of the latest batch and I'm not sure when the next is due.

How much should I expect to spend? This stuff adds up quickly. $1,000 for just Third Strike or $1,300+ with a Darksoft multi, $130 supergun + $10 CPS2/CPS3 kick harness, $35 power supply, $40 A/V cable, $75-750 for a good upscaler to a modern display (or alternatively, get a CRT), 2x $69 USB2DB15 adapters...

 

[thegreathopper]

You really want a cab to play Street Fighter 3, it will be a great investment, An Astro or an Egret 2 or any Japanese cab with a 29inch screen.

 

[hatmoose]

• Enough ram to run the games, I have seen 1x64Mb+2x128mb being the ideal amount (are these the "SIMMS"?) Are there different or better brands of ram?

Yes the RAM sticks are the SIMMS, they aren't actually RAM, they are flash chips so the data remains intact until overwritten or hit by a solar flare

In order to play 3rd strike you will need
2 x 64MB SIMMS
4 x 128MB SIMMS
The 64 and 128MB Simms are not interchangeable even tho they have the same form factor

in order to use the Super/Ultra bios you will need
2 x 64MB SIMMS
4 x 128MB SIMMS
Even for games that normally wouldn't need this config you still need 2+4 for every single super/ultra bios game.

Are there different or better brands?
Not really brands as such, but there are a few options
UltraSIMMS are amazing, they are basically the endgame for CPS3, unfortunately very hard to get now
SIMMS come up for sale reasonably frequently, some of them are converted from 32MB SIMMS that Capcom also used in some CPS2 games - if you care about this be sure to check
reproduction SIMMS are available and the gerbers to make your own, the Flash memory is a bit hard to find and expensive, the boards are 4-layer in an unusual (expensive) thickness and premium (ENIG) manufacturing. and soldering .5mm pitch legs requires a steady hand. So making your own is not particularly easy or economical

 

[thegreathopper]

If you go the television route, and want the arcade experience, get a CRT and one with RGB inputs.

CPS3 outputs RGB as do all the super guns I have seen, stay away from modern wide screen TV’s.

 

[Darksoft]

Good info guys.

 

[kazuo]

HAS SuperGun seems to be the gold standard these days, but sold out at the moment.

I'd probably grab one of those, then get USB to DB15 converters for standard USB arcade sticks. Undamned is the gold standard, but always seems to be out of stock. I found this thing on AliExpress, no idea how good it is. I suspect it's likely just a clone of or based on some open source converter.

 

[ChrisBEANS]

Two great supergun options that work great with CPS3/6 button games are Sigma and Axun.

To the best of my knowledge, Sigma is no longer making new stuff, but you’ll often find a supergun or the big supergun and 2p control panel all in one things (Raijin, I think?) for sale second hand.
I believe (please double check) that the two most recent iterations are the AV1, and before that the AV7000. I have both, they’re rock solid, and are functionally identical.
Raijin looks great if you have the space too.

Axun CBox (axunworks.com) is a great buy.
There are often long lead times, and it was a particular issue during covid, but the end product is great.
Be prepared for some choppy customer service too. Sometimes Axun himself responds to emails or messages on his site, and sometimes @drfunk2k will respond via this site. Sometimes neither.

If you’re willing to wait, I don’t think anyone’s ever reported not getting what they ordered and everyone who has one is chuffed with the quality.
I have an Axun and two Sigma, and I intend to get a second Axun and keep the Sigma for backups. IMO the Axun is functionally as good or better than any other option (screen position pots on the unit, stereo RCA jacks etc) and is by FAR the best aesthetically.

Just be prepared to wait.