What's new

MeltedCactus86

Beginner
Joined
Jul 25, 2024
Messages
2
Reaction score
4
Location
Minnesota
Hello all,

I've recently finished a new scratch build which was based off of the LAI lowboys that were commonplace in Australia. I live in an old and small house which doesn't easily accommodate the more traditional uprights (narrow doors and stairwells) we are so used to playing on here in the states. As I was researching cabaret style cabinets I stumbled upon the lowboy shape and knew straight away that's what I wanted to build.

Since I was a kid growing up in the late 80s and 90s I always dreamt about having my own arcade cabinet at home. Now, almost touching 40 I'm thankful to have the means and time to achieve my childhood dream. After months of debating, weeks of researching, I've finally decided to build a cabinet for my home.

I will admit, as much as I'm a purest, I'm also OK with leaving the past in the past. While CRTs are fantastic and pair excellent with the more vintage games like TMNT and NBA JAM, I was always interested in creating a modern arcade for modern games. That doesn't mean trying to put Fortnite on an arcade machine, but it does mean exploring games with more modern controls, features, graphics, etc.

Beat 'em ups have always been a favorite of mine and we've currently been going through somewhat of a renaissance in the last 5-10 years. Scott Pilgrim VS The World, Double Dragon Gaiden, River City Girls, Shredder's Revenge, and many more. These games play excellent with a friend and an arcade stick so what better than to feature these modern games on a brand new arcade cabinet.

The Plan
With that said, I wasn't interested in creating a MAME machine capable of playing 1000+ games. My plan was always to create a 6-button machine that can handle all of the more modern, retro-inspired games that have been released in the last few years that I enjoy. Currently, that list is less than 10 for me.

The Software
Steam - Let's be real, what other option is there for modern titles on PC.

BigBox - A frontend with simple, decent customization capabilities that allow for a tailored experience. I spent a lot of time here modifying and designing my own minimalistic theme.

ShaderGlass - While CRTs might be a thing of the past, their is some amazing software out there that can replicate the visual charm on a modern LCD. Most of the modern games I will be playing on this machine use pixel graphics and this piece of software makes for an amazing compliment. I've had several friends ask me if it was a CRT in the arcade upon first glance. It looks fantastic with these retro-inspired 16bit graphics on these games.

Borderless Gaming - An app purchased through Steam it allows games to run in Windowed Fullscreen mode. This is needed to allow ShaderGlass to run over the top of all the applications to allow for a single CRT filter experience throughout the entire library.

The Hardware
1080p 180Hz 23.5" MSI Gaming Monitor
Core i5 12400 CPU
Nvidia 4060 GPU
Sanwa Sticks and iL buttons
Schiit Rekker Amp
Focal Audio 4" Speakers

The Art
All the art is designed around TMNT Shredder's Revenge. To my understanding, lowboys were/are a generic chassis that were fitted with any/all PCBs. This means there is usually no dedicated side art. Once a game grew stale, the operator would change them to something different in the hopes of increasing profit. This ultimately means the only art may have been a marquee and instructional sticker. I've now made custom marquees for all of the games featured on my cabinet. I intend to switch them out once every few months to keep things fresh.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2073[2].JPG
    IMG_2073[2].JPG
    135.6 KB · Views: 62
  • IMG_2181[1].JPG
    IMG_2181[1].JPG
    161.1 KB · Views: 58
  • IMG_2183[1].JPG
    IMG_2183[1].JPG
    168.1 KB · Views: 56
I thought I recognized that shape, its the same cab used on NWT's 1942 mini arcade.

This is a nice setup, and making it wider than the traditional lowboy give you the room you need to play!

Just a heads up though...if you ever need something more Japanese, a Vewlix with the control panel up, should ABSOLUTELY fit through the same doors that this will.

Very nice setup though, and I'm going to have to give shaderglass a look-see for my Vertical PC Vewlix build, as all my shmups there have to have filters set individually.
 
Great stuff, I've always loved the lowboy style :thumbup:

Thanks for the heads up on ShaderGlass and Borderless Gaming too!
 
Back
Top