Why buy a board when you can mame??

[grainflavour]

Well I was looking to buy an Xbox or PS4 but instead I bought an Astro City for less money. I like the idea of buying a single pcb every few months like when i was 10 (and i swapped all my games for a new one). Hopefully will bring the magic back

[o1s1n]

There's more to it than just firing up a game in MAME. Installing a new PCB into one of my cabs, changing the artwork, adjusting the monitor - it's **** great just tinkering with the things. Kind of like classic car hobbyists who spend as much time under the hood as they do driving.

[markedkiller78]

I've been thinking about this lately, since I've been buying a few PCBs for the first time in ages. For me, the answer is very simple at this moment.

Time is a greater obstacle than money.

I don't have lots of money, but regardless, time is always far more precious. 5000 free games have no appeal without 50,000 hours to play them. I might as well buy the few games I'm actually going to play, and they won't lose 80% value in 3 months like console games do either. Don't get me wrong, I love mame, and in a cab today, it's better than ever. But **** it. I can't be arsed with it at the moment, and it certainly won't save me time.

In future I plan to buy or trade for the odd PCB every month or three, this way an arcade cabinet is like the best console ever. I hope I stick to that though.*

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* As I change my mind on this all the time.

How many years did it take? I started with mame, but once you realise time > money, You've won the battle. I don't say this often, but money (assuming you have enough to eat, stay warm and pay dem billz) is the least important commodity. Quality time, with your friends, family or on your own is what "it" is all about.

[pubjoe]

I'd been thinking of past comments of yours along those lines, mark.

Money: sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. Time is always limited.

I've become more and more aware of this as I've got older, and noticed less and less free time. It's always very hard not to be in denial about it, hence the many games I have bought (and will buy) optimistically, which I'm just never going to use. If I don't even have the time to use the stuff I've bought, what on earth is the point in collecting any romZ at all? In comparison, the money part is the easy bit even when I've got hardly any. I can't stress this part enough. It doesn't take much money to keep entertained.

If I had more free time at the moment, I'd probably favour mame, but even when I did, I didn't get close to making the most out of it. I wish I could do what Ex_Mosquito and megaultrasuper above do and use mame sensibly. I guess that's a problem of mine. But anyway, I've been enjoying buying some PCBs recently. Games that I really want to play. Monetarily they've cost a tiny fraction of the time - I'll never find - to make the most of them.

There are always exceptions of course. GGPO for one. But as a general philosophy, this is where I am.

[emphatic]

I don't really need more games in my life, as I have games that I don't think I'll ever master. And I really don't have time to properly put into these right now, so I just play casually whenever I have some time away from being a dad/watch TV. I just hope they still work when the time comes and I can grind for an hour or two again.

[Ex_Mosquito]

I really don't understand how working adults find the time to complete modern mammoth 10+ hour games in a few days tbh. By the time I get home from work and have food, catch up on my TV series new releases and plod about there's hardly any time left. I can only realistically manage 30minutes a night gaming maybe a few hours on the weekends. I guess I could play more but because I'm married now I'd feel a bit rude spending 3hours a night playing a game when we could be spending time together, you know. I'd feel a bit of a dick. 30 minutes gaming doesn't seem unreasonable and I don't feel so bad. Now that I'm back home for 6 months with my mother because we're saving for a mortgage I only really play GGPO and 20/30 mins a few nights a week and I feel satisfied. (And stressed! )

As for Mame vs PCB. If done right there is no difference in my book. But it has to be done right. I'll agree that playing on one of those hacked chinese Mame multiboards with 2000 games on simply won't do. Weird rez and laggy controls make the gaming experience unplayable to me.(God, I'm gonna say it again ) But using GrovvyMame+CRT_Emudrivers and a half decent pc there is no difference from the PCB. It blew my mind when I first used it. I am not much of a videogame collector these days so I sold off nearly all of my pcbs and just use GroovyMame exclusively, apart from a couple of choice titles. As a player it fullfills my needs (ooo err) Also I don't get the argument about having so many games to play and never spending any significant time with because there are so many to choose from. Easy, willpower. When I decide on a game I really enjoy and I want to go a 1cc I only play that game and nothing else. The drive to master a game I enjoy far outweighs my need to play 200games for 5minutes. Same goes for if I am on a diet, I stick to my goal and resist temptation. And I get a more fulfilling experience out of it. And I havnt spent a penny on videogames in over a year.

Saying that, I am going to a fighting game tournament today so it's gonna be 9hours of Super Turbo playing for me today I only ever do it every 3 months, oh and Super Turbo Sunday meet a few weeks ago. Apart from those..

My current set-up (well the cab is in a garage right now

[pubjoe]

Never been very good with willpower. I think it's an overwhelming desire to tinker, fix and set up nicely which always goes too far when I use mame. I looked back on this thread and in early 2009 I said the same thing, and I said that I'm going to resist the urge to tinker. Then a few months after, I'd posted the results of a huge amount of hours setting up a mamebox.

Lately, the finding and buying process has been enjoyable. There's a highly evolved human hunting quality that makes us find more satisfaction after a chase. It's completely irrational perhaps but it exists. And probably more so in men. A non-carnal example is the fun Ive had recently with my 3DS. I've been collecting the 'streetpass' puzzle pieces to complete pictures. If I could just look at all the completed pictures it'd be boring, but the process of earning them very slowly makes them better. ...I guess a less verbose example is: A jigsaw.

Overall, a nice game to play is more fun a prize than a nice big scrolling list I've made of games I haven't played.

It doesn't take much money to keep entertained.

I really really can't stress this enough by the way. Doesn't take much at all. Let's face it, anyone who's got stuff around that they don't use (everyone reading this) has got too much money - relatively. It's a first world (and probably generational) excessiveness, we take it for granted, and we're justifiably despised for it.

I stopped myself going off on one about this last night as I would have negated my whole point, and devoted myself to Buddhism.

Instead, it's just worth remembering that I'm privileged enough as it is and make the most of it without more free ****. I'm overlapping into proper piracy here, not really mame itself.

I must finish that mame box.

[Pacman83]

If you're serious about playing the original game, then the original PCBs are best. Not to take anything away from the MAME efforts, because they have done a sterling job in the preservation of our great hobby, but if you've grew up with the real arcade machines over the years (whichever genre) there's really nothing quite like playing on the real deal

[pubjoe]

Mame setup properly is very accurate. You wouldn't even know most of the time. And yet, I agree.

By the way, I hope I don't sound like I'm on my high horse in my last post. It's directed to myself more than anyone else to be honest.

[joeblade]

Everyone at some point (unless their under the age of 25) has had those moments of being disillusioned with the whole gaming experience be it arcade, console etc...

I've been through a few now and the older I get the more I realise that I still want to experience the latest gaming shizzle (at my own convience and time) be it the fact I buy the latest consoles on day 100 as opposed to day 1 knowing a lot of those games will be played but take a long time to finish.

However, I refuse to let any age of gaming disappear out of my life forever and when get a sec to put on something....im happy that I flick from final fight to mega apocalypse to dragon spirit to gunstar heroes to r-type to splatterhouse to burgertime etc....etc.....

Does it mean most of my gaming at the moment is emulated....yes....do I get any less enjoyment out of it because of that.....no!

Do I miss my cabs....hell yes!!...even though I cleaned and tinkered more than I played!!

Will I continue to support gaming publishers....absolutely!! and will my future retro gaming experiences always be emulated....no....because that's what I love about where we are now in that we've got the best of both worlds I feel and my journey may return to buying the originals at some point.

Sometimes you've gotta go there to come back!

[pubjoe]

Can I change my mind and agree with you?

I suppose owning a cab itself is already irrational when you could put a joystick in front of a CRT. So why stop there? Buying PCBs is just the same really, and usually the much cheaper and easier part.

[Pete]

I like owning a candy even if I never use it.

[joeblade]

I think exploring "almost" every avenue of gaming is what still excites me....heck just the idea of owning a cab other than a standard woody or dedicated is what brought me to killercabs, that started off the next awesome chapter...

[Ex_Mosquito]

@Pubjoe: yeah I know what you mean about the joy of the hunt and the satisfaction of finally tracking a desired item and having a collection. I used to be all about that with hundreds of games on multiple shelves, but I had a realisation one day and I just couldn't justify it anymore. A more modest approach suits me better these days. Also there's a fine line with collecting games and being a bit of a mentalist Check out some of the collections on youtube with 5000+ games that never get played. I wouldn't called them videogame fans personally. I love games and all, but Jesus!

[neogeomvs]

I've just bought an XBOX with CoinOps 5. Works a treat. Mainly bought for the shooters I'm not willing to pay £200 + for and a few Capcom games I've not managed to get hold of

The games are spot on but I do prefer to have original hardware/software where possible from a purist point of view. Won't be selling up

[Svovl]

I like owning a candy even if I never use it.

[strykr]

Great thread this, and is an interesting topic.

mame is amazing in terms of the preservation, the try before you buy, the fact that all these games we threw the odd 10p in are now all there to play!

I totally agree with pubjoe about the anal tinkering lol Ive spent so much time on front ends and getting things working and getting the artwork and videos and bells and whistles, to the point where im done with it now. But its certainly revealed a compulsive side of my personality I never knew about! I've been through about 9 different cabs, and they have all been mamed, but with jamma ready for PCBs, I dont have a big budget to spend so for me its about enjoying mame, and very slowly picking up the pcbs from games that meant the most to me. I have picked up about 3 or 4 or them so far and there is probably about 10 I want, and I enjoy the thrill of the chase and getting them, (interesting jigsaw analogy again from Joe) but in reality its very hard to distinguish the gameplay from a properly setup mame cab.

Having the game PCB gives it an inevitable cash value too, not just in a look at me im minted way, but in a special way that makes you almost appreciate it more, and spend more time mastering it then just firing it up in mame for 5 mins and flicking to the next.

In summary, both are great, thats why all my cabs are mamed with a switcher for pcbs. Im gonna love putting my original namco Galaga in my cab, but prob just as much as flicking a switch and playing DDPSDOJ on my 360. For me it's nice to have a bit of both worlds

until I win the lottery and have a warehouse of US dedicateds and candies anyway

[joeblade]

until I win the lottery and have a warehouse of US dedicateds and candies anyway

Oh you can believe that shiz!!...if I ever get the beanz and space to do the dedicated's "properly" i'll be right back with them!!

Already planned the space, cabs, music, posters in my head...

[strykr]

I hope one of us crazy fools wins it then. containers coming in left right and centre to the uk

[pubjoe]

Oh yeah, again it's irrational but spending more money definitely increases perceived value, and motivates you to make the most of something.

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...Chamane must be loving Power Spikes 2!

Also the thing about the hunt. If you think about it, it applies to everything. Why bother playing a board game for an hour when you could just toss a coin in 5 seconds?