Customer Reviews

Project Arcade: Build Your Own Arcade Machine

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ok, well technically its the ONLY MAME cabinet book around - but seriously this is very good. I started getting the MAME cabinet bug about a year ago, and took a stab or 2 at building some desktop controls, using the Author's website, oddly enough. Now, I have everything I need to go all the way.

The Author is serious about this, and it shows. It's very well written, and the tone feels like he is working along side you in the garage, guiding you step-by-step through the construction.

There is even a CD ROM included with tons of diagrams, construction plans, templates, and software. I haven't gotten all the way through the CD, but it is packed full of stuff.

Man, my wife is gonna kill me....

A couple of the guys I work with have been messing around with this hobby for a while, and I've always wanted to give it a shot but didn't know where to start.

Now that I have this wonderful book, I've started to dig in and finally build my own arcade machine.

Most useful so far have been the author's guidelines on materials building, and the clear way he explains woodworking chores. I'm far from an expert woodworker, and many project books I've picked up go way over my head. John St. Clair's approach is very clear without being condescending.

Overall this is an awesome book. If you have visions of a stand-up arcade machine in the corner of your den, basement, or playroom, pick up this book and get to work!

I've built four arcade machines in the past, and honestly wasn't expecting to find anything I didn't already know in this book. I was pleasantly surprised to find all kinds of info I wasn't aware of; it's a great source of inspiration- full of ideas I never would have thought of.
If you're even toying with the idea of getting into this extremely rewarding hobby - you need to buy this book! If you've already built an arcade machine and have become addicted - you need to buy this book!
It's that simple.

If you have an interest in vintage video games, and what male child that grew up in the 80's doesn't, then you probably have an interest in acquiring your own arcade game. It was with this start that I discovered MAME and quickly decided that I wanted to build my own arcade machine.

John St. Clair's book does a very thorough job of walking you through the planning stage, the building stage and how to wrap everything up. In between he does a terrific job of describing how to build (hack) your own controls or where you can buy pre-made controls at. By doing this he makes his book effective for a wide variety of people.

Included with the book is a CD that has a lot of reference material as well as various programs that will help you on your way to discovering arcade nirvana in your own home. The book is easy to follow and is well laid out.

If you spent your pre-teen and teen years pumping quarters into Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Galaga, you probably thought "I wish I had one of these at home! When I've got a real job, I'll buy one for sure!", right? With mortgages, car payments, and student loans eating away at your "fun money", that old dream just didn't quite make it to reality. Now, thanks to MAME, this book, and some fanatasic online resources, you can build your own machine that is exactly the way you want it! All your old favorites can live again in your home.

This book really details every single step you need to go through to make it happen. It has clear writing, good diagrams and photos, and a helpful CD. Even if you have limited skills, this book will guide you through the process of building your own arcade machine. The writing style is smooth, and you'll find yourself picking this book up, opening to a random page, and learning another detail towards building your dream arcade machine.

An easy read that's filled with EVERYTHING you need to know when building an arcade machine. Yes, I said build your own arcade machine. For years I wanted to buy one, but when the possiblity of playing virtually every arcade game made over 20 years IN MY HOME came up it was too good to be true. Despite the fact I've built 2 machines, I still bought this book......when you get into this hobby you'll learn...you're never really finished with your machine....that's 100% part of the fun. BUY THE BOOK you won't regret it!

Project Arcade is JUST what the doctor ordered!! I am a relative amateur when it comes to all things technical. I commishioned an expert to make a cocktail arcade cabinet for my in-laws for their anniversary and immediately wanted to learn how to do this for myself. After reading many message boards and websites I found myself question whether or not this was something I could handle. I decided to order Project Arcade after hearing about it on the BYOAC message boards. BOY, am I happy I did!! This book is a COMPLETE step-by-step guide on how to put your own MAME cabinet together...from scratch. I even learned how a keyboard and mouse work after reading this book! I read it cover to cover in under a week and now I'm off to start my own project. If you're interested in putting a MAME cabinet together and need a little guidance (or alot!) I HIGHLY recommend this book.

Remember 1979? When Space Invaders conquered Japan and then stormed overseas to crush everything in its path? Then, in the space of 3 short years, it was rapidly obsoleted by Missile Command, Defender, PacMan and others. Yes, the world was young then, and so were you. Now you are grown up and respectable. But you want to go back?

It is no coincidence that St Clair and his publisher painted the cover in a hazy sepia glow of nostalgia. What is it, a photo from the Civil War? Shameless tugging at your fading youth.

St Clair shows us an amazing cottage industry that has sprung up in the shadows, to supply items like arcade spinners, trackballs and keyboard encoders. Unsurprisingly, the book is heavily hardware oriented. For the most part, it is about new versions of old hardware. Emulations or simulations on current PCs aren't really the attraction here. Instead, it is the entire retro ambiance. Like the full arcade size versions of the games.

Now it is possible, if you plonk down enough cash, to buy these items, in toto. But he writes for several different audiences. One is the person who likes to build such games for herself. Another is the person who can't afford to buy a finished game. A third is someone who wants to make and sell such games. Naturally, these audiences may overlap.

I always wanted an arcade machine. Since living life as a space invader killer, I could imagine nothing more than sitting in the comfort of my home and throwing away piles of 20 cent pieces to protect the earth from harm.
This book showed me how to do this and enjoy the making of my own arcade machine. I should thank the author for this wonderful book. But I know the meer pleasurable murmurs from my lips about this will be automatically shot down by the tears of despair from my wife. This book is highly recommended by any one who wants to have a machine to get himself away from the normality of life.....and I say, lets have more of these

Well, this book is an incredible read. It has so much useful information, I couldn't put it down. Definitely one of the single best "how-to" books on the market, in ANY genre. I thought a book like this would have been very "text-booky". This was not the case. The way the book was written, the sentence structure, words, general flow of things, it just keeps you wanting more. A great book for anyone in this hobby, or just interested in this subject. I recommend it to anyone. Great job!