Arcade Cabinets

Traditional arcade cabinets are composed of several standard components. Most cabinets conform to a universal standard known as "JAMMA" (Japanese Amusement Machine Manufacturers' Association). This protocol defines the way that a cabinet is wired, so that it can universally play any other arcade game by simply inputting a game's circuit board into a JAMMA-compliant slot. The slot and card look similarly to the old Nintendo cartridge pins & pin connectors. This standard also conforms to the controls that are used for the unit (buttons, joystick, etc.)

Cabinets also utilize an arcade system board or motherboard, which can be described as a large circuit board that contains the coding for the hardware requirements necessary to play certain games. Very early arcade units simply included the individual game on the arcade system board itself, which restricted the owner and forced them to purchase an entirely separate board (which is extremely expensive, sometimes running several thousand dollars) if they ever wanted to switch the cabinet over to a new game. Common system board manufacturers are Capcom, Konami, Data East, SNK, Nintendo, Sega, Namco and Midway - to name a few.

Arcade cabinets are well known for their memorable pop-art designs, panels, bezels and marquees. The designs on the side of traditional cabinets were usually painted on, but decals were also commonly seen. Today, silk screening remains a popular method. Translucent panels with graphics were used for the marquee< (the "banner" graphic located just above your head, when facing the cabinet) so that the light bulbs underneath could illuminate it. Panels and bezels (the graphic that rims around the viewing area) are typically made of plastic, and would either show cartoon or comic-book style drawings or enemy/point values. Holding it together are the actual form-fitted solid wood pieces, framed together with metal.

Coin Returns are a standard addition to any arcade console. The console game is hard coded to recognize the "coin inserted" variable, triggered whenever the player inserts a coin. The translucent red housings are usually pushable, which allow a jammed coin to empty down to the coin-return slot. This process can be bypassed for home consoles, where coins would be more of a nuisance.

Monitors in consoles are special arcade monitors that display the specific resolution necessary to coincide with the processor, and to the specifications necessary to display the game. Typical console arcade monitors have a standard resolution between 262.5 and 315 vertical lines, and a refresh rate between 50 and 60 Hz.

Remember those great old TV commercials they used to put out back in the 1980s? It was a decade where monumental commercials were made for simplistic Atari games, consoles and ridiculous looking controllers for home systems (which were adorned by wooden paneling, of course). Watch a ton of these old arcade and video game commercials at RetroStatic!

There are several different versions of arcade consoles, beyond the most popular and universally known upright console (the kind you stand in front of, and look down into). Uprights are about 65" (about 5.4') tall. Their surface can contain a variety of controls: one, two, three or four sets of joysticks and buttons, a steering wheel, mobile light gun or guns, an immobile swivel gun, a flight yoke, one or more triggers, or a trackball.

Another style is the lesser-remembered cocktail arcade table (pictured on right). Cocktail tables are played while sitting down at one end of the table, and looking at its surface, which is covered by thick, shiny plastic. They're a fashionable but rarely-seen addition to an arcade or game room. Undoubtedly, the most popular and commonly seen cocktail table are the Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man consoles.

Other styles include are the sit-down units, commonly used for car racing games - they come attached with a seat. Flight simulation games are associated with cockpit consoles, in which you sit inside of the arcade unit itself. Lastly, counter top consoles have been gaining popularity more than ever since the 90s, especially in bars. They are similar in fashion to kiosks or slot machines, and sometimes utilize touch technology for video card games. Other counter top consoles are used with a trackball to play golf or Arkanoid-style games.

MAME or "Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator" is a general word that either refers to the MAME software: an emulator developed in 1997 that allows you to play classic arcade games with your personal computer, or the MAME arcade cabinet - a 'build it yourself' replica of an arcade console, that utilizes MAME software.

The MAME Culture
MAME has an entire community of hardcore arcade enthusiasts who pride themselves on conserving and saving old and forgotten arcade games - effectively adding them to the MAME repository so that they don't fade out of existence. To date, MAME now supports well over 3500 individual arcade games, from the dawn of the arcade age, to the present day.

How does MAME Work?
MAME is simply a free software package that you can install on your computer (using the word "simply" is quite contrary to the incredible work it does, though!). Once installed, you'll need to download a ROM file representing an individual game - such as Pac-Man, or Galaga, or any of the other 3500+ that are available. You can then use the MAME software to open that file, and play the game. The game runs exactly as the arcade console does: looking, sounding and acting identically.

What can you do with it?
Beyond playing individual arcade games on your computer, you can actually build or buy an empty arcade cabinet, fashion it with a PC and LCD or flat screen TV monitor, and hook it up to gaming controls (such as your standard button/joystick combinations) for authentic arcade game play. Owning one single arcade console that can play thousands of games (on a MAME GUI, or selectable on MS Windows) is the true heart of the MAME community, and the ultimate goal of any fan of the software. MAME consoles can be customized to your heart's content, with many different options.

...and it's legal?
Not exactly. It's a sketchy, touchy subject. While emulators in general have been scrutinized by game publishers, many of them are regarded to be "public domain." It is illegal to distribute MAME games in the US. However, legal action against emulators have proven to be a failure, and the MAME team has yet to have legal action taken against it. The legality of the ROMS (or individual game files) is a subject of even more ambiguity. Technically, you may own a game ROM if you also own the original game itself.