We have heard of the latest attempt at an Xbox Arcade machine but until now, no one had seen it.
Thanks to The Stinger Report, we have a first look at the “T2” arcade machine, which houses an Xbox 360 inside, along with two connected controllers and a coin mech. As you can see, the cabinet itself looks like an old school cabinet and we assume that it also features an HD screen. Then again, this is an obvious mock-up, by taking a close look at the marquee you can tell that it was photoshopped in. But it’s better than nothing, right?
The only problem with it is that there is still no confirmation on the legality of this cabinet, which has caused similar ideas like FragIsle to quietly go away. Hopefully that can be clarified soon; I would assume that they know about troubles others have had in trying the same thing so they would try to avoid it.
There have been PS2, Dreamcast, Gamecube, and even Xbox (original) “timer pcb’s” available for some time now, the most popular being the “MGCD”. These pcb’s interface modern consoles to jamma cabs and controls. They are usually sourced from Hong Kong, where I guess the legality of these machines aren’t much in question. In the states, I could see it being an issue from a distributor point of view. I haven’t seen PS3 or XB360 versions of these pcbs yet, probably because of the HD and complicated analog controls which make it impossible to interface to Jamma or JVS spec cabinets.
The cab above simply looks like a console kiosk you’d normally find at a gamestop store, only with quarter/dollar slots and LED Timer in the marquee to display how many minutes you have left. Not very impressive. On the MGCD pcb, the timer is overlayed on the video screen (yuck).
To: Dave_K
I think this is the last time that I am going to respond to these statements – I would point you to the Stinger Report’s extensive coverage on the ‘legality’ of these systems.
I have to cover my comments “obviously I do not know if I am speaking to a individual with a vested (linked to MGCD) interest to try and down play the legibility issue”. The fact is that the use of a console or its games in the public space and to generate revenue is illegal!
If you do not have a license for the manufacturer and publishers – there are no if’s but’s or maybe’s. Also there are no “…loop holes…” That is why we have seen so many companies appear… claim legality.. produce a machine… then disappear without a trace, avoiding all questions!
Those PCB’s you mentioned are called ‘converters’ in the trade, and come from Taiwan and China, usually distributed out of HK – and as with all the comments I have made are illegal. It is just that for MS or other legal teams it is not worth chasing these guys unless they start to lay down some serious roots. Don’t guess they are not legal!
The reason our friends at Xbox Arcade Machine have been so illusive has more to do with calls from MS and the Halo team than due to issues with building the cabinet. I am waiting for how long it takes before ArcadeHeroes is asked to take the image down by MS.
Oh I just heard that the T2 system team tried to claim that they had Microsoft support only for the interested distributor calling up Redmond and finding out this was not the case Look forward to hearing what the outcome was!!
My apologies Editor, I’m speaking as an individual and personal arcade collector, not an arcade operator. I have no affiliation with MGCD (or similar), but do have experience with these units from a “home entertainment use only” perspective. My comments were more from a technology point of view than from a licensing point of view, for which I understand these are quite illegal to operate for profit in public.
Would you care to comment on the legality of these units for personal home use?
Sorry for coming over as a hard ass – but there is something going on and I dont wat to be accused of ignoring it.
All the best, and keep the faith
what is the price for complete machine full? how many machines come in a container of 40 “?