WEBVTT 00:00:15.440 --> 00:00:21.279 Hi, I'm Lionus Sebastian. There's no 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:28.560 greater source of joy in this world than a personal computer. But every day, 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:31.079 elderly devices like this one find 00:00:28.560 --> 00:00:36.320 themselves without a home, discarded, 00:00:32.760 --> 00:00:39.640 abandoned, forgotten. 00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:42.399 So, I'm here today to ask you not for a 00:00:39.640 --> 00:00:48.079 donation, but just for a moment of your time to listen as we show you a path to 00:00:45.360 --> 00:00:54.399 a future where you and your slightly obsolete gaming PC can pone together 00:00:51.039 --> 00:00:57.120 once more. This is your chance to say, 00:00:54.399 --> 00:01:00.120 "I won't sit by while a computer suffers. 00:01:07.520 --> 00:01:14.720 EK Water Blocks's all aluminum fluid gaming lineup offers great water cooling 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:19.200 performance for an affordable price. Learn more at the link in the video 00:01:16.840 --> 00:01:24.400 description. So, when Taran first came to me and proposed building a custom 00:01:21.119 --> 00:01:25.920 arcade box, I immediately demanded he 00:01:24.400 --> 00:01:31.360 get back to work and stop wasting company time. A short while later, 00:01:28.840 --> 00:01:37.119 coincidentally, I independently came up with a brilliant idea. Why don't we 00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:40.479 build our own custom arcade box? So, 00:01:37.119 --> 00:01:42.720 first then, we set out to construct the 00:01:40.479 --> 00:01:48.720 computer that we would build the arcade box around. This is Linus Tech Tips. So, 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:51.119 we could have easily strapped SLI Titans 00:01:48.720 --> 00:01:56.640 and an 8K monitor to a piece of plywood and called it a day. But the hardware 00:01:53.920 --> 00:02:02.799 demands of emulating ancient software are actually very light. And besides, 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:05.439 silly intro bit aside, we wanted the 00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:09.440 focus of this video to be on showing how you can get a little more mileage out of 00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:14.239 your components that are nearing the end of their useful life. So, it was 00:02:11.920 --> 00:02:19.280 important to us that every part of our computer was something that would be 00:02:16.640 --> 00:02:25.360 coming up on replacement age and readily available secondhand. In the end, for a 00:02:23.040 --> 00:02:30.840 really reasonable price, we were able to put together what would have been a 00:02:27.040 --> 00:02:34.480 respectable mid-range gaming PC, Circa 00:02:30.840 --> 00:02:37.280 2011, with just one unusual requirement. 00:02:34.480 --> 00:02:43.360 We wanted a video card with an Svideo output because we are totally going to 00:02:40.480 --> 00:02:47.200 rock a CRT in our finished build for authenticity. 00:02:45.200 --> 00:02:51.840 Once all of the hardware was in place, we were ready to set up our front end, 00:02:49.519 --> 00:02:58.160 the program that wraps everything together in order to use MAMEim, the 00:02:54.640 --> 00:03:00.239 go-to but notoriously command lineon 00:02:58.160 --> 00:03:06.159 arcade emulator that's been around since the mid90s. The front end allows us to 00:03:03.760 --> 00:03:11.519 peruse our vast collection of legally obtained software and then run it in the 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:17.040 emulator. Our first pick was RetroArchch, a front end that handles a 00:03:14.239 --> 00:03:22.400 number of different emulators and uh has an infamously innovative menu design. 00:03:20.640 --> 00:03:27.200 While it took a little internet archaeology to assemble all the files we 00:03:24.720 --> 00:03:34.080 needed, we were actually able to get it up and running, just not quite to our 00:03:30.680 --> 00:03:36.720 satisfaction without endless tinkering. 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:42.560 It messed with MAME's control layouts too much to try to conform them to its 00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:48.400 own, and a lot of our legally obtained software couldn't be detected. So, we 00:03:45.760 --> 00:03:52.720 had a conundrum on our hands. We wanted to stick with open-source software, but 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:57.760 most of the purpose-built arcade frontends that met our standards, well, 00:03:55.200 --> 00:04:01.840 they're proprietary. So, we dug deeper into the depths of the internet and 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:06.959 discovered a relatively new front end called Attract Mode. With a healthy 00:04:04.720 --> 00:04:12.239 community making skins and plugins, attract mode gave us the perfect storm 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:16.799 of form and function. It even supports scripting, which will be important later 00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:23.040 on in our project. Well, that's all fine and good, but at this point, all you 00:04:19.919 --> 00:04:26.160 got, Lionus, is a geriatric PC running 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:28.960 emulation software. That's a far cry 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:34.120 from the full-on arcade experience that uh I was expecting. I mean, look at this 00:04:31.360 --> 00:04:39.840 thing. So yeah, you're right. We needed joysticks, buttons, light guns, and a 00:04:37.440 --> 00:04:46.560 big, beautiful monitor to show it off on. So I tasked my staff with scouring 00:04:43.840 --> 00:04:51.440 Craigslist and eBay for some previously loved accessories that we could dust off 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:56.960 and put to use again. We were able to find multiple sources for everything we 00:04:54.160 --> 00:05:01.440 needed. This was actually the smoothest experience we've ever had buying guns 00:04:59.280 --> 00:05:06.440 off Craigslist. When it came to buttons and joysticks though, we found the 00:05:03.520 --> 00:05:11.280 secondary market to be basically non-existent. You can order one of the 00:05:09.440 --> 00:05:16.560 pre-built arcade decks that are out there, but we really wanted to customize 00:05:13.680 --> 00:05:21.600 our own. So, we did. After some research, we reached out to Andy over at 00:05:18.960 --> 00:05:26.639 Ultimark in the UK, which is one of the better known arcade part suppliers for 00:05:23.520 --> 00:05:29.759 enthusiasts. And after a couple minutes 00:05:26.639 --> 00:05:31.960 of browsing their website, found exactly 00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:39.520 what we wanted. RGB. Yes. So, we asked for 30 of their 00:05:36.400 --> 00:05:41.639 classic RGB buttons with seven Ultralux 00:05:39.520 --> 00:05:48.240 Chrome buttons for special functions. And yep, that's right. They even have 00:05:45.199 --> 00:05:50.320 RGB sticks, too. So, the two servo 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:55.840 sticks we went with have interchangeable handles. And with some clever software, 00:05:53.039 --> 00:06:00.000 they can automatically change from 8-way to four-way, which is great when you're 00:05:58.080 --> 00:06:05.440 switching between your completely legitimate copy of PacMister to 00:06:02.400 --> 00:06:08.400 something like Street Conflict. But what 00:06:05.440 --> 00:06:14.319 about games that use analog controls? Haha. Well, that's where the Ultra Stick 00:06:10.960 --> 00:06:16.960 360 comes in. It uses a hall effect 00:06:14.319 --> 00:06:23.520 sensor in order to determine where the stick is, making it incredibly accurate 00:06:19.919 --> 00:06:26.080 and durable. Add in their RGB track ball 00:06:23.520 --> 00:06:32.160 and a spinner, and we are covered for all of our button and stick games. But 00:06:28.880 --> 00:06:35.280 what would an arcade box be without 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:37.960 slick shooting games? Your House of the 00:06:35.280 --> 00:06:43.919 Recently deceased or time conundrum. Well, we plugged in those 00:06:41.280 --> 00:06:49.440 light guns that we bought, expecting to be immediately putting zombies back in 00:06:46.560 --> 00:06:54.800 the ground, and that's where we hit a major setback. Who could have guessed? 00:06:52.400 --> 00:07:00.080 While the GunCon twos that we obtained were technically functional, the drivers 00:06:57.120 --> 00:07:05.360 they require are ancient, and in order to install them successfully, we would 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:08.120 have had to use composite video. not 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:15.759 good enough for us from a retro purist standpoint. And the other set we picked 00:07:10.400 --> 00:07:18.080 up was a used pair of ACTL Labs uh USB 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:22.639 light guns, but we ended up running into another problem with them. They were 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:27.919 designed specifically for PC main cabinets. So, we would have ended up 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:29.840 using janky USB to game port adapters, 00:07:27.919 --> 00:07:35.360 and frankly, they just felt kind of crummy anyway. So, we ended up reaching 00:07:31.919 --> 00:07:39.599 out to Ultimark. Hey, it's us again. And 00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:42.000 they sent us these bad boys. These Aim 00:07:39.599 --> 00:07:48.639 Track IR light guns worked perfectly with our system. And they even fire 00:07:45.319 --> 00:07:52.240 sideways, batches. Which brings us then 00:07:48.639 --> 00:07:54.720 to finding the right TV. If you want to 00:07:52.240 --> 00:08:01.560 use traditional light guns, you will need a CRT. You can learn more about why 00:07:58.000 --> 00:08:04.479 that is here. So, these ones we got 00:08:01.560 --> 00:08:10.400 locally work and the prices were definitely right, but Svideo ended up 00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:16.400 being pretty disappointing and scaling games from different eras was 00:08:13.240 --> 00:08:18.319 problematic. So, back to eBay we went 00:08:16.400 --> 00:08:25.520 and there we managed to procure a Toshiba Pure Flat CRT out of a Namco 00:08:21.520 --> 00:08:28.560 machine that takes both retro RGB and 00:08:25.520 --> 00:08:30.319 VGA. That's important because this thing 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:36.000 can take signals that range from the chunky dots that pack gentleman eats all 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:42.000 the way up to the super fresh sprites in Street Conflict 3 and display them as 00:08:39.120 --> 00:08:47.760 they were originally intended. Okay then. So, we have our hardware together. 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:51.120 We have all the software set up. Now, we 00:08:47.760 --> 00:08:54.320 just need something to put it all into. 00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:57.040 Now, our original plan was to either 00:08:54.320 --> 00:09:02.000 find a decommissioned arcade cabinet or just build one ourselves out of scrap 00:08:59.160 --> 00:09:06.640 plywood. But while both of those are valid options for sure, we wanted to 00:09:04.560 --> 00:09:11.519 make the final product as cool as possible to show you guys just how far 00:09:08.959 --> 00:09:16.320 you can go. So, we reached out to Scott over at North Coast Custom Arcades, and 00:09:14.399 --> 00:09:21.680 this this is actually how it went down. basically begged him to let us use one 00:09:18.640 --> 00:09:24.080 of his Ultimate Arcade 2 cabinet kits. 00:09:21.680 --> 00:09:28.720 He was happy to oblige and actually for good measure even threw in the classic 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:34.880 control panel kit and all the mounts we'd need to get our display in place. A 00:09:32.080 --> 00:09:43.120 major potential issue for these large and heavy CRT monitors. And the end 00:09:38.640 --> 00:09:46.959 result goes without saying is absolutely 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:49.519 breathtaking. I mean, you don't need to 00:09:46.959 --> 00:09:54.800 go all out like we did. And with high-end CRTs no longer in production, 00:09:52.560 --> 00:09:59.600 some parts of the experience are going to get harder and harder to recreate as 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:04.800 time goes on, even if you did want to go all out. But we're really glad that we 00:10:02.080 --> 00:10:08.959 took on this project. With a home arcade box, you can play your favorite games 00:10:06.880 --> 00:10:15.279 with your friends, just like you might have as a kid way back in the 80s, 90s, 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:18.560 or 2000s. With the buttons and joysticks 00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:21.160 feeling exactly how you remember them, 00:10:18.560 --> 00:10:25.839 the screen and emulators surprising authenticity help drive that home. And 00:10:23.680 --> 00:10:31.920 with our custom cabinet, the whole thing just exudes quality like we just put 00:10:28.959 --> 00:10:36.640 together a kit from Sega or Namco themselves for our bowling alley quarter 00:10:34.360 --> 00:10:40.959 muncher. Not that it needs to munch quarters anymore. That's the real reason 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:46.040 people invest hundreds and hundreds of dollars in these things. You just have a 00:10:42.920 --> 00:10:49.200 button to continue. 00:10:46.040 --> 00:10:51.680 Woo. But even more than that, the real 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:58.600 reason we built it is that a custom cabinet like this adds a touch of retro 00:10:54.640 --> 00:11:02.880 gaming class to any room. No 00:10:58.600 --> 00:11:04.800 exceptions at all. Ting is the mobile 00:11:02.880 --> 00:11:10.160 carrier that's focused on customer service and customer 00:11:07.079 --> 00:11:12.560 satisfaction. I know, what a concept. 00:11:10.160 --> 00:11:18.560 When you call Ting to talk to customer support, you actually get put through 00:11:14.800 --> 00:11:22.000 directly to a person. And you're not 00:11:18.560 --> 00:11:24.240 paying extra for that level of TLC. The 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:29.279 average TING bill is just 23 bucks a month per device. And if you're stuck in 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:35.519 a contract and switch to TING, they'll even cover 25% of your cancellation fee 00:11:32.160 --> 00:11:38.000 up to 75 bucks. They have lower mobile 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:43.600 data rates. Data is now just $10 a gig beyond the first gig. And every single 00:11:40.560 --> 00:11:45.920 TING customer gets the benefits of any 00:11:43.600 --> 00:11:50.000 rate changes that they make. So head over to Linus.ting.com. We've got that 00:11:48.160 --> 00:11:54.640 linked below and try their savings calculator to find out if you'll save 00:11:52.480 --> 00:11:59.880 money on TING. When you sign up at our link, you'll also get 25 bucks in 00:11:56.640 --> 00:12:02.079 service credit or towards a shiny new 00:11:59.880 --> 00:12:06.639 device. So thanks for watching, guys, and coming along on this journey of 00:12:04.399 --> 00:12:09.360 resurrecting retro hardware. If you disliked it, you can hit that button. 00:12:08.079 --> 00:12:12.560 But if you liked it, hit the like button. Get subscribed. Maybe consider 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:17.680 checking out where to buy the stuff we featured. Well, most of it's views, but whatever. At the link in the video 00:12:15.839 --> 00:12:20.560 description. Also down there, you'll find our merch store, which has cool 00:12:19.040 --> 00:12:25.600 shirts like this one, as well as our community forum, which you should 00:12:22.160 --> 00:12:25.600 totally join.