Post your PC Pinball gaming setup

[LeanderL]

The VirtuaPin cabinets range from 5000-6000$. A mini version is available for 2600 though but too small imo.

[gamester]

The VirtuaPin cabinets range from 5000-6000$. A mini version is available for 2600 though but too small imo.

Those are of course turn-key machines. If you're up for such a DIY project, they can be built for significantly less...

[LeanderL]

Yes but the parts aren't that cheap and you definitely need to know how to build the cabinet. Clumsy people like me won't stand a chance.

[rooter]

Yes but the parts aren't that cheap and you definitely need to know how to build the cabinet. Clumsy people like me won't stand a chance.

The parts are mostly pretty cheap, there are just a million of them if you go for feedback effects. I only did some basic carpentry on mine and I didn't know anything about it before I started. I only needed a drill and a saw. It was really easy because I found an old empty Golden Eye cabinet for $40. I didn't even choose to buy the cabinet just so it would be easier, I bought it because I wanted it to be solid and realistic. When you nudge my machine, it's like nudging a real pinball machine.

If you wanted to go for a budget build you could go:

Empty used cabinet: ~$40
Decent PC: ~$200
40" main screen: ~$350
Screen for backglass: ~$199
Hack an old keyboard for buttons: $5
10 buttons: $20
Misc other things to make everything nice: ~$200

So, you see, it's not cheap but can be done for under $1000, which is significantly cheaper than a turnkey one ($5000) or a new pinball machine ($7500). You can do other things with it too. If you hook up an Xbox controller, MAME vertical shooter games are really fun on it. When I am not playing pinball, I also use mine as a media server for all the TV's in my house as well as backing up files on the network.

For me, it is just a hobby. I didn't build it myself to save money, I built it myself because it was really fun. I created an arcade cabinet and wrote my own shooter for it. Now I have created a digital pinball machine and I am creating my own game for it. For my next project, I want to build a real physical pinball machine.

[Roo5676]

I got a VirtuaPin because I don't have the skills/tools/space to build my own. It was expensive, but the build quality is impeccable. The playfield monitor is gorgeous and has great viewing angles, too (something cheap TVs may lack).

No doubt you can build your own for cheaper, but if you aren't in it for the hobby aspect and just want to play pinball, you have to think about the dozens and dozens of hours you will spend researching and building, too.

And I think you are understating the prices by a bit, Rooter. $200 for a PC? (A good video card alone will cost that much). Nanotech or similar kit for plunger and nudging? Speakers/subwoofer/amp?

I think maybe around $3000 is a more realistic DIY price, although it can vary a lot depending on what you put in it, obviously.

VirtuaPin does sell kits, also, if you want a half and half approach.

If you want to build your own, there are a lot of good threads on vpforums, the HyperPin forums and the Build Your Own Arcade controls forum.

[ericleroi]

Clumsy people like me won't stand a chance.

Give it a go! You won't know until you give it a try

I had zero woodworking skills before I started building my cabinets. Provided that you have the patience, I think most people could turn out something pretty decent.

[rooter]

And I think you are understating the prices by a bit, Rooter. $200 for a PC? (A good video card alone will cost that much). Nanotech or similar kit for plunger and nudging? Speakers/subwoofer/amp?

You don't need a very powerful system unless you are playing complex Visual Pinball tables with transparency. Pinball FX2 will definitely play great on a $200 PC. It plays just fine on phones!

I would not recommend the Nanotech plunger. As for nudging, there are cheap hackable options. I just prefer to use an extra set of buttons above the flipper buttons.

A cheap sound system can be obtained from a thrift shop for next to nothing. I was describing how cheap you can build a decent cabinet, not something top of the line. I spent $120 for SoundSticks (incredible!) because I think the sound is one of the most important things in pinball.

Don't get me wrong. A cabinet can be a huge money sink. There is always something I want to add or upgrade and that is what is fun about it. It doesn't have to be that way though.

I think maybe around $3000 is a more realistic DIY price, although it can vary a lot depending on what you put in it, obviously.

I'm definitely under $2000 on my build.

[Rosve]

My Little "Steam Cab" in the middle. I hook up my laptop to it when I feel like playing a game of Pinball FX2.

Intel i5, 2,9 GHz
GeForce GT 540M

95JmXss.jpg

[ericleroi]

Cool mini pin Rosve.

Edit: also cool arcade cab and real Pinball cab

[ericleroi]

As soon as I get the pc put back together ill be playing on a cocktail pin cab
32 inch lcd
Nanotech plunger and button set up (hopefully this will be supported)
I7 3.4 ghz quad core
16 gb ram
2 nvidia 259 1gb cards
Windows xp pro 32 bit

Nice. Post some more pics when it's done unclewilly.

[LeanderL]

WinXP only supported up to 4 GB Ram. Additional Ram is not used. Maybe Pro is different but the standard version of XP is limited.

[Roo5676]

WinXP only supported up to 4 GB Ram. Additional Ram is not used. Maybe Pro is different but the standard version of XP is limited.

You would need the rare 64-bit version of Windows XP Pro, but I think they actually stopped supporting that early. I'm not even sure if you can get SP3 with it.

[unclewilly]

By the time I'm done with my cab I will have upgraded to win 7pro 64bit.
That's what I use on my digital storm bolt in my living room to play on the 50inch lcd
It also runs vp and fp maxed out smoothly.


I also have a small 7 inch usb monitor I will use for a dmd.
For ems I move the scoring reels to the apron

[Falantrius]

HyperSpin and Pinball FX2

My setup is using a cabinet from www.recroommasters.com - and the Tank Stick from http://www.xgaming.com/ - the PC is in cabinet running Windows 8 - and the keyboard draw slides forward and closes under the Tank Stick. In the picture the keyboard and mouse are exposed but it closes clean.

I have about 10 TB of games starting with Mame, PS2, etc. running in HyperSpin - so I can play classics like Pacman, Robotron, Tempest, etc. and other games.

The X-Arcade Tank Stick programs like a Keyboard so its pretty simple to setup. It has two buttons on each side of the controller specifically there for pinball.

I'm launching Pinball FX 2 out of hyperspin (working on integrating it now). Still looking for the message thread here on the AHK script for the command line - but otherwise it works great.

Cabinet.jpg

[Zeiram]

Here's a shot of my cab.

TOM.jpg

Like Roo's, it's also a VirtuaPin. I would have enjoyed building it myself, but my job keeps me so busy that it would've taken months to put together something I was happy with. That said, I've had fun tweaking it. I added RandR's awesome PS3Eye kit for head tracking in Future Pinball, and I may add some other I/O goodies when I've exhausted all the software projects I plan for it.