Details on PC Cabinet support for TPA

[flywithsean]

There's still plenty more chance of Cabinet support than Linux support, so I'm guessing the odds are still (marginally) in your favour.

well that is a 100% lock guarantee !!! lol

 

[flywithsean]

And I thought I was a pessimist. It will have cabinet support. Sounds like sooner rather than later. I think Mike said he had converted 10 tables so far. It will happen, they are pinball fans themselves and I am sure they want to play their own work on a high end device that closely simulates a real table.

Converting the tables is a definite step in the right direction. It just would need a whole new menu system because lets face it the way TPA works now would not be at all conducive to cabinet play. It drives me insane when it backs out to the menu after each game. I want to play again immediately!!!! I dont have time to view the table menu!!

I will keep my pessimism high on the cab so I am not disappointed!!

 

[TomL]

This thread can be summarized thusly: "Farsight, when you grow up and meet your soulmate and decide to get married and have a wedding reception and then a party afterwards, what music will the DJ be playing?"

No point in asking for details about something that's still far off in the future.

 

[DaPinballWizard]

Far off? I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I expect a beta to test either this weekend or early next week.

 

[freezy]

It just would need a whole new menu system because lets face it the way TPA works now would not be at all conducive to cabinet play.

Not sure about you guys, but I couldn't care less about a menu for the cab mode. All I need is a way to launch a table directly via command line and exit cleanly afterwards. There are already frontends out that do the rest and integrate with other platforms.

 

[rob3d]

Not sure about you guys, but I couldn't care less about a menu for the cab mode. All I need is a way to launch a table directly via command line and exit cleanly afterwards. There are already frontends out that do the rest and integrate with other platforms.

That's the key right there. Though I'm sure they would probably do a full UI for the cab mode so it can work right out of the box.

 

[karl]

I think this also depends on how well the pc version sells. If the pc sales are good we will get cabinet options as soon as they have one themselves up at Big Bear Lake but if the Steam version sells poorly it might take a while. They need to focus on the most profitable platforms. I sincerely hope and believe that they are going to be pleasantly surprised by the Steam sales

 

[Lostboy]

I heard a while ago that FarSight was going to offer cabinet support. I thought this was a great idea, but not realistic for me. I wouldn't know where to start to build one, and don't want to invest too much time learning how. Then I saw a comment by Mike Reitmeyer which said they were looking into partnering or getting a cabinet. This is great news! Now, I'm actually considering the PC version, depending on the development of this.

I've always wanted my own pinball table. But it's hard to get one you really like, for a decent price. And if I did, I'd always be worrying about repairing the mechanics. I want something with low maintenance.

In the hopes that FarSight offers their own cabinet, I have a long wishlist of things I would love to see in a virtual Pinball Arcade cabinet. These are ideas from someone that doesn't know the first thing about building a cabinet.
-2 screens. On the backglass screen, I wouldn't want to see any Pinball Arcade art, just a screen. I think it would be better to simulate the DMD, speakers, etc, on screen, instead of actual ones. It would keep it more universal for all the different looking machines and I'd like to see them as original as possible.
-A plunger.
-Enough buttons to support games that use more.
-Light(s) on top of the backglass for games that use these.
-Some kind of sensor for nudging.
-A light sensor, which auto adjusts the table lighting.
-A dedicated computer built in just for TPA, with high end graphics. I'm not sure how expensive this would be. I really wouldn't like to drag my computer over each time I want to play a game. But at the same time, I wouldn't want to pay an extra $1000 for this.
-Future proof / upgradable. When new TV technology and computer graphics advance, I'd like to update my cabinet, without having to rebuild the whole thing.

 

[Mayuh]

It isn't that hard to do, but it sure is expensive... Start with a wide body cabinet, add a (passive!) 3d tv for the playfield. Decent i5 or i7 based computer, mot ion controller (nudge, plunger and all buttons) a second tv for the backglass. Enjoy two weeks of wiring and building the thing done!
I added a real DMD as it adds so much to the whole thing...

There are plenty of threads showing how its done over at the vpin forum.

I can help too, if you need a list of components.

 

[Ark Malmeida]

I've been seriously considering building a cabinet myself. I've been keeping an eye out for good deals on graphics cards, TVs etc. I've built PCs, but it was a LONG time ago, so I've been doing some research on what parts are good nowadays. I've looked around on different forums (vpin included) and the threads are good, but a lot seem outdated. I'd love a link to some good end to end build threads or a good discussion of it here.

I do have a few questions for you Mayuh (or anyone else that wants to chime in):

- What are the requirements on the playfield TV? I'm assuming you'd want 1080p with a low response time and 120Hz refresh rate. Is 3D a must? It certainly would seem to add significantly to the cost of the TV.

- What's good for a video card? At least a GeForce 560? A friend of mine is willing to sell me a geForce 460 for like $40, but I think it wouldn't be all that future proof.

- Is a real DMD worth the extra cost, or would a small third screen do the trick?

A parts list or any other tips/comments on what else would be useful in a cabinet - I've read some about usb tilt sensors, ledWiz boards, etc. would be great. A new thread here (I don't think we already have one do we?) with this would be fantastic.

 

[sotie]

A parts list or any other tips/comments on what else would be useful in a cabinet - I've read some about usb tilt sensors, ledWiz boards, etc. would be great. A new thread here (I don't think we already have one do we?) with this would be fantastic.

You can find all the information at vpforums.org.

 

[crazyflipperfingers]

Nobody seems to be considering the Oculus Rift. Farsight hasn't announced support for it, but I'm hoping they will. The initial version is rumored to cost $300. For pinball, the only additional hardware I could see needing is some sort of podium like stand with the proper buttons, plunger, and nudging support. There would be no need for any monitors or a full cabinet. Each machine could be completely different as far as DMD, score reels, backglass and cab size, etc... and would be fully 3d modeled so you could view it from any angle. This would be much much better than a flat 2d display. You would actually see the all the components of the playfield as fully 3d objects as you move your head around. You could fully inspect the playfield standing from anywhere around the machine. The ramps would have height. A second playfield would appear above the regular playfield and you could look under it. This is why Farsight going with 3d modeling over the stupid Pro Pinball approach of pre-rendered 2d is so much better. Virtual reality is the future of gaming and pinball would be an excellent, low processing power, application for it. I hope more people realize this and bring it up to Farsight.

 

[sotie]

I heard a while ago that FarSight was going to offer cabinet support. I thought this was a great idea, but not realistic for me. I wouldn't know where to start to build one, and don't want to invest too much time learning how. Then I saw a comment by Mike Reitmeyer which said they were looking into partnering or getting a cabinet. This is great news! Now, I'm actually considering the PC version, depending on the development of this.

I've always wanted my own pinball table. But it's hard to get one you really like, for a decent price. And if I did, I'd always be worrying about repairing the mechanics. I want something with low maintenance.

In the hopes that FarSight offers their own cabinet, I have a long wishlist of things I would love to see in a virtual Pinball Arcade cabinet. These are ideas from someone that doesn't know the first thing about building a cabinet.

Hi Lostboy, I read that comment by Mike differently than you did. My understanding of it was that he was saying they are looking into somehow getting a virtual cabinet into their office so they can use it for development. I'm quite sure that he wasn't saying they would be offering or partnering with anyone else that offers it for sale.

 

[sotie]

Nobody seems to be considering the Oculus Rift. Farsight hasn't announced support for it, but I'm hoping they will. The initial version is rumored to cost $300. For pinball, the only additional hardware I could see needing is some sort of podium like stand with the proper buttons, plunger, and nudging support. There would be no need for any monitors or a full cabinet. Each machine could be completely different as far as DMD, score reels, backglass and cab size, etc... and would be fully 3d modeled so you could view it from any angle. This would be much much better than a flat 2d display. You would actually see the all the components of the playfield as fully 3d objects as you move your head around. You could fully inspect the playfield standing from anywhere around the machine. The ramps would have height. A second playfield would appear above the regular playfield and you could look under it. This is why Farsight going with 3d modeling over the stupid Pro Pinball approach of pre-rendered 2d is so much better. Virtual reality is the future of gaming and pinball would be an excellent, low processing power, application for it. I hope more people realize this and bring it up to Farsight.

Sounds great but I suppose they wouldn't look into it unless they thought the business numbers made sense. The resources spent in development would have to be outweighed by the added sales/userbase they would benefit from in return.

 

[Carl Spiby]

Nobody seems to be considering the Oculus Rift. Farsight hasn't announced support for it, but I'm hoping they will. The initial version is rumored to cost $300. For pinball, the only additional hardware I could see needing is some sort of podium like stand with the proper buttons, plunger, and nudging support. There would be no need for any monitors or a full cabinet. Each machine could be completely different as far as DMD, score reels, backglass and cab size, etc... and would be fully 3d modeled so you could view it from any angle. This would be much much better than a flat 2d display. You would actually see the all the components of the playfield as fully 3d objects as you move your head around. You could fully inspect the playfield standing from anywhere around the machine. The ramps would have height. A second playfield would appear above the regular playfield and you could look under it. This is why Farsight going with 3d modeling over the stupid Pro Pinball approach of pre-rendered 2d is so much better. Virtual reality is the future of gaming and pinball would be an excellent, low processing power, application for it. I hope more people realize this and bring it up to Farsight.

Meanwhile, back on earth...

 

[crazyflipperfingers]

Meanwhile, back on earth...

This really isn't that farfetched. I'm sure the next gen versions of TPA would easily be able to support a real time movable camera and they are already going to implement stereoscopic 3D in the current gen. It can't be a huge amount of work to leverage this functionality to work with the Rift.

 

[jhamdotme]

Nobody seems to be considering the Oculus Rift.

Actually, there are a few threads discussing this. I wrote about a pie-in-the-sky peripheral that could be used with the Oculus Rift over here.

Meanwhile, back on earth...

How incredibly condescending.

 

[crazyflipperfingers]

Actually, there are a few threads discussing this. I wrote about a pie-in-the-sky peripheral that could be used with the Oculus Rift over here.



How incredibly condescending.

Thank you for your reply jhamdotme. I missed that other thread. Catching up on it now.

The 2 main advantages for Oculus Rift over a physical cabinet with multi monitors are cost (way cheaper with the VR headset) and immersion (way more realistic and every table could have a different cabinet/head to match the original).

 

[Mayuh]

I really love the oculus rift and all its VR capabilities. But, c'mon standing in front of a cab, nudging it, etc. is so much better Talking about making a simulation more real - hahaha...

But really, I think the oculus rift might be too heavy. On the other hand I've seen people playing FPS where timing is crucial, so it might work really well if you have something like this: http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?showtopic=19872

 

[crazyflipperfingers]

I really love the oculus rift and all its VR capabilities. But, c'mon standing in front of a cab, nudging it, etc. is so much better Talking about making a simulation more real - hahaha...

But really, I think the oculus rift might be too heavy. On the other hand I've seen people playing FPS where timing is crucial, so it might work really well if you have something like this: http://www.vpforums.org/index.php?showtopic=19872

I was suggesting a physical interface, just not a complete cabinet. Picture an upright box the same height as a typical machine but only about a foot or two deep. It would still have buttons, plunger, and nudging. It would still feel like a complete cabinet and would take up a lot less space. Of course you would see the whole cabinet in front of you through the headset.

I got to try out the developer version of the Rift a few weeks ago. I was surprised how light it was. You hardly notice it at all. The consumer version is supposed to be even smaller and lighter and have full 1080p resolution.