Don't want to mess with DOS but encourage others to edit some script lines to bypass a frontend? Really?
Unless you plan on using the GPIO of the pi, you need to have your own encoder and/or usb joystick. As for the rest, these pi-cade addons are nothing more than gio breakouts with some wonky hdmi to cga converter and a single asic amp. You can get virtually the same effect by using a Jpac + AMD card or onboard AMD northbridge.
Again, the pi as a definitive solution that some people claim is nonsense. It's hardly a viable solution.
Maybe I missed it but I thought that we're specifically discussing the ArpiCade here with all the wonky add ons already built in and preconfigured. The Arpicade has a built in video AMP and can run 240p/15khz natively. Most anyone can edit one line of code in a text file on an SD card from their PC which is all that is needed. And right now, at this point in time, it is being supported by the guy who designed, the guy who sells it, and this community. There's a lot of value in that for the non techie.



