Mario Bros (Widebody vs. Non-Widebody)

Yoeddy

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Does a Mario Bros. non-Widebody feel like an "almost there" Mario Bros. to anybody? I know the game is the same in either cabinet, but if you have the non-widebody, would you still be in pursuit of a widebody? I played a non-widebody with my son the other the other day, and it just didn't feel right…almost like a hack. Was it because it was in a blue cabinet instead of orange, was it because the speaker was to the left instead of center, was it because of the tighter fit when 2 players are playing? It just felt off.

Strange topic, but I'm curious what people think on widebody compared to non-widebody. Is it about the game or more about the cabinet? Is it that big of deal?

Jason
 
I had both briefly. When I got the narrow body home, I immediately pulled the MB kit from the DK cab and traded it for a PC-10 kit from some guy down south. I still have the widebody. My brother's got one too, and he's not even an Arcade guy.

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Ironically, I now have a custom Mario Brothers kit for one of the cabaret cabinets. Imagine the shoulder rubbing and clown tugging that'll happen being THAT close to another arcade body.

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Here's the thing about the widebody: all the extra room is on the outside edges. The distance between the joysticks is the same as the (narrow) conversion cab. The monitor is the same size. There isn't a whole lot extra to the widebody except the space on the outside edges and aesthetics.

The only time the extra room matters is if there are people playing games adjacent to your Mario Bros. So, unless you have it in the middle of a row and there are people playing other games to the left or right there isn't much difference.

The main draw in my opinion is that the widebody is the true, dedicated version of the game. The narrow body is just a conversion.

I have a non-widebody (a kit I put in an orange DK Jr cab) and I don't feel any need to get a dedicated cab. Kind of odd now that I think about it because I'm a huge stickler for originality.
 
Some people are a joy to play next to..
Others you wonder if the know the joys of deodorant. Says the guy who washed and sterile the pinball benches out of mop.

One of a thousand stories...
 
I picked up a widebody a year ago that was pretty beat up for 60$ that was converted to a bionic commando. I was able to do some custom side art to help cover up all the repairs I had to do to the sides of the cabinet. One day I may restore this completely but I like it for now.

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Widebody or GTFO.

The control panel sits higher and therefor much more comfortable to play. Arguably one of the best simultaneous 2-player arcade games ever made.

Here is mine. Found this one in extremely good original condition. Only needed a light restore.

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That's a good point about the control panel, and maybe that's why it felt so off to me. Also, standing off center on a Donkey Kong cab just doesn't feel right.

I had a lot of opportunities to snag a non-widebody over the years, but I just wouldn't do it, no matter how good the deal was. I know myself…I would have eventually dumped it when when a widebody came up for sale. Once I finally found my basket case widebody dumpster, that was one of the most enjoyable restores I've ever done.

Jason
 
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I only ever played Mario Bros in DK cabinets, BITD, so for me that is correct. The two MB I've owned are in blue DK cabinets and it feels right to me.

Scott C.
 
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My Mario was in a Popeye cabinet that was a shill for an 8-liner. I had too many vertical PCB's that I converted my Mario/Popeye/8-liner to a Special Forces. Now, I can play my other vertical games in an already bastardized "cab". Fight me for the conversion or the use of "cab".
 
The main draw in my opinion is that the widebody is the true, dedicated version of the game. The narrow body is just a conversion.
Also, due to the different cabinet widths, each version has its own unique marquee:

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The second marquee above with the "2-Player Feature!" bubble is the conversion (non-widebody) graphic. This makes it easy to spot the different cabinet types from a distance.
 
Also, due to the different cabinet widths, each version has its own unique marquee:

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The second marquee above with the "2-Player Feature!" bubble is the conversion (non-widebody) graphic. This makes it easy to spot the different cabinet types from a distance.
Check this out

 
@DLP

How do you resist the urge to not put stuff in top of your Nintendo cabs? Very impressive.

I don't have the kind of control. Lol



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