What cabinet design choices is your favorite?

hisnice

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There's another thread about gimmicks and someone mentioned the Wacko cab, which is such a great/weird/crazy cabinet design. So then I started thinking about other cabinet design choices and thought we should celebrate them.

My personal favorite is the Robot Bowl (Exidy 1977) cabinet that has a hole in the bottom labeled "Ball Return".

WHY IS THAT THERE?!?! I LOVE IT!!

And an honorable mention for Sea Wolf, not because of it's awesome periscope controls, but instead because of it's pull out step stool for less tall people, AND for it's Reset High Scores button on the marquee!! :D
 
Williams Joust, Robotron, etc

Split doors on the back
Handle on the back
Power switch at the top
Volume knob accessible from inside the coin door
 
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Way to go H!!!

You know you are preaching to the Choir with your Robot Bowl and Sea Wolf nominations!!! :)

Long Live Bronze Age Games! BTW, where is that "Bronze Age" section on the Forums already?
 
when I bought my Stargate earlier this year (1st Williams arcade game for me) I saw all this (that you noted below) and thought "WHY DIDN'T OTHER MANUFACTURERS DO THIS STUFF???"

mad props to the engineers/designers at Williams

I think it's already been mentioned but I love Nintendo cabinets for their (relative) un-heavy-ness (screw you, Bally Midway!).

Williams Joust, Robotron, etc

Split doors on the back
Handle on the back
Power switch at the top
Volume knob accessible from inside the coin door
 
Atari Tempest/Centipede cabarets and Nintendo uprights. They both hold a 19" monitor and are easy to move. I also like the Berzerk cabinets because the boards slide out from the front. I know I'm talking more functional aspects but I'm getting older and tired of moving them around when I have to fix them.
 
Atari's I, Robot / Firefox / ROTJ, etc. cabinet, hands-down. It just looked cool. Of the games that came in that cabinet, Firefox wins for having had the stereo speakers blasting right out of the front as well as the headphone jack and volume control.

WmDteIw.png


Close second to that: the Millipede / Cloak & Dagger / Crystal Castles cabinet. Same reason as above: they just looked cool. Cloak & Dagger gets the nod on this one.

3qlTW44.png
 
Atari's use of tinted glass on games like SD/GRAV/BW and Q etc.
These are also my favorite cabinet shape. :)

AtariRow1.jpg

[rotheblog pic]
 
tomahawk777 cabinet that took me 2 years to find
brilliant design. sleeve within a sleeve. solid as a rock with ZERO flex
easy to modify to install a 32 inch monitor horizontally
cross between a cocktail and a stand up so the screen is at the perfect angle for your head.
Also makes a PERFECT casket which everyone needs one of those.

This cabinet is so tough, after the north Korean nuke wipes out Kansas city, this cabinet will still be here !

easy and fun to build
modified the top half of it for my mini bartop design
sold 11 of them so far. people seem to like it when in that price range

see pictures
 

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I just love Nintendo cabs - lightweight durable plywood is easy to move around. Plus the flat top to set your beer while you play!
 
I just love Nintendo cabs - lightweight durable plywood is easy to move around. Plus the flat top to set your beer while you play!

I loves me some Nintendo but not all their design choices were good. For example:

- Particle board sides (this speaks for itself)
- 5/8 thick sides...grrr
- Offset t-molding. Seriously!? Why?
- That weird mechanism (bezel art retainer) that holds the bezel in place
- The overall height of the cab is too short. An averaged height dude is going to find the control panel juuuuust low enough to be uncomfortable.
 
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