Why don't we have a 4-Player Multi Konami board yet?

ChanceKJ

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Why don't we have a 4-Player Multi Konami board yet?

I've been thinking about this for some time, with all the brilliant people working on good FPGA implementations why haven't we seen a solid Konami 4-Player Multi project?

We're seeing a time when PCB's like Simpsons, TMNT and TIT are going for an insane price. Not to mention people my age who grew up with these games are now starting to come into disposable income. So it seems odd to me that no one has taken up the challenge of working on a Konami 4-Player equivalent to the JROK boards.

Would it not be cool to have games like: Bucky O'Hare, Crime Fighters, Punk Shot, The Simpsons, TMNT, Turtles in Time, X-Men, G.I. Joe, Vendetta, and Sunset Riders all on one board? The argument can be had that this can be done with an rPi, or with a crappy Pandoras Box. But who really wants to play Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles or have to mess with a software package? We want something with an on screen menu, that we can plug into the existing Jamma harness when costs of collecting and wiring switcher challenges are so prohibitive.

Is this a technical challenge for some reason? Maybe a lack of motivation or interest from the right people? Is something in the works but yet unannounced? What gives?
 
it might have something to do with the fact that the hardware platforms between the games are so varied. it's not like a Multi Williams or Multi Mylstar where they're mostly the same hardware between games. I don't know how it could be done running original-ish hardware vs. emulation.

just strikes me as a pipe dream. oh, that, and they're "shitty 90s games" to probably 85% of the board.
 
they're "shitty 90s games" to probably 85% of the board.

I highly doubt this...at least for TMNT 1&2, Simpsons, X-Men, Sunset Riders, and Cowboys. I don't even really need FPGA for these games, just a multi-board with a kick-ass interface like ArcadeSD.
 
I would gladly spend $300-400 for this. By the time you do a Pi and jamma adaptor your a good way to that price, a plug and play would be awesome.
 
Honestly a cheapy mame machine is your best bet. You can design any menu you want, add the exact games you want. Call it a day. And let's be honest here, the quality of the emulation on those Konami games is near indistinguishable from the real counterpart for 99% of people out there.

While an FPGA would be amazing it's just unfortunate that the hardware is so widely varied.

The sad part of this hobby is a lot of boards being sacrificed when it's just a simple fix to reflow an ASIC or buy off the shelf parts. Often you find these cannibalized and then they are worth nothing... Same goes for any board.
 
I completely agree with the concept of a multi-Konami four player board and have asked the same question a number of times before as well. I would love to see this concept be developed as I have also looked at these boards for insane prices and it simply can't be justified. While I don't have the background to argue the complexities of it, I do understand it is probably not an easy task.

With that said, how about the "next best thing" which in my mind would be an ArPicade setup that is customized for all 3/4-player games and allows for the 3rd and 4th player harnesses to be connected easily to the Pi somehow and has a customized menu specifically for all the various 3/4 player games? Basically, a "plug and play" option that is emulation, but would provide a one stop option for all your 3/4 player game wishes and makes it easier to setup the 3/4 player option and harness to make it "fool proof". If there is an image or setup that could be duplicated with the various Raspberry Pi - Jamma options out there such as ArPicade - it would be greatly appreciated. MAME PC would be fine, but none of these games should require the extra hardware and the Pi is so much easier to deal with power and space wise than the PC.
Can anyone take this on as a project and advertise it as a multi-Konami (4 player multi board) option that virtually makes it a plug and play experience? It would be greatly appreciated! I wish I had the expertise to do it myself otherwise I would.
 
I've been thinking about this for some time, with all the brilliant people working on good FPGA implementations why haven't we seen a solid Konami 4-Player Multi project?

Is this a technical challenge for some reason? Maybe a lack of motivation or interest from the right people? Is something in the works but yet unannounced? What gives?


I know FPGA's are well-regarded by many, but the truth is the games on them (Space Invaders, early Williams, Pacman, etc) are comparatively simple bits of hardware. The 90's Konami games are literally orders of magnitude more complex at a gate array level.

I don't know if FPGA hardware for that stuff is even viable right now, but I can certainly say that if it is it would be very time consuming to do.
 
I completely agree with the concept of a multi-Konami four player board and have asked the same question a number of times before as well. I would love to see this concept be developed as I have also looked at these boards for insane prices and it simply can't be justified. While I don't have the background to argue the complexities of it, I do understand it is probably not an easy task.

With that said, how about the "next best thing" which in my mind would be an ArPicade setup that is customized for all 3/4-player games and allows for the 3rd and 4th player harnesses to be connected easily to the Pi somehow and has a customized menu specifically for all the various 3/4 player games? Basically, a "plug and play" option that is emulation, but would provide a one stop option for all your 3/4 player game wishes and makes it easier to setup the 3/4 player option and harness to make it "fool proof". If there is an image or setup that could be duplicated with the various Raspberry Pi - Jamma options out there such as ArPicade - it would be greatly appreciated. MAME PC would be fine, but none of these games should require the extra hardware and the Pi is so much easier to deal with power and space wise than the PC.
Can anyone take this on as a project and advertise it as a multi-Konami (4 player multi board) option that virtually makes it a plug and play experience? It would be greatly appreciated! I wish I had the expertise to do it myself otherwise I would.

https://www.highscoresaves.com/arpi...r-games.html?options=cart&product_type=simple
 
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