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Up and Coming
January 16, 2015
Question

My other "virtual" project, a virtual pinball table

So yeah, I custom built a full-sized, virtual pinball table. It also doubles as a jukebox and custom light show, all remotely controlled, of course! :) I'm very proud of it, even though it's not yet finished. I can play hundreds of licensed tables and hundreds more custom builds.

Here's my build blog if you want to see how I did it.
https://virtualpinballblog.wordpress.com/

Edit: oh, it also plays NES and SNES emulations, and movies (blu-ray, DVD, video files). And aside from the internal sound system, it also has headphone capability for silent pinball, or can easily hook into a home theater to really rock the room.

    18 replies

    Up and Coming
    January 29, 2015
    Not really, I didn't build that cabinet, it is a kit. I should have taken pictures when I was installing those spinner knobs, I think the hardest part about that though was simply figuring out where they would fit. The cabinet is from these guys.

    http://xtensionarcadecabinet.com/

    I wish I had the tools and the skills to build something like that from scratch. That forum is so full of amazing work done by people in their spare time though.

    Check out this build, it is a more limited design than mine, but it is home made and it is beautiful
    http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,141778.0.html

    I mostly just use mine for donkey kong and ms. pacman though, something like this would be awesome for that mostly because the screen is vertically oriented. Some people on the forum customized mame and cabinets to rotate screens with the game depending on orientation!!
    VizionVRAuthor
    Up and Coming
    February 4, 2015
    Molton,
    I need a good spinner knob so I can play Tempest on my pinball backglass. Any suggestions? Can one be wired into an I-pac?
    Not a Rift fanboi. Not a Vive fanboi. I'm a VR fanboi. Get it straight.
    Up and Coming
    February 4, 2015
    the spinner knobs I got are really great, made by Randy at groovygamegear.com. I don't know about plugging them into an I-Pac, but you can buy a controller board from groovygamegear.com with the spinner that supports up to 4 spinners I think.

    (actually, I think the controller board comes with it)

    I got TurboTwist 2's with upgraded tops and the extra energy storage weights on the bottom.
    VizionVRAuthor
    Up and Coming
    February 4, 2015
    "molton" wrote:
    the spinner knobs I got are really great, made by Randy at groovygamegear.com. I don't know about plugging them into an I-Pac, but you can buy a controller board from groovygamegear.com with the spinner that supports up to 4 spinners I think.

    (actually, I think the controller board comes with it)

    I got TurboTwist 2's with upgraded tops and the extra energy storage weights on the bottom.


    Thanks! I did some research and watched some vid reviews. Now I just need to figure out where to install it. :)
    Not a Rift fanboi. Not a Vive fanboi. I'm a VR fanboi. Get it straight.
    Up and Coming
    February 5, 2015
    They fit in a 1 1/8" hole I believe, whatever the standard arcade button hole is. You're going to add it to the pinball machine? I like the idea of having it on that metal edge in the front if anywhere, with the metalic finish knobs so i blends in, but that will be tough to make a clean 1 1/8" hole in I imagine. Tempest is a great game.
    VizionVRAuthor
    Up and Coming
    February 5, 2015
    Tempest is one of those games that, due to it's simplicity, stands the test of time. It's hard to improve upon such a simple concept after all these years.
    I wonder, is there a VR version of Tempest?

    The lockdown bar (the metal edge in the front) is nearly 1/8" thick stainless steel. I don't even know if I could drill a 1.125" hole through it. And then there's the lockdown assembly beneath that may get in the way. But yeah, that would be a fantastic spot. I might even be able to use it as a selector knob for games and volume control for the jukebox. Pretty sure that's never been done on a pinball machine. :)
    Not a Rift fanboi. Not a Vive fanboi. I'm a VR fanboi. Get it straight.
    Honored Contributor
    February 12, 2015
    "vizionvr" wrote:
    Tempest is one of those games that, due to it's simplicity, stands the test of time. It's hard to improve upon such a simple concept after all these years.
    I wonder, is there a VR version of Tempest?
    )


    short answer.... YES!

    viewtopic.php?f=42&t=19321
    Fiat Coupe, gone. 350Z gone. Dirty nappies, no sleep & practical transport incoming. Thank goodness for VR :)
    VizionVRAuthor
    Up and Coming
    February 12, 2015
    So addictive. I could almost feel the pleasure center of my brain reacting.
    Not a Rift fanboi. Not a Vive fanboi. I'm a VR fanboi. Get it straight.