How hard is it to get an MVS?

I need someone to drop some knowlege on me. How easy is it to get a hold a a MVS 2 or 4 slot Cabinet? I really want to buy one but I have no clue where to look. Also How much cash would I have to part with? Thankyou

First and foremost: make sure you have a space in your house or apartment for the cabinet. No space, kinda dumb to look . . . hehe, well some people don't realize how big they are . . .

Second: buy locally so that you can rent or borrow a truck to pick up the cabinet and DRIVE it to your house. Don't buy out of your area, shipping will add quite a lot of $$ onto your purchase. FORGET ebay auctions or out of area sales!!!

Third: get an idea of what you are willing to pay for a cabinet. Prices I've heard range from $200 to $800 for a cabinet. I've been considering getting one for a while; I had a chance to get a 4-slot in excellent condition for $750. I passed on it thinking I could do better later.

Fourth: BE PATIENT, DO NOT BUY THE FIRST ONE YOU SEE OR ARE OFFERED. Wait until you find one you REALLY like (I want a 4-slot), and THEN start to act seriously.

Fifth: BEFORE you make an offer, check the entire cabinet out, inside and out. (You should already own a bunch of MVS carts to test in the machine). Test a number of different carts in it, and make sure everything works OK (speakers, lights, locks, etc.). Also, if there are features on the MVS board such as joystick connectors or stereo connectors, test them as well.

Sixth: Look for arcade operators and distributors in your area. Once you have your rough target price in mind, call them or, if you see a machine at an arcade or restaurant, ask them about it (or get the info from the machine, all operators label them with contact info).

Seventh: Don't accept the first price offered, always offer LESS. Negotiating is fine, if they get pissed about it then thats their problem. You can just thank them for their time and say you'll look elsewhere.

Well, that should all be a good start at least . . .

Weeeeeell, if your just buying it to play, and you have a firm, vice like grasp on soldering skills, you could always just buy a 2 slot, grab a cheap RGB converter(the Analog Devices' AD722 is the one I'm looking for right now ) and arcade power supply (or PC power supply for that matter), then just hook a JAMMA harnest up, wire that puppy together, and bing bang boom you's got yourself a MVS 2 slot you can play on a TV in absolutly no room what so ever.

Well, OK, maybe it takes up SO room. But remarkably less then a UR.

Or, you can just completely disregard anything I'm saying here. Your choice

I was thinking about just getting the jamma and 2 slot hook up but I really want the nice standup. My hope is to get a 2 slot standup(the red Neo Geo Kind).

Look in the yellow pages under amusement deivces and call around. I just bought a 4-slot from Mountains of Fun for $650. Mountains of Fun is located in Littleton and the owner was very helpful. Check out his website at http://www.mountainsoffun.com.

Joe-
That was the kind of info I was looking for.
How many places in Denver sell the MVS and how much do you think they would charge for a 2 slot? Thanks a lot.

There are a few places. Last time, when I was at Wearhouse of Gaming and Vending I think I saw a 2-slot. You might want to try them, but they were going out of business. Also try Mountain Coin, they might have or might be able to get you one. I hope you find one.

here in England , Arcade heaven at
www.arcadeheaven.co.uk

do mvs units pretty cheap and i dont think shipping is any problema as this guy (andrew Baker) ships all over the world and is a great person too.He's had several articles in national newspapers about 80's arcade games.

I work for the local arcade guru, and bought a four-slot machine from him, and am considering getting a two-slot in addition, simply to keep it from winding up abandoned in the warehouse. There are a few things to consider, in addition to Chimpmeister's excellent advice.

There are cabinets actually done by SNK, and then there are kits. Kits are purchased and used to turn a generic JAMMA cabinet set-up into an MVS, and these generally do not have all the features that a genuine SNK MVS cabinet has (external memory card slots, etc.).

When looking for a place to buy an MVS cabinet from, check out any cabinets placed in your area. Many arcade vendors have stickers on the machines with their phone number on it (we do).

When buying one of these machines from a vendor, ask them to set it up with new buttons and joysticks before you actually purchase it. The quantities that these are purchased in for businesses like ours cuts the price significantly, so it is no great cash drain on them to set you up with new buttons and joysticks.

If you like, I can give you a list of specific components to ask for (I can even give you product numbers).

-BioMotor_Unitron

so stupid question..if somebody purchase a four slot mvs snk system and brought some mvs its really simple to put the games in, just like inserting an aes..i never seen what the inside looks of a snk mvs machine, I seen mvs carts and they look like regular carts almost.... I apologizes in advance for my silly question

I think the thought of sooooo many people handling an MVS machine in its lifetime ruins it for me. Imagine all the snot nosed little shits eating cotton candy, or drinking soda while playing the damn thing. Unless I can find one that wasn't handled as much, which would be rare, I'm gonna stick with my AES.

What do you guys think the price range would be for a used 2slot SNK MVS? I want to know so I play a little hardball when I am looking for it.