Whippy's poverty tier Gaming setup

Sometime in the late 90s, I transitioned to PC master race, and I think my collection of "Tv boxes" outlines this.

As of 04-11-2019 my current setup is as pictured:




My tv is a 2004 Zenith 25" Console tv. I picked it up last year after seeing it setting in a corner of my local second hand store for 8+ years. After making small talk with the owner, she indicated to me it had been there for nearly 11.... In a corner of a temperature controlled room unplugged and unloved. Even the worst case scenario means that this was only moderately used. It is one of the best looking pictures from a s-video set I have ever owned. It has a wells gardner tube as I found out when I was dusting it out, which is an added bonus. My plan was to RGB mod it, and use it for a future cabinet build.

At any given time I have 4 random consoles plugged into this set. Currently I have an N64, a console MVS, a wii and a PlayStation.

I use a pair of diy Arcade sticks for my MVS. They are oak clad and have Happ competition sticks and buttons. The db15 cable is modular, so I can remove it totally from the sticks should there be a need to do so.




The MVS is just a generic "C-Box". I didn't know what I wanted or needed in an MVS, so I got that to help guide me to a better unit in the future. I have already added a Ml2032 rechargeable battery back so at least my region and time stays the same. Eventually I am going to get a flash cart for it. It seems like a really solid technology. I know my next MVS will be a front loader. I don't like how tall the units sit with a cart, and I certainly don't like that the bios is a permanent chip. I would love it if Razoola or someone offered a method to flash the bios.....Somehow it came with Universe Bios 3.3, so I know there is a way to do it. Knowing what I need, when I find something better, this one is getting sold.

I run my db15 cables out the back of the TV and around the base so that I don't have to open the glass door while playing. The arcade sticks are plugged in at all times.

The Wii is heavily modified Red Anniversary edition just for me to play older games in 240p. I know it is just emulation, and it is not perfect, but I have no complaints with it at all. It allowed me to retire my NES, Snes and Sega Genesis to storage. I also run Gamecube extension cables out of the back of the tv and around the side. I keep a "Konga" controller plugged in because I enjoy DK's Jungle beat.

There is a a clear orange N64 hidden in there as well. I hate most everything on it, but it is the only way to enjoy a few games without issues. I had a flash drive for it, but I gave it to my brother in law because he needed help. I can't stand to see people suffering without games. I still had Hangtime & Ogrebattle, so I was happy.

The Playstation currently is sitting atop the tv. I hate it there, but because it is wireless I will allow it for now. It is an Scph-1001 that I purchased new for myself. I hit the lottery with this one, and I don't know how to describe it without sounding totally nerdy. It is a 1001 unit, still on its first laser. It has been plugged in and used most of the time...however since new I have opened it to see things, and found that it uses the latest board revision for that model (pu-8) and doesn't have the gradient banding on shadows and colors that the initial run had. It also has a "uniROM'd" gameshark as a cheat device. I use this to boot backup copies of my collection of games, all of which live in boxes in the attic. It has never given me any trouble with reading backups from any disc, or reading factory OEM games. By all rights this should have died by now. I have a spare brand-new laser in storage waiting for replacement just in case. Eventually I plan on getting a chipped PSOne because it is smaller I may be able to fit it under the tube with all the other units.


The man cave has random boxes full of goodies...I have a number of playstation units in various conditions and other random things that may or may not be video game related. Some is electronics, some is sporting goods, and some is work garbage.




My "man cave"/storage room has an outrageously clear Samsung Txr 20" 15khz tv. It looks like a monitor, and is the most crisp CRT TV I have ever owned. It is one of the Only Component 15khz CRTs I have ever found, and had to have it. Best $20 tv ever. Currently there is a random black wii and an Xbox (2001) plugged into it. The Xbox has a 500gb hdd through softmodding. This is not really a recent photo, but nothing much has changed. It still looks like a mess, but I am trying to liquidate things to make more space to store things in boxes.



I have both of these TVs, and eventually one of them is going to end up in a custom arcade cab. Once I start into the project I will decide. The 20" is a nice single player thing, whereas the 25" would work much nicer for multiplayer. I think part of my consideration which of the 2 converts to RGB through modification easier.

I am somewhat obsessive with how games/systems are stored. If they are not in use, they get wiped down, and put into boxes. I have plastic storage totes full of various random peripherals and game carts/cds shoved into attic spaces. My "man cave" photo is only part of it. There is another wall full of plastic totes with older PC & Console games. Flash carts and backup media methods allow me to keep the games that I own in boxes out of the way, while still being able to enjoy them on default systems.

Fix dem pix!

Whippy said:

[...] The Wii is heavily modified [...]

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I know this is a stupid question. But, I'm still gonna go ahead and ask in the hopes that it's not. Can the Nintendo Wii be modified to actually eliminate the need for its mandatory motion bar and "Wiimote" combination so one could just use a GameCube controller to play a GameCube disc?

SuperMegaUltra said:

Fix dem pix!

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I have to figure out how this site works a bit better. I may just upload the picts elsewhere and link back.

SuperMegaUltra said:

I know this is a stupid question. But, I'm still gonna go ahead and ask in the hopes that it's not. Can the Nintendo Wii be modified to actually eliminate the need for its mandatory motion bar and "Wiimote" combination so one could just use a GameCube controller to play a GameCube disc?

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You can use a Classic controller pro on any wii to navigate the menu system without a sensor bar, however there is no alternative for any of the wii native games that require motion. Also, you can force a modified wii to boot into 3rd party menu systems like the Homebrew channel or your USB loading app and at this point, I know some of them even support USB controllers in addition to Gamecube and other native solutions.

But yes. You can use PriiLoader to force your Wii to boot into a backup loader when you turn your system on(in my case I use USBLoaderGX) which does recognize GC controllers. From there you can select whatever GC game you have stored either in the CD drive, on the SD card or on the Backup USB Hard disc.

You're in the race for noob of the year already!

Good stuff there

I wouldnt call this poverty tier at all, more carefully selected within budgetry contraints. Everything looks good to me.

Neodogg said:

You're in the race for noob of the year already!

Good stuff there

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Thanks!

xb74 said:

I wouldnt call this poverty tier at all, more carefully selected within budgetry contraints. Everything looks good to me.

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I like to have fun with linguistics, but if I had any education I would call it "Carefully Curated". I will certainly get some better photos as time goes on. I am continually shuffling around various systems because it amuses me.

Need some better pics but the descriptions sound good!

Nice job on the sticks!

That Sticks look great!

titchgamer said:

Need some better pics but the descriptions sound good!

Nice job on the sticks!

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Thanks.

I will be updating my op with some better photos.

TK86079 said:

That Sticks look great!

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I may carry over some of my build log on them. They were really simple to make, and the hardest part was getting all the components together. Some things take forever to ship, while other things arrive in a few days.

My DIY MVS Controllers:
(I would have put this in the OP, but there is an image limit)



I did my top & Bottom layout on a random piece of 5/8" MDF that I had laying around for the last decade. It was actually a piece of shit furniture at one point. I went with 8-1/2" x 11" top so that I could print out artwork on a basic sheet of paper and cover it with plexiglass without having to involve a 3rd party for my printing needs. Plus I wanted something small, and I don't think I could have gone much smaller on either of the dimensions.


Random hand tools that are indispensable for being a fake carpenter.


I used 1x4 pine which is 3/4" wide by 3-1/2" tall. Everything I did was Screwed together with Decking fasteners. They are like screws, but have a hex head that buries itself in the wood. Every connecting surface was slathered with Titebond II or III, depending on how I was feeling at that moment in time. In this case one of these boxes was III & the other was II. I learned that I like the III better because it feels nicer on my skin. Not even joking.


This is the button layout I used for the stick and the ABCD buttons


This is a random sketch of my final drilling pattern.


Unfinished boxes showing the pine wood & the final holes. I used spade bits to drill the holes in the lumber. They are messy, but they get the job done. I used 1-1/8" for all 6 buttons and I believe 7/8" for the stick, and used a step bit to enlarge the stick hole. This image shows the final red box, and the C button is slightly off. Its an easy fix, and I didn't notice it until the end. It looks bad, but is 1/16" too low. I could smudge the other buttons around a bit and even it out, but by the time I really noticed, it was far too late. When I change out the graphics, I will fix it.


Drilling plexiglass is a pain in the ass. I had to use a plastic bit to start a pilot hole, and than used a step bit to get to the 1-1/8" overall for every button and the stick. This photo really shows how the stick hole is enlarged by the step bit and changes from 7/8" to 1-1/8" through the thickness of the top piece of mdf.



Random photo of semi-finished boxes.

Continued on the next post due to image cap

Continued from previous post due to image cap/post.


This is a random artwork test. I photoshopped everything from scratch and the only thing that I did not create is the Text (Neo-Geo/SNK/MVS). This wasn't the final art I used, and I ended up ignoring start/select/ABCD text just to make the final thing look more simple. Eventually I plan on altering the artwork. I want some sort of scene from Metal slug, and I have an idea what I want, but haven't found it exactly yet. I may need to edit some screenshots. However at the time, I just wanted these finished so I could enjoy them.



Adding the 1/4" red oak exterior. I used a lot of glue on these pieces. All connecting edges were cut on a 45 degree angle. The oak pieces I got were too tall, so I had to cut them down a bit and actually used a hand saw for that. I don't mind ripping an angled cut with a circular saw, but there is somethings I prefer to hand cut. Did I mention that I am not a carpenter?


Unfinished red oak exterior after some light sanding and glue. They came out really well for my level of expertise. I brought them in to stare at them while I figured out stain options.


First I stained using a very dark stain. I HATED the look it gave, and ended up hand sanding it nearly all the way off with 60 grit sandpaper. I finally listened to others and used "Indian Ink" to dye the oak black, and it really did a much better job. The stain was more like paint, and hid the appearance of the wood, whereas the ink kept the appearance of oak. It is hard to describe, and impossible to capture in photo. If you want lumber to be dark, use india ink. I used a solution of ink and water, and still got these pitch black.


Internally I used a DB15 breakout, and had an access hole in the bottom/back of the units. I used aquarium airline hosing as a bushing to help keep the board off the lumber a bit while still being tight.


Button wires. Red is my "ground" that attaches to every switch, and the black ones are the individual switches. Every Spade connector was soldered fast to the wire, and every wire was checked for continuity. These are random wires I had laying around. The red one was from a T5HO ballast that I replaced, and I am no electrician, but it is thick, solid and holds a shape. It reminded me of bending tubing. The black wire is some copper core shit I have had on a spool for the last decade for some other project I didn't do. Both were way too thick for this project, but still worked.


This was a pain in the ass. I ended up undoing it this way, and mounting the db15 to the bottom board.


This is the correct way to do it for me. I mounted the db15 BEFORE wireing it up. My bottom board "nests" inside of the box, so I had to put the db15 port into the cutout, and hinge the bottom into place. The screwheads that are visible around the box serve 2 purposes. Overall they held the glued oak onto the side of the pine while it dried, but the bottom row of screws holds the bottom of the unit onto it.

Conclusion on next post

The Thrilling conclusion of how I didn't lose any fingers using a circular saw and ended up with arcade sticks.


db15 cables are modular. I can take them off totally right at the back of the unit. I don't know when I will ever need to do this, but it is an option.


When they were done, they looked amazing. Each one has nearly a full can of high gloss polyurethane spray sealant on them. I lightly sanded between the first few coats, and by the 5th coat I was using 1000 grit sand paper. By the 7th coat I used 1600 grit, and the 8th coat was final with no followup sanding. They are glossy, and it creates a neat effect. The wood is black, but the finish is thick and clear. In the right kind of light, the wood grain is plainly visible (The picture above somewhat shows this with the rear plug)....while in other light, they are highly reflective, and just look like a black plastic. This is hard to capture with a camera.

I wanted new controllers, and couldn't find any for a reasonable price. These both cost a bit less than single used AES controller of unknown abuse. I used Happ buttons and stick, and I have an idea that they won't die in my lifetime. They are not perfect. I made them exactly how I wanted them from the start, and am totally content. I have had a few people comment that I should have countersunk the screws...they are just flat heads, and I didn't have the desire to make them flush. I liked the character they give the units. These units are one of a kind, but there is 2 of them. One of the things I didn't take a photo of was the rubber feet I used. Each unit has 4 feet, and they are just small random squares I got on the cheap. They keep the units from sliding around on carpet or tables.

On a side note, if anyone is interested in PDF files of the artwork or general layout, I would gladly find a way to upload it. This wasn't hard, but I wouldn't attempt it without basic hand tools and gloves.

So, what's your favorite Neo Geo game(s)?

oliverclaude said:

So, what's your favorite Neo Geo game(s)?

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Metal slug 1/2/3/X. I just have the 161 in 1 at the moment, and also have been enjoying the hell out of Pulstar. I wish there was more Shmups on the System, but overall I think anything that plays Metal Slug is certainly worth the cost.

This is great! Fantastic WIP.

Good going! Finally someone who's showing their real fucking situation. I'm sick of seeing a whole house full of shelves of games they don't ever dare touch let alone play. Keep up the good work Whippy!

TK86079 said:

This is great! Fantastic WIP.

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Thanks. My CRT & "retro" setup constantly evolves. It was a fucking mess until I got the side shelves. Eventually I may craft something out of wood, but for now these work a treat.

lachlan said:

Good going! Finally someone who's showing their real fucking situation. I'm sick of seeing a whole house full of shelves of games they don't ever dare touch let alone play. Keep up the good work Whippy!

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I strive for high functionality of my setup. I have kids (teenagers) who use this TV daily. Hell, even my wife enjoys Bubsy or Mario on the SNES emulation on the wii. My daughter is the one who recommended the blue version of my DIY arcade sticks....after I shot her down on pink (fuck that shit). But these things are used often, and used hard. My setup is pretty much idiot proof, and even my a/v switch has pictures on it so that anyone who knows how how to read a picture book could use it. My real games are hidden away in storage...possibly will never see the light of day again. There is crates of shit in my attic that is a mix of NES, Snes, Genesis and even an atarii 2600 up there. Flash carts & backup media really saves space. There is nothing like a real system on a real TV to remind people how good it really is. Eventually I would love to get a switchbox that allows for more consoles, but I somewhat like The 4 console limit. Every few months I retire one system and bring out another. It is fun for me to see my family & friends enjoy various out of production games. The wii is the most used console overall for a single gamecube game, and SNES emulation, and now the MVS is giving it a run for the money. Multiplayer with arcade sticks has a feel to it that no controller on any new system can ever replicate. As a gamer, I have a lot of respect for collectors. In this hobby we have many paths we can travel. Individual enjoyment is what we all strive for. If a mass of shelf decorations gives you joy, I have a high five for you!
One thing (I think) that both collectors and gamers can agree on is that resellers are cancer and should be chemically castrated, and tossed in the ocean tied to their entire remaining inventory. I am lucky enough to have saved the systems I grew up with, and maintain them enough that 20+ years later they still amaze a younger audience.

Looks good, buddy. It took me years to get what I have now.

Nice piles.

Love that TV, and the sticks look like they can handle a pile driver

controllers are great, wouldnt have guessed you made them

Neodogg said:

You're in the race for noob of the year already!

Good stuff there

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+1

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing.

Whippy said:

The wii is the most used console overall for a single gamecube game,

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Pac Man Vs?

Hine62 said:

Looks good, buddy. It took me years to get what I have now.

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Karou said:

Nice piles.

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Dialknight said:

Love that TV, and the sticks look like they can handle a pile driver

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itsofrustratin said:

controllers are great, wouldnt have guessed you made them

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Thanks! It took decades of time to collect what I have. I don't consider any part of my collection as uncommon, but that they are all in use still in use with minimal care is. I really want a period specific early 90s styled room for this setup, but my wife is 100% against shag carpet and paneling.

wataru330 said:

Pac Man Vs?

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Worse.
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. It is one of 2 playable GC games, with the other being Super Mario Strikers.



I ordered a PSIO, and am going to have a try with it this weekend, or next week. It looks fairly simple to connect, just somewhat tedious. I don't have a whole lot of faith that it is what I want totally, but I will give some sort of insight after getting it installed. I have already been on record shit talking and hating on this thing, so I really want to hate it right away.