So I've been spending the better part of the past 2-3 years snatching up all the console hardware I could get my hands on, just love collecting these.
I really started to get into light gun games lately, and have been playing a ton of Virtua Cop 1/2 on the Dreamcast, with the sweet guns!
This led me to look into other light gun games I missed over the years, and this led me to Time Crisis 2/3 on PS2, with the sweet guns!
So I started to branch out and see just what I could get my hands on in terms of hardware needed and what games could run for them. On my travels, I suddenly had a thought, Virtua Cop 1/2 were so damn good, why was a 3rd never made?
BAM. A quick Google search, and it turns out one WAS made. Apparently it was not rated very good, but my obsession knows no limits, I have to have it.
I started to go down the rabbit hole, learning some crazy bullshit along the way. I've been reading all about the Sega Chihiro hardware used for Virtua Cop 3 (and others), and even saw that complete madness of being able to run VC3 on the original Xbox (if you have that insane 128 MB RAM upgrade...)
So in my obsession to collect hardware, here is where I got a little lost... I noticed there were a few Sega Chihiro hardware sets for sale. But that was literally it, just a very sweet looking, very obscure box.
Where do people get these things? And why is it only the box? What happened to the rest of the machine?
And if the machine is completely gone, what are people supposed to do with these damn things? They don't just accept regular inputs, they're expecting guns and steering wheels and shit, what can be done with these things? Do people really re-assemble these arcade games all the way?
Is anyone familiar with the Sega Chihiro hardware and what can be pulled off with just the main box? Does it accept any sort of "controller", does it connect to any sort of screen?
I've tried to comprehend some strange things, look a loop-back cable apparently is necessary, and you need a GD-ROM disc and security thingy to make the games work.
But if people are buying these things, what sorts of things are they plugging them into? I can barely find any parts for sale, do these people really have the parts? Do they really have a pair of Virtua Cop 3 guns laying around that they can just plug in?!
As far as I know you plug them into the arcade systems. I'd imagine people buy it for that, restoration, dumping the contents for emulation or just collecting.
I had a Super street fighter II arcade in which the game itself also comes in a box like format. Could have installed other games into the arcade by changing that box (Motherboard). I imagine the chihiro has the same installation process. You connect screen, audio and inputs + other stuff and it works.
Not sure what you need for that game specifically but I guess any arcade light guns would work with it, if it used a pedal than you need that as well.
As to where to get these boards: Ebay is the easiest. Parts for arcades aren't that obscure so you could build your own if you wanted to.
Edit:
Just checked: Chihiro board, Audio, GD-Rom, Game software and such all readily available on Ebay. Looks to be a bit more complex than the capcom cps2 board's installation but not really rocket science.
I've actually seen that one. Sadly he mentions using the stupid steering wheel, I wonder if there's any way to have a more generic controller input..
Would love to have one of these but damn they are expensive, even the GD-ROMS/security cheaps are ~$150 or more, and then topping on that if I need a stupid unique control scheme for each game.
Expensive hobby!
I basically have 3 avenues ahead of me to get some Virtua Cop 3 action:
1) Buy Chihiro, buy guns/pedals, buy VC3 GD-ROM
2) Figure out how to mod Xbox for RAM upgrade
3) Wait for MAME to emulate this shit
Poohaa, that was some incoherent mess of a post from me xD
Shouldn't post things like this at 5 in the morning.
Not that many games on it so seems a bit pricey to collect that one.
Upgrading the Xbox seems a bit going over the top to just be able to play 3 games of that system.
*Patient mode for Mame activated* xD
It is fun to collect or built your own arcade stuff though! But: Time, Space and Money. I only got that first one xD
LOL yep, and it just looks pretty cool for an arcade board, some of them look much worse.
Sigh.. fucking MAME... I tried it on the latest version and it can almost run the Chihiro boot logo at like 1 frame per year..
Seems like so many people are jumping ship and/or fed up with the direction MAME is taking, I've never even really understood what they aim at sometimes. I love the idea of emulating specific components but I wish they would focus on more popular stuff.
But I can't really complain, I'll never be able to have that level of knowledge to even begin doing what they do, but sometimes they seem like they're aiming at some useless crap.
Virtua Cop 3...
EDIT:
Goddamnit, just looked further and started digging into the Sega RingEdge, and there was a pile of "Shining Force Cross" games that never made it away from this hardware.. I love all Shining Force games, even awful ones.
Aye, they have quite a few arcade titles that I wanted to see at least on consoles. Not that most of them are full fledged games... but eh as budget titles I'd get em
For collecting (blame my love for the DC) I'd love to have me an Atomiswave tbh
One good thing though: You can use an emulator to play those!
I should set up my DC and Atomiswave/Naomi library up this week. Feel like playing Fist of the North Star and some more
lol, I've been building my Saturn and DC library over the last week.
Got the sweet Action Replay flashed for the Saturn to allow backsup, and the DC is.. well... famously not protected.
Been playing a ton of those two systems, too bad the fucking Mad Catz gun released in US for the Dreamcast is an atrocious pile of shit, and the JP gun doesn't work with US games.
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