VR SuperGun

[kierann]

Hi all,

I'm putting together a setup I'm calling JAMMAnode. It's made with the intention of been able to control an arcade machine in a remote location via a web browser (with the video streamed back to the user via a separate vid capture setup). It could also be used for automating speed runs of arcade games. On the hardware side it uses a raspberry pi and the Jammahelper adapter from arcade forge.

This is version 1 of the wiring, a bit of breadboard overkill going on perhaps I'm beginning work on the programming (perl / php side) at the moment. Ideally I'd like to get the circuit shrunk down to the size of a Raspberry Pi Hat.

disclaimer: this is a university 'digital arts' project looking at finding a happy medium between emulation the using the original hardware. I know lag would be a massive issue, but it's an experiment I'm interested in getting going It's also in part inspired by how many arcade machines are now in private collections and museums. This could be a way to make these accessible to a wider public. I'll keep you posted!

kierann2019-02-09 17:41:41

 

[kierann]

Hi folks,

Just posting an update on this project, it's gone through a few upgrades but is not finished yet.

It's a 'VR SuperGun' now. The setup streams the PCB to a WebVR scene, and you can control the attached game board via the browser (using a keyboard to joystick mapper for this demo).

I'm working on the graphics currently, the version in the video below is just a floating rectangle for the video and a box floating in space

Current video lag is 0.03 seconds, no noticeable input lag, trying to see can I get it tightened up, some genres are more forgiving than others!

#Edit, I can't seem to embed the vimeo video here, so here's a direct link: https://vimeo.com/266019568

kierann2018-06-10 15:11:17

 

[John Bennett]

Sorry if I miss the obvious, but how's it capturing and streaming the video?
Nice project anyway!

 

[kierann]

Hi John

No worries, it's not the clearest video footage!

The video from the supergun goes into an OSSC upscaler, then an LGX Extreme capture unit into the PC. The PC is running FFMpeg, and this is used with javascript to change the video stream into a html texture. The drawback at the moment is that there's no direct sound into the browser, the sound heard in the video is from the direct HDMI feed going into the left monitor.

I'll post some better documentation of it soon!

 

[kierann]

Hi folks, here's a link to a short video update on the project in case it's of interest;

https://vimeo.com/279057169

The streaming video from the attached PCB now appears on a curved display, next step is to 3d model the back of the CRT, and do more with the graphics (as you can see it's missing the control panel, among other things!)

 

[Flinnster]

Nice. Virtual arcade here we go.

 

[kierann]

Thanks Flinnster

I've got a live test of it up online here for the next hour in case anyone wants to have a go.

http://sandbox.butterlab.com/live.html

It works best in Firefox. There's still a lot of work to do on the graphics, also sound isn't working at the moment.

Also there's no login or way to stop more than one person trying to control it at once, which could lead to funny results

the controls are:

wasd keys and the mouse to navigate around

1 = p1 coin

3 = p1 start
j = p1 up
n = p1 down
b = p1 left
m = p1 right
p1 action buttons = z, x, c, v, g, h

2 = p2 coin

4 = p2 start

zero = p2 up

p = p2 down

o = p2 left

[ = p2 right

p2 action buttons = y, u, i, 7, 8, 9

 

[kierann]

Hi folks, in case it's of interest here's the current state of the project. This video is of a live feed from a pandoras box PCB been streamed to a web browser. It's playable, a little lag but playable (some genres more forgiving than others admittedly). No sound going yet. Also no wiring in the virtual cabinet

https://vimeo.com/302724261

 

[kierann]

Hi folks,

Just a couple of video updates via twitter of the VR SuperGun in case they're of interest:

https://twitter.com/kierannolan/status/1067817913254641664

https://twitter.com/kierannolan/status/1093653636222275584

 

[jimmerd]

Great project idea.

I have tinkered with the idea of JAMMA over UDP, keeping the video/control latency to playable levels would be a real challenge as you say, especially if the source is original hardware and not emulation.

jimmerd2019-02-10 21:58:02

 

[The Last Bandit]

Looks interesting, recognise the office as well. Had I known this was on I'd have stayed a bit later to check it out

 

[kierann]

Thanks very much Jimmerd, yeah the latency is the big issue, mainly with the video. I have it down to a tolerable level locally, something around 0.15 seconds. If I use a faster computer for encoding it should speed it up marginally. The delay from the controls to the board itself is pretty much negligible. No audio going as yet.

I have tested it out playing over the network using a 4G connection, ends up been around 0.3 second delay, and it was reasonably playable, though some genres work better than others. Right now its more of a tech demo and prototype, no one is going to beat any world records playing through it. Something like Golden Axe where things move slowly and you have some distance between you and the enemies works well. I have yet to test it on a faster connection.

The Last Bandit: thanks for your interest, the 3D Camp event was cool. if I get demoing it again somewhere in Dublin I'll let you know