132 replies to this topic

[Galooch]

So far it's almost equal....plus the reasons seem to be part circumstances, part aesthetics, and part convenience.  That seems about right...not sure what I was expecting.  Can anybody think of other definitive pros/cons for going with standard or widebody?

[xzotic]

A couple of other things you may want to consider....

 

1. Try and find both a real standard and wide body pinball and play each one for a period of time. Feel which one seems better for you as you probably will be playing it the most. This will be completely personal but I believe important so that you can really tell for yourself what the difference is like in actual hand/arm positioning when playing. 

 

2. To throw the cat amongst the pigeons - have you looked at the Ultra Wide-screen displays (21:9)? LG seems to the one carving out a market in this space (Phillips have some too) and the prices are reasonable. The dimensions look on the surface to be proportionally much closer to a real pinball table (My real world cup play field is 107cmx52cm). The only thing is their largest one is a 34" with dimensions of 83cmx38cm. So not quite wide enough for a standard cab but great for a custom smaller cab. Of course manufacturers could come out with larger ones in the near future in which case you could always swap one into your standard cab when the time comes...

[FreeMason]

As long as all tables are made for the same resolution a 21:9 does not make much sense to me. This would mean that the image is stretched or you have borders. Same as standard and widebody tables on a 46 or 39 inch screen. They have the same resolution, there is nothing to gain there. It's just a bigger picture. In a real widebody pinball machine the playfield is wider and not longer. This gives machines like Twilight Zone a much bigger playfield. Playing Twilight Zone on a 39" in a standard cabinet or on a 46" widescreen cabinet does not make a difference. It's just bigger, the aspectratio is the same. So to me widebody does not make much sense.

Edited by FreeMason, 09 September 2014 - 07:40 AM.

[Brtlkat]

I went with standard. There are more standard tables then wide bodies. I did not want to play all the standard tables as wide bodies.

[mrarcade]

I have read several threads about widebody vs standard. My question is: Are VP tables designed using actual dimensions with no worry about how it will display on a monitor, or are they designed to display on a 16:9 display, 5:4 display etc?

[FreeMason]

I have read several threads about widebody vs standard. My question is: Are VP tables designed using actual dimensions with no worry about how it will display on a monitor, or are they designed to display on a 16:9 display, 5:4 display etc?

They are made for 16:9 screens. VP widebody tables like twilight zone are do not have the same dimensions as the real thing. They have been resized. That is why i am saying that it makes no sense in making a widebody cabinet with a screen that is 16:9(or any other format). You gain nothing except a bigger screen.

Edited by FreeMason, 09 September 2014 - 12:01 PM.

[mrarcade]

They are made for 16:9 screens. VP widebody tables like twilight zone are do not have the same dimensions as the real thing. They have been resized. That is why i am saying that it makes no sense in making a widebody cabinet with a screen that is 16:9(or any other format). You gain nothing except a bigger screen.

 

You do gain one thing using a wide body cabinet, the playfield monitor fills the playfield hole in a factory machine more fully than on a standard width. That is why I considered getting a wide body cabinet,

[FreeMason]

They are made for 16:9 screens. VP widebody tables like twilight zone are do not have the same dimensions as the real thing. They have been resized. That is why i am saying that it makes no sense in making a widebody cabinet with a screen that is 16:9(or any other format). You gain nothing except a bigger screen.

You do gain one thing using a wide body cabinet, the playfield monitor fills the playfield hole in a factory machine more fully than on a standard width. That is why I considered getting a wide body cabinet,

This is true, but using a 39" or 40" gives very close results.

[Landon1984]

Thanks for the information everyone.  After reading the previous posts I am going to use a standard body.

[dyopp21]

I guess I'm one of the few that have built both a standard width and a SUPER widebody (Old Atari pin that was 24.5" wide).  I put a 40" in the standard and a 50" in the super widebody.  I like the fact that the 50" covers the entire inside of the viewable area of the cabinet with no need to fill in the gaps at the top and bottom, but over time I've come to prefer the size of the 40" screen when playing.  The 50" just makes things a little too big for my taste.  But I do still play both of them plenty.

[arngrim]

i had my 40" screen and i build my cab according to the dimension of my screen, so it's a custom body
i planned for a 46" but i found it too big, 40" is just fine for me

[gogo69]

Sega Batman Forever (which is a widebody )

 

why  ? because it was available

 

click my sig to check my cab

[maestro300]

Gottlieb Mars God of War widebody-- 46" screen.   I think it is great!    Doesn't feel or look too big.    Really it came down to what was available to me.   It is much harder to find a widebody so I just count myself lucky! 

[mameman23]

As already mentioned, find a screen you like and build the cabinet around that. The only real custom part you need to then deal with is the lockbar. I've done a ton of these for users over the past few years and everyone seems to like them.

[LoadedWeapon]

i have built 3 cabs so far and 40 in a standard just seems perfect to me..

 P1020419.JPG   201.9KB   59 downloads

 

[Shadowsclassic]

I went with a 39" as it would just fit (case on) in the Gottlieb Dragon cab I've had setting around for years.  As was mentioned before, I hate having to put a spacer at the bottom to make up for the screen being shorter than the cab.  I considered just cutting down the cab, but I actually have to have a gab at the bottom to allow room for the flipper buttons and the plunger travel.  Still I really don't like all that space between the lock bar and the screen.

 

 

Vizio 1080p  39" (playfield) Sansui 720p 29" (Backglass & DMD)  29" is a little large but I had it already.  the 39" fits just perfect in the Gottlieb Dragon with case on.

Edited by Shadowsclassic, 14 October 2014 - 01:08 AM.

[dark]

I have a mame cocktail table that doubles as a mini pin with 27" playfield but I've started to gather info for making a full sized pincab.  This thread came at a good time for me since I've recently been having the same debate with myself over standard or widebody for many of the reasons stated above.  I'm leaning towards standard since that's what I think would feel more authentic since people are used to seeing standard sized pinballs and not so much widebody's...also to save me a bit of room so it's not too tight.

 

Would some of you mind listing the TV's you ended up going with for your standard cabs?

[zany]

Dark.....a standard body does't change the aspectratio of the display....the display you will use will still be 16:9. The reason why people(aswell as me and my buddys) choose widebody is that the widebody is closer to a 16:9 in playfield size then a standard body. The tables them self will look the same.
If you build your mainbox from scratch, you can choose to do the mainbox shorter to get rid of those empty areas that many have using a "real" pinball cab as a base.

[dark]

I'm aware that the aspect ratio is the same,  I just think standard width of the cabinet is what people are used to seeing in arcades etc.  As I mentioned above, the spot I have where I could fit a cab in is a bit tight as well.  The only thing that would be less authentic about standard with a 40" monitor would be that I'd probably shorten the length of the cabinet to prevent having the spaces/gaps at the front or back.

Edited by dark, 14 October 2014 - 04:49 PM.

[BobAlbright]

   I considered the wide body when I ordered my Virtuapin. Glad I opted for the standard body. My cab is on my second floor and I had to get the cab up there via a flight of stairs that goes up a ways, and then makes a 180 degree turn to go the rest of the way. I BARELY got it up. No way the wide body would have made that turn. So---if your space is limited, you might want to consider what it will take to getting it into that hole.