Building a new house and games room is up to me :D

Morf3h

Right,

So parents bought a new house and my dad told me I have the games room to myself to do whatever i want (within reason).

At the moment i have an Xbox 360/xbox/sky digital/dvd player etc etc

also have an iMac G5 desktop.

Was thinking...

Projector for gaming and small HD-lcd for everything else...

Big fúck off HD-LCD like 50" ... for everything

get some sort of cable to watch movies off my computer.

What's the best option for a 360 cause i'll probably be using that most. I've gotta really nice flat wall so could use a projector nicely there.

and obviously some sort of amp/receiver and surround sound to bring it all together.


Any ideas/suggestion? What kinda setup do you guys have?

Cheers,

Morph

KdjaCL

Pool table and a Mame pc any sort of 32" tv for the consoles.

2 beanbags



kdjac

Vokes

+ a Fridge :cool:

Fibbers Games

Yeah, a nice mame pc cabinet with the X-arcade sticks..mm Im thinking about building one.

Morf3h

i was asking more about how to display my games...

projectmayhem

personally i'd go for the big ass HD-TV, but i've yet to experience a projector so i'm probably not the best person to say anything

also, beanbags and a fridge ftw

steviec

Projectors are fantastic under specific conditions, If you've got plenty of room, a nice large flat wall, and no light coming in from elsewhere then it's worth a go, but if there's any light in the room it'll be useless.

KdjaCL

A games room without a pool table i wrong. Dart board too and cover for poker nights on the table.


As for Tv as above projector with no natural light is perfect if natural light is present make sure the LCD is not in direct sunlight same as CRT. 32" is enough for games tbh.


kdjac

Blowfish

Projectors are great, but it probably would be a good idea to get proper blackout curtains, as they will pretty much block out all of the light.

The bad things about projectors are that the screens are expensive, and you will be screwed for loads if the bulb goes.

OctavarIan

steviec wrote:

but if there's any light in the room it'll be useless.

If only you could have told that to the fools who built the 'cinema room' in my school. The screen is opposite two huge windows and there are no blackout curtains!

As for the games room, widescreen tv, surround sound, dvd player, sky digital, whatever fits!

koneko

Depends on the room. If it's specifically a games room, then it won't matter if there is no natural light coming in, presumably there is another living room so no one (like a mother ) to complain about how it doesn't look living-roomy.

Blackout curtains, nice dark room, projector. Sorted! We use a projector with everything in the living room (including a 360 and PC) and it looks great. TVs are nice but nothing beats playing games on an 80" screen

Lemlin

Hyundai 32 inch from Xtravision is a steal for a HDTV. If money is no object though, go for a Sony Bravia.

LookingFor

I have a projector and it's great for watching movies and gaming etc. but I often hanker for just a more regular sized display for gaming and the like during the day. It can be a pain in the ass to have to turn your room to pitch darkness every time you want to just play a game - projectors don't really scream convenience.

Ideally I'd go for a projector + a reasonably sized flatscreen.

jesus_thats_gre

Projector for hardcore sessions and get a 36inch CRT for normal day to day stuff and retro consoles..

Laguna

From your post there you sound kind of.. spoilt?. I think if you can afford to throw around cash on a 50" LCD and screen projectors I think your own advice is the best Richie Rich.

CiDeRmAn

Yup, I'm with Laguna, you've already figured out what you are going to get, the rest of us with games rooms don;t have your, well, liquidity, or at least our folks don't so I reckon any advice we could give is simply pointless.
I don't think with my 25" telly and digital amp on loan I am quite qualified to comment any further.
On the other hand a question of what to put into the room, what to decorate or install to make your gaming life even more intense/sad you have come to the right place.

And SofaKing, I'm with you on the fridge, if only the wife would cave in on that one, and for a standard home a cocktail cabinet with a modded xbox preloaded with Mame, a 25" monitor and a 2 player X-arcade stick would be ideal, should find plans online and throw it together with some MDF and a sheet of perspex, Sweet!

Jimi-Spandex

I would go for a HD projector. You should be able to run your pc with an svideo or you may be able to get a tv out card that does hdmi, through the projector or ideally a reciever so you don't have to switch around cables. You can also have your sattelite box/dvd player/consoles going through the reciever so you can switch between them. If money is no object I'd go for some decent sound proofing and a fairly powerful 5.1 sound system set up for the projector screen.

After that it's pretty easy, just get a nice big couch, some recliners and a couple of bean bags. Go for the pool/fussball table, dart board, fridge if you have space then.

Morf3h

Jimi-Spandex wrote:

I would go for a HD projector. You should be able to run your pc with an svideo or you may be able to get a tv out card that does hdmi, through the projector or ideally a reciever so you don't have to switch around cables. You can also have your sattelite box/dvd player/consoles going through the reciever so you can switch between them. If money is no object I'd go for some decent sound proofing and a fairly powerful 5.1 sound system set up for the projector screen.

After that it's pretty easy, just get a nice big couch, some recliners and a couple of bean bags. Go for the pool/fussball table, dart board, fridge if you have space then.

finally some real advice. Thanks a lot i think that's what i'll do i think

Dooom

My vote for the sound system (if you're not going for seperates) is a set of Logitech Z-5500's. I've a set and they're the best things I've ever bought.
Hooked them up to the main tv downstairs a few times to watch some dvd's, and they're just amazing. On a PC they blow you away aswell.

They've a wireless version available aswell, albeit they're not as powerful as the wired version.

monkeyfudge

I hate using projectors... I'm always paranoid about how I'm burning away the life span of the bulb in it... and they are very expensive to replace.

gamer

i heard harvey norman advertising 42inch tvs,around 1400euros, i dont know if they are hd, i dont like projectors, normal tvs are better re display quality ,i know someone who got 42 inch,philips tv, with 3 avs, its got special menus for contrast,rgb,precise screen control, connections for external speakers etc. its not hd tv. get tv hd ready with 2 hdmi inputs.At least you can watch tv in normal light conditions, that tv has built in speakers ,underneath screen, at least 3ftx12inch wide ,the sound is great,on it,great bass.

Blub2k4

monkeyfudge wrote:

and they are very expensive to replace.

Not when diddums is paying, focking peasant.

flogen

For fúck sake lads, the fella is asking for advice on his set up, I don't see how this is any different to someone asking for advice on a rig in Computers; so he's loaded and has the luxury of being able to blow thousands on stuff like 50" HDTV's, so what? If you had that kind of money I doubt you'd feel the same about this, even if it was all from your parents.

CiDeRmAn

Ok, sorry for my comments in an earlier post, hope the room goes well for you.
By way of advice get the best digital amp you can afford, consoles may come and go but the amo will be about for years, get one that has reviewed well for music as well as 5.1, THX etc, often AV amps fall down when it comes to music reproduction, also get the best speakers you can but bear in mind they can be upgraded later easily.
An LCD screen would be preferable to a plasma one, don't be tempted into getting the biggest one, judge the distance from where you will be sitting and the height of the screen, you may find a 32" will suffice quite well, a 42" or bigger may strain both eyes and neck if viewed too close or bolted to the wall too high.
When I put together my games room I made a system of cables so I only had to plug each machines RF and Scart/Av cable once then when they are switched on only the active one shows on the set, a lot tidier than having to plug and unplug each one according to what you want to play, also ensure plenty of power sockets, make sure they are doubles and switched, so you don't have to plug them physically out to switch the mains off, also make sure you have lots of them, especially as the collection gets bigger over the years.

Flashman

and what about the booze for the 'eh halo drinking games'?!

so what I'm sayin is; a bar in the corner.

gamer

i, heard most hd ready tvs wont play blue ray or hddvd cos they have not even designed hdcp copy protection chips yet, so my advice is buy 32inch tv power city 500euro , then buy hd tv in a year when there is hd cp compatible hdtvs on the market ,unless you are happy just to use tv for sky digital and consoles/360 or ps3.PUT sky on av1 ,console on av2 ,dvd on av3 .You, can use vga or hdmi socket for computer or scart av for pc input to tv.