Arcade racing simulators are pricey rigs that few can really afford to install in their homes. Even low-end cabinets can easily go for ten thousand dollars and that’s before you even slap in a large HD display. If you really, really want one and can’t handle the exorbitant costs, 0-60 and Electronic Arts have collaborated on a downloadable guide that details instructions on how you can build your own.
Tied in with the release of Need For Speed: SHIFT, the D.I.Y. R-Cade is a functional racing cabinet that you should be able to put together (with the help of a decent carpenter, of course) for a manageable $500. That’s 500 Benjamins for the box, without all the electronic components (and no racing bucket either), which means actual price should prop up to a couple of grand for a complete system.  Not bad.
The guide comes with over 66 pages of instruction, detailing the construction of each component of the cabinet, with complete diagrams and renders. It covers the full range of activities you’ll need to do to bring the box to life, from procuring materials to cutting the panels to final assembly. The sample rig they constructed uses Sparco Chrono Road Barcalounger seats, a 40-inch Samsung LN40B550 HDTV, a PS3 Slim, a Logitech G2 Racing Wheel and a 155-watt Logitech G51 surround sound. You can, of course, deck it with your own preferred system.
After browsing through the D.I.Y. R-Cade construction guide, I’m pretty certain there’s no way I’ll be able to put this together on my own. Those with a little more construction and woodworking skills, however, will probably manage just fine. A full-fledged racing cabinet for $500 sounds mighty tempting, though, doesn’t it? You can get the PDF from the 0-60 website (link below).
[0-60 via Autoblog]