anyone ever seen a MAME Omega Race?

[vintagegamer]

I have a dead Omega Race.  It's complete.  I can't pay the expensive prices to have the board redone.  Would it be worth considering MAME'ing it?  Any way I could keep the original vector monitor in the setup?  (I'm guessing no on the monitor).

[FrizzleFried]

It would likely be as expensive if not more to MAME it.

If you MAME an Omega Race you will invoke the arcade gods and will very will earn massive negative arcade karma.

Don't do it.

[TheChairmanH2K]

mame it but dont destroy any of the original art or controls. 

[CheffoJeffo]

Hey VG -- nice to see you back around.

In theory, you could build a VectorMAME and still use the vector monitor, BUT it would almost certainly cost more than board repair, assuming that you can get your hands on a Zektor ZVG board and then can get it running.

I don't think it would be worth it to MAME unless you really, really like Omega Race and want a dedicated cab in your gameroom.

[Paul Olson]

Where are you at? I want an Omega Race.

[Spacejack]

Do both! Fix the PCB and get a cheapie PC to run VectorMAME... rig up a speakers and monitor switch. It would require the use of an external controller to play anything but Omega Race but a little brainpower could conquer that. That way you'd have a fully restored OR if you ever wanted to sell it and you could also get the benefit of horizontal vector Mame games on a vector monitor.  All of which sounds like a PITA but I would think it within the realm of possibility, plus you could do it in stages.

[ark_ader]

Mame it.  Don't listen to these guys.  Omega Race is as boring a game as Kangaroo.

Do yourself a favor. 

[vintagegamer]

Thanks all for the feedback- I too hate the thought of gutting an orig game, but with the recent success with MAMEing a non-working Monaco GP and using its controls for Pole Position, I thought it might be worth considering similar surgery for my dead OR.  It's been dead for a year and I want to see it live again but simply don't have the funds for the board repair.

[taylormadelv]

A ZVG may just be a bit much for an Omega Race cab. Especially since it's a B&W monitor. I'd mame it, add a few buttons and you could then play Star Trek, Cosmic Chasm and Zektor pretty nicely. Depending upon how many buttons you add and where, Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Gravitar, Space Fury and Space Duel would look very, very cool in that cabinet. Mounting a monitor with the mirror will be a PITA but Omega Race is a very nice cabinet and I think it would be worth it.

[CrazyKongFan]

Mame it.  Don't listen to these guys.  Omega Race is as boring a game as Kangaroo.

Omega Race is an awesome game, hardly boring. It also gets hard very quickly.

[CheffoJeffo]

Mounting a monitor with the mirror will be a PITA but Omega Race is a very nice cabinet and I think it would be worth it.

Funny ... I like the OR cab, but they always seem to end up being burned or towed behind cars if they aren't complete.

I've never seen anybody take (even for free) a non-complete OR cab, which is why I suggested just selling it as complete to someone who might love it.

[Necro]

I'm MAME'ing one.  I suggest not doing it - the process has been a PITA and other cabs are much more amenable to MAMEing.  

Someone also made one into a multi-Williams.  

A multi-vector setup would be cool on one....

I'm keeping mine as stock as possible, with swappable CP's with the art in line with the cab and original CP.

[RayB]

Someone here many years ago showed a fixed up OR with a custom panel that matched the original control panel. Was a thing of beauty. Now FINDING it... hmmmm!

[vintagegamer]

I've seen 2 separate conversations on repro boards being made for this game, and then the hype fades away.  I'm starting to think that owning an OR is like owning an Edsel..

[Necro]

RayB, that's the multi-williams I mentioned.