Alternative emulators for a CRT-based arcade cab

[dth930]

I'm working on a refresh of my MAME cab which was built prior to the merge of MAME and MESS.  Looking at all of the systems that MAME now supports (as well as other stand-alone emulators), is there anything outside of the core MAME ROM set that lends itself to an arcade cabinet controls and 15khz CRT?  I'm setting up Launchbox now and see all of the emulators that it supports.  Of course, most of them are not appropriate for the hardware I'm using, but that got me thinking... is there anything else that should be included?

The only one that I could think of was Daphne.

I guess Atari 2600 stuff would play OK.  And maybe some DOS games.  But most of the other consoles would have compromised controls.

Are there any other "must-have" emulators or non-arcade MAME systems that I should consider including?
 - Dave

[javeryh]

I mean you could always include consoles like NES, ColecoVision, Atari 2600, etc.  Those should all play fine with an 8-way and a few buttons.

I was wondering just yesterday if there was a way to add a few Atari 2600 games to a MAME list (in HyperSpin).  I think Adventure, Demon Attack, River Raid, Montezuma's Revenge, Atlantis and Pitfall might be fun additions...

[markc74]

Demon Attack was the first ever game I owned. Had the cheapest/greatest box art I've ever seen   

[Howard_Casto]

You are looking and things the wrong way.  You think it's a software problem when it is actually a hardware problem.   Most emulators will at least let you get down to 480p.   From there you can use an inexpensive downscaler to interface with your monitor.  So really you can run anything.

[xbrunox]

on a 25khz monitor a run a lot of newer games (teknoparrot too) many downscaled at 384 P on a 15 khz u can downscale to 240P.
Other solution is run games at 480i

[dth930]

You are looking and things the wrong way.  You think it's a software problem when it is actually a hardware problem.   Most emulators will at least let you get down to 480p.   From there you can use an inexpensive downscaler to interface with your monitor.  So really you can run anything.

Yes, though I'm asking more of a personal opinion question than a technical question.  What games are with playing with this kind of setup?  I know I can get things to run and work, but they also work on my Retropie connected to a 65" TV using the original style controllers.  I'm not missing out on anything because I have other emulators.  I think what I really meant to ask is "What else besides the MAME arcade catalog is worth playing on an arcade cabinet? " With the understanding that I already have other hardware to play console games on a TV.

I think my question is really more about controls and the overall experience than about the display. 

In my mind, the point is to retain the original look and feel of the game... not simply to get something to play by forcing it through hardware and software conversions.

I mean you could always include consoles like NES, ColecoVision, Atari 2600, etc.  Those should all play fine with an 8-way and a few buttons.

I was wondering just yesterday if there was a way to add a few Atari 2600 games to a MAME list (in HyperSpin).  I think Adventure, Demon Attack, River Raid, Montezuma's Revenge, Atlantis and Pitfall might be fun additions...

This is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for.  Thanks for reminding me of those Imagic games.  They would be great and would work well I think.  Demon Attack and Atlantis were two of my favorites.

The way this question came about is because I was setting up Daphne in Launchbox and I realized how many other emulators are available.  I wondered about which of them play games that translate to an arcade cabinet (or, in the case of Daphne, were designed that way but are not emulated in MAME.) 

An example of something you can play in MAME but would not translate are Intellivision games.  Those were some of my favorites and first experiences.  But the differences in the controller would make them difficult to play.  I would think Colecovision would fall into the same boat, but I could be wrong...
 - Dave