The History:
Manufacturer: Atari- Release Date: 1982
- Production: Wide release
- Design by: Atari
- Artwork by: Atari
- Notes of interest: Vector based game.
The Story:
First and foremost, this isn’t an actual Space Duel PCB in this cabinet; this is a complete conversion to a MAME machine. Why would I do such a thing? The first reason is that the cabinet did not come with the game, nor did it come with the required VECTOR monitor. I also tested the game out in MAME and honestly wasn’t all that impressed with it. I got the cabinet for the low price of 50 bucks and despite its age it was in pretty good shape! The artwork and the marquee were intact as well as the original control panel, but the CP didn’t really fit the bill for a MAME machine.
My idea was simple, turn this cabinet into a MAME machine and preserve as much as the original arcade cabinet as possible.
What was REALLY wrong with it?
Control panel not suited for use in MAME.
The fixes:
My plan was to setup the brand new control panel with a NEO GEO button layout for easy use of playing those great SNK games. After doing some searching online, I found an exact replica of the control panel and purchased it. After doing the typical applications of building a MAME cabinet with my father, the new control panel and the overlay looked fantastic. Not bad for spending less then 100 bucks on the whole project.
Was it worth it?
You bet. 100 bucks for a MAME cabinet is a hell of a score, though I admit it was pretty cheap due to the amount of machine I had laying around.
Would you sell it?
Maybe.
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