diff --git a/src/emu/validity.c b/src/emu/validity.c
index 8fb14d76c82..d33c033b1b4 100644
--- a/src/emu/validity.c
+++ b/src/emu/validity.c
@@ -296,7 +296,10 @@ void validity_checker::validate_one(const game_driver &driver)
 	// wrap in try/except to catch fatalerrors
 	try
 	{
-		machine_config config(driver, m_drivlist.options());
+		emu_options validation_options(m_drivlist.options());
+		validation_options.remove_device_options();
+
+		machine_config config(driver, validation_options);
 		m_current_config = &config;
 		validate_driver();
 		validate_roms();