Emulators

MAME

The arcade preservation project

The Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator that evolved into gaming's most comprehensive preservation effort, documenting and emulating thousands of arcade machines and computers.

arcadecross-platform emulatorarcadepreservationopen-source 1997

Overview

MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) began in 1997 as a project to preserve arcade game hardware in software form. Founded by Nicola Salmoria, it has grown into the most comprehensive emulation and documentation project in gaming history, covering not just arcade machines but thousands of computers, consoles, and other systems. MAME prioritises accuracy and documentation over playability.

Fast Facts

  • Founded: 1997
  • Founder: Nicola Salmoria
  • Systems emulated: 40,000+
  • Philosophy: Preservation first
  • Licence: GPL (since 2016)

Preservation Mission

MAME’s explicit goals:

  1. Document hardware before it’s lost
  2. Preserve games in playable form
  3. Accuracy over speed
  4. Completeness - every variant matters
  5. Reference implementation for researchers

Scope

What MAME emulates:

CategoryExamples
ArcadeThousands of coin-op games
ComputersApple, Commodore, Sinclair, etc.
ConsolesMany systems (MESS merger)
HandheldsGame & Watch, Tiger, etc.
CalculatorsYes, even those

The MESS Merger

In 2015, MESS (Multi Emulator Super System) merged with MAME:

  • MESS focused on computers and consoles
  • Combined project covers everything
  • Unified codebase and documentation
  • MAME became universal preservation project

Accuracy Philosophy

MAME prioritises accuracy:

  • Cycle-accurate where possible
  • Hardware documentation in source code
  • Many games run slower than real-time
  • Correct behaviour over playability
  • Reference for other emulators

ROM Requirements

MAME uses:

  • ROM sets - Dumped from original hardware
  • CHD files - Compressed hard disk images
  • Samples - For systems with analog audio
  • Artwork - Bezel and overlay images

Development Model

Open source community:

  • Hundreds of contributors
  • Hardware donations for research
  • Reverse engineering efforts
  • Continuous improvement
  • Free since 2016 (GPL)

Impact on Preservation

MAME has:

  • Saved thousands of games from oblivion
  • Documented rare hardware
  • Set standards for emulation accuracy
  • Inspired other preservation efforts
  • Created reference implementations

See Also