ClassicBoy Pro vs MAME

ClassicBoy Pro combines emulator cores with a game library for playing classic games on Android phones, tablets and TVs; Windows is also listed as a platform. Its ROM scanner checks selected files or directories, identifies games and adds them to the library. A gallery lets users browse, locate and favorite titles, while a database provides game information. Listed emulator cores include Dolphin, Citra, PPSSPP, FlyCast, PCSX-ReARMed/SwanStation and Mupen64Plus, among others. Controls support touchscreen buttons, external gamepads, customizable layouts, gestures and accelerometer mapping. Gameplay tools include adjustable speed, save and load states, data import and export, and cheat codes. The app does not include ROMs, and users must have the right to each ROM they play. The listing says no data is collected or shared with third parties. Permissions cover game-file access, vibration, audio reverb settings and Bluetooth controllers. The free plan is listed at free; Google Play also notes in-app purchases without showing their prices.

MAME is a free emulation framework intended to preserve software history by documenting and reproducing the inner components of arcade machines, computers, consoles, calculators, and other electronic amusement systems. It can emulate over 32,000 individual systems from the last five decades. Alongside emulation, it includes an interactive low-level debugger for investigating software behavior, diagnosing emulation issues, and developing software for vintage systems. Its Lua interface can inspect device state, access CPU registers, read and write memory, and draw overlays, though the API may change without notice. Plugins support uses such as external-program communication and alternate interfaces; included examples are Discord Presence and a GDB Stub. MAME can save and load states, record inputs for playback, and capture screenshots or video. It is available for Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows; official Windows binaries require Windows 10 or later. BIOS dumps and copyrighted software are generally not included. The project is distributed under GPL-2.0 overall, while more than 90% of files, including core files, are under BSD-3-Clause.