jgenesis vs MAME
jgenesis
github.comMAME
mamedev.orgSide by side
| Figure | jgenesis | MAME |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · TurboGrafx-16 Emulators | 7.5 (#18) | 8.6 (#4) |
| Spec score · Game Gear Emulators | 7.3 (#23) | 8.5 (#5) |
| Spec score · Sega Genesis Emulators | 7.3 (#22) | 8.4 (#5) |
| Spec score · Multi-System Emulators | 7.3 (#43) | 8.5 (#7) |
| Spec score · Sega CD Emulators | 7.4 (#16) | 8.5 (#5) |
| Latest release | The releases page lists v0.14.1 as the latest release and describes it as a bugfix for a 32X aspect-ratio regression. | The latest official release listed is MAME 0.289, with official Windows x64 and Arm64 binaries and source code packages. |
| License | The repository code is licensed under GPL-3.0 except where a file states otherwise. | The project as a whole is distributed under GPL-2.0, and the site says over 90% of its files, including core files, are under BSD-3-Clause. |
| Platforms | Linux, Windows, and web via WebAssembly are officially supported; other platforms may work but have not been tested. | The current source can be compiled for Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and macOS; official binary packages are designed for Windows. |
| Purpose | jgenesis is a cross-platform emulator for 8-bit and 16-bit gaming consoles. | MAME is a multi-purpose emulation framework intended to preserve software history by documenting hardware and how it functions. |
Plans
In their own words
jgenesis
jgenesis is a free, cross-platform emulator for 8-bit and 16-bit consoles. It supports Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega CD, Sega 32X, SG-1000, Master System, Game Gear, NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16. Save states, fast forward, rewind, and optional CPU overclocking are available on some systems. Expansion support includes Master System FM sound, the Genesis SVP chip, common NES mappers, and most SNES coprocessors. Its GPU renderer offers integer prescaling, optional linear interpolation, configurable pixel aspect ratios, blur, and anti-dither shaders. Keyboard and DirectInput gamepads are supported, including three-button and six-button Genesis controllers. Published builds require a 64-bit x86 CPU with SSE4.2 and a GPU supporting Vulkan, or DirectX 12 on Windows 10 and later. The project estimates about 300 MB of RAM for default settings. Releases come through GitHub, while commit builds remain available for 90 days and may be buggy.
MAME
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.