MAME vs nullDC 2.0.0
MAME
mamedev.orgnullDC 2.0.0
nulldc.emudev.orgSide by side
| Figure | MAME | nullDC 2.0.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Dreamcast Emulators | 8.5 (#3) | 8.1 (#4) |
| License | 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. | The project's GitHub page shows an MIT license for the software. |
| Purpose | MAME is a multi-purpose emulation framework intended to preserve software history by documenting hardware and how it functions. | nullDC is described as a Sega Dreamcast emulator. |
| Support | Users can report information or code through the MAME GitHub page, MAME Forums, or the project contact page. | The home page directs users to the nullDC forum at ngemu.com for help. |
Plans
In their own words
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.
nullDC 2.0.0
nullDC 2.0.0 is a Sega Dreamcast emulator, with a browser option and downloadable builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The browser page provides a WASM embed where users can drop files to start the emulator. One startup option uses dc_boot.bin (2MB) and dc_flash.bin (128KB); the other is an .elf executable. The project describes its aim as accurate emulation. Its builds page lists v2.0.0-pre-388-g95a924b as the most recent build, dated 2025-11-10 08:17:38 UTC. Windows and macOS artifacts are listed for aarch64 and x86_64; Linux artifacts include aarch64, riscv64gc, and x86_64. The project is open source under the MIT license, which provides the software without warranty. The home page also lists older beta releases, including beta 1.6 from 2007, and a stereoscopy build from 2008. The historical beta 1 netplay server is listed as compatible only with beta 1. For help, the project directs users to its forum at ngemu.com.