MAME vs openMSX
MAME
mamedev.orgopenMSX
openmsx.orgSide by side
| Figure | MAME | openMSX |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Multi-System Emulators | 8.5 (#7) | 8.3 (#13) |
| Debugger | MAME includes an interactive low-level debugger for diagnosing emulation issues, developing software for vintage systems, and examining how software works. | The built-in debugger includes watchpoints, breakpoints, viewers and real-time data display. |
| Emulated systems | MAME can emulate over 32,000 individual systems from the last five decades. | It emulates almost all MSX systems, including MSX, MSX2, MSX2+, and turboR generations. |
| Platforms | The current source can be compiled for Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and macOS; official binary packages are designed for Windows. | The feature page lists Linux, Windows 7 or later, macOS, and Android 4.1 or later through openMSX 0.15.0; current downloads include Windows, macOS, Linux, and an older Android APK. |
| Purpose | MAME is a multi-purpose emulation framework intended to preserve software history by documenting hardware and how it functions. | openMSX is an emulator for the MSX home computer system that aims to emulate it with 100% accuracy. |
| Support | Users can report information or code through the MAME GitHub page, MAME Forums, or the project contact page. | Users can ask questions in the Discord channel or IRC, use the openMSX forum, or file bugs and feature requests in GitHub’s issue tracker. |
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.
openMSX
openMSX is a free, open-source emulator for the MSX home computer system, with an aim of 100% accuracy. It emulates almost all MSX, MSX2, MSX2+, and turboR systems, plus some others experimentally. The project lists over 230 machine configurations and over 110 extension hardware configurations. A built-in graphical interface works across supported operating systems. Users can control the emulator with Tcl scripts or a command interface over pipes or a UNIX domain socket, and external applications can connect through that interface. The built-in debugger provides watchpoints, breakpoints, viewers, and real-time data display; save states and a reverse feature support replay or stepping back through time. MIDI connectivity is available through host frameworks on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Downloads include Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android builds, though listed versions differ by platform. Version 20.0 and later requires OpenGL 2 support. Android support is listed only through version 0.15.0, and the default C-BIOS machine does not provide all functionality for a complete MSX machine. Catapult is deprecated; the project recommends its built-in GUI.