MasterGear vs MEKA
MasterGear
fms.komkon.orgMEKA
smspower.orgSide by side
| Figure | MasterGear | MEKA |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game Gear Emulators | 9.0 (#3) | 8.1 (#11) |
| Debugger | The product includes a built-in debugger for supported development or hacking work. | MEKA includes a debugger and debugging and hacking tools. |
| Founded | 1996 | 1998 |
| Intended users | The maker says MasterGear can help hobbyists debug software for these systems without rare and costly development hardware. | The homepage describes MEKA's debugging and hacking tools as useful for programmers and people working with Sega 8-bit systems. |
| Platforms | The maker lists Unix/Linux, Windows, Android, macOS, PocketPC, Symbian and MSDOS ports; MSDOS, Symbian, PocketPC and Maemo/Meego are described as discontinued. | The download page lists a Windows x86 build and says to build MEKA 0.80 from source for GNU/Linux and OSX. |
| Purpose | MasterGear emulates 8-bit SEGA consoles and computers, including MasterSystem, GameGear, SG1000, SC3000, SF7000, Mark2, and Mark3. | MEKA is a multi-machine emulator for Sega 8-bit systems and ColecoVision. |
| Support | Android users are directed to the EMUL8 Google Group or direct email, and the author says genuine bug reports commonly take one or two weeks to resolve. | The download page directs users to MEKA Forums for support and communication. |
Plans
MasterGear
- MasterGear Windows/LinuxFree
- Windows/LinuxFree
- Android$4.99, paid once
- MasterGear Android$430, paid once
In their own words
MasterGear
MasterGear emulates 8-bit SEGA consoles and computers, including MasterSystem, GameGear, SG1000, SC3000, SF7000, Mark2, and Mark3. It runs on Windows, Linux, and Android. The maker says hobbyists can use it to debug software without rare development hardware. Documentation reports support for about 98% of the maker’s SMS, GG, SF7000, SC3000, and SG1000 cartridge and disk images, while noting compatibility is not complete. Emulated hardware includes the Z80 CPU, console video processors, SN76489 sound, and Mark3 YM2413 FM sound. It can save and load emulation states, but state files are not guaranteed to work across versions on different hardware. Other listed features include automatic GZIP ROM handling, MIDI soundtrack logging, a built-in debugger, cheat support, and NetPlay. Windows and Linux are free; the Android plan costs 430.00 USD once. Game ROM images are not included, and source code is not publicly available.
MEKA
MEKA is a free multi-machine emulator for Sega 8-bit systems and ColecoVision. It supports the SG-1000, SC-3000, SF-7000, Mark III, Master System, Game Gear, ColecoVision and Othello Multivision, along with a wide range of peripherals and unusual games. The project includes a debugger and tools for debugging and hacking, aimed at programmers and people working with Sega 8-bit systems. It also provides a game database and compatibility list, which the site describes as receiving fixes and changes. MEKA is free software under a BSD-like license, and its source and data may be browsed and reused without restrictions. The download page lists a Windows x86 build and directs GNU/Linux and macOS users to build from source. That page describes MEKA 0.80 as in development, while the GitHub releases page lists Meka 2025-08-17 as the latest release. Initiated in 1998, the project is maintained by Omar Cornut, known as Bock. The project says it has limited use for the average player.