Sign in to your How-To Geek account
MAME has just dropped its 0.279 update, bringing many improvements to some classic arcade games. This latest release focuses heavily on graphical fidelity and accuracy of many older game consoles, so they’ll feel like the originals.
This update brings proper lighting and crucial fixes for logic bugs, which means games running on MAME will look more authentic than ever. Beyond the arcade realm, the update also continues the progress in Philips CD-i emulation. You’ll also notice better cursor behavior and fixes for XA audio issues.
For those with a penchant for early home computers, MAME now accurately emulates the distinctive “snow” effect on older ZX Spectrum models. This seemingly minor detail, caused by memory refresh cycles interfering with video RAM access, is a big part of authenticity for emulation. There have also been significant advancements in emulated Macs, particularly the PowerBook Duo sub-notebooks, along with fixes for several issues affecting the Apple IIgs. This update improved the usability and accuracy of emulating these historic personal computers, so there’s a good reason to update.
There are also some games that now have their graphical issues fixed. These include games from Konami and Irem, resolving sprite distortions, incorrect status bar displays, and other visual glitches that impacted gameplay. Similarly, Namco System 23 games will benefit from noticeable graphical improvements, bringing them closer to their original arcade glory.
Notable fixes range from distorted sprites in Konami’s Devastators and Aliens to incorrect background graphics in Irem’s Mr. Heli and Battle Chopper. Sound emulation has also seen improvements, with fixes for issues like incorrect sound balance in Tecmo’s Gemini and Silkworm.
MAME is also much closer to emulating the Sharp MZ-5500. According to the company, these computers are beginning to show signs of life in the emulator, although full emulation is still a work in progress, so if you were excited about this, your wait is almost over. The MAMEdev team has also continued its work on supporting NES-inspired chips from VR Technology. The team was able to push several low-cost games closer to full playability.
The update also helps with older music technology. The Casio FZ-1 and related sampling synthesizers now have preliminary sound output, which means another big step towards full emulation of these instruments, but there is likely going to be a lot more time before the older sound can be replicated perfectly.
Of course, this update came with a comprehensive list of bug fixes, new working systems, and systems promoted to working status. The new working systems include the Bandai Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger Soul Bird and various VideoJet Plug & Play TV Games.
The downside to game emulation for those who want a nostalgic feel is that games don’t match the older visual style. However, with this new update, you can now expect a more visually correct experience on the ZX Spectrum, Philips CD-i, Namco System 23, some Macs, and Sega Model 2.
You can download MAME for Windows from the project’s official website, which includes both a graphical interface version and a command-line version. The easiest way to install it on Mac is with Homebrew, using the unofficial formulae. The Linux version is available through the software repositories on most distributions, and it’s also available on Flathub.
Source: MAME
