The acclaimed MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) project, recognized for its vital role in gaming preservation and emulation, has announced a set of substantial changes impacting users, developers, and the broader emulation community.
In a recent update published on MAME’s official website, the development team detailed modifications to the framework’s release cadence, system requirements, and developer tooling—marking one of the project’s most significant periods of transition.
One of the most impactful shifts is the end of MAME’s traditional monthly release schedule.
According to the official statement, the development team clarified that "updates will no longer be released nearly every month," signaling a move toward fewer, more significant releases.
The next update is now scheduled for late May 2024, with the absence of an April release confirming this new direction.
This change aims to allow the team to focus on quality improvements and better resource planning rather than adhering to a rigid, frequent release window.
Alongside changes to its release frequency, MAME is also updating its system requirements.
For Windows users, future versions of the emulation framework will require Windows 10 or later, discontinuing support for legacy operating systems such as Windows 7.
This update aligns MAME with contemporary security standards and ensures compatibility with modern development tools.
Additionally, beginning with forthcoming releases, the codebase will transition from the C++17 standard to C++20, requiring contributors to utilize a compiler and standard library with robust C++20 support.
GCC 11 or an updated version of clang will be required moving forward.
Developers working with MAME’s Qt-based debugger will also need to adapt to new requirements, as support for Qt5 is being phased out in favor of Qt 6.
This upgrade ensures ongoing compatibility and modernization of development tools across platforms.
In their technical update, the team explained that these enhancements are necessary for ensuring that MAME remains secure, efficient, and future-proof.
The April 7th blog post also addressed functionality removals targeting outdated and obsolete systems.
Notably, support will end for the 32-bit x86 (i686) recompiler back-end, reflecting the industry-wide migration to x86-64 architecture.
Compilation support for OpenSolaris and other System V UNIX systems is being discontinued due to the lack of actively maintained distributions and a limited presence in the modern desktop environment.
Similarly, optimizations for PowerPC host systems are being retired, given the negligible adoption of PowerPC and OpenPOWER on contemporary machines.
The aueffectutil tool for macOS and pre-built MSYS2 environments will no longer be offered, acknowledging their obsolescence due to technological advances.
This series of changes underscores MAME’s ongoing commitment to keeping pace with contemporary development practices and hardware standards.
The development team’s decision to both modernize system requirements and streamline the update process supports their long-term goal of preserving gaming history while adapting to the rapidly evolving landscape of computer hardware and software.
For developers, contributors, and dedicated users of the MAME emulation framework, these changes reflect a deliberate effort to balance innovation, maintainability, and performance.
As the project prepares for its next major update, the emulation community is advised to review the updated requirements and development standards to ensure continued compatibility and optimal performance.
In a recent update published on MAME’s official website, the development team detailed modifications to the framework’s release cadence, system requirements, and developer tooling—marking one of the project’s most significant periods of transition.
One of the most impactful shifts is the end of MAME’s traditional monthly release schedule.
According to the official statement, the development team clarified that "updates will no longer be released nearly every month," signaling a move toward fewer, more significant releases.
The next update is now scheduled for late May 2024, with the absence of an April release confirming this new direction.
This change aims to allow the team to focus on quality improvements and better resource planning rather than adhering to a rigid, frequent release window.
Alongside changes to its release frequency, MAME is also updating its system requirements.
For Windows users, future versions of the emulation framework will require Windows 10 or later, discontinuing support for legacy operating systems such as Windows 7.
This update aligns MAME with contemporary security standards and ensures compatibility with modern development tools.
Additionally, beginning with forthcoming releases, the codebase will transition from the C++17 standard to C++20, requiring contributors to utilize a compiler and standard library with robust C++20 support.
GCC 11 or an updated version of clang will be required moving forward.
Developers working with MAME’s Qt-based debugger will also need to adapt to new requirements, as support for Qt5 is being phased out in favor of Qt 6.
This upgrade ensures ongoing compatibility and modernization of development tools across platforms.
In their technical update, the team explained that these enhancements are necessary for ensuring that MAME remains secure, efficient, and future-proof.
The April 7th blog post also addressed functionality removals targeting outdated and obsolete systems.
Notably, support will end for the 32-bit x86 (i686) recompiler back-end, reflecting the industry-wide migration to x86-64 architecture.
Compilation support for OpenSolaris and other System V UNIX systems is being discontinued due to the lack of actively maintained distributions and a limited presence in the modern desktop environment.
Similarly, optimizations for PowerPC host systems are being retired, given the negligible adoption of PowerPC and OpenPOWER on contemporary machines.
The aueffectutil tool for macOS and pre-built MSYS2 environments will no longer be offered, acknowledging their obsolescence due to technological advances.
This series of changes underscores MAME’s ongoing commitment to keeping pace with contemporary development practices and hardware standards.
The development team’s decision to both modernize system requirements and streamline the update process supports their long-term goal of preserving gaming history while adapting to the rapidly evolving landscape of computer hardware and software.
For developers, contributors, and dedicated users of the MAME emulation framework, these changes reflect a deliberate effort to balance innovation, maintainability, and performance.
As the project prepares for its next major update, the emulation community is advised to review the updated requirements and development standards to ensure continued compatibility and optimal performance.