Neo MAME32 is a free arcade hardware simulator. Designed to digitally preserve the operation of arcade cabinets, the MAME project have has been releasing updates for over 20 years.

Preserving the past

With the loss of physical hardware cabinets specifically created to run certain programs, both hardware and software are lost to time. MAME was envisioned as a solution to this loss by simulating the (often basic) hardware through an emulator. Neo MAME32 is a variation of the open source project, adding a graphical user interface which makes it much easier for someone to jump in and operate. While the preservation rather than the actual playing of arcade games is the primary function of Neo MAME32, the option does exist. With thousands of emulated pieces of hardware and a much larger collection of potential games available, MAME is more of a technical collection than a fully functioning emulator. Despite this, the user focused interface offers a large amount of customability and a huge insight into this massive project.

More technical

Neo MAME32 provides a simple way to understand the massive MAME project. Emulating arcade games can be done in a much simpler way and so in this regard this simulator is not a practical gaming choice.