My Interview with Chris Johnson, the developer behind DJCJArcade

My Interview with Chris Johnson, the developer behind DJCJArcade

Welcome to the very first interview featured on this blog! Today, I’m thrilled to share an insightful conversation with Chris Johnson, the creator and developer of DJCJ Arcade—an exclusive MAME frontend built specifically for macOS. It was an absolute pleasure exchanging views, experiences, and technical ideas with Chris about the evolution of Mac arcade emulation, user experience design, and modern app development. Enjoy the read!

Hi Chris, thank you for taking the time to chat with me today! To kick things off, what motivated you to develop DJCJArcade from scratch as an exclusive frontend for macOS?

Chris: I’ve been using MAME in one form or another since the late 90’s. I’ve always been a Mac user and running MAME has generally been a bit tougher if you’re on a Mac. There were Mac builds like MacMAME (Thank you Brad Oliver) and MAME OS X (Thank you Dave Dribin) which included the actual MAME executable inside a GUI. Those faded away as MAME began to use the SDL framework. Of course MAME now has a more approachable interface inside of the app itself and some folks are perfectly satisfied with it and I have no problem with that. Philosophically, the MAME project is about historical preservation and documentation of the machines they have reverse engineered. And we know that usability and playability are “happy side effects.” I respect and appreciate the reason behind this stance. But that doesn’t keep me from wanting the MAME experience to be more approachable and more enjoyable. I used QMC2 for years and was always grateful that it existed. (Thank you, René Reucher; rest in peace.) Mr. Reucher fell ill for a number of years and stopped maintaining the project; Apple began transitioning to Apple Silicon, and running QMC2 started to become more difficult. Mr. Reucher returned to the project and did some updating, which was wonderful but he wasn’t able to get a native Apple Silicon version going 100%. I offered my assistance and some others did too. Some partially functional builds were passed around, but many parts of it didn’t work correctly and sadly, Mr. Reucher passed away. I believe it may have been you who eventually figured out how to fork QMC2 and make a full-featured Apple Silicon build which was awesome! This Apple Silicon port of QMC2 was definitely usable, but crashed in certain situations especially when I used my PS4 controller. I decided to download the whole repository and ask Claude to fix the bugs. I signed up for an Apple Developer account and installed xCode. I started giving Claude the crash reports and it made me a QMC2 build which ran more reliably. This was nice, but in the back of my mind I kept asking myself, “Is this it? Is this self-maintained QMC2 going to be the way I experience MAME in perpetuity? Even though there’s lots to like about QMC2, that question got me thinking. (To be continued in the answer to an upcoming question.)

DJCJArcade - the macOS frontend we've been waiting for

DJCJArcade - The MacOS-only MAME frontend we have been waiting for

If you're into MAME on macOS, this is the frontend you should use now. And yes, the application is vibe coded.

About a month ago, the developer reached out and kindly offered me a preview of a new, macOS-only MAME frontend built from scratch. I was impressed and quickly concluded this is exactly how a MAME frontend should be designed for macOS.

Download the code-signed binary here: https://github.com/DJCJ-website/DJCJArcade/releases

My rating - inspired by the Ars Technica style of rating:

Standalone Spinner for MAME - The one and only How-To!

Update August 2026: The spinner also works decently in RetroArch. MAME (current) works out of the box, while FBNeo is tricky to configure.

Briefly as regards FBNeo: You will need a Game Remap File, e.g. for Arkanoid, that assigns Port 1 controls to Mouse Full. Should the spinner buttons not work (this was in my case), it helped to switch the mouse index to #2 and back to #1, and from there on, it suddenly worked altogether.

I haven't yet looked into finetuning, such as mouse sensitivity, but very good to see that RetroArch works with the spinner - due to the superb graphics settings in RetroArch, that's a win.

Original post from 26. 4. 2020:

Arkanoid ... finally!

Arkanoid was very popular amongst us youngsters. I was one those that managed all 100 levels, but certainly not with just one coin. I also think that this was just manageable in the cocktail table version due to the stamina and focus required for this difficult game. We typically used to take the challenge by two, so that after dying, you could relax a bit while the other guy plays, and that worked out quite well.

A spinner for MAME has always been in my plans simply because of Arkanoid. But I always hesitated because I wanted a standalone spinner (for reasons stated below), while basically all online instructions relate to integrating a spinner into your overall arcade control panel.

Now, finally, it is there and works just perfectly.

My prototype with cardboard. As you can see, very decent styling.
I might even stick with the cardboard version because it works so well.

OpenEmu - A New Strong Contender for MacOS MAME

10 July 2026: While OpenEmu official is currently in stalled development, there is a rather lively fork out there that provides you with an advanced version for Silicon Macs:

https://github.com/nickybmon/OpenEmu-Silicon

If you are interested in the concept of OpenEmu, as described in this post, it is definitely worth a try. So far, my tests did not reveal any significant deficies. The MAME core and all other cores I tested so far work. While the oversimplified approach to emulation is not my cup of tea, it is an impressive technical achievement and definitely worth testing.

These days I revisited OpenEmu after quite some time, and it is a fair statement that it became an extremely attractive contender for playing MAME in MacOS.

This shall only serve as a teaser for an in-depth review - just briefly what makes OpenEmu a compelling option for gaming MAME in MacOS:

• Up to date - current MAME Core is 0.217 (note: the MAME Core only comes with the "Experimental" version of OpenEmu!).
• Performance is extremely good. OpenEmu claims to have developed a Metal backend for better performance in MacOS. While there is nothing documented about this, so far all games work flawlessly. A more objective testing than playing games you know does not seem to be available.
• Shaders built in, can be changed in the game on the fly. It is by far the most convenient way of applying shaders for MAME games. And you find CRT-GEOM or even CRT-Royale-Kurozumi amongst them! Shader options are also very convenient.
• And of course outstanding usability, which you will not find in any other MAME emulator:
• import roms by drag'n'drop and enjoy immediate scans for artwork; import also provides a smart mechanism for resolving conflicts with other emulators; if you launch a game with missing roms (e.g. neogeo.zip), OpenEmu tells you this; also importing of bios files is drag'n'drop (more important for the other emulators)
• outstanding configuration of joypads, with a lot of them being recognized automatically
• Autostate out of the box: MAME currently does not save hiscore files in OpenEmu, and there is nothing to worry about that. Because OpenEmu, by its default options, just autosaves your last state and resume there at restart. So your highscores are just saved by savestates, and that's just fine.

I wanted to write this teaser very fast because OpenEmu now has reached a state where it becomes a top option for MAME in MacOS. In my review, I will also elaborate on the current deficits (e.g. no Artwork), but all in all, for the casual arcade gamer, this software is just brilliant. Stay tuned, I need to test further.

Read further for my in-depth review of OpenEmu (this review is reduced to the MAME core, wile OpenEmu's potential obviously go far beyond MAME emulation):

Featured Post: Retrogaming Emulation on Apple Silicon

This featured post is in steady update. 

11 July 2026 - added the overdue, because brilliant Gopher64 emulator to the Nintendo 64 section

10 July 2026 - updated the Arcade section with the OpenEmu news.

23 March 2026 - updated Game Cube/Wii section, as some days ago, RetroAchievements landed for the Wii - which is of course super-exciting.

2 February 2026 - updated the Arcade Games section by upgrading MAME to 'excellent' due to vector support and frontend glory.

11 January 2026 - added link to a brilliant collection of Decompliation and Recompilation projects

3 December 2025 - a fully functional DarkPlaces build is finally ready for download, updated the section below, enjoy!

6 February 2025 - MAME updated again due to the big news of a Dynarec for Silicon builds 

6 January 2025 - MAME update, added a link to my new post concerning MacIntel builds

10 December 2024 - added short entry for the PS3, as RPCS3 now provides native builds for Silicon Macs.

19 October 2024 - added WolfMAME/MAME Action Replay Page, thank you, Mr. Unknown!

3 October 2024 - small update for Arcade, as the MAME 2003 RetroArch cores improved on Apple Silicon as well.

6 August 2024 - small update of for N64 (mupen 2.6.0 release), GameCube (RetroAchievements in Dolphin), and Darkplaces (still compiles smoothly).

23 March 2024 - added TyrQuake in the Quake for PC section for the sake of completeness.

2 March 2024 - added GBA section and applied links to the Table of Content as well as a lot of shoe polish to the entry. 

Table of Content

(links in this TOC only work in the actual blog post, but not on the homepage)

• About this Blog
• Arcade Games
• Sony Playstation (PSX)
• Sony Playstation 2 (PS2)
• Sony Playstation 3
• Nintendo Game Cube and Wii
• Nintendo 64
• Sony Playstation Portable (PSP)
• Nintendo Gameboy Advance (GBA)
• Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
• Quake for PC 🤘
• Philips Videopac/Odyssey2
• Link - Collection of Decompilation and Recompilation Projects

About this Blog

Statistics tell me that my info about MAME on Apple Silicon is having highest popularity and became a kind of landing page for the entire blog. Here I give a broader overview. As emulators still improve, I will regularly update this blog post and try to provide a changelog in the header. In consoles, I will only review those emulators, for which I dump my own games.

But first - what is so peculiar about emulating old games?

In a nutshell, dedicated enthusiasts preserve gaming history for no money. I grew up with arcades of the 80ies and 90ies. As these old arcade machines increasingly wear off, emulators build virtual machines around them. This alone is fascinating, but the community does much more: It also preserves the artwork, photos of the controllers and the PCBs, even the old manuals. And the only thing they expect from you is respect and gratitude 😊. Of course you can also contribute in other ways - like I do with this blog. Work is mostly done under open source licenses, so this work remains free. 

There are also nice commercial offers: I bought the Capcom Classics (1942, 1943, etc) for Nintendo Switch, and it‘s quite comparable to the open source variants (plus an acceptable way to play it on the Switch). However e.g. both 1942 and 1943 stutter on my Switch from time to time. Other commercial offerings, such as Metal Slug on the Switch, are rather disappointing, as they provide you a bare bones emulation without upscaling and just scanlines - they should do better.

Why this focus on MacOS emulation?

Motivation has changed through time. When I started this blog in 2016, its main purpose was to fill a huge gap by explaining how to run MAME on Macs. Documentation was scarce or non-existent back then. 

Nowadays documentation got much better, and I see Silicon Macs as a quite unique emulation platform - emulation on the Mac M2 mini shines like never before. You are getting decent performance paired with highest energy efficiency, thus no noise or heat at all. Compared to a quite noisy and hot Nintendo Switch, a Silicon Mac is a much quieter and cooler gaming device. Gaming PCs, while more powerful, are clumsy, can be noisy and always emit a lot of warm air. With most emulation, Apple Silicon performance is the definitive sweet spot for me.

What about those RetroAchievements aka cheevos?

I consider them as a game changer for retrogaming. While cheevos shines on more complex console emulation, they are increasingly fun on arcades as well (e.g. brilliant achievements for 1942 and Bubble Bobble). I also discovered new things via RetroAchievements that I had not been aware of. That‘s why I will always prefer emulators supporting RetroAchievements over others.

So many words to read here - why don‘t you do videos?

Call me old-fashioned, but reading is remembering. There is great YouTube content out there, but when it comes to learning things and configuration on the command line, I prefer the written word. And with the more complicated configuration instructions, videos get overly complicated to make (and to use as well). I also revisit my blog entries and update them, and that seems hardly feasible with videos.

With this in mind, let's have a look into the emulation scene with a focus on Silicon Macs.

Arcade Games

10 July 2026
Still the main focus of this Blog, and my own preferences shifted significantly through the years.

No.1 - FinalBurn Neo/RetroArch Core (excellent): My personal golden standard in arcade emulation on MacOS/iOS. As soon as you have tamed RetroArch, you get best-in-class performance (also due to the 60Hz core option of fbneo, which can be a live saver), HDR in Vulkan and now working screenshots, shaders (see my koko-aio repository) and RetroAchievements. Highscore support steadily increases. Emulation of some very old games and newer games is missing - here you may revert to MAME official. This RetroArch core is updated virtually daily. Discord (if you like it) has a lively user community.

No.2 - MAME/RetroArch Cores (excellent): These days MAME (current) is in sync with official MAME. In RetroArch, you get HDR and the shaders, and my koko-aio repository works with identical presets now. However, RetroAchievements are missing. Compared to offical MAME, highscore support is hard to install, but manageable (see the post on running MAME (current) core improvements). Some things are better than in FinalBurn Neo: Vector games upscaling rules! It also has the official dynarec of MAME. This is my choice for all vector games and titles that FinalBurn Neo does not support. 

I also mention the old MAME 2003/2003 plus cores, which are avaialble for Silicon Macs. Especially the 2003 plus core gained a lot of stability recently, and it might be a good alternative to the rather big MAME(current) core with long loading times. Highscore support is old school and similar to FinalBurn Neo, but easier to handle in RetroArch. Of course, you need a dedicated romset.

No.3 - official MAME (excellent - the reference!): Since the HomeBrew install has finally landed on my MacOS system, I am again much more back to official MAME. While FinalBurn Neo outperforms in many instances and the MAME (current) RetroArch core is in sync, one of the reasons to go back are the MAME/Multi-Emu Frontends, especially AttractModePlus and  Negatron, but also QMC2. Both MAME-specialized frontends provide you with massive documentation of games, so the use case here is more to research games and all around it. For pure gaming, I clearly prefer FinalBurn Neo. Shaders in official MAME are ok, but can no longer compete with a powerful RetroArch shader as koko-aio is. For manual downloads, head for the official MacOS builds here - including MacIntel builds. With the new dynarec that also landed in the ARM64/Silicon build of MAME, MacOS also provides competitive performance on new games. Most importantly, MAME official is the main reference for any technical issues you may experience e.g. with RetroArch cores. So is a game does weird things for you, always also check behavior in official MAME.

No.4 - WolfMAME (very good): Thanks to Mr. Unknown below, I became aware of WolfMAME for MacOS. Never heard of it before, and it is closely linked to the MAME Action Replay Page - which is actually a very cool thing. I also successfully compiled my own WolfMAME from the source code of the WolfMAME GitHub Repository - if you wanna be on the safe side. From my limited testing, I could record an own inp file, but so far I failed to replay any of the nice inp files from the website. It would be great to see the real masters playing my favorite games, but that seems quite tricky.

No.5 - OpenEmu (stalled development in main repository, but Apple Silicon Fork available - that one very good): If you hate all this configuration effort, this emulator is definitely worth a try. But right now, two full years of (nearly) no development in the main branch, and Intel binaries only. 

The great news is an Apple Silicon fork of OpenEmu that is in active development: https://github.com/nickybmon/OpenEmu-Silicon - the app is even codesigned and runs really well.

Installation is like any other MacOS app, joypad configuration is very good, and shaders are loaded from within the game with the mouse. If you are fine with the MAME 250 core (probably yes for classic arcade games), you might be better of with OpenEmu compared to official MAME for an acceptable gameplay. OpenEmu also provides tons of other console emulators. But it cannot match RetroArch performance (and doesn't want to, because it wants to provide you with an out-of-the-box solution with no tweaking possibilities).

Bottom line: With so much choice, you cannot complain. All four alternatives are rock stable and provide ready binaries.

Mac RetroArch Setup Tutorial for Arcade Games - Part I

Update June 2024: How could I overlook the option to install/update RetroArch via Homebrew for such a long time? Added a small chapter in the Initial Setup chapter below.

Update June 2024: Some small, but great RetroArch news considered here. First, HDR screenshots work now! And the new function "Add To Playlist" is such an important usability improvement of RetroArch Playlists. Last section "Other Arcade Cores" also updated.

February 2024: so finally the RetroArch Tutorial Part II is out, but please be sure to have gone through this Part I first 😊

21 April 2023: Added a short section as regards the Steam version of RetroArch.

20 March 2023: RetroArch 1.5.0 a.k.a. ‚The MacOS Release‘ (just kidding) was released - it is a huge improvement for Macs - https://www.libretro.com/index.php/retroarch-1-15-0-release/ and everything in this article also applies to the new stable build. I have not tested the Steam version, though because updating the newest Nightly manually is very convenient on MacOS, as also described below.

About this posting: As the new Vulkan driver for MacOS is a game changer for Retroarch in MacOS, it became necessary to update this entry. Don't be too afraid of this lengthy article, it's a checklist of what RetroArch is capable of, and the result of this work is an unmatched gaming experience, even in old-school arcade games.

Negatron - a MAME Desktop Frontend at its best

Update 30 May 2026: Quick summary on how to run Negatron with MAME installed via Homebrew

While this turned out to be a bit tricky, it then works nicely in the end if you follow these steps:

1. I assume that you have a running Homebrew MAME setup (as per my separate blog entry) and that Negatron is installed.
2. Delete/backup any existing negatron.ini file in $HOME/Library/Application Support/Negatron and restart the initial Negatron setup.
3. In the initial config dialog, choose the Homebrew MAME executable: /opt/homebrew/bin/mame
4. Choose the EXTRAS and Multimedia root folder: $HOME/Library/Application Support/mame (as suggested in my Homebrew setup, where $HOME must be replaced by your actual user path)
5. In Negatron, head for the settings and change the mame.ini path to: $HOME/Library/Application Support/mame/mame.ini (as suggested in my Homebrew setup)
6. Now, the important hack (as suggested by the Negatron developer): Exit Negatron, show the contents of the Negatron.app (right click - Show Package Contents) in the Finder and delete both SDL3.dylibs from the Contents/app subfolder -> this allows MAME to use the Homebrew SDL3 libraries instead of the Negatron ones, which for whatever reason do not work with Homebrew MAME
   

Now Negatron should properly launch the Homebrew MAME executable, which is glorious.

Update 30 January 2026: Negatron is back and fully working on ARM Macs - download the best MAME frontend for MacOS here.

https://github.com/xinyingho/Negatron/releases/tag/negatron1.0.2

No need for you to join the Dark Side of Negatron - Modena (Default) is bright.

MAME frontends for MacOS have always been scarce. I was surprised to learn about this Negatron MAME Desktop Frontend being available (actually since 2015!) for MacOS as well. Already after my first tests, I was impressed from its capabilities. This review tries to point to the outstanding functions, especially for MacOS users. This is a rewrite of my old 2020 post.

Version tested: 1.0.2 of January 2026 

Github Frontend: https://github.com/xinyingho/Negatron

Github NegaMAME: https://github.com/xinyingho/NegaMAME (a dedicated MAME fork)

The software is updated regularly by its developer XinYingHo.

That's why it is by far the best MAME frontend you can get for MacOS: 

• Integration into official MAME is excellent in my testing. As I now also integrated my MAME setup into Homebrew for automatic updates, I would not want to opt for the special MAME version called NegaMAME (explained below). You can configure virtually everything in the UI, so it‘s advisable to make backups of your .ini files beforehand.
• The interface is very customizable, even more than QMC2, and the different artwork and manuals you can add to each system is also unmatched by QMC2. Video preview also just works. See the ‚OMG‘ sections below 😉.
• Negatron also has a smart integration of Software Lists, far better than MAMEUI and QMC2 (is broken since quire some time). I still have to look into this further.
• Updates of MAME are recognized during the next Negatron launch, and it also updates its own databases with the new version.
• New - SDL3 Input Mapping: With the implementation of SDL3, the entire User Interface is mapped to joypad support. 
• Information from the developer: https://github.com/xinyingho/Negatron/blob/master/README.md

All in all, Negatron seems to be a worthy successor of QMC2. Give it a try, you will not be disappointed.

Read further for all the details.

MAME (current) for RetroArch: running list of improvements

I will use this post as collector for any further improvements that we see in the MAME (current) RetroArch core.

Update 9 May 2026 - with the tremendous help of a community member, I now understand that MAME (current) still supports the .lay files of MAME official. However, due to the limitations of the RetroArch implementation, you will only need this for very special topics, but not for classical bezel artwork.

If I am not mistaken, there is no documentation of this setup anywhere - so here you are.

Very long time ago, I did a deep dive into the logic of a MAME .lay file:

https://mameonmacs.blogspot.com/2017/02/porting-retropie-artwork-to-official.html

With a highly capable shader such as koko-aio, there is no longer the need for such .lay file in RetroArch. However, there are things that a MAME .lay file is still valuable in RetroArch:

Configuration in the RetroArch shader, such as koko-aio:

• Arcade machine artwork
• Bezel configuration in every single detail
• most Backdrops

What's left for a configuration in the MAME .lay file:

• Screen overlays for colorizing pixels

The colorization of the pixles is done with an overlay in the MAME .lay file

In comparison without the overlay

• Dual screen setups, like in certain Game & Watch handheld games

The alignment of the two screens is done in the MAME .lay file

• Backdrops, like those of Game & Watch handhelds, only look good if configured in a MAME .lay file

Grass, hens and wood is in a MAME .lay file as backdrop, not in koko-aio

The apparent challenge is that you need to be absolutely sure what you need in the MAME .lay file and what not. Have a look into the two Game & Watch examples, that should help.

Installation of MAME lay files

Like in MAME official, the relevant file are compressed into a .zip file having the name of the game. In the .zip file, the layout file is called default.lay, and it contains the references to the other files in this .zip file.

Installation path in RetroArch: 

RetroArch/system/mame/artwork

For your orientation, the system folder is the folder that contains all other system data, such as bios files of consoles. Inside of this folder the mame subdirectory is written in small letters, as well as the artwork directory. Same as in official standalone MAME.

I hope that this information helps, it is incredibly hidden in the Internet. Cheers.

Update 4 August 2025 - just briefly an overdue update on easier highscore support in MAME (current) for RetroArch, which I can confirm as working (done with newest MAME version 0.279)

Preparatory steps:

• Step 1: have the MAME (current) core installed
• Step 2: verify that you have the following directory: $HOME/Documents/RetroArch/system/mame - if not, then create it
• Step 3: download the entire master file from github as a zip file: https://github.com/libretro/mame and extract it
• Step 4: move the following directories into the mame directory according to Step 2: hash and plugins

Activating Highscore Support from within MAME (current):

• launch a game in MAME (current), enter Quick Menu, and in the Core Options/System, enable "Boot to OSD"
• Completely close RetroArch, launch it again and launch a game (horizontal monitor!) in MAME (current) -> the OSD appears
• With (TAB), jump to the General Settings of the MAME OSD, go to Plugins and activate "Hiscore Support" - don't forget to save the settings in the MAME OSD. 
• After this, disable "Boot do OSD" in the Core Options and completely close RetroArch again.
• MAME has now generated the necessary ini files in $HOME/Documents/RetroArch/system/mame/ini

From now on, games should save highscores in $HOME/Documents/RetroArch/system/mame/hiscore. Play any game and get a hiscore, and it should create this directory and save hiscores into it. 

Very good news: In my tests, I could successfully move all hiscores from MAME official to MAME (current) in RetroArch! The solution now seems compatible and stable enough.

Still a bit clumsy, but far better than before. 

Reminder: samples for very old MAME games need to be here as well - $HOME/Documents/RetroArch/system/mame/samples

Game & Watch Games in MAME with Screenshots

Finally: Game & Watch handhelds decently run in RetroArch with the koko-aio shader

This has been a major struggle, and with the spontaneous help of the creator of the koko-aio shader, these handhelds are up and running in RetroArch as well. Thanks to the capabilities of koko aio and its creator, the shader presets are compelling and even superior over official MAME.

If you want to test this out immediately, download my today's release of koko-aio with all the Arcade textures included here:

https://github.com/estefan3112/koko-aio-slang/releases/tag/0.8ng

These two Game & Watch presets are already included in the base package:

Technical Notes on the challenges:

1. Partial reliance on MAME.lay file: For certain effects, such as a consistent overlay and a proper dual screen setup, you still need a reduced .lay file. The respective .zip files are provided in my koko-aio release (under system) and need to be placed under RetroArch/system/mame/artwork. So I had to split the layout between koko-aio (for the bezels and the shader) and the functions that koko-aio does not and will never support.
2. MAME Alternative Renderer required: These games only look good if you use the Alternative Renderer of MAME current, which does own upscaling. In my koko-aio release, I provide game-specific .opt files for activating the Alternative Renderer and a resolution that runs on my M2 Mac Mini. Files need to reside besides the .slangp files in the RetroArch/config/MAME folder to be used automatically.
3. Reference to koko-aio fast hires presets: As MAME does its own upscaling in the Alternative Renderer, it was very important to use one of the fast Hires shader presets. As regular koko-aio does its own upscaling, a reference to this preset resulted in very laggy performance.
4. No Runahead or other latency option: Another very important catch is if you have Runahead or any other latency option of RetroArch enabled. Disabling Runahead (in any form) significantly improved performance. In my koko-aio release, I provide game-specific .cfg files for disabling Runahead, because for all other games, it is of great help.

The developer of koko-aio also provided a last minute patch for even nicer looks, so be sure to use my install file, which contains an entire instance of the koko-aio shader, bleeding edge.

Feel free to feedback on this release, should you run into any issues. It would also be very interesting to get feedback on performance of this setup on other machines. Thank you, and cheers!

What a hideous MAME April‘s Fools Joke - and I completely fell in

When it comes to mamedev.org, I really take everything very seriously. So I was not suspicious at all when the MAME core team published its „Future plans announcement“ on 1 April 2026.

The very long post really triggered me with these highlights:

• Focus on Windows, but no other operating systems.
• AI-assisted code check and Rust migration

I asked myself: „Is this the end of official macOS support for MAME?“ 

I was quite disappointed … until only on 7th April 2026, the team clarified: 

„I hope you enjoyed our April Fools’ Day announcement. With that out of the way, it’s time to discuss actual upcoming changes to MAME.“ 

Congrats MAME team, you really made my day 😂.

MAME via Homebrew on Macs - Finally There (and MacPorts, actually)

Update 3 March 2026: The Homebrew formula of MAME was updated to 286, which is the first MAME with SDL3 support in MacOS per default! It works well, and I see consistent performance improvements with nearly every game tested. However, I had to manually adjust my paths in the mame.ini file, which for some reason has been modified by this update. After this correction, I see a well working MAME 286 - and of course, you need to install the sdl3 package in Homebrew. Good gaming!

Update 1 February 2026: Just reporting that two Homebrew updates of MAME worked as expected. Couldn‘t be more satisfied with this setup (except for the small BGFX Artwork glitch, as explained below).

Update 14 December 2025: Added a chapter for Intel Macs and for Linux (with some basic ideas how Linux should work). I also provided initial thoughts on my tests with MacPorts (instead of Homebrew), encouraging, but not fully there.

------------- original post --------------

This is a major achievement - after several unsuccessful attempts, it seems that I have finally managed to create a near-perfect MAME Homebrew setup on my Mac. Let’s explore why this effort was worth the time.

Why does this matter?

Managing your MAME install via Homebrew should address the following major issues around any MAME installation:

• MAME system and user files stay separately: With this setup

• the MAME system files, which are regularly upgraded via Homebrew, stay in the Homebrew repository of your Mac, while

• your user data, such as inis, rom files, artwork and all other content, are in a separate folder of your Mac, where MAME can find them.

• Seamless upgrades: By keeping MAME system data separate from your user data, you upgrade MAME via Homebrew without the need for any user data migration. User data upgrades are always separate from MAME system upgrades.

• No Gatekeeper woes: Running MAME via Homebrew does not hit Gatekeeper restrictions. MAME is treated like any other CLI tool installed through a trusted package manager. This is why you can launch it without the “macOS cannot verify the developer” or “move it to the bin” popups.

• Launch MAME from anywhere: Just open the Terminal and type e.g. mame 1942, and the game launches. It is no longer needed to launch MAME via Terminal from the home directory.

With only one minor deficiency that needs a workaround as explained below, it’s ready. It’s really great to keep MAME up-to-date in an admin-friendly way.

Requirements for this setup on your end

• Main instructions are for ARM64/Silicon Mac, where the necessary changes for Intel Macs are described in a separate chapter (not that difficult)
• Basic Terminal knowledge (recommendation: iTerm2 app)
• Basic Editor knowledge (recommendation: Visual Studio Code app)
• An existing Homebrew installation (for Apple Silicon)
• Understand how to access and use the hidden folder $HOME/Library/Application Support/ folder of your user account $HOME

Let's start from scratch!

Emulator Frontend Deluxe (update): AttractMode+ 3.2.2 and Smart Themes Project

Update 16 February 2026: Attract Mode Plus 3.2.2 has been released. You can download fully notarized builds for ARM64/Silicon and Intel (for the time being, only newer versions of MacOS):

https://github.com/estefan3112/attractplus-applesilicon/releases/tag/3.2.2

So far I can tell, it's another splendid build, so grab it!

Original post 14 May 2025: With the new release 3.1.0 of Attract Mode Plus, the incredible work provided by the Smart Themes Project was also published. As it is hard to explain the incredible work done here in words, so here are two video teasers that demonstrate a small fraction of the work provided here.

Main menu displaying all available systems - plus filters, such as system families, favorites etc:

Sub menu "Favorites" - a glimpse into the vast number of Arcade Smart Themes (which are dedicated animated pages for single arcades that look stunning):

If you are interested, dive into the following details!

Welcome back, QMC2!

Quick Hints 2 February 2025 - Running QMC2 for the first time / older MAME installs

Hint #1: Prior to running QMC2 for the first time, please ensure that your MAME install is up and running, i.e. passes the Gatekeeper. This restriction also applies to Intel Macs with modern MacOS systems installed. Without this, the QMC2 setup will not recognize QMC2 as an installed MAME application.

This applies to the MAME executable and the SDL2 Framework, which after each upgrade must again be manually authorized in the Privacy & Security section of the System Configuration.

If you hate this (like I do) -> go for the Homebrew/MacPorts install of MAME, as described in my dedicated post, and no Gatekeeper woes will infest your MAME updates. Further details on QMC2 are mostly still valid from my old post of 2016 on QMC2.

Hint #2: Scanning the ROM directory first time is very buggy in QMC2 and often results in crashes. Don't worry, just restart the app, choose the option "Once" and the scan ends. Be sure not to do any multitasking during this scan.

Hint #3: Older MAME installs - start from scratch: When you move to a newer MAME version after a longer time, the second tip I have is to start a new mame install by renaming the $HOME/Application Support/mame directory containing the old ini files. For example MAME 278 introduced new audio latency options that can make problems with old mame.ini files. So if you are stuck with launching MAME and end up in a blank screen, I recommend that you restart with a new mame.ini file. This should resolve most of the MAME black screens at program launch.

Update 23 December 2025 - First fully notarized QMC2 MacOS Binaries online

I finally managed to create MacOS app bundles (both ARM64/Silicon and Intel) that have been notarized by Apple. For this to succeed, I had to bundle the SDL2 Framework into the app bundle and codesign everything with hardened runtime. 

Grab it here: https://github.com/estefan3112/qmc2-mame-fe-MacOS/releases/tag/v244v4

Both App versions should work flawlessly - but please look into the ReadMe file if unsure.

Update 6 May 2024 - GitHub Fork with MacOS Binaries

For easier deployment, I created a fork of the QMC2 Github Repository here:

https://github.com/estefan3112/qmc2-mame-fe-MacOS

You'll find here latest pre-compiled and code-signed versions of QMC2 for both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. You'll also find Shell scripts for compiling the Upstream source code and self-sign the app. Right now only for Apple Silicon, soon for Intel Macs as well.

Question: I downloaded the QMC2 app, but MacOS tells me that the file is corrupted. I already tried right mouse + open at least twice, but with no success.

Answer: Sorry to hear, your QMC2 app might be in the quarantine. To lift the quarantine, please execute this command in the Terminal

xattr -cr /Applications/qmc2-sdlmame.app (please adjust the path to your QMC2.app, if required)

Enjoy.

Update March 2024 - in (far too late) Memory of Rene Reucher

Only these days, far too late, I learnt that Rene Reucher, the creator of the QMC2 frontend, passed away in spring 2023. Back in 2022, when I wrote the first version of this post, Rene has restarted his work on this quite unique MAME frontend, and it was a pleasure for me to help him out on some minor things in relation to Macs, albeit nothing crucial. From two phone calls, I remember him as a very reasonable and pleasant person. This is my very late "Sorry, and all the best, Rene."

As always, please care for the instructions in the ReadMe and do report any problems back, many thanks.

I started MAME with the help of QMC2, and it is still a classic frontend experience

Original post in the following (no longer relevant and rather outdated, as it builds nicely now with Homebrew):

DarkPlaces / Quake 1 for Apple Silicon/ARM64 + Intel Builds - Ready for Download

I’m pleased to provide MacOS DarkPlaces builds, fully codesigned and notarized, for download and use on Silicon aka ARM64 as well as Intel Macs. The builds are packaged in a sleek DMG for easy installation. Thanks to notarization, also Gatekeeper on ARM64 macOS systems poses no issues. An Intel Mac build landed as well as of 5 Dec 2025.

https://github.com/estefan3112/DarkPlaces-Apple-Silicon-Builds/releases/tag/1.0

This video above is a quick, freehand iPhone recording showcasing DarkPlaces with hires textures running on an M1 Mac Mini connected to a 48-inch TV at 4K resolution. While there are some initial FPS struggles, overall the performance is quite impressive.

Celebrating Quake and DarkPlaces

Quake was the most expensive game I ever bought, since I had to upgrade to a Pentium PC just to play it. I still celebrate the game for its feel, its dark and atmospheric mood, and the brilliant Nine Inch Nails soundtrack (including the idea to have a NIN gun ;-). While many Quake adaptations have been enjoyable, DarkPlaces stands out as the best implementation on modern hardware. You can read more about it here:

https://icculus.org/twilight/darkplaces/

https://github.com/DarkPlacesEngine/DarkPlaces

Self-compilation has always been possible, but a ready-to-play binary for modern Macs was missing. Thanks to the help of AI (yes, it has its advantages), I was able to overcome the final hurdles and now provide this software package as a direct fork of the official Github server.

Requirements for running Quake in DarkPlaces

Emulation Update November 2025

November 2025 — an excellent opportunity to present a broad overview of updates in macOS emulation. Since this will cover a diverse range of topics, I plan to combine this post with updates to the corresponding main articles, including links to them. Let’s see how well this approach works, and I hope you enjoy the read.

News Nr 1 - macOS 26.1 “Tahoe” has landed smoothly. 

Despite the widespread criticism surrounding macOS 26 and iOS/iPadOS 26, I actually like all of them. As usual, I waited for the .1 release before updating, and the process went without a hitch. 

The emulators are running well, and I’ll be providing an update on them below anyway.

News Nr 2 - Scaled Resolution and Emulator Performance.

What I realized for the first time these days is the actual impact of scaled resolution on performance - and for official MAME, the effect can be rather dramatic!

macOS 26.1 actually tells you this!

Let’s look at some performance numbers in MAME 282, still running under Sequoia on the Mac Mini M2 Pro. As always, I used a 30‑second run with shaders enabled, while disregarding other ini‑settings. Both the OpenGL and Metal backends were tested. My main takeaways are:

• If you encounter performance issues in MAME, it’s worth checking your scaling settings. Some titles show extreme deviations — 1942 is a good example. 

• The Metal backend in MAME generally performs much better than OpenGL, which is excellent news. 

• Overall, though, performance numbers are solid across all games, with no major concerns irrespective of scaling settings and used backend.

I’ll also be updating the main MAME blog post and linking it here for easy reference.

News Nr. 3 - RetroArch 1.22 is here.

If you’ve been reading this blog from time to time, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of RetroArch. That’s why another stable release is always worth mentioning—even though I personally continue to rely on the Nightly builds.

As of this writing, there’s no official blog post yet, but the stable 1.22 build of RetroArch is already available for download from the Libretro website. With so many changes since the last stable release, it’s difficult to highlight any single update. What I can say for sure is that the macOS version has received excellent dedicated improvements, thanks largely to the tireless work of warmenhoven—huge kudos to him, as always.

I’ll also be updating the main RetroArch blog post and linking it here for easy reference.

News Nr. 4 - RetroArch on an iPad Pro rocks.

After many years of faithful service, my beloved 2019 iPad Air 3 has finally gone into retirement. In its place, I’ve picked up a refurbished M4 iPad Pro - quite a move. While this purchase wasn’t intended for gaming, I couldn’t resist running a few arcade titles under iPadOS 26.1 just to see how they perform.

Retroarch 1.22 with koko-aio shaders and my integrated bezels

Some first insights:

• If you want to stay on the bleeding edge of RetroArch development, sideloading remains as painful as ever. Fortunately, there’s now an official version of RetroArch available in the App Store, and it’s worth considering if it meets your needs.
• RetroArch takes full advantage of the variable refresh rate on my iPad Pro. This feature is particularly useful for titles like Moon Patrol, which runs at a weird custom refresh rate.
• Consider getting an iPad cover that supports portrait mode. It’s incredibly fun to flip the iPad when playing vertical arcade games, switching into horizontal orientation and making full use of the display.
• As of this writing, iPadOS 26.1 has effectively taken the Home button on my PS4 controller hostage. For the Quick Menu, I’ve had to remap to a different button—R3, for example. It’s not the most comfortable solution, but it works for now. Hopefully, future updates will restore proper Home button functionality in RetroArch.

All in all, this has been a thoroughly convincing gaming experience, and I’m looking forward to gaining further insights—which I’ll be sure to share with you.

News Nr 5 - Negatron for Silicon Macs may arrive.

That's a fully functional Negatron MAME frontend on my Silicon Mac!

With QMC2 development having completely ended, it’s encouraging to see some progress with Negatron, which looks like the perfect successor to QMC2. At the moment, however, the current Negatron download suffers from significant code‑signing issues, meaning the app will only launch if you start the binary directly from within the app bundle. If you’re willing to take that route, you can already enjoy a highly performant Negatron experience on your Apple Silicon Mac.

I updated the main Negatron blog post from 2020 with the news - here it is.

News Nr 6 - Emulator Research with AI is quite useful.

As a side note, I recently obtained some very valuable information about various emulation topics through AI—though, to be transparent, always expect a few hallucinatory results. Overall, however, asking your favorite AI about burning questions in retro gaming emulation is quite impressive. For example, I always wondered about the purpose of the diff folder in MAME and the .dif files. The answer I received was both useful and enlightening, complete with information sources.

***

That’s quite a lot of news packed into a single post—did I miss anything? Let’s see if there are more updates worth mentioning.

Zelda N64 Decompilations and Recompliations on Apple Silicon (WIP)

Besides Super Mario 64, the two Zelda games on my Nintendo 64 are high ranking in my forever games list. Even more than Super Mario 64, these games had severe technical limitations on the console and criminally low fps. The two projects I want to present here are still in beta, but seem both stable enough to advertise. They provide unprecedented gaming experience for Ocarina of Time and Majora‘s Mask.

My two favorite N64 games besides Super Mario 64, you can see the passage of time ...

Disclaimer: Legally you require to own the games.

The two solutions I want to present here are

• Ocarina of Time: Ship of Harkinian (SOH) Decompilation - https://www.shipofharkinian.com

Metal backend with 60fps, re-textured including models

• Majora's Mask: Zelda Recompilation - https://github.com/Zelda64Recomp/Zelda64Recomp

The newest version 1.2 provides similar options as SOH - retextures are also breathtaking

For sure, any screenshot cannot merit the actual experience when playing these games, but I hope that it's a sufficient teaser. As always, I want to focus on own experience, but would not repeat the original installation instructions.