It’s the end of the month again (at least when I wrote this it was), and as we roll into summer weather here in the US, it’s also time for a new MAME release. I’ve uploaded the Apple Silicon build to github yesterday and just never got to updating this page. The latest release can be found, as usual here. For those on Intel, I’m sorry I have no news, the best suggestions I have is to check the Homebrew and MacPorts projects. Though it seems they both have the same issues I do, MAME just won’t build on older releases of MacOS. Other than that, I can’t suggest anything else at the moment.
Update: Arbee the kind soul that he is has patched out the offending bgfx issues, so now MAME is available for your Intel Macs once again. Many thanks for his efforts and revisions to the patch until it succeeded. You have him to thank for the continued usability of MAME on your older Macs.
Hi,
I saw that Homebrew propose the intel 0.254 that seems work on Big Sur.
For later OS, I can propose my own intel 0.255 build make under Ventura (perhaps works on Monterey ?). It’s the executable with the folders environnement.
https://www.mediafire.com/file/uekdsm77o6aff8y/mame_255.zip/file
Best,
Noxx.
Please forgive what may seem like an ignorant question…
Is the issue related to Intel CPU or is it related to not being able to build on an Intel Mac that running Ventura? Is the Intel Mac you have access to too old to run Ventura?
FWIW, I have a 2019 3.6 GHz Intel Core i9 iMac with Radeon Pro Vega 48 8 GB that’s running Ventura 13.4 (22F66). If there’s anything I can do to contribute or be helpful in some way, I would be delighted. Just let me know.
The issue is simply Apple requires all binaries link against their library. Only when they drop support for a OS version, they no longer update the tools for the OS (Xcode, gcc, etc). Apple thereby forced users to update to newer MacOS releases to obtain the updates they desire. My machines max out at 10.15. The problem is you cannot use a newer release and still support older ones. MAME should build on any MacOS 11+ but those can’t run on older MacOS releases. MAME can build and run in Linux or Windows on those same Macs but Apple has made it so users cannot update those machines using MacOS. Basically you can’t build mame on 11+ and still use it on 10.14 or 10.15.
Understood. (I think. 😁)
So, if you had a Mac that would run Ventura, you could (in theory) build it for Intel, but then it would not run on any Mac OS earlier than Ventura? That’s certainly frustrating and very typical of Apple. :-/
Could I volunteer my hardware to help build an Intel version that would at least run on capable intel hardware? While that’s nowhere near the breadth of Intel hardware that’s desired, it’s better that no Intel at all presumably… which is where we’re at now, right?
Well where we’re at right now (from me at least) is no Intel build since I can’t run the required MacOS to build it. But macports and homebrew both should have up to date builds which are basically the same as mine, if not better, since they are integrated into the OS. I’ve been considering making a script which users can use to build their own mame, or a live system for affected users, many options I’m considering, just can’t decide. Maybe I should do all of them and let the users decide!
Whatever you decide, I know that I speak for many others when I tell you how grateful I am for all the work you put into this. Thanks SO so much for all the work you’ve done and continue to do.
I have an usb disk with Mojave and I have installed the 14 clang version of Macport (don’t install on Homebrew) on it. But I don’t find how to use it instead the too old version of XCode 11, for compile the Mame source with “make”…
I try a couple of hours, but no success. I don’t know enough this kind of Unix tools.
One still needs XCode installed, as Macs will not run software without Apple’s library compiled into them. Offhand I’m not sure which commands to run to set the OS to use it but “sudo port —select” might be the option you need.
I don’t know if this is AT ALL helpful or applicable but one thing I noticed is the application called Ample – which I believe is just a front-end for MAME running specifically for Apple computers – but I have an intel machine (Mojave), and Ample seems to work just fine and is running the latest version of MAME within it (.255). Isn’t there a way we can use the same concepts or whatever Ample is doing to create a version of MAME that works for the older intel machines like mine. Just for reference the latest build that works for me is .251 ( which I believe several of you here have said you are in the same position as me). Thank you for any suggestions & all your hard work to anybody who can help with this situation!
I’m finding bugs with ROM folder preservation on the m1 mac mame 0.255 release.
It works the first time you set it, but a of mame will lose the path, even though I saved the config.
Try looking in /Users/yourhomedir/Library/Application Support/mame and there should be a config file which sets dirs there. You may need to edit this file for mame to keep your changes.