What are the best options for gaming emulators that run on OS X?

July 1, 2008 12:51 PM

I'm going to be starting a research project soon which will require some "archival gaming".. What are the best OS X friendly options for emulators for vintage game platforms? I'm interested in 8 and 16 bit systems as well as older stuff. Any advice and direction would be appreciated.What are the best options for game emulators that run on OS X? Is DOS Box still the best way to play old PC games on a Mac?
posted by serial_consign to computers & internet (10 comments total)

MAME is your friend. Ive never used the OS X version, but it looks like its active.
posted by damn dirty ape at 1:32 PM on July 1, 2008

Do you have an Intel Mac? Bootcamping into XP may be the best way to play older PC games.
posted by Oktober at 1:47 PM on July 1, 2008

Richard Bannister's page of assorted OS X ports of emulators should be a good resource.
posted by wanderingmind at 1:49 PM on July 1, 2008

Richard Bannister is a monster when it comes to emulators for Mac.

His apps aren't always the best, but I imagine they should be fine for your purposes.
posted by SpiffyRob at 1:50 PM on July 1, 2008

Come on!
posted by SpiffyRob at 1:50 PM on July 1, 2008

It's not definitive, but GameTap will be the easiest to use. The Mac client provides emulation for a whole bunch of 8 and 16 bit systems and even dos too. There are a bunch of free games available and a subscription isn't too expensive. It won't have every game you want, but it will allow you to play these games legally and without having to hunt down ROMs.
posted by jefftang at 2:08 PM on July 1, 2008

Emulator development has sadly stalled the past few years with OS X. Systems older than 12 years have basically been mastered (I recommend Nestopia for NES, SNES9X for SNES, MAME OS X for arcade fun); research into N64 and PSX has ground to a halt. To be fair, N64 emulation for the PC isn't that hot either, but for PSX, the Mac is simply getting ripped a new one. So in short, if your research moves into any 3D consoles, consider Boot Camp instead.
posted by spamguy at 2:41 PM on July 1, 2008

Project64 is a pretty decent N64 emulator on the pc.
posted by Oktober at 2:56 PM on July 1, 2008

I am running a Mactel machine, Bootcamp is an option! Thanks for the suggestions, if there is more stuff I should know about.. keep those links comin'. :)
posted by serial_consign at 4:31 PM on July 1, 2008

I use Bannister's emulators for everything except SNES, for which I use SNES9x. For old PC stuff I use DOSBox.

For PSX and N64, you're really better off with PC emulators.
posted by danb at 6:55 PM on July 1, 2008