Grab it While You Can: iMAME Emulator App for iOS

Do you like playing old arcade games? Do you wish there was a way to play those classic games of old on your iPhone or iPad, perhaps using a proper MAME emulator? Then point your browser here, without further ado, and pick up the free iMAME from the App Store, before Apple takes it down. […]
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Final Fight, running on an iOS MAME emulator, no jailbreak required

Do you like playing old arcade games? Do you wish there was a way to play those classic games of old on your iPhone or iPad, perhaps using a proper MAME emulator? Then point your browser here, without further ado, and pick up the free iMAME from the App Store, before Apple takes it down.

Apple has allowed some emulators into the App Store, but these generally come without any way to add new games other than the licensed ones that come with the app. Thankfully, there are workarounds. And just as well, too, as the games that come pre-loaded in iMAME are all pretty horrible.

With iMAME, you need to track down a compatible MAME ROM (the game files used in the arcade machines), fire up a file browser app like PhoneView. Now, navigate to the iMAME folder in the list of apps, find the Documents folder inside and drop in the still-zipped ROM. You need to make sure that the ROM file contains MacBinary files, not documents, or the game won't show up.

Above you see Final Fight, running on my iPad.

The on-screen controls are as bad as you'd expect, but inside the settings you can opt to use the iCade iPad arcade cabinet, if you have one. This will turn your iPad into a miniature tabletop arcade machine!

So, go grab it now, and use it to play all of the legitimate ROMs which you have copied yourself from the arcade machines you own. Only hurry, because it mightn't be there for long.

iMAME product page [iTunes]