Multi Emulator Super System
Multi Emulator Super System (MESS) is an emulator for various consoles and computer systems, based on the MAME core. It used to be a standalone program (which has since been discontinued), but is now integrated into MAME (which is actively developed). MESS emulates portable and console gaming systems, computer platforms, and calculators. The project strives for accuracy and portability and therefore is not always the fastest emulator for any one particular system. Its accuracy makes it also useful for homebrew game development.
| Developer(s) | Originally MESS Team, now MAME Team |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 1998 |
| Stable release | |
| Operating system | Cross-platform |
| Type | Emulator |
| License | Since 2016: GPL-2.0-or-later Until 2016: Custom |
| Website | |
As of April 2015 MESS supported 994 unique systems with 2,106 total system variations. However, not all of the systems in MESS are functional; some are marked as non-working or are in development. MESS was first released in 1998 and has been under constant development since.
MAME and MESS were once separate applications, but were later developed and released together from a single source repository. MAMEDEV member David Haywood maintained and distributed UME (Universal Machine Emulator) which combined much of the functionality of MAME and MESS in a single application. On May 27, 2015, MESS was formally integrated with MAME and became a part of MAME.