Many frontends (Attract-Mode, EmulationStation) support the libretro MAME 2003 core.
This is the easiest format. Every zip file contains everything needed to run that game.
The MAME 0.78 set contains roughly 4,500 ROM sets. It covers the vast majority of classic 2D arcade history. mame 0.78 rom set
Before understanding the specific allure of version 0.78, we need a brief refresher on MAME itself. MAME is an emulator designed to recreate arcade hardware on modern software. Each game (a ROM) is a dump of the original arcade cabinet's chips.
Crucially, MAME evolves. With every new version (released monthly), developers improve the accuracy of the emulation. A game that "worked" in MAME 0.37 might have glitchy sound; by version 0.78, it was fixed. However, to maintain that accuracy, MAME often changes how it expects ROM data to be structured. This is the easiest format
This leads to the golden rule of MAME: A ROM set is tied to a specific emulator version. A ROM that works perfectly in MAME 0.78 may crash or fail to load in MAME 0.200 because the emulator now expects different files (like new BIOS dumps or corrected CHD files).
Place your 0.78 zip files into the roms/arcade/ or roms/mame2003/ folder. Do not unzip them. MAME reads the ZIPs directly. Place your 0
MAME 0.78 represents the tail end of what many consider the "golden age" of MAME development. It was complex enough to emulate hundreds of classic 80s and 90s arcade games with near-perfect accuracy, but it was not yet burdened by the extreme precision demanded by later versions (like 0.100 onwards).
The most famous use of the 0.78 set is the MAME 2003 core within RetroArch (and by extension, Lakka, Batocera, and RetroPie). This core is a direct port of the MAME 0.78 source code to the Libretro API.
Why RetroPie users love it: The Raspberry Pi (3 and earlier) lacked the brute force CPU power to run modern MAME (0.200+). However, MAME 0.78 runs perfectly on ARM devices. It provides a massive library of arcade games that run at full speed on low-power hardware.
Version 0.78 is famous for its excellent support for Capcom’s CPS-2 system (games like Marvel vs. Capcom, Super Street Fighter II Turbo) and SNK’s Neo-Geo MVS system (Metal Slug, King of Fighters). These are the most beloved titles in the retro community. Later versions of MAME would add heavy copy-protection emulation and complex decryption, making ROM management difficult; 0.78 was the last version where these games felt "simple" to run.