Arcade LaserDisc emulators
Developer | Misc |
---|---|
Type | Arcade systems |
Release date | 1982 |
Discontinued | 1995 |
Emulated | ✓ |
A LaserDisc video game is an arcade game that uses pre-recorded video (either live-action or animation) played from a LaserDisc. The first LaserDisc video game was Sega's Astron Belt released in 1983. The genre was popularized by Dragon's Lair released shortly after in the same year. The usage of LaserDiscs provided graphics close to an animated or live-action film which was vastly ahead of other arcade games at the time. However, with the drawback of limited interactivity compared to regular arcade games.
Emulators
Name | Operating System(s) | Latest Version | Active | Libretro Core | Recommended |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PC | |||||
DAPHNE | Windows, Linux, macOS | 1.0.12 | ✗ | ~ (WIP) | ✓ |
MAME | Multi-platform | 0.266 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Comparisons
- DAPHNE is the primary emulator for LaserDisc arcade games. Supports more games than MAME. Use DaphneLoader to update DAPHNE and auto download games. The libretro core currently only works for Android.
- MAME has support for six LaserDisc games and two that DAPHNE doesn't support; Cube Quest and Firefox. The reason MAME doesn't emulate many LaserDisc-based systems, is largely due to indecisions regarding the disc preservation method and format. This will hopefull be fixed in the future thanks to the Domesday Project 86 which employs a combination of specialized hardware and open-source software to preserve the discs in a far more faithful manner than ever before.
Games
Game | DAPHNE | MAME | Ports* |
---|---|---|---|
Astron Belt | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Badlands | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Bega's Battle | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
Chantze's Stone | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Cliff Hanger | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Cobra Command / Thunder Storm | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Cosmos Circuit | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Crime Patrol | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Crime Patrol 2: Drug Wars | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Cube Quest | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
Dragon's Lair | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Dragon's Lair II: TimeWarp | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Esh's Aurunmilla | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Fast Draw Showdown | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Firefox | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
Freedom Fighter | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Galaxian 3 | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Galaxian 3: Attack of the Zolgear | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Galaxy Ranger / Star Blazer | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
GP World | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
Interstellar Laser Fantasy | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
The Last Bounty Hunter | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
M.A.C.H. 3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Mad Dog McCree | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Mad Dog II: The Lost Gold | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
NFL Football | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Ninja Hayate | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Road Blaster | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Space Ace | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Space Pirates | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Star Rider | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Super Don Quix·ote | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
Thayer's Quest | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
Time Gal | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Time Traveler | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Us vs. Them | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
Who Shot Johnny Rock? | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Zorton Brothers | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
This list is updated as of MAME 0.197 and DAPHNE 1.0.12.
* Ports: for a list of what systems the games have been ported to check this link.