MAMEWorld Forums - News - IV/Play 2.1.0 Released

Since my former site mameui.info was so simple I was able to get it onto GitHub as a 'Pages' site. https://john-iv.github.io/iv-play/

I've also put my snaps and icons there as 'Releases' since they are now 30MB and 250MB.

Due to the sharpness IV/Play can now display on high DPI monitors I have been slowing re-doing all my icons into higher resolution from their (up to) 25 year old versions. I have also taken to using native snapshots out of MAME since the DirectX scaling algos do a very good job at moving them upwards, and if you want you can turn on nearest neighbor scaling on the native snaps to keep them ultra sharp and blocky at full screen.

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For those who are new to it, IV/Play is a desktop/keyboard-oriented frontend for MAME. It was created for users who enjoyed the classic feel of MAMEUI but wanted a decoupled, high-performance experience on modern hardware. The goal is quick startup, a smooth game list, and responsive artwork display.

What's New Since Version 1.8.5?

This release is an architectural overhaul designed to improve performance and add new functionality. Most of the classic features remain, now built on a modern foundation.

A Ground-Up Rebuild for Performance & Stability

The application was re-engineered to eliminate bottlenecks and improve the user experience.

Full GPU-Accelerated UI: The entire interface is now rendered with DirectX to address the "scrolling judder" found in older GDI-based frontends. The result is a much smoother browsing experience, even with large game lists.
Optimized Caching System: Icons are now combined into a single "atlas" for faster loading. history.xml and mameinfo.dat are parsed once and cached, and the game list itself is saved to a binary file. This results in a "warm start" time of under half a second on modern systems.
Modern Backend: The app has been upgraded to .NET 9 with a stable SQLite database, resolving legacy stability issues.

New UI Features & Quality of Life

The interface has been enhanced with new views and smarter features.

Grid View & Large Icons: In addition to the classic list, you can now display your collection in a modern Grid View.
Full Software List Support: Click on any console, computer, or device in the list (e.g., Atari 2600) to browse and launch its software library just like the main arcade list.
High-DPI & 4K Monitor Support: IV/Play now scales correctly on high-resolution displays without compatibility hacks. Fonts and artwork are scaled for a sharp presentation.
Custom Game Lists: Create and switch between your own game lists via a simple .ini file.
Icon Sizing Presets: Cycle through different icon sizes with Alt+I to better fit your view.
Smart Backgrounds: IV/Play can automatically detect bright backgrounds and switch the font to black for readability.

Power User Tools & Diagnostics

For tinkerers and power users, a new set of overlays and shortcuts has been added.

DAT Peek Overlay (~ key): Instantly view history.xml or mameinfo.dat content for the selected game in an overlay without leaving the game list.
Diagnostic Overlays: Toggle real-time overlays to see the log file (F2), the config file (F3), or a performance dashboard (F7) with FPS, memory usage, and more.
Safe Factory Reset (F8): A simple way to reset all caches and settings without losing your favorites.ini or custom lists.
Direct Machine Launch (Shift+Enter): Launch a console or computer directly to its BIOS screen without entering the software list—like turning on the machine with no cartridge inserted.

Downloads
You can grab the latest version and the recommended art packs from the official homepage.

[ATTACHED IMAGE - CLICK FOR FULL SIZE]

IV/Play Homepage : MAME™ Front-End, Icons, Snapshots & Benchmarks
https://john-iv.github.io/iv-play/