No-Intro DAT Matcher

What No-Intro DAT Matcher is

No-Intro DAT Matcher is a Python script for matching ROM files against No-Intro or Redump DAT entries. It hashes files and compares their hashes with the DAT, then copies or moves matched files into an output folder using the corresponding DAT filenames. It can skip files already in that folder, and it writes missing ROMs and unmatched files to a text file to help identify collection gaps. The README directs users to get DAT files from DAT-o-MATIC or Redump. Setup requires Python 3 plus the xmltodict and tqdm packages. The example commands support copying or moving renamed files and skipping files that have already been placed in the output folder. The maker says hashing large disc-based games can take a very long time and recommends --skip-existing for repeated runs; moving files instead of copying them can help when disk space is limited. NES files with an iNES header need a .nes extension, and the script skips their first 16 bytes. N64 users may need both Byte Swapped and Big Endian DATs; the README mentions tool64 for ROM format conversion. The software is free, uses the MIT License, and is provided without warranty. The maker reports occasional errors in cmd or PowerShell and says Python in a Cygwin terminal seems to work better.

Who it suits

This tool suits Linux users organizing ROM collections against No-Intro or Redump DAT files who can run Python 3 and install its required packages. It can help people rename matched files and identify missing ROMs or files that did not match.

Limits

The free plan is listed as free. The tool requires Python 3, xmltodict, and tqdm; hashing large disc-based games can take a very long time.

Getting started

1. Obtain a No-Intro or Redump DAT file from DAT-o-MATIC or Redump.
2. Install Python 3, xmltodict, and tqdm.
3. Run the script with the ROM files and DAT file.
4. Choose whether matched files should be copied or moved to the output folder.
5. Use --skip-existing for repeated runs.
6. For large files and limited disk space, move files instead of copying them.

Verdict

Choose No-Intro DAT Matcher if you want a free script to hash, match, and rename ROM files using DAT entries. Look elsewhere if you need archive support or want to avoid Python dependencies; the maker also notes occasional Windows terminal errors and no warranty.