DATVault is a service built into RomVault which helps keep your DATs up-to-date. With DATVault, you can simply click a button to update your DATs to the latest versions from your favorite ROM cataloging projects.

DATVault was created to solve the following problems:

• There was no single place to download all the DATs you may be interested in. You would need to constantly check various project sites or forums for updates.
• Its was hard to keep track of when DAT updates occurred. Some projects update every few months while others update multiple times per day.
• Staying up to date with the latest DATs was tedious and time consuming. ROM collecting is a hobby, and keeping DATs up to date is a chore.
• Other DAT downloader solutions were either broken, unreliable, or not integrated with the ROM manager. Basically other solutions just didn't work well.
• Custom solutions require scripting and constant maintenance. A simple solution anyone could use was needed.

In short, DATVault simply makes ROM collecting and maintenance easier. It allows you to focus less DAT management and more on ROM collecting.

The DATVault service is included in RomVault 3.4 and above. Anyone can use it, but it is limited to official MAME “listxml” DATs without a key. Patreon supporters get full access to the entire DAT repository and will receive a unique key to use to access the full inventory of DATs in the repository.

DATVault is still very new, and a work in progress. The current process to get your unique key is a bit manual:

• Sign up to be a Patreon supporter with either “DATVault Access” or “Beta Access Program” level
• Join the RomVault Discord
• Send a direct message to me (GordonJ) and let me know that you signed up. I will create a key for you.
• If you haven't done so already, download RomVault 3.4 or above since it is required to use DATVault