A7800 vs Gearlynx

A7800 is a free, open-source Atari 7800 emulator and a fork of the MAME Atari 7800 driver. It runs on Android, Linux, macOS, and Windows; version 5.2 lists 64-bit x64 builds for Linux, macOS, and Windows. The emulator supports Proline and VCS joysticks, lightguns, paddles, driving controllers, keypads, Trak-Balls, Amiga mice, and ST mice. Its listed technical work includes improved MARIA DMA timing with accurate DMA-hole penalties, a RIOT emulation fix, POKEY sound changes, and SALLY and MARIA performance adjustments. Users can choose palettes and enhanced screen options. BIOS files are optional and not required. A7800 keeps MAME compatibility and syntax, allowing reuse of MAME configuration files and front ends. Developer targets can display DMA usage per scanline. The repository is offered under GNU GPL version 2 or later, and the license provides no warranty. The project labels v5.2 as its latest release, including corrections to the POKEY poly9 sequence and initial state.

Gearlynx is a free, open-source Atari Lynx emulator and debugger written in C++. It supports the commercial Lynx catalog and most homebrew and demo software, with Lynx I or Lynx II emulation selectable. Supported ROM formats include lnx, lyx, o, bin, and zip, including compressed and homebrew files. Gaming tools include save states with previews, rewind, run-ahead to reduce input latency, audio emulation, VGM recording, and EEPROM and NVRAM save files. ComLynx multiplayer connects up to eight emulator instances on one computer. The debugger provides disassembly, CPU and memory breakpoints, debug symbols, memory editing and search, hardware register views, and cartridge and video inspectors. An embedded MCP server supports AI-assisted debugging, with execution controls, memory inspection, breakpoints, screenshots, and rewind over STDIO or HTTP. Standalone builds are listed for Windows, Linux, BSD, and macOS; libretro includes Android and iOS. Gearlynx requires a BIOS. Concurrent HTTP clients control the same emulator instance and may interfere with one another.