ares vs mGBA
ares
ares-emu.net
mGBA
mgba.ioSide by side
| Figure | ares | mGBA |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game Console Emulators | 9.0 (#1) | 8.4 (#6) |
| Spec score · Game Boy Advance Emulators | 9.0 (#1) | 8.4 (#3) |
| Founded | 2020 | 2013 |
| License | The source code is distributed under the ISC license. | mGBA is licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0. |
| Project history | ares began as a higan fork on March 25, 2020 and became public open source under Luke Usher's leadership on July 5, 2021. | The timeline says the project started in April 2013. |
| Purpose | ares is a cross-platform, open-source multi-system emulator focused on accuracy and preservation. | mGBA is an open-source Game Boy Advance emulator designed to run on lower-end hardware without sacrificing accuracy or portability. |
| Supported systems | The catalogue includes Arcade, Atari 2600, WonderSwan, ColecoVision, NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Sega systems, Neo Geo Pocket and PlayStation. | mGBA also emulates Game Boy and Game Boy Color; DS support is very early and only available in the medusa branch. |
| What it does | ares is a cross-platform emulator for multiple game systems, built around accuracy and software preservation. | mGBA is a Game Boy Advance emulator that aims to run on lower-end hardware without sacrificing accuracy or portability. |
Plans
In their own words
ares
ares is a free, open-source emulator for multiple systems, with a stated focus on accuracy and preservation. It supports systems including Arcade, Atari 2600, WonderSwan, ColecoVision, NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation, though some listed systems are experimental. Playback options include save states, run-ahead, rewind, and fast-forward. Pixel shaders and optional color correction can alter display characteristics, while Virtual Game-Pads let users configure controls for use across emulated systems. The interface framework uses WinAPI on Windows, Cocoa on macOS, and GTK2 or GTK3 on POSIX platforms. Simple debugging features such as trace logging support development of original software for supported systems. Windows builds support Windows 7 or later; AMD64 binaries require at least Intel Nehalem or AMD Jaguar architecture. macOS binaries require Catalina 10.15 and support Intel and Apple Silicon. The project prefers Linux users compile from source and points to third-party packages rather than official Linux binaries. Source code uses the ISC license. Android is not supported, and a BIOS is required.
mGBA
mGBA is a free, open-source emulator for Game Boy Advance games, designed to run on lower-end hardware while maintaining accuracy and portability. It also emulates Game Boy and Game Boy Color; most GBA games boot, while the FAQ notes bugs in Game Boy and Game Boy Color support. Nintendo DS support is very early, limited to the medusa branch, and has poor compatibility. Desktop downloads cover Windows, macOS, Linux, and Ubuntu, with homebrew builds for Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, Wii, and PlayStation Vita. Supported GBA peripherals include rumble, rotation and tilt sensors, a solar sensor, realtime clock, partial link cable support, and BattleChip Gate. Game Boy features include rumble, tilt, realtime clock, Game Boy Printer, and partial Game Boy Camera and Super Game Boy support. The Wireless Adapter, IR Adapter, and Soul Adapter are not supported. Built-in Lua scripting can access emulator memory, registers, save states, buttons, game information, screenshots, callbacks, and frame or instruction advancement. The project began in April 2013 and uses the Mozilla Public License 2.0.