Atari 5200DS vs Íris Emulator
Atari 5200DS
github.comÍris Emulator
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Atari 5200DS | Íris Emulator |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Atari Emulators | 8.0 (#6) | 7.0 (#17) |
| Purpose | Atari 5200DS is an Atari 5200 emulator for Nintendo DS, DSi, XL and LL systems. | Íris is an open source emulator for Atari 2600, Atari Lynx, and Atari Jaguar games. |
Plans
In their own words
Atari 5200DS
Atari 5200DS is a free emulator for Atari 5200 games on Nintendo DS-family systems, including DS, DSi, DSi XL, and DSi LL. Its stated coverage includes the original 69 commercial releases and a couple hundred homebrews, hacks, and prototypes. Bankswitching cartridges up to 512K are supported, including Bounty Bob Strikes Back. Players can mark games as liked or loved, and the emulator saves up to 10 high scores per game to the SD card. Some controls are adjusted for particular games: Frogger and Q-Bert are patched for button movement, while Robotron can use ABXY to shoot and the d-pad to move. The emulator requires NTSC-compatible ROMs in a52/bin format and recommends the original 4-port 5200.rom BIOS for full compatibility. A built-in replacement BIOS works for some games with limited compatibility. The README says games run at full speed on DSi or newer systems, though complex conversions may lag on DS Lite or Phat. Quest for Quinta Roo will not start because of a known key debounce issue. Version 3.9 was released April 8, 2026.
Íris Emulator
Íris Emulator is a free, open-source emulator for Atari 2600, Atari Lynx, and Atari Jaguar games on 64-bit Windows 10 or 11. The Atari 2600 core emulates the 6507 CPU and TIA, with NTSC, PAL, and SECAM support and several cartridge mappers. Lynx emulation covers the 65C02, Mikey, and Suzy, with LNX cartridges, HLE boot for homebrew, and optional user-supplied boot ROM support for commercial games. Jaguar support includes .j64 and .jag cartridges, RF Cable and S-Video filters, upscaling to 1080p, and Auto, 4:3, or 16:9 display ratios. The interface offers cover-art browsing, a first-launch wizard, fullscreen mode, remappable keyboard and gamepad controls, and ten save-state slots. VST3 audio processing uses a reorderable chain and master gain. Optional Discord Rich Presence requires the Discord desktop app. ROMs and BIOS files are not included.