BGB vs Coffee GB

BGB is a free Game Boy emulator and debugger for playing games and examining emulation. It emulates Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Super Game Boy, with gamepad support, rewind, save states, low latency, and high-quality sound and graphics. ROMs can be loaded from ZIP and GZIP files. The debugger can analyze emulation, help create or modify ROMs, and create, search, load, and save cheat codes; supported formats include GameGenie and GameShark. BGB can also emulate the Game Boy Camera using an image file, test pattern, or webcam. TCP/IP linking connects BGB instances, while Super Game Boy multiplayer supports up to four gamepads. BGB is listed for Windows, and its maker says it also runs under Wine on Linux and macOS; 32-bit and 64-bit versions are provided. The listed current release is version 1.6.6, dated 2025-07-20. Game linking may not work with every game and requires a modern PC with very low lag. AVI recordings omit sound, which is recorded separately to WAV. The manual states that the program has no warranty and is used at the user's own risk.

Coffee GB is a desktop emulator for the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color, with support for Super Game Boy features. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, and accepts .gb, .gbc, and .rom files, including games inside ZIP and 7z archives. ROM files are not included. For saving and reviewing play, it offers ten slots, named save states with previews, autosave and resume, screenshots, input recordings, and rewind. Rollback netplay supports link-cable games and synchronized infrared communication. Keyboard and controller input are supported, with separate controls for up to four players in compatible Super Game Boy games. Cartridge support includes real-time clocks, rumble, tilt, Game Boy Camera, and Game Boy Printer. Cheats include Game Genie and GameShark, with a searchable libretro database. The project reports 5,858 automated verdicts passing across 17 test suite families. Coffee GB is free and distributed under the MIT License. Netplay uses a direct, unencrypted TCP connection; the project advises using trusted people and networks. On macOS, controllers require compatible system SDL2, though keyboard input and emulation work without it.