BlastEm vs OpenEmu
BlastEm
retrodev.com
OpenEmu
openemu.orgSide by side
| Figure | BlastEm | OpenEmu |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game Console Emulators | 9.0 (#2) | 8.2 (#12) |
| Spec score · Game Gear Emulators | 9.0 (#2) | 8.0 (#14) |
| Spec score · Sega Genesis Emulators | 9.0 (#2) | 7.9 (#12) |
| Spec score · Sega CD Emulators | 9.0 (#2) | 8.0 (#11) |
| Documentation | Documentation includes a README, configuration reference, debugger instructions, issue tracker, wiki and contribution pages. | The project wiki provides getting-started material, BIOS guidance, supported-system information, release notes and troubleshooting resources. |
| Licence | BlastEm is distributed under GNU GPL version 3 or later; bundled GLEW, SDL2 and zlib have separate licences. | The OpenEmu-Silicon project says the original application and SDK largely retain BSD 3-Clause headers, while individual cores can have different licences. |
| Security | MegaWiFi emulation can let ROMs access the network, so the feature is disabled by default because of security implications. | The GitHub project page displays “Security and quality 0.” |
| Supported systems | The official site lists Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega CD, 32X, Master System, Game Gear, SG-1000, SC-3000, Sega Pico and Yamaha Copera support. | The repository lists cores for systems including Atari, NES, Game Boy, GameCube, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, Sega systems, PlayStation, PSP, Super Nintendo, TurboGrafx, Vectrex, Virtual Boy and WonderSwan. |
| What it does | BlastEm emulates Sega 16-bit and 8-bit consoles, with emphasis on speed and hardware accuracy. | OpenEmu is an open-source macOS application that emulates many classic video-game systems through a single native front end. |
Plans
In their own words
BlastEm
BlastEm is a free, open-source emulator for Sega's 16-bit and 8-bit consoles. It supports Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega CD, 32X, Master System, Game Gear, SG-1000, SC-3000, Sega Pico, and Yamaha Copera. Downloads are listed for Linux, macOS, and Windows, with an experimental web version. Gameplay features include save states, cartridge save RAM and EEPROM support, turbo and slow modes, controller input, and VGM logging. Its integrated debugger can inspect and modify state, set conditional breakpoints, run scripts, and show visual VDP tools. Developers can use the GDB remote debug protocol for source-level debugging of SGDK and other C or C++ projects. The maker describes it as fast enough for older PCs and accurate enough for demanding demos. Most Sega CD and 32X games are playable, but compatibility is not perfect. Yamaha Copera emulation is incomplete: games generally lack music, though Copera-specific ADPCM samples play. The listed macOS download is x86-64 and not notarized; the page directs ARM users to Homebrew.
OpenEmu
OpenEmu is free, open-source video game emulation software for macOS. It organizes game backups into a unified library, adds box art and supports collections spanning consoles. Users drag and drop backups for scanning and organization. Modular cores from open-source projects emulate systems including Atari, Game Boy, Nintendo, Sega, Sony PlayStation and Super Nintendo; the project lists 31 supported systems. Generic HID-compliant USB or Bluetooth controllers can work immediately, with automatic mapping for recognized devices. OpenEmu is intended for games users already own, and BIOS files are required. The wiki describes an experimental arcade core plugin that is strictly unsupported. The latest release page identifies OpenEmu 2.4.1 binaries as Intel-only. The official site offers a macOS (OS X) application, but the version requirement was not rendered. The project lists save states, CD audio and cheat support, while online netplay is not available.