BMC64 vs Hoxs64

BMC64 is a free, bare-metal Commodore 64 emulator for selected Raspberry Pi boards. Its bundled release also emulates the C128, VIC-20, Plus/4 and PET, including C64 PAL and NTSC variants. It uses VICE, with Plus4Emu available on Raspberry Pi 3 for more accurate Plus/4 emulation. Frames are timed to 50/60 Hz display refresh for smooth scrolling, and the project advertises low input-to-audio/video latency. A reported C64 boot over composite takes 4.1 seconds, with no shutdown sequence required. Wi-Fi and Ethernet support uses such as BBS access and C64 OS networking. Installation involves writing a release ZIP or image to a FAT32 SD card. Required ROM files must come from a legal source, and the minimum C64 ROM set is needed to start. Supported boards are Pi Zero, Zero 2W, Pi 2 and Pi 3; Pi 4 and later are unsupported. An optional local-network web interface manages status and SD-card files and can use a PIN.

Hoxs64 is a free Commodore 64 emulator for Microsoft Windows, written by David Horrocks. Its documentation describes cycle-exact emulation and pixel-exact VIC emulation of a C64C, without emulating the grey dot bug. A simulated 1541 floppy drive supports reading and writing, while the tape player is read-only. The emulator handles D64, G64, P64, FDI, TAP, PRG, P00, T64, and CRT files, and includes state saving, a debugger, full-screen mode, and configurable keyboard and joystick controls. Cartridge support covers Action Reply, Easy Flash, Ocean, Magic Desk, and Commodore REU 1750 options in 512K or 16MB configurations. Multiple cartridges are unsupported, and mounting one disables the REU option. Listed downloads are 32-bit and 64-bit version 1.1.2.9. Requirements include Windows 10 or 11, DirectX 11.1, the Microsoft Visual C++ 2022 runtime, 4 GB RAM, and a DirectX 11 graphics card with pixel shader 4.0. Installation requires the runtime and copying ZIP contents into one directory.