bsnes vs higan
bsnes
bsnes.orghigan
github.comSide by side
| Figure | bsnes | higan |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · SNES Emulators | 8.2 (#7) | 7.8 (#12) |
Plans
In their own words
bsnes
bsnes is a free, open-source emulator for the 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is listed for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Speed settings range from 50% to 200%, with smooth audio output retained. Its feature list includes Super Game Boy emulation and low-level emulation of SNES coprocessors. Visual options include HD Mode 7 graphics with optional supersampling, OpenGL multi-pass pixel shaders, and built-in software filters. Save-state tools provide screenshot previews and naming, plus undo and redo. The emulator supports Xbox, Nintendo, PC, and PlayStation controllers, as well as screenshot capture and movie recording and playback. It also lists 7-zip decompression and BPS and IPS soft-patching, along with rewind and cheat support. Android setup uses RetroArch: install it from its official website, then add the bsnes core within RetroArch. The project offers installation guides, a knowledge base, troubleshooting information, and email contact for assistance.
higan
higan is a free, standalone multi-system emulator for Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Linux and FreeBSD. It focuses on accuracy, preservation and configurability, and emulates systems including Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Mega Drive, PC Engine, MSX, ColecoVision, Neo Geo Pocket and WonderSwan. Official releases are available through the project’s GitHub releases page. Automated nightly builds are also listed for Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Linux and FreeBSD, but those builds are untested. The distribution includes icarus, a game library importer, along with the libco, nall, ruby and hiro components. The project was originally developed by Near. higan is free software under the GNU General Public License version 3 or a later version. The license states that the software comes without warranty. For community support, the project links to a discussion forum and a Discord chat. Its standalone format is listed as an emulation format, and the supported desktop systems include more than the general Linux, macOS and Windows platform listing.