ChillyGB vs DocBoy
ChillyGB
github.comDocBoy
github.comSide by side
| Figure | ChillyGB | DocBoy |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Game Boy Emulators | 8.3 (#2) | 7.6 (#9) |
| Cartridges | Cartridge support includes no MBC, MBC1, MBC2, MBC3 with RTC, MBC5, MBC7, and Pocket Camera. | Supported cartridge types include NoMBC, MBC1, MBC2, MBC3, MBC5, MBC7, HUC1, and HUC3. |
| Debugger | The listed debugger includes instruction, memory, stack, and register viewers, plus LCDC, STAT, IE, and IF editors. | An optional GDB-style CLI debugger supports disassembly, breakpoints, watchpoints, stepping, rewind, and memory viewing. |
| License | The software is licensed under GNU General Public License v3.0. | The repository identifies its license as MIT. |
| Product | ChillyGB is a Game Boy (DMG) and Game Boy Color (CGB) emulator written in C that aims for simplicity and accuracy. | DocBoy is an open source GameBoy emulator written in C++17. |
Plans
In their own words
ChillyGB
ChillyGB is a free Game Boy (DMG) and Game Boy Color (CGB) emulator written in C. It is listed for Windows, Linux, and Nintendo Switch, and the project links to a WebAssembly browser version. Supported cartridges include no MBC, MBC1, MBC2, MBC3 with a real-time clock, MBC5, MBC7, and Pocket Camera. Features include Game Boy Color and BootROM support, BESS-compliant save states, a palette editor, integer scaling, a pixel grid, color correction, and GameGenie and GameShark cheats.
Players can use basic gamepads and edit inputs; Pocket Camera support can use a webcam. The debugger includes instruction, memory, stack, and register views, plus editors and status information for listed PPU registers. The project excludes SGB functions, MBC6, HUc1, HUc3, and infrared communication. Link cable emulation and netplay are not supported. The browser port's audio is noted as buggy. ChillyGB is licensed under GNU GPL v3.0; release 0.3.2 is listed as latest, and save states from before version 0.3.0 do not work with it.
DocBoy
DocBoy is a free, open-source Game Boy emulator written in C++17. It emulates the original DMG Game Boy and Game Boy Color, with M-cycle-accurate CPU emulation and T-cycle-accurate PPU emulation using a Pixel FIFO. Supported cartridge types include NoMBC, MBC1, MBC2, MBC3, MBC5, MBC7, HUC1 and HUC3. Its frontends provide save and load, save states, fast-forward, configurable palettes, screenshots and an SDL graphical menu. An optional GDB-style command-line debugger offers disassembly, breakpoints, watchpoints, stepping, rewind and memory viewing. DocBoy can also operate as a libretro core through RetroArch. Releases provide Windows and Linux executables, while the project documents an Android libretro build; RetroArch is described as supporting Android and iOS. Save states, link cable emulation and a real-time clock are listed. The project says perfect emulation remains distant and accuracy can affect performance. It uses the MIT license and accepts bug reports and proposals through issues or pull requests.