crater vs Genesis Plus GX
crater
github.comGenesis Plus GX
github.comSide by side
| Figure | crater | Genesis Plus GX |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game Gear Emulators | 8.4 (#6) | 8.3 (#9) |
| License | Crater is distributed under the MIT License, which permits free use, copying, modification, distribution, sublicensing, and sale subject to its conditions. | The repository license says redistribution may not be sold or used in a commercial product or activity, and modified-source redistributions must include the complete source code subject to stated conditions. |
Plans
In their own words
crater
crater is a free Sega Game Gear emulator written in C, with a Z80 assembler and disassembler included. Games can be loaded from the roms directory or from a command-line path. Display controls include fullscreen mode, integer scaling in a window, and an option to force square pixels. Keyboard and joystick or controller input are supported; SDL controller mappings can be defined in gamecontrollerdb.txt. Compatible games can save cartridge RAM to a .sav file, with custom save locations or saving disabled. Save states and custom keyboard mappings are not supported. The assembler converts Z80 source into a Game Gear ROM image and is described as complete. The disassembler attempts to produce assembly but cannot distinguish code from data. Most games are described as playable with minor bugs, while audio, some uncommon CPU instructions, and advanced graphics features are missing. Building requires a modern C11 compiler and SDL 2; OS X and Linux are the tested systems.
Genesis Plus GX
Genesis Plus GX is a free, open-source emulator for Sega's 8-bit and 16-bit systems, including SG-1000, Mark-III, Master System, Game Gear, Genesis/Mega Drive, and Sega/Mega CD. It supports backward-compatibility modes and describes its CPU, video, and sound emulation as highly accurate, with cycle-accurate CPU and sound synchronization. The emulator reads raw and interleaved ROMs, as well as CUE+BIN, ISO+WAV, and ISO+OGG CD images. Emulated peripherals include 2-, 3-, and 6-button pads, multitaps, the Sega Mouse, and light guns; supported cartridge hardware includes SVP DSP, EEPROMs, Game Genie, Action Replay, and Lock-On. Standalone builds are available for GameCube and Wii, and the project lists access through frontends such as RetroArch, BizHawk, and OpenEmu. It describes compatibility with released software for its supported systems, while noting that it cannot test every game from start to finish. Some Master System games depend on particular hardware or VDP modes. The multi-platform core source is under a non-commercial license.