Dendy vs NESER

Dendy is a free NES/Famicom emulator written in Go, with desktop versions for Windows, macOS, and Linux and a WebAssembly version for modern browsers. The desktop program has no graphical interface and runs from the command line with a .nes ROM file. Player one can use a keyboard or a detected gamepad, and a mouse can emulate the Zapper light gun. Options include save-state control, rewind, screenshots, CRT effects, and Game Genie codes. Network multiplayer uses rollback networking and peer-to-peer connections. A public relay can help players behind NATs find peers and connect, though it will not work if both players are behind symmetric NATs. Users can also build and run their own relay. The browser version does not currently support netplay. The maker cautions that Dendy may not match established emulators in accuracy or compatibility, so some games may not run. Sound emulation is still in progress and may produce pops and crackles. The project is MIT-licensed.

NESER is a free Nintendo emulation systems engine written in Rust, with desktop and browser frontends. It supports NES and Famicom variants, Game Boy and Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, and Super Nintendo systems. Shared platform code covers audio, video, input, save states, configuration, ROM browsing, and debugging. The native frontend supports keyboard and gamepad input, with NES-specific devices including the Zapper, SNES Mouse, Arkanoid paddle, Power Pad, and Four Score. NES users can choose shader presets such as CRT, NTSC, smooth, PAL, or none. The browser frontend accepts ROM files for the supported systems. For scripting and CI, headless mode runs a ROM and writes a PNG frame; the same ROM and frame count produce byte-identical captures across runs and builds. NES development tools include a debugger, CPU trace, breakpoints, and deterministic autorun recording and playback. A built-in open-source GBA BIOS means no external BIOS file is required. NESER is MIT-licensed and can be installed with cargo install neser or obtained as a prebuilt release.