DOSBox vs DOSBox Optionals
DOSBox
dosbox.comDOSBox Optionals
github.comSide by side
| Figure | DOSBox | DOSBox Optionals |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · MS-DOS Emulators | 9.0 (#1) | 7.5 (#17) |
| Controller support | The manual documents joystick and gamepad emulation, button mapping and configurable joystick types. | It supports joysticks with up to 10 buttons, depending on configuration and the DOS or Windows 95/98 driver. |
| Disk images | The manual says IMGMOUNT can mount floppy disk images and CD-ROM images, including ISO and CUE/BIN formats. | It can manage, mount and create hard disk images up to 8 GB. |
| Graphics | DOSBox emulates Tandy, Hercules, CGA, EGA, VGA and VESA graphics. | The listed video backends are Surface, OpenGL, and OpenGL3 with shader support. |
| Networking | DOSBox supports IPX networking through its internal IPXNET program. | The README lists Novel NE2000 and IPX mode support. |
| Purpose | DOSBox is a DOS emulator intended to run older programs and games that do not run on newer computers. | DOSBox Optionals is a DOS, Windows 95, and Windows 98 emulator forked from DOSBox and targeting Windows. |
| Sound | DOSBox emulates SoundBlaster and Gravis UltraSound cards. | Listed sound support includes MAME sound, Fluidsynth, Munt MT-32 and Nuked OPL3. |
Plans
In their own words
DOSBox
DOSBox is a free, open-source DOS emulator for running older programs and games that may not run on newer computers. It emulates 286 and 386 CPUs in real and protected modes, along with XMS and EMS memory. Its graphics support covers Tandy, Hercules, CGA, EGA, VGA, and VESA, while sound emulation includes SoundBlaster and Gravis UltraSound cards. Users can mount floppy and CD-ROM images, including ISO and CUE/BIN formats. DOSBox also supports IPX networking through its internal IPXNET program and can emulate a serial nullmodem cable over a network or the internet. The site identifies version 0.74-3 as the latest version and lists builds or packages for Mac OS X, Windows, Fedora, and Debian, along with source code. Its game compatibility list uses statuses including runnable, playable, and supported. For untrusted files, the site recommends secure mode; that mode disables MOUNT, IMGMOUNT, and BOOT. DOSBox runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and the forum is the suggested place to ask about usage or a particular game.
DOSBox Optionals
DOSBox Optionals has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.