Eclipse vs mGBA
Eclipse
eclipseemu.me
mGBA
mgba.ioSide by side
| Figure | Eclipse | mGBA |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game Boy Advance Emulators | 8.1 (#6) | 8.4 (#3) |
| Integrations | The interface can link to Dropbox and Google Drive; Dropbox uses a CORS proxy when needed, while Google Drive requests go directly. | The project timeline lists Dolphin integration as a feature added in version 0.9.0. |
| Purpose | Eclipse is a web based emulator for playing classic games. | mGBA is an open-source Game Boy Advance emulator designed to run on lower-end hardware without sacrificing accuracy or portability. |
| Support | The FAQ directs users to the Eclipse Discord server for issue reports because the in app Report Issue button was temporarily removed. | The FAQ directs users to file bug reports on the GitHub issue tracker and recommends attaching the built-in bug report ZIP on PC for version 0.9.0 or newer. |
| Supported systems | It supports Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, NES, SNES, Sega Master System, and Sega Game Gear. | mGBA also emulates Game Boy and Game Boy Color; DS support is very early and only available in the medusa branch. |
Plans
In their own words
Eclipse
Eclipse is a web-based emulator for playing games from classic systems: Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, NES, SNES, Sega Master System, and Sega Game Gear. It is available on Android, iOS, and web, with a free plan. Games can be added from Google Drive, Dropbox, or the Homebrew selection, or loaded from local files. The interface supports touch, keyboard, and controllers, with editable default bindings; controller compatibility depends on the JavaScript Gamepad API and the operating system. Once the site is cached, uploaded local games can be played offline, although some features, including the Library, are disabled. Save behavior differs by system: NES games do not save, SNES and GB/GBC games should save, and GBA games have some incompatibilities. The GBA core lacks Real Time Clock support, and most GBA games with auto-save functionality are unsupported. Eclipse has no multiplayer features, including Pokémon trading. User data is stored locally on the device.
mGBA
mGBA is a free, open-source emulator for Game Boy Advance games, designed to run on lower-end hardware while maintaining accuracy and portability. It also emulates Game Boy and Game Boy Color; most GBA games boot, while the FAQ notes bugs in Game Boy and Game Boy Color support. Nintendo DS support is very early, limited to the medusa branch, and has poor compatibility. Desktop downloads cover Windows, macOS, Linux, and Ubuntu, with homebrew builds for Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, Wii, and PlayStation Vita. Supported GBA peripherals include rumble, rotation and tilt sensors, a solar sensor, realtime clock, partial link cable support, and BattleChip Gate. Game Boy features include rumble, tilt, realtime clock, Game Boy Printer, and partial Game Boy Camera and Super Game Boy support. The Wireless Adapter, IR Adapter, and Soul Adapter are not supported. Built-in Lua scripting can access emulator memory, registers, save states, buttons, game information, screenshots, callbacks, and frame or instruction advancement. The project began in April 2013 and uses the Mozilla Public License 2.0.