EMU7800 vs Íris Emulator

EMU7800 is a free emulator for the Atari 7800 ProSystem and the backward-compatible Atari 2600 Video Computer System. It runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS and supports saved game states. The maker says it runs on Windows 11, and its Windows installer does not need administrator permission. Windows users can connect Stelladaptor, 2600-daptor, 2600-daptor II, and Xbox 360 controllers. Saved game state is kept in the user profile at %USERPROFILE%\.emu7800savedgames. The project lists Linux ARM and ARM64 targets using SDL3; Linux systems may need SDL3, SDL3 image, and SDL3 TTF installed. Its macOS x64 and ARM64 targets are described as experimental and untested. Building from source requires the .NET 10.0 SDK and Git. The project was originally completed in 2003 as a .NET programming exercise, is licensed under GPL-2.0, and is maintained as a non-commercial endeavor. The current release listed is v5.7.0.0, released December 31, 2025.

Íris Emulator is a free, open-source emulator for Atari 2600, Atari Lynx, and Atari Jaguar games on 64-bit Windows 10 or 11. The Atari 2600 core emulates the 6507 CPU and TIA, with NTSC, PAL, and SECAM support and several cartridge mappers. Lynx emulation covers the 65C02, Mikey, and Suzy, with LNX cartridges, HLE boot for homebrew, and optional user-supplied boot ROM support for commercial games. Jaguar support includes .j64 and .jag cartridges, RF Cable and S-Video filters, upscaling to 1080p, and Auto, 4:3, or 16:9 display ratios. The interface offers cover-art browsing, a first-launch wizard, fullscreen mode, remappable keyboard and gamepad controls, and ten save-state slots. VST3 audio processing uses a reorderable chain and master gain. Optional Discord Rich Presence requires the Discord desktop app. ROMs and BIOS files are not included.