emudore vs TRX64

emudore is a Commodore 64 emulator for Linux, Windows, macOS, and browsers. Written in C++11 with SDL2, it can load PRG files and enter BASIC listings; its BASIC ROM runs, and most simple programs work without issues. Browser demos include one that starts in CBM BASIC and another that loads a Monopole PRG. Its VIC-II graphics support covers four of the five official modes, plus smooth scrolling, sprites, raster interrupts, and badlines. Screen refresh synchronizes to approximately 50 Hz for PAL. Debug builds on Linux and macOS can use radare2 to read and modify emulator memory. The project is free and open source under Apache 2.0. Some compatibility limits are explicit: special keys are unavailable for BASIC listings, undocumented MOS 6510 opcodes are unsupported, and incomplete hardware emulation and non-pixel-exact visuals can affect advanced games and demos. SID sound and VIC-1541 floppy drive support are among the maker’s stated future aims.

TRX64 is a free, open-source Rust runtime for cycle-accurate emulation of the Commodore 64, 1541, and 1581. Its reverse-engineering tools include rewind, byte-exact reverse stepping, write tracking, observers, traces, marks, and sandboxes. A daemon exposes JSON-RPC 2.0 over WebSocket, with project capabilities available through JSON-RPC methods. Users can work with trx64cli, a terminal cockpit with an optional native emulator window, or C64RE, a browser-based reverse-engineering workbench. The daemon supports c64, u64, and 128 machine selections, with PAL and NTSC C64 models documented. Media and hardware support includes D64/G64 disks in 1541 drives, D81 disks in 1581 drives, cartridge types, REU, GeoRAM, and the Ultimate Command Interface. It also supports machine snapshots, reverse-debug buffers, trace logs, and VICE .vsf snapshot conversion. Releases are available for Linux, macOS, and Windows, with builds for x86_64 and arm64 where listed. C64 ROMs, including the 1581 DOS ROM, are not included and must be supplied separately.