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SPECIFICTION
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Mesen vs OpenEmu

Mesen

mesen.ca

OpenEmu

openemu.org

Side by side

FigureMesenOpenEmu
Price fromFreeFree
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Open source—Yes
WindowsYes—
macOSYesYes
LinuxYes—
Plans published11
Spec score · Game Console Emulators7.7 (#21)8.2 (#12)
Spec score · Emulator Software7.6 (#26)8.1 (#16)
Supported systemsIt supports NES, SNES, Game Boy (Color), Game Boy Advance, PC Engine, SMS/Game Gear, and WonderSwan (Color).The repository lists cores for systems including Atari, NES, Game Boy, GameCube, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, Sega systems, PlayStation, PSP, Super Nintendo, TurboGrafx, Vectrex, Virtual Boy and WonderSwan.

Plans

Mesen

  • MesenFree

Mesen pricing →

OpenEmu

  • OpenEmuFree

OpenEmu pricing →

In their own words

Mesen

Mesen has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.

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OpenEmu

OpenEmu is free, open-source video game emulation software for macOS. It organizes game backups into a unified library, adds box art and supports collections spanning consoles. Users drag and drop backups for scanning and organization. Modular cores from open-source projects emulate systems including Atari, Game Boy, Nintendo, Sega, Sony PlayStation and Super Nintendo; the project lists 31 supported systems. Generic HID-compliant USB or Bluetooth controllers can work immediately, with automatic mapping for recognized devices. OpenEmu is intended for games users already own, and BIOS files are required. The wiki describes an experimental arcade core plugin that is strictly unsupported. The latest release page identifies OpenEmu 2.4.1 binaries as Intel-only. The official site offers a macOS (OS X) application, but the version requirement was not rendered. The project lists save states, CD audio and cheat support, while online netplay is not available.

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