21 of the Best Free Linux Video Console Emulators
Emulation refers to the duplication of functions of one system using a
different system. Specifically, an emulator is software specifically
written to emulate aspects of the original console or computer,
primarily the CPU,
I/O and memory system.
This article focuses on selecting the best software which
enables a Linux machine to emulate classic video consoles,
such as the GameBoy, Nintendo 64, Megadrive, PlayStation 1 & 2,
and many others. Please be aware that although all of the software
featured in this article
is free to download, some of the emulators are not open source.
Other emulators that are worthy of mention include Dolphin, and Snes9x;
the fomer is a promising Gamecube / Wii emulator in its very early
stages of development, the latter is a cross-platform emulator for the
SNES.
To provide an insight into the quality of software that is
available, we have compiled a list of 21 high quality Linux Video
Console emulators. Hopefully, there will be something of
interest for anyone who wishes to have some fun and reminisce about
their misspent youth.
Now, let's explore the 21 emulators at hand. For each title we
have compiled its own portal page, providing a screenshot of the
software in action, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its
features, together with links to relevant resources and reviews.
| Nintendo |
| DeSMuMe |
Nintendo DS emulator that aims to be portable |
| FCEUX |
NTSC and PAL Famicom/NES emulator |
| KiGB |
Accurate
emulator for Gameboy, Gameboy Color and Super Gameboy |
| Mednafen |
Emulates
GameBoy (Color), GameBoy Advance, and other
systems |
| Mupen64Plus |
Plugin-based
N64 emulator |
| Nestopia |
NES/Famicom
emulator |
| TuxBoy |
Fork of
the open source GameBoy/Color emulator gnuboy |
| VisualBoyAdvance |
Game
Boy
Advance; emulates GBA, GBC, SGB, and
GBA roms |
| ZSNES |
Super Nintendo Entertainment System with advanced
features |
|
|
| Sega |
| DGen/SDL |
Virtual environment for Sega Genesis games |
| Gens |
Sega
Megadrive, MegaCD and 32X |
| lxdream |
Dreamcast emulator |
| Meka |
Multi
machine
emulator, originally started as a Sega Master System emulator |
| Yabause |
Emulator for the Sega Saturn |
|
|
| Sony |
| ePSXe |
Sony PlayStation 1 emulator |
| PCSX |
Advanced
PlayStation (PSX) emulator |
| PCSX2 |
PlayStation 2 emulator |
| pSX |
Self-contained Sony
PlayStation 1 emulator |
|
|
| Arcade |
| AdvanceMAME |
Unofficial MAME/MESS versions |
| GnGeo |
Neo-Geo
game platform |
| SDLMAME |
Port of the
popular emulator MAME |
|
|
Last Updated Sunday, November 02 2008 @ 04:08 PM EST
| 
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