Software Alternatives & Reviews

Lakka VS ChimeraOS

Compare Lakka VS ChimeraOS and see what are their differences

Lakka logo Lakka

Lakka is the official Linux distribution of RetroArch and the libretro ecosystem.

ChimeraOS logo ChimeraOS

Steam, Epic, GOG, retro consoles, and more... all from your couch
  • Lakka Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-30
  • ChimeraOS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-08

Lakka videos

Lakka Emulator Frontend Running On Raspberry Pi 3 Emulation Station Alternative

More videos:

  • Review - What Is Lakka ? Retro Game System Explained
  • Tutorial - How to make a Retro Emulator Machine - Lakka OS Guide + Review

ChimeraOS videos

Turn Your PC Into A Gaming Console With ChimeraOS! An Edge Over Steam Deck OS?

More videos:

  • Review - ChimeraOS 33 Future Of Linux Gaming Operating System ???
  • Review - Steam Deck UI in ChimeraOS

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Lakka and ChimeraOS)
Gaming
52 52%
48% 48
Gaming Tools
67 67%
33% 33
Linux
30 30%
70% 70
Emulators
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Lakka and ChimeraOS

Lakka Reviews

The best Linux distributions (operating systems)
Lakka OS is a lightweight distribution that lets users convert old computers into retro game consoles. The operating system is based on LibreELEC and uses the RetroArch front-end. Once set up, Lakka OS works cross-platform and numerous old console games can be installed.
Source: www.ionos.com
13 Best Linux distros for gaming in 2022
All the emulators are compiled with the best optimizations possible and so Lakka OS runs the games more smoothly than the normal emulators. Most games will require very few hardware resource, except for the Playstation or Xbox games.
Best Linux Distro for Gaming
Lakka is a lightweight Linux retro gaming distro that turns your computer into a retro gaming console. It’s so lightweight, it can even run on a mini-PC like a Raspberry Pi. It’s still being actively developed and worked on. Lakka uses the RetroArch emulator, so you can play all types of games on this distro, including running emulated N64, PlayStation, PSP, NES, Sega,...
Source: linuxstans.com
9 Best Linux Gaming Distributions in 2021
All the emulators are compiled with the best optimizations possible and so Lakka OS runs the games more smoothly than the normal emulators. Most games will require very few hardware resource, except for the Playstation or Xbox games.
Source: itsfoss.com

ChimeraOS Reviews

Best Linux Distro for Gaming
ChimeraOS is a gaming distro based on Arch Linux. It boots directly in Steam Big Picture Mode, which makes this a great alternative to SteamOS. It comes with a lot of games pre-installed, as well as options to use other launchers and game stores, like Epic, Flathub, and GOG. The best feature of ChimeraOS is that it has seamless updates – they don’t require any interaction...
Source: linuxstans.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, ChimeraOS seems to be a lot more popular than Lakka. While we know about 57 links to ChimeraOS, we've tracked only 5 mentions of Lakka. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Lakka mentions (5)

  • New RG351v owner, what should I do first?
    While it's not there, if you don't want to bother with emulationstation and would just like basic retroarch, there is also a build of Lakka (pure retroarch) available for the 351v. Source: 10 months ago
  • Best console for emulation? Looking for something simple
    I think there'll be another providers of such kits in the USA, but I don't know them. Perhaps also on EBay. The Magic words are "lakka.tv", "recalbox" and "retropie" for ready-to-go and easy to use raspi emulations boxes. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • MAME 0.242
    Maybe something like Lakka[1]? It supports many game consoles, but I believe MAME is part of it. [1]: https://lakka.tv/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Planning on making an arcade machine from a pi zero w 2 and a crt tv, any tips?
    Most peoples go to package is RetroPie, and don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad option…. But in my experience, http://lakka.tv is a bit cleaner, more lightweight, and has less compatibility issues / hurdles that you need to jump through for some features…. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Help making emulator stick !
    You mean a USB to boot on a PC? Check out Lakka or Batocera. Source: over 2 years ago

ChimeraOS mentions (57)

  • Bazzite – a Steam0S-like OCI image for desktop, living room, and handheld PCs
    Https://chimeraos.org/ I've been using this one, it updates the system atomically. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Specs, Best Distro?
    I think you want something like https://chimeraos.org/. Source: 5 months ago
  • When will STEAM OS become public distro?
    I’ve read about Chimera OS which seems to have the same goals as Steam OS https://chimeraos.org/. Source: 5 months ago
  • Is it possible for a PC to only run steam and steam games and nothing else?
    Noone said it but the direct answer to your question is chimeraos. It's barebones Steam Big Picture mode with an empty desktop that doesn't have a browser only to do some emergency terminal modifications. It's Linux but it's designed to not involve the Linux part of it. Source: 5 months ago
  • Requesting comprehensive advice for getting off Windows
    So I have a bit of experience with current gaming on Linux - I have a living-room box running ChimeraOS and my wife is currently happily playing Starfield on it - but I am now faced with the prospect of either buying a Windows key to keep my main/gaming rig chugging along on Windows 10, or just finally biting the bullet and moving my rig to Linux. Source: 7 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Lakka and ChimeraOS, you can also consider the following products

Batocera.linux - Batocera.linux is an open-source and completely free retro-gaming distribution that can be copied to a USB stick or an SD card with the aim of turning any computer/nano computer into a gaming console during a game or permanently.

Drauger OS - Drauger OS is an Ubuntu-based Linux desktop gaming distribution that ships with many modifications and optimizations over stock Ubuntu that are intended to improve gaming performance and the gaming experience.

RetroArch - RetroArch is a frontend for emulators, game engines and media players.

Ubuntu GamePack - UALinux / Technology of the future - already today

RetroBat - RETROBAT RetroBat is a software distribution designed for emulation and to be the easiest way to enjoy your game collection on your Windows computer.

Fedora Games - The Fedora Games spin offers a perfect showcase of the best games available in Fedora. The included games span several genres, from first-person shooters to real-time and turn-based strategy games to puzzle games.