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Pyxel VS 8bitworkshop

Compare Pyxel VS 8bitworkshop and see what are their differences

Pyxel logo Pyxel

Retro game engine for Python inspired by fantasy consoles.

8bitworkshop logo 8bitworkshop

Online IDE for Atari 2600 development based on Javatari.
  • Pyxel Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17
  • 8bitworkshop Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-19

Pyxel features and specs

  • Simple API
    Pyxel offers an uncomplicated and straightforward API, which makes it easy for beginners to start creating games without getting bogged down by complex configurations and setups.
  • Cross-Platform
    Pyxel is designed to be cross-platform, functioning seamlessly on Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing developers to create and distribute games across multiple platforms with ease.
  • Lightweight
    With a focus on minimalism, Pyxel is lightweight which ensures that it runs efficiently on most hardware, making it suitable for projects where resource consumption is a concern.
  • Pixel Art Focus
    The library is tailored for creating pixel art games, offering features and tools that specifically cater to the needs of pixel art creation and manipulation.
  • No Installation Required
    As a self-contained application, Pyxel doesn't require installation, allowing developers to quickly run it directly after download and start working on their game projects without additional setup steps.

Possible disadvantages of Pyxel

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Pyxel's simplicity can be a downside for experienced developers looking for advanced game development features or functionalities, as it lacks the depth found in more complex game engines.
  • 2D Only
    As a library focused on 2D pixel art games, Pyxel does not support 3D game development, limiting developers who are interested in creating anything beyond the 2D space.
  • Performance Limitations
    Because of its lightweight nature and simplicity, Pyxel might struggle with performance when developing resource-intensive games compared to more robust game engines.
  • Limited Community and Resources
    Pyxel has a smaller user base and community compared to larger game engines, which results in fewer resources, tutorials, and third-party tools available for learning and problem-solving.

8bitworkshop features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Pyxel videos

Aseprite vs Pyxel Edit - Pixel Art Animation & Tile Tool Comparison

8bitworkshop videos

Uploading a game to an Apple ][+ via cassette port with 8bitworkshop

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pyxel and 8bitworkshop)
Game Engine
70 70%
30% 30
Game Development
70 70%
30% 30
Graph Databases
67 67%
33% 33
Time Management
60 60%
40% 40

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Pyxel might be a bit more popular than 8bitworkshop. We know about 28 links to it since March 2021 and only 20 links to 8bitworkshop. 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.

Pyxel mentions (28)

  • A (not so) small library for terminal based game development
    If pygamelib interests you, you might also be interested in Pyxel: https://github.com/kitao/pyxel. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • This Week In Python
    Pyxel – A retro game engine for Python – by @kitao. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Show HN: Driftmania – an open source PICO-8 racing game
    Nice work, gives me very Micro Machines vibes for the NES. The only thing I don't like about PICO-8 is that its completely closed source. An open source alternative that seems very promising is Pyxel. It has similar retro / pixel art limitations, a built-in sprite editor, music tracker, etc. https://github.com/kitao/pyxel. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • is python good for making games?
    There's also game engines which are fun to use in python, like pyxel. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Web App Generation Feature Added to Pyxel, a Retro Game Engine for Python
    A function to automatically generate an application launch URL has been added to Pyxel, a retro game engine for Python (https://github.com/kitao/pyxel please add your star to this repository!). Source: about 2 years ago
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8bitworkshop mentions (20)

  • How were 70s versions of games like Pong built without a programmable computer?
    A very nice book is "Designing Video Game Hardware in Verilog" by Steven Hugg and is part of a series of book that is supported by http://8bitworkshop.com/ I am writing a book somewhat similar to this (currently in Portuguese, but later in English and other languages) using the Digital simulator in Java for the examples as schematics, though they can be exported as Verilog for implementation in FPGA boards. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • DOS game "F-15 Strike Eagle II" reverse engineering/reconstruction war stories
    I've thought to myself that if I want a cool project that would motivate me to re-learn C just for the sake of making an NES game (ala 8-bit workshop - https://8bitworkshop.com/), I would really like to learn how to apply the pseudo-3d or 2.5d methods that were used by Microprose in F-19 Stealth fighter. I don't know the first thing about 3D programming. I tried to follow a book on writing a ray-tracer from... - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • FPGA Dev Boards for $150 or Less
    I wish 8bitworkshop got more love. It is amazing. From the homepage "Write 8-bit code in your browser. Ever wanted to be an old-school game programmer? Learn how classic game hardware worked. Write code and see it run instantly." It lets you get your feet wet in Verilog without buying the hardware first. This description doesn't do it justice at all so check it out. https://8bitworkshop.com/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Atari 2600 Hardware Design: Making Something Out of (Almost) Nothing
    I have actually recently picked up Atari 2600 homebrew development as a hobby. My reasons are: 1. The hardware is simple enough that you can completely understand everything that is going on. And you absolutely need to understand it, if you want to make good games. Just a great feeling of power and control. 2. You need to use assembly. Even with 8-bit era computers you don't really need to use assembly. Sure, for... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • I wrote up how to setup Termux-X11 in Termux with XFCE
    Always happy to see more documentation out there. I have a bigger document posted on my website, which includes setting up X11 with XFCE4, but it includes everything else needed to do Intellivision indie game development. I had to do it this way because Intellivision is the one console not included in 8-Bit Workshop. Also, I had to go with Tiger VNC, because XServer XSDL simply didn't like XFCE4 and was getting... Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pyxel and 8bitworkshop, you can also consider the following products

PICO-8 - Lua-based fantasy console for making and playing tiny, computer games and programs.

TIC-80 - TIC-80 is a fantasy computer where you can make, play and share tiny games.

Bitsy - Bitsy is a small, fast, embeddable, durable in-memory graph database that implements the Blueprints API.

LIKO-12 - Fantasy console built with the Love 2D game engine.

WASM-4 - Build retro games using WebAssembly for a fantasy console

BASIC8 - Fantasy console system built on a modern BASIC dialect