Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Pyxel VS LowRes NX

Compare Pyxel VS LowRes NX and see what are their differences

Pyxel logo Pyxel

Retro game engine for Python inspired by fantasy consoles.

LowRes NX logo LowRes NX

Make your own games in BASIC on the LowRes NX fantasy console
  • Pyxel Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17
  • LowRes NX Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-30

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.

LowRes NX features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    LowRes NX offers a very user-friendly interface that is accessible to both beginners and experienced users. This ease of use makes it simple for users to start creating and experimenting with their own retro games.
  • Learning Resource
    The platform serves as a great educational tool for those looking to learn about programming and game design, particularly in a retro gaming context.
  • Community and Sharing
    LowRes NX has a strong community where users can share their creations, get feedback, and collaborate on projects, fostering a sense of community and shared learning.
  • Versatile Game Design
    LowRes NX supports a variety of game designs, allowing users to create both simple and complex games, which enhances its appeal to both novice and veteran designers.

Possible disadvantages of LowRes NX

  • Limited Graphics Capability
    The graphical capabilities are limited due to the platform's focus on retro-style games, which may not satisfy users looking for modern graphics.
  • Platform Specific
    LowRes NX is designed to emulate a specific type of retro gaming experience, which might not appeal to users interested in more general or diverse game development platforms.
  • Steeper Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While starting out is easy, mastering more advanced features and functionalities can take time and effort, which might discourage some users.
  • Dependency on Community for Growth
    The platform's growth and evolution are highly dependent on its community's active participation, which can be a limitation if the community engagement reduces.

Pyxel videos

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

LowRes NX videos

LowRes NX -- Awesome Free Fantasy Console For Win/Mac/Linux and iOS!

More videos:

  • Review - Libretro Cores Quick Look - LowRes NX (Work In Progress) - RetroArch
  • Demo - LowRes NX Demo

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Pyxel and LowRes NX)
Game Engine
67 67%
33% 33
Game Development
67 67%
33% 33
Graph Databases
56 56%
44% 44
Time Management
55 55%
45% 45

User comments

Share your experience with using Pyxel and LowRes NX. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Pyxel should be more popular than LowRes NX. It has been mentiond 28 times since March 2021. 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 / 10 months ago
  • This Week In Python
    Pyxel – A retro game engine for Python – by @kitao. - Source: dev.to / 11 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 / over 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: over 2 years ago
View more

LowRes NX mentions (3)

  • Antirez/load81: SDL based Lua programming environment for kids similar to Codea
    Another interesting one is LowRes NX, a contemporary project that uses BASIC: https://lowresnx.inutilis.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • FreeBasic
    Https://lowresnx.inutilis.com/docs/manual.html It is definitely strange to reach for BASIC as a teaching language in 2023. But, this is an argument that has been echoed on HN as well, today's popular languages do seem somewhat overkill for a child's first independent explorations. But, again, I am just a hobbyist, no intention to grow a programmer out of our son. I would actually just like to teach im thinking... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Can games be programmed for RetroPie?
    Jokes aside, there's Love2D, an EasyRPG LibRetro core in RetroArch. I guess you could also try NESmaker. I know nothing of LowRes NX and Solarus, but the other guy mentioned those, so there's the links. Source: over 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Pyxel and LowRes NX, 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.

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

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

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

Atto Time - Atto is a simple, all-in-one solution that accurately tracks your employees’ time and automates timesheets. Join 10,000+ businesses that trust Atto. Sign up now!