Software Alternatives & Startups

Retro Virtual Machine VS ShellNewHandler

Compare Retro Virtual Machine VS ShellNewHandler and see what are their differences

Retro Virtual Machine

The ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC emulator which works natively in macOS, Linux, and Windows.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
ShellNewHandler

SourceForge.net: ShellNewHandler details page

Rating
0 reviews
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, ShellNewHandler seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 2 times since March 2021.

social mentions
0 vs 2
Project Management popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Retro Virtual Machine
ShellNewHandler
Website retrovirtualmachine.org sourceforge.net
Pricing
Open source
—
Listed in

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Retro Virtual Machine
ShellNewHandler

Overall verdict

  • Retro Virtual Machine is a well-regarded, accurate emulator for classic 8-bit computers like the Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and MSX, offering excellent cycle-accurate emulation and a polished, user-friendly interface, making it a solid choice for retro computing enthusiasts.

Why this product is good

  • Highly accurate, cycle-level emulation that faithfully reproduces original hardware behavior
  • Supports popular retro systems including Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and MSX
  • Clean, modern, and intuitive user interface that is easy for newcomers to navigate
  • Cross-platform availability for Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Free to use, making it accessible to hobbyists and preservationists
  • Features like save states, debugging tools, and realistic display effects (CRT emulation)

Recommended for

  • Retro computing enthusiasts wanting authentic 8-bit machine emulation
  • Fans of the Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and MSX platforms
  • Developers and homebrew programmers needing accurate testing and debugging tools
  • Preservationists archiving classic software and games
  • Newcomers to emulation looking for an easy-to-use, polished experience

Overall verdict

  • ShellNewHandler is a niche, lightweight utility hosted on SourceForge designed to give users more control over the Windows 'New' context menu (the ShellNew menu). It can be considered good for its specific narrow use case, but it is an older, minimally maintained tool that may not suit all users, especially those on modern Windows versions.

Why this product is good

  • Provides direct control over customizing the Windows right-click 'New' menu, allowing users to add or remove file type entries
  • Lightweight and free, without bundled bloatware typical of some other free utilities
  • Simple and focused in scope, making it easy to understand for its specific purpose
  • Open distribution via SourceForge allows transparency and no-cost access

Recommended for

  • Power users who want to declutter or customize the Windows New context menu
  • IT administrators managing standardized desktop environments across multiple machines
  • Users comfortable with older utility-style tools and Windows registry-related tweaks
  • Not recommended for casual users seeking modern, actively supported software with regular updates

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Retro Virtual Machine 3 videos + Add
ShellNewHandler 0 videos + Add

Video Review - Retro Virtual Machine 1.1.8 [ENGLISH SUBS]

More videos

  • - Retro Virtual Machine - ZX Spectrum Tutorial
  • - Z80 Coding with Retro Virtual Machine for the Amstrad CPC with Screen mapping

No ShellNewHandler videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Retro Virtual Machine
ShellNewHandler
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Retro Virtual Machine and ShellNewHandler. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Retro Virtual Machine 0 mentions
ShellNewHandler 2 mentions

Tracking Retro Virtual Machine since Mar 2021.

  • I recently got libreoffice, but now the new option in right click looks like a mess. Can someone help me get rid of them please?
    Use Shell New Handler. Run the portable app and simply untick the items you don't want to appear in your new context menu. Source: about 4 years ago
  • This menu should be easy to add/remove programs to... Who is really creating Access Databases from this menu often enough to keep it here? (Not me!) Is there an easy way to edit this?
    I've always used ShellNewHandler for this. It's a really simple portable utility that allows you to remove most of the items from that menu. Tested it out on Windows 11 and it's still compatible. Source: over 5 years ago

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