# higan-emu/higan

higan is a multi-system emulator focused on accuracy, preservation, and configurability.

Repository: https://github.com/higan-emu/higan
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/higan
Language: GLSL
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: emulator, emulation
Last push: 2025-09-01T14:30:29+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 40/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 39, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2357, "days_push": 366, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1350, forks 122 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:28.132843+00:00)

## What it is
higan is a multi-system emulator originally developed by Near, focused on uncompromising accuracy, preservation, and configurability. It emulates a wide range of classic consoles and computers including the Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy family, Mega Drive, PC Engine, MSX, and WonderSwan.

## Use cases
- play retro console games with cycle-accurate emulation
- preserve and study legacy console hardware behavior
- emulate Super Famicom and Game Boy Advance titles accurately
- run Famicom Disk System and Super Game Boy games
- emulate handhelds like WonderSwan and Neo Geo Pocket
- test homebrew software on emulated classic hardware

## When to choose
- you need maximum emulation accuracy over speed
- you want to preserve exact behavior of original hardware
- you need one emulator covering many retro systems
- you value readable, well-documented emulator source code

## When to avoid
- you want a fast emulator for low-end hardware
- you prefer a feature-rich frontend with netplay and shaders out of the box
- you only need casual play and can tolerate minor inaccuracies
- you need emulation of modern consoles

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: simulation, graphics
- domain: gaming-tools, cross-platform, developer-tools
- platform: windows, bsd, cross-platform
- tags: emulator, retro-gaming, accuracy-focused, console-emulation, multi-system, macos, linux

## Member repositories
- higan-emu/higan (main) score 40

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:28.132843+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:42:17.004530+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/higan-emu/higan (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:28.132843+00:00, sha 417f35d6bf45)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.