LowRes NX vs PICO-8

Struggling to choose between LowRes NX and PICO-8? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

LowRes NX is a Photos & Graphics solution with tags like graphics, editing, painting, layers, brushes, filters, effects, plugins, open-source.

It boasts features such as Layers, Customizable brushes, Filters and effects, Plugin support and pros including Free and open source, Good for digital painting and photo editing, Has basic features expected in a raster graphics editor.

On the other hand, PICO-8 is a Gaming Software product tagged with retro, fantasy, console, lua, tiny-games.

Its standout features include Retro 8-bit aesthetic, Built-in code editor, sprite editor and sound effects editor, 128x128 pixel screen resolution, Lua programming language support, Cartridge sharing format (.p8) to easily share games, Mouse, keyboard and gamepad controller support, Export games to stand-alone executables, and it shines with pros like Easy to learn and use, Active community support, Very affordable, Cross-platform support, Encourages creativity with limitations.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

LowRes NX

LowRes NX

LowRes NX is a free and open source raster graphics editor for creating digital paintings or photo editing. It features layers, customizable brushes, filters and effects, and supports plugins.

Categories:
graphics editing painting layers brushes filters effects plugins open-source

LowRes NX Features

  1. Layers
  2. Customizable brushes
  3. Filters and effects
  4. Plugin support

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Good for digital painting and photo editing

Has basic features expected in a raster graphics editor

Cons

Limited features compared to paid options like Photoshop

Less active development community than other open source graphics editors


PICO-8

PICO-8

PICO-8 is a fantasy console for making, sharing and playing tiny games and other computer programs. It feels like a regular console, but runs on Windows, Mac, Linux and inside browsers. Programs are written in Lua and share cartridges in .p8 format.

Categories:
retro fantasy console lua tiny-games

PICO-8 Features

  1. Retro 8-bit aesthetic
  2. Built-in code editor, sprite editor and sound effects editor
  3. 128x128 pixel screen resolution
  4. Lua programming language support
  5. Cartridge sharing format (.p8) to easily share games
  6. Mouse, keyboard and gamepad controller support
  7. Export games to stand-alone executables

Pricing

  • One-time Purchase

Pros

Easy to learn and use

Active community support

Very affordable

Cross-platform support

Encourages creativity with limitations

Cons

Limited resolution and color palette

No 3D support

Limited distribution options

Steep learning curve for total beginners