sama.van vs GBDev
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
sama.van
Explore a vast collection of over 322 low-poly 3D art assets created by a seasoned game industry artist. View and interact with detailed models, including wireframe, textured, and shaded modes, and play animations where available.
- View over 322 3D art assets
- Interactive 3D viewer
- Zoom and rotate models
- Wireframe, textured, and shaded modes
- Play animations
- Showcases artist's career
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sama.van has been working in the game industry as a low poly artist for over a decade. His primary style is low poly old school styles. In 2008 sama.van left his full-time position to pursue working as a Freelancer. In this application you will be able to view over 322 assets spanning his personal and professional career. You can preview his low poly work using a 3D viewer to zoom and turn around. You will also be able to view the model with triangle count in wireframe, textured or shaded mode and where available, play animations. And more will come in future updates!! - YouTube preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJdqd1y304Y
GBDev
Experience retro gaming with this multi-emulator, offering extensive customization for a personalized feel. Enjoy features like screen bleed, scanlines, and adjustable controls. Connect controllers and output to a TV for immersive retro gatherings.
- Multi-console emulation (GB, GBC, GBA, NES, SNES, DS, 3DS, GC, Wii)
- Customizable screen effects (bleed, scanlines)
- Adjustable screen and button layout
- Animated themes and custom buttons
- Bluetooth controller support
- AirPlay TV output
- Button haptics for immersion
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GBDev is a fast multi emulator with an immersive feel and lots of good ways to customize your emulation experience. Emulates: GB • GBC • GBA • NES • SNES • DS • DSI • 3DS • GC • Wii Get cozy under the covers with our screen bleed and crt scanlines options. Reposition the screens and buttons to maximize the emulation feel. Enhance the look with animated themes and custom buttons. Landscape mode goes hard too especially when a bluetooth controller is connected. SNES Mouse works for mar10 pain7 too!! GBDev even has 3ds mii support. Connect to a tv with airplay, connect some controllers via bluetooth, and set the phone on charge for a night of retro gatherings. Button haptics make you feel more immersed so we have that too. Our game library is seperated by console. Thank you for using GBDev!!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: sama.van at 100% against GBDev's 42%. sama.van also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.6) and in-app purchases (none vs 8). GBDev's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). On price, ratings volume, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. GBDev sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. sama.van asks for nothing beyond the download.
sama.van holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 24 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of sama.van's written reviews are positive against 42% of GBDev's.
sama.van ships an update monthly, GBDev every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | sama.van | GBDev |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (9 ratings) — better | 3.6 (24 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 41.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 9 | 24 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 288 MB | 100 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CyberIce Studio | Winter Bagley |
Customer experience
sama.van
GBDev
In-app purchases
sama.van
No in-app purchases
GBDev
- Theme Pack 1$1.99
- Theme Pack 2$1.99
- Visual Pack 1$1.99
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- Visual Pack 2$1.99
- Visual Pack 3$1.99
- Theme Pack 4$1.99
- Theme Pack 3$1.99
- GBDev Pro$2.99









