(05-31-2013, 06:32 AM)NaturalViolence Wrote: Best to me generally means least number of issues.
Fixed. Best can mean a lot of different things depending on what you want. If you feel it's pretty cut and dry that "best" means "xyz", then you merely have a strong idea of what you value the most, although it might not necessarily apply to others. Consider the case of SNES emulation; most emulators are mature enough that it's difficult to actually encounter issues of any sort. I've played through dozens of SNES games on SNES9x over numerous versions coming up on ten years, and I can safely say that each game was a flawless experience. You really have to try to find anything that's outright or partially broken nowadays (and good luck with that). The chances of getting major issues is so slim in SNES9x that it may be pointless for quite a few people to decide to use higan over it (which generally seems to be the case, since you said SNES9x is more popular).
Today, really, the only SNES emulators with real issues are those for your phones. Some don't emulate SuperFX chips, have speed issues, or can't boot certain games. A handful are really good, but not quite as good as desktop emulators in terms of compatibility (or features).
"Best" to me is an amalgamation of factors; no single category dominates my decision. I take into account compatibility, ease of use (my definition of easy to use is a bit more technical/advanced than average), number of options and features that I find relevant, program portability, as well as the look and feel of the emulator itself.