Emulators

FCEUX

NES emulation and development

FCEUX combined accurate NES emulation with powerful debugging and development tools, making it essential for both players and homebrew developers.

NES emulatornesdevelopment 2008

Overview

FCEUX emerged from the merger of FCE Ultra and FCEU-mm, combining accurate NES emulation with extensive development and debugging features. The emulator supports tool-assisted speedrun creation, ROM hacking, and homebrew development alongside standard gameplay. Its combination of accuracy and tooling made it the go-to choice for NES-related work.

Fast facts

  • Origin: merge of FCE Ultra and FCEU-mm (2008).
  • Platform: Windows, Linux, macOS.
  • Features: debugging, TAS tools, Lua scripting.
  • Accuracy: good compatibility, not cycle-perfect.
  • Purpose: playing, debugging, ROM hacking, TAS creation.

Development features

Tools for creators:

  • Debugger: breakpoints, memory viewing.
  • Trace logger: instruction-by-instruction output.
  • Hex editor: direct memory/ROM modification.
  • Code/data logger: identify code vs data.
  • Name table viewer: see tile arrangements.

TAS support

Tool-assisted speedrun features:

  • Frame advance: step through one frame at a time.
  • Rerecording: save states with input history.
  • Lua scripting: automated testing and display.
  • Input display: show controller inputs.

See also