People

byuu (Near)

The accuracy advocate

The pioneering emulator developer who proved cycle-accurate emulation was achievable, creating bsnes/higan and documenting undocumented hardware behaviour.

cross-platform emulationpreservationbsnesaccuracy 1983–2021

Overview

byuu (later known as Near) was an emulator developer who revolutionised the field by proving that cycle-accurate emulation was both possible and practical. Their bsnes (later higan) emulator achieved near-perfect SNES emulation by documenting and implementing every hardware quirk, setting a new standard for accuracy that influenced the entire emulation community.

Tragically, Near died in 2021.

Fast Facts

  • Born: 1983
  • Died: 2021
  • Projects: bsnes, higan, ares
  • Focus: Cycle-accurate emulation
  • Philosophy: Accuracy over speed
  • Legacy: Changed emulation standards

bsnes/higan

The flagship project:

VersionFocus
bsnesSNES-focused, multiple profiles
higanMulti-system, unified codebase
aresContinuation by others

The Accuracy Crusade

byuu’s revolutionary approach:

  1. Document everything - Every hardware quirk
  2. Test extensively - Create verification ROMs
  3. Prove it works - Run all commercial games
  4. Share knowledge - Publish findings

Technical Contributions

What byuu documented:

AreaContribution
SNES CPUUndocumented opcodes
PPU timingScanline behaviour
DSPAudio processing details
CoprocessorsSuperFX, SA-1, etc.

The Accuracy Debate

byuu engaged in discussions about:

  • Speed vs accuracy trade-offs
  • Why accuracy matters for preservation
  • How “good enough” leads to compatibility issues
  • The cost of perfect emulation

Their work proved high accuracy was achievable on modern hardware.

Community Impact

byuu influenced:

  • Other emulators - Raised accuracy expectations
  • Documentation - Published hardware research
  • Test ROMs - Created verification tools
  • Philosophy - “If a game doesn’t work, the emulator is wrong”

Personal Struggles

Near was open about:

  • Harassment from online communities
  • The toll of perfectionism
  • Mental health challenges
  • The weight of public profile

Legacy

byuu/Near’s contributions:

  • Proved cycle-accurate emulation possible
  • Documented previously unknown hardware
  • Inspired accuracy-focused developers
  • Raised preservation standards
  • Changed how we think about emulation

The emulation community lost one of its most important voices in 2021.

See Also