NES Toolbox
A curated list of useful links for NES development. I update this list regularly.
Last update:
Emulators
- Mesen — one of the best NES/Famicom emulators; includes a debugger.
- FCEUX — my personal favorite; runs well on Linux and includes a debugger.
- iNES — a solid cross-platform emulator.
Compilers and assembly
- ca65 — the 6502 assembler from the cc65 suite; supports targets such as the NES, C64, and Apple II.
- Online 6502 Assembly Simulator — quick in-browser testing (by Tony Cruise).
Code editors and IDE
- My nes.nvim Neovim plugin for NES development.
- Visual Studio Code with 6502 extensions.
Graphics and CHR editors
Sound editors
- FamiTracker — a simple, popular tracker for NES music.
- FamiStudio — a more advanced music composition tool.
Books
- “Classic Game Programming on the NES: Make your own retro video game” by Tony Cruise.
- “Programming the 6502” by Rodnay Zaks, ISBN 0895881357