pico-infonesPlus.
Introduction
pico-infonesPlus is a NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) emulator for Raspberry Pi Pico, Pico 2, and other RP2040/RP2350-based microcontrollers. It provides NES emulation with SD card support, an integrated menu system, and HDMI video output, enabling users to build compact, affordable retro gaming systems.
Features
- NES Emulation – Execute NES ROM files directly from an SD card
- SD Card Menu System – Browse and launch games from an on-screen menu interface
- Recently Played List – The last 20 games you started, one button press away in the menu (details)
- USB Drive Mode – Present the SD card to a computer as a USB drive from the settings menu, so games can be added or removed without taking the card out (details)
- Dual Controller Support – Two simultaneous controllers for multiplayer gameplay (details)
- NES Zapper (light gun) – Beta support in controller port 2 of the custom PCB, using LCD-lag-corrected ROM patches and a third-party gun such as the Tomee Zapp Gun
- Save State Management – Automatic battery-backed SRAM persistence and manual save states
- Famicom Disk System – Support for FDS game images with user-supplied BIOS. More info on this in the FDS Games section below.
- Multi-Region Support – NTSC, PAL, and Dendy region compatibility
- Color Palettes – A choice of nine NES color palettes, selectable in the settings menu or with START + LEFT/RIGHT during play (details)
- NSF Audio Playback – Play NES music files (
.nsf) with visual VU-meter overlay. More info on this in the Playing NSF Audio Files section below.
- WAV Audio Playback – WAV (
.wav) format audio playback in the menu (RP2350 only). More info on this in the WAV Music Playback in Menu section below.
- Flexible Hardware – Compatible with standard DVI/HDMI breakout boards, with optional custom PCB and 3D-printed case
- Multi-Emulator Console – Can run under pico-bootLoader alongside other emulators and Doom, selectable from an on-screen menu (RP2350 only)
Regional Support
| Platform | NTSC | PAL | Dendy |
|---|
| RP2350 | ✓ | ✓ (native speed) | ✓ (native speed, untested) |
| RP2040 | ✓ | ✓ (60Hz) | ✓ (60Hz, untested) |
Note: RP2040 boards operate PAL/Dendy games at 60Hz instead of 50Hz due to hardware constraints.
Setup Overview
- Prepare an SD card formatted as FAT32 or exFAT
- Transfer NES ROM files to the card. The file browser starts in
/roms/NES, so this is the recommended location. If that folder does not exist, the browser falls back to the root of the card. Subfolders are supported.
- Optionally include metadata files for game information
- Insert the SD card into the device
- Use the menu to browse, select, and play games. Save data is automatically persisted to the SD card.
Famicom Disk System (FDS) Games
To enable FDS game support, provide your own BIOS file:
- Copy the FDS BIOS file to the
/bios directory on your SD card
- Name the file:
fds-bios.rom
FDS ROM images will then be available alongside NES ROMs in the menu.
For more info on FDS Game see the FDS section in this README.
Project Information
This project is based on Infones by Jay Kumogata, ported to Raspberry Pi Pico by Shuichi Takano. This implementation extends the core emulator with comprehensive SD card integration, menu functionality, and additional enhancements.
For detailed setup instructions, refer to the Setup section. For hardware configurations and controller options, consult Possible Configurations and Gamecontroller Support. Additional guidance is available in the Adafruit tutorial.
There is also an emulator port for the Sega Master System/Sega Game Gear, Nintendo DMG Game Boy/Game Boy Color and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. You can find them here:
Video
Click on image below to see a demo video.
Possible configurations
You can use it with these RP2040/RP2350 boards and configurations:
See below to see how to set up your specific configuration.
Gamecontroller support
Depending on the hardware configuration, the emulator supports these game controllers. In some configurations, a USB-Y cable is needed to both connect power and a game controller to the USB port.
USB game Controllers
- Sony Dual Shock 4
- Sony Dual Sense
- BUFFALO BGC-FC801 connected to USB - not tested
- Genesis Mini 1 and 2
- Retro-bit 8 button Genesis-USB
- PlayStation Classic
- Keyboard
- XInput type of controllers like Xbox 360 and Xbox One controllers and other XInput compatible controllers like 8bitDo.
- Mantapad, cheap NES and SNES USB controllers from AliExpress. Although cheap and working i do not recommended them.
See also troubleshooting USB controllers below
[!NOTE]
There is some input lag when using USB controllers.
Optional Second USB-Port for game controller use.
In some configurations, a second USB port is available for connecting a USB game controller. The built-in USB port remains dedicated to power and firmware flashing, so there is no need for a USB-Y cable.
This feature is enabled by default on the Adafruit Fruit Jam, the Waveshare RP2350-PiZero and the Waveshare RP2350-USB A. For other boards, you’ll need to build the firmware from source to enable it, as the pre-built binaries do not include this option.
For more info, see pio_usb.md.
Legacy controllers
- One or optionally two original NES controllers for two player games. In some configurations, soldering is required.
- Original SNES controllers can be connected to the NES controller port(s) as well. The emulator detects automatically whether an NES or a SNES controller is attached, so no configuration is needed.
- Wii Classic controller: Adafruit Feather RP2040, WaveShare RP2040 Pi-Zero, Adafruit Metro RP2350, Adafruit Fruit Jam and Pico Computer 3 boards only
- NES Zapper (light gun): custom PCB design v2.1 or later, in controller port 2, and the Pico Computer 3 only. Not available on the other configurations - GPIO27 and GPIO28 are already in use there, and the Murmulator M1/M2 boards leave the controller ports' D3 and D4 unconnected altogether. Needs LCD-lag-corrected ROM patches and a third-party gun such as the Tomee Zapp Gun; an original Nintendo Zapper does not work on a flat panel without a hardware modification. See the NES Zapper section.
Parts list for legacy controllers
About two player games
The emulator supports two player games using two NES controllers, two USB gamepads connected via a USB hub, or a USB gamepad combined with a NES controller.
When using a USB hub with a Raspberry Pi Pico, you need an OTG USB-Y cable to connect both power and the hub. On the Adafruit Fruit Jam, two USB gamepads can be connected directly to the two USB ports without a hub.
[!NOTE]
USB hub support for two gamepads has been tested on Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico 2 configurations. Not all setups are supported — for example, a USB hub connected to the PIO USB port of the Waveshare RP2350-PiZero does not work.
| Player 1 | Player 2 |
|---|
| Two USB gamepads connected (via USB hub) | USB 1 | USB 2 |
| One USB gamepad connected | USB | NES port 1 or NES port 2 |
| No USB gamepad connected | NES port 1 | NES port 2 |
PSRAM
Some boards support additional memory called PSRAM, with a capacity of up to 8 MB. On certain boards this comes pre-installed, while on others it is optional and must be soldered manually. The emulator detects the PSRAM and its size at boot and will automatically make use of it.
Without PSRAM, selecting a game ROM triggers a reboot: the ROM is written to flash memory during startup to prevent the system from locking up. This process is relatively slow, taking several seconds before the game starts.
Starting the game that is already in flash is quick, though: the emulator remembers which ROM it wrote there and skips the write when you select that same game again. It still reboots, but without the several seconds of flashing. In the recently played list that game is tagged [READY].
With PSRAM, this step is no longer needed. Games are loaded directly from the SD card into PSRAM and executed immediately, resulting in much faster startup times.
PSRAM with a non-Winbond flash chip
Some RP2350 boards, notably the Waveshare RP2350-PiZero, ship with a flash chip from a manufacturer other than Winbond, such as Puya. On those chips the Quad Enable (QE) bit in Status Register 2 is not set from the factory. In combination with PSRAM this makes the board lock up when the RP2350 is overclocked, which is what the emulator does. See issue #191.
Boards without PSRAM are not affected.
This can be fixed permanently, once, with the flash_config tool:
- Download the prebuilt FLASH_QE_SET_1.uf2 from the uf2 folder of that repository, or build it yourself from source.
- Put the board into BOOTSEL mode and copy the UF2 onto the RPI-RP2 drive.
- The program sets the QE bit and prints the flash status registers over USB serial.
- Flash the emulator firmware as usual. The fix is permanent and does not need to be repeated.
[!CAUTION]
Do not apply FLASH_QE_SET_1.uf2 a second time. A repeat run fails and the board then has to be recovered by erasing the flash with universal_flash_nuke.uf2 first.
Warning
The emulator overclocks the Pico in order to get the emulator working fast enough. Overclocking can reduce the Pico's lifespan.
Use this software at your own risk! I will not be responsible in any way for any damage to your Pico and/or connected peripherals caused by using this software.
I also do not take responsibility in any way when damage is caused to the Pico or display due to incorrect wiring or voltages.
Setup
Click on the link below for your specific board configuration:
The SpotPear HDMI board and the Murmulator M1/M2 boards are supported as well, but have no setup section here. Flash piconesPlus_SpotpearHDMI_pico_arm.uf2 / piconesPlus_SpotpearHDMI_pico2_arm.uf2, or piconesPlus_MurmulatorM1_pico_arm.uf2 / piconesPlus_MurmulatorM1_pico2_arm.uf2 / piconesPlus_MurmulatorM2_arm.uf2 from the releases page and wire the board according to its own documentation.
[!NOTE]
Several boards also have a RISC-V build available (file names ending in _riscv). These are functionally identical to the ARM builds; use the ARM build unless you specifically want to run the RISC-V cores of the RP2350.
Raspberry Pi Pico or Pico 2, setup for Pimoroni Pico DV Demo Base.
[!NOTE]
This board is discontinued and no longer sold by Pimoroni
materials needed
- Raspberry Pi Pico, Pico 2 or Pimoroni Pico Plus 2 with soldered male headers.
- Pimoroni Pico DV Demo Base.
- Micro usb to usb OTG Cable
- Controllers (Depending on what you have)
- Dual Shock 4 or Dual Sense Controller.
- one or two NES Controllers.
- HDMI Cable.
- Micro USB power adapter.
- Micro USB to USB cable when using the DualShock 4 controller
- USB C to USB data cable when using the Sony DualSense controller.
- FAT32 or exFAT formatted Micro SD card with ROMs you legally own. ROMs must have the .nes extension. You can organise your ROMs into different folders.
[!NOTE]
An external speaker can be connected to the audio jack of the Pimoroni Pico DV Demo Base. You can toggle audio output to this jack with SELECT + LEFT.
flashing the Pico
- When using a Pico / Pico W, download piconesPlus_PimoroniDVI_pico_arm.uf2 from the releases page.
- When using a Pico 2 or Pico 2 W or Pimoroni Pico Plus 2, download piconesPlus_PimoroniDVI_pico2_arm.uf2 from the releases page.
- Push and hold the BOOTSEL button on the Pico, then connect to your computer using a micro USB cable. Release BOOTSEL once the drive RPI-RP2 appears on your computer.
- Drag and drop the UF2 file on to the RPI-RP2 drive. The Raspberry Pi Pico will reboot and will now run the emulator.
Pinout
NES controller port(s) (if you want to use legacy NES controllers).
| Port 1 | Port 2 (optional) | Note |
|---|
| GND | | | GND (- on board) |
| VCC (Power) | | | Connect to 3V3 |
| NES Clock | GPIO14 | GPIO1 | |
| NES LATCH | GPIO16 | GPIO20 | |
| NES Data | GPIO15 | GPIO21 | |
[!NOTE]
Soldering is required.
There is only one 3v3 pin header on the board, the other 3V3 must be soldered directly onto pin 36 (3V3 OUT) of the Pico.
For GND there are two pin headers available on the board.
Clock Data and Latch for NES controller port 1 must be soldered directly onto the Pico.
The Clock, Data and Latch for NES controller port 2 can be soldered on the available pin headers on the board, no need to solder them directly onto the Pico.
[!NOTE]
An original SNES controller can be wired to the same pins. The emulator detects automatically whether an NES or a SNES controller is attached.
setting up the hardware
- Disconnect the Pico from your computer.
- Attach the Pico to the DV Demo Base.
- Connect the HDMI cable to the Demo base and your monitor.
- Connect the USB OTG cable to the Pico's USB port.
- Depending which controller you want to use:
- Connect the controller to the other end of the USB OTG cable.
- Connect legacy NES controller(s) to NES controller port(s).
- Insert the SD card into the SD card slot.
- Connect the USB power adapter to the USB port of the Demo base. (USB POWER)
- Power on the monitor and the Pico
Image: USB controller only
Image: one or two player setup with USB controller and NES controller port 2
In this image the NES controller port is wired to port 2.
For single player games: use USB controller.
For two player games: Connect a USB controller for player 1 and a NES controller for player 2 or connect a USB hub with two USB gamepads.
Two player setup using two NES controllers or a USB controller and a NES controller
Controller port 1 pins must be soldered directly onto the Pico.
Controller port 2 pins can be soldered to the available headers of the Pimoroni DV.
For two player games:
- Connect two NES controllers or
- Connect a USB controller for player 1 and a NES controller for player 2. You can use either NES controller ports.
Raspberry Pi Pico or Pico 2, setup with Adafruit hardware and breadboard
[!NOTE]
Instead of a Raspberry Pi Pico, you can also use a Pimoroni Pico Plus 2
materials needed
flashing the Pico
Pinout
See https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/microcontrollers/images/pico-pinout.svg for the pinout schema of the Raspberry Pi Pico.
Use the breadboard to connect all together:
- Wire Pico Pin 38 to the breadboard ground column (-)
- Wire the breadboard left ground column (-) with the breadboard right ground column (-)
Adafruit Micro-SD breakout board+
| Breakout | GPIO | Note |
|---|
| CS | GPIO5 | |
| CLK (SCK) | GPIO2 | |
| DI (MOSI) | GPIO3 | |
| DO (MISO) | GPIO4 | |
| 3V | | Pin 36 (3v3 OUT) |
| GND | | Ground on breadboard (-) |
Adafruit DVI Breakout For HDMI Source Devices
| Breakout | GPIO | Note |
|---|
| D0+ | GPIO12 | |
| D0- | GPIO13 | |
| CK+ | GPIO14 | |
| CK- | GPIO15 | |
| D2+ | GPIO16 | |
| D2- | GPIO17 | |
| D1+ | GPIO18 | |
| D1- | GPIO19 | |
| 5 (*) | VBUS | Pin 40 (5volt) |
| GND (3x) | | Ground on breadboard (-) |
(*) This is the via on the side of the board marked 5. (next to via D and C).
NES controller port(s). (if you want to use legacy NES controllers).
| Port1 | Port 2 (optional) | Note |
|---|
| GND | | | |
| VCC (Power) | | | (3v3 OUT) |
| NES Clock | GPIO6 | GPIO9 | |
| NES LATCH | GPIO8 | GPIO11 | |
| NES Data | GPIO7 | GPIO10 | |
[!NOTE]
An original SNES controller can be wired to the same pins. The emulator detects automatically whether an NES or a SNES controller is attached.
setting up the hardware
- Disconnect the Pico from your computer.
- Attach the Pico to the breadboard.
- Insert the SD card into the SD card slot.
- Connect the HDMI cable to the Adafruit HDMI Breakout board and to your monitor.
- Connect the USB OTG Y-cable to the Pico's USB port.
- Connect the Micro USB power adapter to the female Micro USB connector of the OTG Y-Cable.
- Controllers (Depending on what you have)
- Connect the USB controller to the full size female USB port of the OTG Y-Cable.
- Connect your NES controller(s) to the NES controller port(s).
- Power on the monitor and the Pico
See image below.
[!NOTE]
The Schottky diode (VSYS - Pin 39 to breadboard + column) and the wire on breadboard left (+) to right (+) are not necessary, but recommended when powering the Pico from a Raspberry Pi.
See Chapter 4.6 - Powering the Board of the Raspberry Pi Pico Getting Started guide
Image: one or two player setup with USB controller and NES controller port
In this image the NES controller port is wired to port 1.
For single player games, connect either a USB controller or a NES controller. Not both!
For two player games: Connect a USB controller for player 1 and a NES controller for player 2.
Image: Two player setup using two NES controllers or a USB controller and a NES controller
Choose either of the following:
- Connect two NES controllers
- Connect a USB controller for player 1 and a NES controller for player 2. You can use either NES controller ports.
[!NOTE]
The device on the left is a Pico Debug probe used for debugging. This is optional
Adafruit Feather RP2040 with DVI (HDMI) Output Port setup
materials needed
When using a USB game controller this is needed:
When using legacy controllers, this is needed:
- USB-C Power supply
- Depending on what you have:
- one or two NES Controllers.
- Wii Classic controller
Pinout
See: https://learn.adafruit.com/assets/119662 for the Feather pin scheme.
Use the breadboard to connect all together:
- Wire the 3.3V Pin to the breadboard + column.
- Wire the GND Pin to the breadboard - column
- Wire the breadboard left ground column (-) with the breadboard right ground column (-)
- Optional: Attach a push button to the breadboard and connect a wire from this button to the Feather RST pin and breadboard ground column(-). This adds an extra easy to access Reset button.
Adafruit Micro-SD breakout board+
| Breakout | GPIO | |
|---|
| CS | GPIO10 | |
| CLK (SCK) | GPIO14 | |
| DI (MOSI) | GPIO15 | |
| DO (MISO) | GPIO8 | |
| 5V | USB | pin labelled USB on feather |
| 3V | | See Note below |
| GND | | - column on breadboard connected to feather ground pin |
[!NOTE]
The Adafruit Micro-SD breakout board+ also has a 3V input pin which can be connected to the + column on the breadboard connected to the feather 3.3V pin. However, this frequently gave me errors trying to mount the SD card. So use 5V instead.
Wii nunchuck breakout adapter.
Connect the nunchuck breakout adapter to the Feather DVI using the STEMMA QT cable.
NES controller port(s). (if you want to use legacy NES controllers).
| Port 1 | Port 2 (optional) | Note |
|---|
| GND | | | - column on breadboard connected to feather ground pin |
| VCC (Power) | | | + column on breadboard connected to feather 3.3V pin |
| NES Clock | GPIO5 | GPIO26 | |
| NES LATCH | GPIO9 | GPIO27 | |
| NES Data | GPIO6 | GPIO28 | |
[!NOTE]
An original SNES controller can be wired to the same pins. The emulator detects automatically whether an NES or a SNES controller is attached.
flashing the Feather RP2040
- Download piconesPlus_AdafruitFeatherDVI_arm.uf2 from the releases page.
- Connect the feather to a USB port on your computer using the USB-C data cable.
- On the feather, push and hold the BOOTSEL button, then press RESET. Release the buttons, the drive RPI-RP2 should appear on your computer.
- Drag and drop the UF2 file on to the RPI-RP2 drive. The Raspberry Pi Pico will reboot and will now run the emulator.
[!NOTE]
When the emulator won't start after flashing or powering on, and the screen shows 'No signal,' press the reset button once again. The emulator should now boot.
setting up the hardware
- Disconnect the Pico from your computer.
- Attach the Adafruit Feather RP2040 DVI to the breadboard.
- Insert the SD card into the SD card slot.
- Connect the HDMI cable to the HDMI port of the Adafruit Feather and to your monitor.
- Connect controllers depending on your setup:
- Legacy controllers.
- NES controller to the NES controller port.
- Wii Classic controller to the Nunchuck Breakout Adapter.
- Connect USB-C power supply to USB-C connector.
- USB game controllers
- Connect the USB C connector of the "male USB C to female micro USB cable" to the USB C port of the feather.
- Connect the female micro USB port of the "male USB C to female micro USB cable" to the male micro USB port of the USB OTG Y cable.
- Connect the DualSense or DualShock controller with the appropriate cable to the full size female USB port of the OTG Y-Cable.
- Connect the Micro USB power adapter to the female Micro USB connector of the OTG Y-Cable.
- Power on the monitor and the Pico
Image: one or two player setup with USB controller and NES/Wii Classic controller port
In this image the NES controller port is wired to port 1.
For single player games, connect either a USB controller or a NES/Wii Classic controller. Not both!
For two player games: Connect a USB controller for player 1 and a NES or Wii Classic controller for player 2.
Image: Two player setup using two NES controllers or a USB controller and a NES/Wii Classic controller
Choose either of the following:
- Connect two NES controllers
- Connect a Wii Classic controller for player 1 and a NES controller on port 2 for player 2
- Connect a USB controller for player 1 and a NES controller for player 2. You can use either NES controller ports. You can also use the Wii Classic controller for player 2.
Adafruit Metro RP2350
This configuration supports USB controllers and legacy controllers. (NES / SNES / Wii Classic).
Materials needed
[!NOTE]
Use a USB-C power supply to power the board instead of the barrel jack. Powering the board using the barrel jack can cause USB game controllers to not work properly.
[!NOTE]
You can use the USB host pins on the board to connect a USB game controller instead. Soldering is required for this. You also need to build the binary from source, since it is currently not included in the latest release. For more info see pio_usb.md
Legacy Controllers
- Depending on what you have:
- one or two NES controllers.
- Wii Classic controller
Wii nunchuck breakout adapter.
Connect the nunchuck breakout adapter to the Metro using the STEMMA QT cable.
NES controller port(s). (if you want to use legacy NES controllers).
| Port 1 | Port 2 (optional) | Note |
|---|
| GND | | | Any GND pin |
| VCC (Power) | | | Any 3V3 pin |
| NES Clock | GPIO2 | GPIO5 | |
| NES LATCH | GPIO4 | GPIO7 | |
| NES Data | GPIO3 | GPIO6 | |
[!NOTE]
An original SNES controller can be wired to the same pins. The emulator detects automatically whether an NES or a SNES controller is attached.
flashing the Adafruit Metro RP2350
- Download piconesPlus_AdafruitMetroRP2350_arm.uf2 from the releases page.
- Connect the USB-C port to a USB port on your computer using the USB-C to USB-A data cable.
- On the board, push and hold the BOOT button, then press RESET. Release the buttons, the drive RPI-RP2 should appear on your computer.
- Drag and drop the UF2 file on to the RPI-RP2 drive. The board will reboot and will now run the emulator.
Adafruit Fruit Jam
[!NOTE]
The latest HSTX video driver update adds support for HDMI audio output. Make sure External Audio is disabled in the options menu.
The new Adafruit Fruit Jam is supported as well.
materials needed
- Adafruit Fruit Jam
- USB gamepad
- Power to USB-C
- Optional
- If you want to use a Wii Classic controller:
- External speakers
Setup
- Connect your USB gamepad to the USB 1 port of the Fruit Jam.
- If you want to use a Wii Classic controller, connect the nunchuck breakout adapter to the Fruit Jam using the STEMMA QT cable and the Wii Classic controller to the breakout adapter.
- Connect external speakers to the audio output of the Fruit Jam.
To enable audio over HDMI make sure the setting External audio is disabled in the options menu.
When External audio is enabled, audio will be played through the external speakers and mini speaker simultaneously. Press Button 1 on the Fruit Jam to mute the mini speaker
Flash the firmware onto the Fruit Jam. (Connect the Fruit Jam to your computer via its USB-C connector, then hold Reset and Button 1). Copy piconesPlus_AdafruitFruitJam_arm_piousb.uf2 to the RPI-RP2 drive.
Please keep the following in mind:
- Not all USB controllers from the supported controllers list are guaranteed to work.
- Two player mode is only possible with one USB gamepad on USB1 and one Wii Classic controller. USB2 is not supported for two player mode yet, will be looking into it.
- When a USB controller is connected, the Wii Classic controller is player 2. To use the Wii Classic controller as player 1, unplug the USB controller.
Waveshare RP2040/RP2350-PiZero Development Board
materials needed
- One of these Waveshare boards:
- USB-C to USB-A cable for flashing the uf2 onto the board.
- USB-C Power supply. Connect to the port labelled USB, not PIO-USB. See note below.
- Mini HDMI to HDMI Cable.
- FAT32 or exFAT formatted Micro SD card with ROMs you legally own. ROMs must have the .nes extension. You can organise your ROMs into different folders.
Additional for the RP2040-Pizero only:
- USB-C to USB-C - USB-A Y cable, when using a USB controller. Not needed for the Waveshare RP2350-PiZero where the controller must be connected to the PIO-USB port.
[!NOTE]
Unlike the WaveShare RP2350-PiZero, where the controller must be connected to the PIO-USB port, the WaveShare RP2040-PiZero Development Board cannot use the PIO-USB port for the controller due to memory limitations. Instead, connect both the controller and the power adapter to the Y-cable, and then plug the Y-cable into the board’s port labeled “USB.” While the PIO-USB port can still be used to power the RP2040 board, I do not recommend this, as it has occasionally caused unstable behavior.
NES controller port.
When using an original NES controller you need:
For two player games with two NES controllers you need an extra NES controller port, controller and wire
| Port 1 | Port 2 (Optional) | Note |
|---|
| GND | | | Any ground pin |
| VCC (Power) | | | 5Volt pin |
| NES Clock | GPIO5 | GPIO10 | |
| NES LATCH | GPIO9 | GPIO11 | |
| NES Data | GPIO6 | GPIO12 | |
[!NOTE]
An original SNES controller can be wired to the same pins. The emulator detects automatically whether an NES or a SNES controller is attached.
[!NOTE]
Contrary to other configurations where VCC is connected to 3 volt, VCC should be connected to a 5 volt pin. Otherwise the NES controller may not work.
Wii Classic controller.
When using a Wii Classic controller you need:
Connections are as follows:
| Nunchuck Breakout Adapter | RP2040-PiZero |
|---|
| 3.3V | 3V3 |
| GND | GND |
| SDA | GPIO2 |
| SCL | GPIO3 |
flashing the Waveshare RP2040-PiZero Development Board
- Download piconesPlus_WaveShareRP2040PiZero_arm.uf2 from the releases page.
- Connect the USB-C port marked USB (not PIO-USB) to a USB port on your computer using the USB-C to USB-A data cable.
- On the board, push and hold the BOOT button, then press RUN. Release the buttons, the drive RPI-RP2 should appear on your computer.
- Drag and drop the UF2 file on to the RPI-RP2 drive. The board will reboot and will now run the emulator.
flashing the Waveshare RP2350-PiZero Development Board
- Download piconesPlus_WaveShareRP2350PiZero_arm_piousb.uf2 from the releases page.
- Connect the USB-C port marked USB (not PIO-USB) to a USB port on your computer using the USB-C to USB-A data cable.
- On the board, push and hold the BOOT button, then press RUN. Release the buttons, the drive RPI-RP2 should appear on your computer.
- Drag and drop the UF2 file on to the RPI-RP2 drive. The board will reboot and will now run the emulator.
[!NOTE]
When the emulator won't start after flashing or powering on, and the screen shows 'No signal,' press the run button once again. The emulator should now boot.
Image: one or two player setup with USB controller and NES controller port
In this image the NES controller port is wired to port 1.
For single player games, connect either a USB controller or a NES controller. Not both!
For two player games: Connect a USB controller for player 1 and a NES controller for player 2.
Image: Two player setup using two NES controllers or a USB controller and a NES controller
Choose either of the following:
- Connect two NES controllers
- Connect a USB controller for player 1 and a NES controller for player 2. You can use either NES controller ports.
Image: Using a Wii Classic controller
3D printed case for RP2040/RP2350-PiZero
Gavin Knight (DynaMight1124) designed a NES-like case you can 3D print as an enclosure for this board. This enclosure is designed for 2 NES controller ports so you can play 1 or 2-player games. Click here for the design. Please contact the creator on their Thingiverse page if you have any questions about this case.
Custom PCBs
Four printed circuit board (PCB) designs turn a supported microcontroller board into a small console. This section shows the designs and the firmware to flash. Parts lists, ordering instructions, assembly notes, the pin assignment, the 3D-printed cases and the older design versions are described in the PCB README. The Gerber files are in the PCB folder of the pico_shared repository and are also attached to every release.
[!NOTE]
The PicoNES v2.6 and v2.8 are shown with a Pimoroni Pico Plus 2. A Raspberry Pi Pico, Pico W, Pico 2 or Pico 2 W can also be fitted.
All boards require soldering.
[!NOTE]
Sellers on AliExpress have copied the PCB design and are selling pre-populated PCBs. For questions about those boards, please contact the seller on AliExpress.
PCB with Raspberry Pi Pico or Pico 2 and Pimoroni Pico Plus 2
This PCB carries a Raspberry Pi Pico, Pico 2 or Pimoroni Pico Plus 2, the Adafruit DVI and microSD breakout boards and two controller ports. It comes in two versions, which differ only in the controller ports:
- v2.6 (
pico_nesPCB_v2.6.zip) has two NES controller ports.
- v2.8 (
pico_nesPCB_v2.8_SNES_PORTS.zip) has two SNES controller ports. The emulator detects SNES controllers automatically. The NES Zapper cannot be used with this version, and the 3D-printed case does not fit it.
A Pico or Pico 2 can be soldered flat onto the PCB or mounted on male pin headers. A Pimoroni Pico Plus 2 must be mounted on pin headers, because the SP/CE connector on its back prevents it from lying flat. Optional female socket headers, soldered into the PCB, let a board with male headers be plugged in and swapped without desoldering.
The parts lists and assembly notes are in the PCB README: PicoNES v2.6 and PicoNES v2.8.
When using a Pico / Pico W, Flash piconesPlus_AdafruitDVISD_pico_arm.uf2 / piconesPlus_AdafruitDVISD_pico_w_arm.uf2 from the releases page.
When using a Pico 2 or Pico 2 W, flash piconesPlus_AdafruitDVISD_pico2_arm.uf2 / piconesPlus_AdafruitDVISD_pico2_w_arm.uf2 instead.
When using a Pimoroni Pico Plus 2, flash piconesPlus_AdafruitDVISD_pico2_arm.uf2 as well. The PSRAM on the board is used instead of flash to load the ROMs from SD.
For two-player games, connect two controllers to the controller ports, or connect a USB controller for player 1 and a controller in either controller port for player 2. Use the OTG Y-cable to connect both a USB power supply and the USB controller.
| NES controller ports (v2.6) | SNES controller ports (v2.8) |
|---|
| |
NES Zapper (light gun)
[!NOTE]
Beta. Works on the PCB only, in controller port 2, and needs a third-party light gun such as the Tomee Zapp Gun - an original Nintendo Zapper will not work on a flat panel unmodified. See Which gun you need below.
PCB design v2.1 and later (so also the current v2.6) route the two extra data lines of NES controller port 2 to the Pico: D3 → GPIO27 (light sensor) and D4 → GPIO28 (trigger). The emulator reads those two lines directly into bits 3 and 4 of $4017, exactly as a real NES does. Flash one of the piconesPlus_AdafruitDVISD_* binaries (the PCB firmware); on all other boards GPIO27 and GPIO28 are already in use for something else, so Zapper support is not compiled in there.
No setting has to be enabled. The gun is detected automatically the moment it is plugged in, because a Zapper actively drives its trigger line low while the trigger is released. A regular NES or SNES controller can stay in port 2 alongside the gun and keeps working - only bits 3 and 4 of $4017 come from the Zapper, the pad's own data line is untouched.
[!NOTE]
The Zapper cannot be used on the Murmulator M1 and M2 boards. Those PCBs leave D3 and D4 of the controller ports unconnected, so the gun's light and trigger lines never reach the board at all. This cannot be fixed in firmware.
Which gun you need
[!IMPORTANT]
An original Nintendo Zapper does not work on a flat panel without a hardware modification.
Use a third-party light gun made for modern displays. The Tomee Zapp Gun for NES is confirmed working and is what this support was developed and tested with. neslcdmod.com lists it among the guns known to work.
Unmodified games will not work
The original light gun games time their light detection against a CRT, which puts a pixel on screen the instant it is scanned out. An LCD/LED TV adds milliseconds of lag, so an unmodified Duck Hunt scores every shot as a miss. This is a property of flat panels, not of the emulator - the same games fail the same way on real NES hardware connected to a modern TV.
neslcdmod.com provides IPS patches that add a calibration routine to compensate for that lag. Patches exist for Duck Hunt, Wild Gunman, Hogan's Alley, Duck Hunt VS and Barker Bill's Trick Shooting.
- Download the patch for the game you want from neslcdmod.com/roms.
- Apply it to the ROM revision the patch was made for, using a tool such as Lunar IPS or Flips. Check the ROM's CRC32 first - patching the wrong revision produces a broken ROM.
- Copy the patched
.nes file to the SD card like any other ROM.
Calibrating
Put the TV in game mode first (it is the single biggest reduction in display lag), then boot the patched ROM and follow its on-screen calibration: aim at the target it shows (SHOOT HERE / FIRE ME) and fire straight into it. The delay can also be adjusted by hand - the arrows change it in the main menu, and pressing Start during play shows the current value so it can be nudged. Recalibrate after changing TV, screen mode, or the Overclock setting.
[!TIP]
If the gun does not respond, or shots always hit or always miss, see
zapper_troubleshooting.md.
3D printed case for PCB
Gavin Knight (DynaMight1124) designed an NES-like case for the v2.6 PCB: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6689537. Two top covers are available, one with a button that presses the BOOTSEL button for firmware updates and one without. All parts are shown in the PCB README. For questions about the case, please contact the designer on the Thingiverse page.
[!IMPORTANT]
When the Pico is plugged into the through-holes of PCB v2.6 with male headers, always download the latest top case design from Thingiverse. Because the Pico sits higher on the board when headers are used, only the newest top cover leaves enough room for the USB cable to fit. The older covers were designed for a Pico soldered flat onto the PCB.
PCB with WaveShare RP2040/RP2350 Zero
The PicoNES Mini, designed by Gavin Knight (DynaMight1124), is a smaller PCB for a Waveshare RP2040-Zero or RP2350-Zero, with two NES controller ports. It uses cheaper components that are harder to solder, and is recommended only for builders with good soldering skills. The Gerber file is Gerber_PicoNES_Mini_PCB_v2.0.zip.
The parts list and build instructions are in the Instructables guide, step 1. See also PicoNES Mini in the PCB README. The 3D-printed case is available on Thingiverse.
When using a RP2040 Zero, flash piconesPlus_WaveShareRP2040ZeroWithPCB_arm.uf2 from the releases page.
When using a RP2350 Zero, flash piconesPlus_WaveShareRP2350ZeroWithPCB_arm.uf2 instead.
PCB with WaveShare RP2350 USB A
The PicoNES Micro, designed by Gavin Knight (DynaMight1124), is a very small PCB for the Waveshare RP2350-USB-A, for one player with a USB controller. It uses 0603-size SMD components and requires micro-soldering skills. The Gerber file is Gerber_PicoNES_Micro_v1.2.zip.
The parts list, build instructions and case are in the Instructables guide, steps 2 and 3. See also PicoNES Micro in the PCB README.
Flash piconesPlus_WaveShare2350USBA_arm_piousb.uf2 from the releases page. The game controller connects to the USB A port; the USB-C port is used for power and for flashing the firmware.
Olimex RP2040-PICO-PC
The Olimex RP2040-PICO-PC is a carrier board for a Raspberry Pi Pico with an HDMI connector, a microSD card slot, a USB-A port and an audio jack. Only a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 is supported in it.
Flash piconesPlus_OlimexPicoPC_arm.uf2 from the releases page.
- Sound: through HDMI and the audio jack at the same time.
- Controllers: a USB controller or USB keyboard on the USB-A port. A NES or SNES controller can be connected to the UEXT connector: clock on GPIO 5, latch on GPIO 9 and data on GPIO 20. There is no second controller port, no Wii Classic controller support and no NES Zapper support.
- PSRAM: the board has room for an optional PSRAM chip (chip select on GPIO 8). Without it, a game is written to flash before it starts. The Overclock setting is only offered with PSRAM fitted.
- Pico 2 W: there is no Pico 2 W binary. On a Pico 2 W, GPIO 23, which this build uses to reduce noise on the audio jack, is connected to the wireless chip.
Support for this board was contributed by DnCraptor.
Pico Computer 3
The Pico Computer 3 (PC3) is an RP2350B computer board with an HDMI connector, a microSD card slot, 8 MB PSRAM, a USB hub and an audio jack.
Design files, schematics and parts lists: https://github.com/UKTailwind/Pico-Computer-3
[!NOTE]
Support for this board is new. The pin assignment and other details below may change in a future release.
Flash piconesPlus_PicoComputer3_arm.uf2 from the releases page.
-
Sound: through the audio jack.
-
USB: USB controllers or a USB keyboard on the USB-A ports.
-
NES or SNES controllers: up to two, on the external I/O header H4:
| Clock | Latch | Data |
|---|
| Port 1 | GPIO 0 | GPIO 1 | GPIO 2 |
| Port 2 | GPIO 3 | GPIO 4 | GPIO 5 |
-
NES Zapper: light sensor (D3) on GPIO 6 and trigger (D4) on GPIO 7. Games see it as a Zapper in controller port 2. See NES Zapper (light gun) for the gun and the game patches it needs.
-
Wii Classic controller: on I2C0, SDA on GPIO 20 and SCL on GPIO 21.
-
PSRAM: fitted on the board. Games are loaded from the SD card into PSRAM.
-
LED: the heartbeat LED on GPIO 25 is used when jumper H5 is set to 1-2.
Support for this board was contributed by javavi.
Using metadata.
Download the metadata pack from the releases page and extract its contents to the root of the SD card. It contains box art and game info for many games. The metadata is used in the menu to show box art and game info when a rom is selected. Press START to view the information. When the screensaver is started, random box art is shown.
Gamepad and keyboard usage
| (S)NES | Genesis | XInput | DualShock/DualSense | Wii Classic |
|---|
| Button1 | B | A | A | X | B |
| Button2 | A | B | B | Circle | A |
| Button3 | X (SNES only) | C | Y | Triangle | X |
| Select | select | Mode or C | Select | Select | Select |
[!NOTE]
An original NES controller has no Button3. Everything reachable with it can also be reached from the settings menu.
In a game, Button1 is NES B and Button2 is NES A. With the Button Layout setting set to SNES, the left and the bottom button are used instead (SNES Y and B). See Settings menu.
Menu
Gamepad buttons:
- UP/DOWN: Next/previous item in the menu.
- LEFT/RIGHT: next/previous page.
- Button2: Open folder/flash and start game.
- Button1: Back to parent folder.
- Button3: Open the recently played list.
- START: Show metadata and box art (when available)
- SELECT: Opens the settings menu. Here you can change settings like screen mode, scanline type, framerate display, menu colours and other board specific settings. The settings menu can also be opened in-game. See Settings menu below for the full list.
- SELECT + Button2: Force DVI mode (HSTX only). Useful if a DVI monitor shows no picture. This will restore the image.
When using a USB keyboard:
- Cursor keys: Up, Down, left, right
- Z: Back to parent folder
- X: Open Folder/flash and start a game
- C: Open the recently played list.
- S: Show metadata and box art (when available).
- A: acts as the select button.
Recently played games
The menu keeps a list of the last 20 games you started, most recent first. Open it with Button3 in the menu, or with the Recently played entry at the top of the settings menu. That entry is only there when the settings menu is opened from the menu - a game cannot be started from inside a running game.
[!NOTE]
On an original 3-button Genesis Mini controller, C acts as SELECT and opens the settings menu instead. Take the Recently played entry there.
In the list:
| Button | Action |
|---|
| UP/DOWN | Select a game. |
| Button2 | Start the highlighted game. |
| Button1 | Close the list and return to the menu. |
| SELECT | Remove the highlighted game from the list. Asks for confirmation first. This only removes the entry, the ROM on the SD card is left alone. |
| START | Show metadata and box art (when available). |
Games are added to the list automatically when you start them, so nothing has to be enabled. Starting a game that is already in the list moves it back to the top. The list closes by itself after a minute without input.
The list is kept in /recent_NES.txt in the root of the SD card, as plain text with one game per line. It survives a reboot and can be read, edited or deleted on a PC. Deleting the file simply empties the list, and a damaged file is treated as an empty list - unlike the settings file, nothing else is reset. Each emulator running under pico-bootLoader keeps its own list.
If a game was moved, renamed or deleted on the SD card in the meantime, the list says so instead of starting it. Use SELECT to remove such an entry.
On boards without PSRAM, one entry can be tagged [READY]. That is the game whose ROM is currently written to flash, which is the one that starts without waiting for the flashing step. See PSRAM.
Settings menu
The settings menu is opened with SELECT from the main menu, or with SELECT + START while a game is
running. Not every entry is available on every board or in every situation.
| Setting | Description |
|---|
| Select disk | Change the FDS disk side. Only for FDS games, and always the first entry. |
| Quit game / Back to main menu | Leave the game and return to the SD card menu. Battery-backed save RAM is written to the SD card here. In-game only. |
| Reset game | Reset the running game. In-game only. |
| Save/Load State | Manage save states. In-game only. |
| Recently played | Open the list of the last 20 games you started and restart one of them. Menu only, not available in-game. |
| Screen Mode | Cycle the screen modes, including the 8:7 pixel aspect ratio modes. |
| Scanline Type | Simple or LCD style scanlines. HSTX boards only. |
| NES Palette | The colors the game is drawn with. A description of the palette is shown below the options while this entry is selected. See Color palettes. |
| Framerate Overlay | Show the frames per second on screen, followed by the name of the color palette in use. |
| Display Mode | HDMI or DVI output. HSTX boards only. |
| External Audio | Route audio to the I2S/line-out output instead of HDMI. Selecting DVI as Display Mode enables this automatically, because DVI carries no audio. |
| Menu Font Color / Menu Font Back Color | Menu colours (0-63). |
| Fruit Jam VU Meter / Fruit Jam Volume Control | Fruit Jam only. |
| Button Layout | The buttons a game uses as NES B and A. NES (default): Button1 and Button2. SNES: on a controller with four face buttons, the left and the bottom button: Y and B on a SNES controller, X and A on XInput, Square and Cross on DualShock/DualSense, y and b on a Wii Classic controller. The menu and the button combinations are not affected. NES and Genesis controllers keep their buttons. A NES Classic controller on the Wii port cannot be told apart from a Wii Classic controller; use NES with it. |
| Rapid Fire on A / Rapid Fire on B | Enable rapid fire per button. |
[!NOTE]
Changes are only applied when you select SAVE. CANCEL discards them, DEFAULT restores the default values. Press SELECT to jump directly to SAVE.
Color palettes
The colors a NES produces depend on the console and on the television, so there is no single correct palette. The palette is selected with NES Palette in the settings menu, or with START + LEFT/RIGHT during play. START + LEFT/RIGHT steps to the previous or next palette and shows its name at the top of the screen for 3 seconds. On RP2350 boards the choice is saved right away; on RP2040 boards it is saved when you quit the game to the menu. The name of the palette in use is also shown for 3 seconds when a game starts. While the framerate display is on, the name appears there instead. Default is the palette that earlier versions used; it differs between boards with HSTX video output and the other boards.
The palettes marked FBX are by FirebrandX and Wavebeam is by Nakedarthur. These, PC-10 and Sony CXA are published at firebrandx.com, and their descriptions below are taken from there.
| Palette | Description |
|---|
| Default | The palette used by earlier versions of this emulator. |
| Composite Direct (FBX) | A pure direct capture palette. Capture devices clip NTSC voltages to fit the RGB color space. Most colors come out normally, but some extreme edge-case colors are clipped and result in a different hue. The major example is the blue sky in Super Mario Bros., which appears more purplish in direct captures. |
| NES Classic (FBX) | Color values taken from the NES Classic console Nintendo released in 2016. The kernel was modified to include a test ROM that fills the screen with each color entry. The HDMI 720p signal was fed into a Datapath Vision E1s capture card, and the screens were stored as lossless 8-8-8 RGB bitmaps. The bitmaps were then color averaged to remove Nintendo's epilepsy protection. |
| PC-10 | RGB values taken from the original PlayChoice-10 arcade PPU chips. |
| PVM Style D93 (FBX) | Approximated NTSC NES color appearance on the screen of a Sony PVM monitor running at D93 color temperature. |
| Smooth (FBX) | FirebrandX's final palette for the NTSC NES. Combines reverse engineered NTSC output levels with a few slight adjustments to improve its appearance on digital displays. Has a wide dynamic range of dark-to-light colors. |
| Sony CXA | Intended to approximate the RGB translation of NTSC by certain consumer-grade Sony TV sets. The original author of this palette is unknown. |
| Wavebeam | Nakedarthur's final approximation palette, based on his experience with NES colors on consumer NTSC TVs. In its final revision it looks like a more saturated version of Smooth (FBX). |
| Bubbles | Reduced saturation for LCD and OLED screens. Contributed by dragonkn9 in #256. |
Emulator (in game)
Gamepad buttons:
- SELECT + START, Xbox button: opens the settings menu. From there, you can:
- Quit the game and return to the SD card menu
- Reset the game
- Manage save states. Load or save your game state to one of 5 slots plus a quick save slot. Enable auto save/load state on exit/start.
- Adjust settings and resume your game.
- SELECT + UP/SELECT + DOWN: switches screen modes, including the 8:7 pixel aspect ratio modes.
- START + Button2: Toggle framerate display. The display also shows the name of the color palette in use.
- START + LEFT/RIGHT: Select the previous or next color palette. Its name is shown at the top of the screen for 3 seconds, or in the framerate display when that is on. On RP2350 boards the choice is saved right away; on RP2040 boards it is saved when you quit the game to the menu.
- START + DOWN : (quick) Save state. (Quick Save slot)
- START + UP : (quick) Load state. (Quick Save slot)
- SELECT + START + UP + Button2 (all held together): Reboot into BOOTSEL mode for flashing new firmware.
- Pimoroni Pico DV Demo Base and Murmulator only: SELECT + LEFT: Switch audio output to the connected speakers on the line-out jack. The speaker setting will be remembered when the emulator is restarted. Not available on boards that output audio over HDMI.
- Fruit Jam Only
- pushbutton 2 (on board) or SELECT + RIGHT: Toggles the VU meter on or off. (NeoPixel LEDs light up in sync with the music rhythm)
- The volume of the built-in speaker and the external audio jack is set with Fruit Jam Volume Control in the settings menu.
- RP2350 with PSRAM only: Record about 30 seconds of audio by pressing START to pause the game and then START + Button1. Audio is recorded to /soundrecorder.wav on the SD card.
- Genesis Mini Controller: When using a Genesis Mini controller with 3 buttons, press C for SELECT. On 8-button Genesis controllers, press MODE for SELECT.
- USB keyboard: When using a USB keyboard
- Cursor keys: up, down, left, right
- A: SELECT
- S: START
- Z: Button1
- X: Button2
[!NOTE]
Rapid fire is not a button combination. Enable it per button with the Rapid Fire on A / Rapid Fire on B entries in the settings menu.
Save States should work for mapper 0,1,2,3 and 4. Other mappers may or may not work. Below the games that use these mappers.
The mapper number is also shown in the Save State screen.
Famicom Disk System (FDS) Games
FDS games are supported with the following requirements:
- A BIOS file is required. Place it at
/bios/fds-bios.rom on the SD card. The file must be exactly 8 KB.
- You need ROMs with the
.fds extension.
FDS games run on both RP2040 and RP2350 boards.
FDS games have these features:
- For games that can write save data back to disk, you must go back to the menu to save the game. Saves are written to
/SAVES/<gamename>_fds.SAV. Earlier versions wrote one file per disk side, /SAVES/<gamename>_fds_s<N>.SAV, on RP2350 boards without PSRAM. These files are read automatically when no _fds.SAV file exists yet. Save states are not supported for FDS games.
Swapping Disks
When prompted to swap disks, use the in-game settings menu:
- Press SELECT + START to open the settings menu.
- Select the first option (Select disk) to change the disk.
- Press LEFT/RIGHT to choose the disk side.
- Press Button2 to confirm and return.
Auto Swapping disks
In the settings menu, there is an option FDS Auto Swap Disk side. This is disabled by default. When enabled, the emulator will automatically swap the disk side when the game asks for it. Note that in some cases you still need to swap the disks manually.
There is a second FDS option, FDS Auto Insert Disk 1 On Start, which inserts disk 1 automatically when the game starts. This one is enabled by default.
Playing NSF audio files
The emulator can play Nintendo Sound Format files. These are ROMs with the .nsf extension. This works on both the RP2040 and RP2350 boards.
Each NSF file can have multiple tracks. Loading a .nsf ROM from the menu will automatically start the first track. Each track is played for a maximum duration of 3 minutes, after which the next track is played. When there is silence for more than 3 seconds, the next track is played as well.
Controls
- Right/Left: Next/Previous track.
- Button1: Stop Playback
- Button2: Resume playback.
- Select + Start: Back to the menu.
WAV Music Playback in menu (RP2350 Only)
The menu allows you to play music files. Files must meet the following requirements:
- Format: WAV
- Bit depth: 16-bit or 24-bit
- Sample rate: 44.1 kHz
- Channels: Stereo
- File extension:
.wav
[!NOTE]
The sample rate is not checked. There is no resampler, so a file recorded at a different sample rate will play back at the wrong speed.
How to Play
- Select a music file from the menu.
- Press Button2 or START to start playback.
- Press Button2 or START again to stop playback.
Converting MP3 to WAV
You can easily convert MP3 files to WAV using Audacity:
- Open the MP3 file in Audacity.
- Go to File → Export → Export Audio.
- Choose the following settings:
- Format: WAV (Microsoft)
- Channels: Stereo
- Sample rate: 44,100 Hz
- Encoding: Signed 16-bit PCM
- Copy the exported WAV file to the SD card.
Save games
For games which support it, battery-backed save RAM is stored in the /SAVES folder of the SD card, as <gamename>.SAV.
[!CAUTION]
The save RAM is only written back to the SD card when you quit the game properly: press SELECT + START to open the settings menu, then choose Quit game. Powering off or resetting the board while the game is running loses everything since the last save.
USB drive mode
USB drive mode presents the SD card to a computer as a USB mass storage device, so games can be added or
removed without taking the card out of the console. Connect the console to the computer, open the
settings menu with SELECT from the game list and choose USB Drive Mode. The card
appears on the computer as a removable drive.
The entry is only offered when the settings menu is opened from the game list. It is not available while
a game is running: the running game holds its save files open and its ROM is mapped out of flash, and
letting the computer rewrite the card underneath that would corrupt both.
When you are finished, eject the drive on the computer. The console notices this and leaves USB drive
mode by itself. Pressing B on the console leaves as well, for when no computer is attached. The game
list is re-read on the way out, so files added from the computer appear without having to restart.
[!NOTE]
Transfers are slow. The console is a USB full-speed device and reaches the card a sector at a time
over SPI, so copying is far slower than reading the card in a card reader. USB drive mode is meant
for adding or replacing a few games. For filling a card, or for copying a large amount of data, take
the card out and use a card reader.
Behaviour depends on where controllers are connected on your board.
| Board | Behaviour |
|---|
| Controllers on a separate USB port (boards built with PIO USB, such as the Fruit Jam) | The console's own USB port is free, so controllers keep working and the screen stays on. The menu returns to the game list when you are done. |
| Controllers on the console's own USB port | That port is the one connected to the computer, so a USB controller cannot be used while the card is mounted. Press B on a controller in the NES port, or eject the drive on the computer. The console restarts afterwards. |
| RP2040 boards | As above, and the screen is switched off for as long as the card is mounted. These boards cannot drive the video output while the computer is reading the card. The menu explains this first and lets you go back without mounting anything. |
[!CAUTION]
Eject the drive on the computer rather than pressing B. Ejecting makes the computer write out
anything it still had cached, and the console leaves USB drive mode on its own once it has. Pressing
B while the computer still has the drive open can leave files on the card incomplete.
Raspberry Pico W and Pico2 W support
The emulator works with the Pico W (RP2040). Use the pico_w_ or pico2_w_ versions of the uf2 files in the latest release. The Pico W has a built-in wifi module. The wifi module is not used by the emulator. It is only used for enabling the LED to blink every 60 frames on the Pico W. If you don't mind the LED blinking, you can use the pico_ versions of the uf2 files on the Pico W.
USB game controller latency
Using a USB game controller introduces some latency. The legacy controllers ((S)NES, Wii Classic) have less latency.
Troubleshooting USB controllers
AliExpress Controllers (Mantapad)
When starting a game, and the controller is unresponsive, you have to unplug and replug the controller to get it working. Not all controllers behave this way. I have a SNES controller that has no problems. The NES controller however must always be replugged to make it work. It is kind of hit and miss.
XInput style controllers.
Might not work with all controllers.
Tested devices:
- Xbox 360 : Works
- Xbox Series X controller : Works
- Xbox One controller : Works
- Xbox elite controller : Works
- 8bitdo SN30 Pro+ firmware V6.01: Works. With the controller switched off, hold X + Start to switch to XInput mode. (LED 1 and 2 will blink). Then connect to USB.
- 8bitdo Pro 2 firmware V3.04: Works. With the controller switched off, hold X + Start to switch to XInput mode. (LED 1 and 2 will blink). Then connect to USB.
- 8bitdo SN30 PRO Wired : Not working, recognized but no report
- 8bitdo SF30 PRO firmware v2.05 : Works. With the controller switched off, hold X + Start to switch to XInput mode. (LED 1 and 2 will blink). Then connect to USB.
- 8bitdo SN30 PRO firmware v2.05 : Not tested, should probably work
Troubleshooting:
After flashing some bigger games, the controller might become unresponsive:
-
Xbox Controller. Playing with batteries removed is recommended. When controller becomes unresponsive:
- unplug and replug the controller.
- If controller is still unresponsive, unplug the pico from power, wait a few seconds then plug it back in and press start to start the last flashed game.
-
8bitdo controllers, when controller becomes unresponsive:
- Disconnect the controller.
- Hold start to switch the controller off (if it has built-in battery).
- reconnect the controller.
Troubleshooting no image on TV or monitor
Some displays need 5V connected to the HDMI breakout in order to work:
- When using the breadboard with HDMI and SD breakout, make sure VBUS (Pin 40) is connected to the 5 volt via on the HDMI breakout board. (Marked 5 on the side)
Known Issues and limitations
- Not all games will run, as some mappers are either not fully implemented or exceed memory limitations. If a game uses an unsupported mapper, the system will display a message such as: "Mapper n is unsupported." (where n is the mapper number). For example, attempting to start Lagrange Point (JP) on the RP2040 will result in the message: "Mapper 85 is unsupported." On the RP2350, however, this game runs without issues.
- VRC7 expansion audio requires an RP2350 board. MMC5, VRC6, FDS and Sunsoft 5B expansion audio also work on the RP2040.
- The VRC7 (Yamaha OPLL) FM audio used by Lagrange Point (JP) only works on HSTX boards with PSRAM and requires the Overclock setting to be enabled. The audio may still show occasional glitches.
- Save states are not supported for FDS games.
- The Limited Run Games versions of Star Wars and Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back require an RP2350 board with PSRAM.
- Datach games: scanning barcode cards is not supported.
Running under pico-bootLoader
Instead of flashing this emulator as the only application on your board, you can install it under pico-bootLoader. The bootloader turns an RP2350 board into a multi-system console: on power-on it shows a menu from which you pick an emulator or game, which is then launched straight from the SD card. Any reset or power cycle brings you back to that menu, so you no longer have to reconnect the board to a computer to switch systems.
Alongside this NES emulator, the bootloader can run the Game Boy, Sega Master System/Game Gear, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, PC Engine, Philips Videopac emulators and a native Doom port.
You do not have to build anything. The bootloader's releases page provides a prebuilt bootloader UF2 for each supported board plus pico-bootLoader_sdcard.zip, an SD card archive that already contains a ready-to-use piconesPlus build. In short:
- Flash the bootloader UF2 for your board via BOOTSEL.
- Unpack
pico-bootLoader_sdcard.zip onto a FAT32 or exFAT SD card.
- Insert the card and power on.
[!NOTE]
pico-bootLoader requires an RP2350 board. Supported configurations are the Pimoroni Pico DV Demo Base, Adafruit DVI + SD breakout, Adafruit Metro RP2350, Waveshare RP2350-Zero with PCB, Waveshare RP2350-PiZero, Adafruit Fruit Jam, Waveshare RP2350-USB A, Murmulator M2 and the Adafruit Feather RP2350. See the bootloader's own readme for the current list and for the SD card layout.
When the emulator runs under the bootloader, the settings menu gains an extra Return to boot loader entry that takes you back to the picker.
If you do want to build the emulator for the bootloader yourself, use the -b flag described in Building from source. Those builds are relinked to the application partition at 0x10080000 and are written to the releases_bl folder instead of releases. Note that the regular binaries on this project's releases page are standalone builds and will not work under the bootloader.
Building from source
Best is to use the included build script buildAll.sh. You can then copy the correct .uf2 to your Pico via the bootsel option. The script builds all the .uf2 files and puts them in the releases folder.
git clone https://github.com/PicoPlus-devel/pico-infonesPlus.git
cd pico-infonesPlus
git submodule update --init
chmod +x build*.sh
./buildAll.sh
Alternatively, you can use the bld.sh shell script:
Build script for the piconesPlus project
Usage: ./pico_shared/bld.sh [-d] [-2 | -r] [-w] [-u] [-m] [-D] [-e] [-b] [-t path to toolchain] [ -p nprocessors] [-c <hwconfig>]
Options:
-d: build in DEBUG configuration
-2: build for Pico 2 board (RP2350)
-r: build for Pico 2 board (RP2350) with riscv core
-u: (RP2350 only, must also use -2) enable PIO USB support (RP2350 only) disabled by default except for Waveshare RP2350-PiZero and Adafruit Fruit Jam.
-w: build for Pico_w or Pico2_w
-b: (RP2350 only, must also use -2) build for the resident emuLoader bootloader (passes -DBUILD_FOR_BOOTLOADER=ON;
relinks the image to the application partition at 0x10080000 instead of 0x10000000).
Copies the resulting UF2 to releases_bl instead of releases.
-t <path to riscv toolchain>: only needed for riscv, specify the path to the riscv toolchain bin folder
Default is $PICO_SDK_PATH/toolchain/RISCV_RPI_2_0_0_2/bin
-p <nprocessors>: specify the number of processors to use for the build
-D Force DVI over HSTX.
-c <hwconfig>: specify the hardware configuration
1: Pimoroni Pico DV Demo Base (Default)
2: Breadboard with Adafruit AdaFruit DVI Breakout Board and AdaFruit MicroSD card breakout board
Custom pcb
3: Adafruit Feather RP2040 DVI
4: Waveshare RP2040-PiZero
5: Adafruit Metro RP2350
6: Waveshare RP2040-Zero/RP2350-Zero with custom PCB
7: WaveShare RP2350-PiZero - PIO USB enabled, -u implied.
8: Adafruit Fruit Jam - PIO USB enabled, -u implied.
9: WaveShare RP2350-USBA - PIO USB enabled, -u implied.
10: Spotpear HDMI board. https://spotpear.com/index/product/detail/id/1207.html
11: RP2350-USB-A - OLD config with different SD pins. Deprecated, do not use.
12: Murmulator M1
13: Murmulator M2 (rp2350 only)
14: Adafruit Feather RP2350 with TLV320DAC3100 I2S DAC and sdcard breakout board and PIO USB.
15: Olimex RP2040-PICO-PC with a Pico 2 (rp2350 only)
17: Pico Computer 3 (PC3): HSTX video, I2S audio, USB hub (rp2350 only)
-m: Run cmake only, do not build the project
-e: use the pico-extras based I2S audio driver (default: legacy custom driver)
-h: display this help
To install the RISC-V toolchain:
- Raspberry Pi: https://github.com/raspberrypi/pico-sdk-tools/releases/download/v2.0.0-5/riscv-toolchain-14-aarch64-lin.tar.gz
- X86/64 Linux: https://github.com/raspberrypi/pico-sdk-tools/releases/download/v2.0.0-5/riscv-toolchain-14-x86_64-lin.tar.gz
and extract it to $PICO_SDK_PATH/toolchain/RISCV_RPI_2_0_0_2
Example riscv toolchain install for Raspberry Pi OS:
cd
sudo apt-get install wget
wget https://github.com/raspberrypi/pico-sdk-tools/releases/download/v2.0.0-5/riscv-toolchain-14-aarch64-lin.tar.gz
mkdir -p $PICO_SDK_PATH/toolchain/RISCV_RPI_2_0_0_2
tar -xzvf riscv-toolchain-14-aarch64-lin.tar.gz -C $PICO_SDK_PATH/toolchain/RISCV_RPI_2_0_0_2
To build for riscv:
./bld.sh -c <hwconfig> -r -t $PICO_SDK_PATH/toolchain/RISCV_RPI_2_0_0_2/bin
Note: All .uf2 files are copied to the releases folder, except for the bootloader (-b) build which is copied to releases_bl
When using Visual Studio Code, choose the Release or the RelWithDebInfo build variant.
Building with an embedded ROM
You can embed a NES ROM directly into the firmware binary so the emulator boots straight into the game without needing an SD card or menu. This is useful for dedicated single-game builds or quick testing.
Pass the path to the ROM file at cmake configure time:
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DEMBED_NES_ROM=/path/to/game.nes ..
cmake --build . -j$(nproc)
The ROM is converted to a C array at build time using xxd. The resulting UF2 will be larger by the size of the ROM (~128-256KB typically).
To build normally without an embedded ROM (standard SD card menu), simply omit the flag:
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
cmake --build . -j$(nproc)
Building with support for an additional USB port using PIO-USB
In some configurations, a second USB port can be added. This port can be used to connect a gamepad. The built-in USB port will be used for power and flashing the firmware.
With this there is no need to use a USB-Y cable anymore.
For more info on how to setup and build the firmware, see pio_usb.md.
[!NOTE]
You have to build the firmware from source to enable this feature. The pre-built binaries do not support this.
Credits
InfoNES is programmed by Jay Kumogata and ported to the Raspberry Pi Pico by Shuichi Takano.
I contributed by programming functionality for SD card, menu, 2-player games, support for various USB gamepads and keyboard, metadata rendering etc...
HSTX HDMI/DVI driver with audio using pico_hdmi by fliperama86
PCB design by John Edgar Park.
Additional PCB design and 3D-printable case for both PCBs and WaveShare RP2040/RP2350-PiZero by Gavin Knight
Metadata files provided by Gavin Knight, based on Ducalex's retro-go-covers
NES gamepad support contributed by PaintYourDragon & Adafruit.
Wii Classic controller support by PaintYourDragon & Adafruit.
Adafruit Feather DVI - RP2040 support by PaintYourDragon & Adafruit.
Olimex RP2040-PICO-PC support, including sound through its audio jack, by DnCraptor.
Pico Computer 3 support, and the NES controller reading code used on all boards, by javavi.
XInput driver: https://github.com/Ryzee119/tusb_XInput by Ryzee119
FatFS driver: https://github.com/elehobica/pico_fatfs by elehobica
USB drive mode is derived from Adafruit_ColecoJam by Dan Cogliano
PSRAM: AndrewCapon
lwmem: MaJerle
Audio feedback and fixes: szuping
NES color palettes: FirebrandX, added to the emulator by szuping. Wavebeam palette by Nakedarthur. Bubbles palette by dragonkn9
Mesen: https://github.com/SourMesen/Mesen2 used as basis for:
- NES ROM database
- FDS implementation
- NSF playback
Anthropic Claude Opus 4.6 and 4.7 assisted with:
- Famicom Disk System (FDS) support
- mapper 5 (MMC5), including its expansion audio
- mapper 24 (VRC6a)
- mapper 30
- mapper 85 (VRC7), including the Yamaha OPLL FM audio
- mapper 69 (Sunsoft FME-7), including the YM2149 PSG audio
- fixes in other mappers
- NSF player support
- general code optimisations and bug fixes
Other versions
There is also a version available for the Pimoroni PicoSystem handheld.
