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SPECIFICTION
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Nintendulator

qmtpro.com

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Spec score 7.4 #14 of 26 in NES Emulators

What it is

Nintendulator is a free, open-source Win32 NES emulator written in C++. It aims to reproduce NES hardware behavior, including quirks and special cases. Supported formats include .NES, UNIF, FDS images in fwNES format, and NSF; mapper support uses external DLLs, with extra sound channels available for most games that provide them. Features include FDS image writing, Game Genie codes, customizable controllers including four-player setups, input movie recording and playback, AVI capture, and a debugger with simple breakpoint support. Savestates and battery-backed RAM are stored in the current user's Application Data folder, so the emulator can run without administrator privileges. The official release listed is version 0.980, dated January 1, 2019. Version 0.985 Beta is an unstable development build that may have significant bugs. Versions 0.985 and later have 32-bit and 64-bit editions and are officially supported on Windows 10 and later; older Windows versions may work, and recent builds are tested with Wine. Full-speed emulation is estimated to require a 1500MHz or faster CPU.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Nintendulator is an open source Win32 NES emulator written in C++.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
Platforms
Versions 0.985 and later have 32-bit and 64-bit editions; Windows 10 and later are officially supported, with older Windows versions back to XP expected to work.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
Support
The maker invites users to contact the author by email at [email protected] or [email protected], or via the NESdev Discord or EFnet #nesdev IRC channel.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
Architecture
Versions 0.985 and later are available in 32-bit and 64-bit editions.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
Contact
The author can be contacted by email at [email protected] or [email protected], or through the NESdev Discord or #nesdev IRC channel on EFnet.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
Current release
The page lists version 0.980, dated January 1, 2019, as the latest official release.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
Emulation
It aims to emulate NES hardware quirks and special cases, though the maker says its emulation is not 100% perfect.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
Features
Features include writing to FDS images, Game Genie support for up to three codes, customizable controllers including four-player support, input movie recording and playback with re-recording, AVI capture, and a debugger with simple breakpoint support.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
File formats
Supported formats include .NES, UNIF, FDS in fwNES format, and NSF.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
Mapper support
Mappers are handled using external DLLs, which provide extra sound channels for most games that use them.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
Operating system
Versions 0.985 and later are officially supported on Windows 10 and later; the maker says they should also work as far back as Windows XP.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
Performance requirement
The site estimates that a 1500MHz or faster CPU is required to emulate at full speed.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
Related software
Downloads include an NSF Player Winamp plugin, with a 32-bit Unicode binary listed for the latest beta and Unicode and ANSI binaries for the current release.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
Release status
The page lists version 0.980, dated January 1, 2019, as the current official release and labels version 0.985 Beta an unstable development build.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
Save data
Savestates and battery-backed RAM are saved in the current user's Application Data folder so the emulator can run without administrator privileges.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
Unstable build
The page lists Nintendulator 0.985 Beta, last updated August 22, 2026, as an unstable build and warns that it may have significant bugs.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com
Wine
Builds made since January 2023 are tested with the latest version of Wine.Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com

Plans and prices

Nintendulator Free Open source Win32 NES emulator · full speed estimated to require a 1500MHz or faster CPU Read 7 Oct 2026 · qmtpro.com

Every Nintendulator plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Supports .NES, UNIF, FDS, and NSF formats.
  • Includes four-player controller configurations.
  • Savestates and battery RAM are supported.
  • Recent builds are tested with Wine.

Limits

  • Latest official release is dated January 1, 2019.
  • Version 0.985 Beta is labeled unstable.
  • Full-speed emulation estimates require a 1500MHz CPU.
  • No rewind, netplay, or shader support.

Who it suits

Nintendulator suits Windows users looking for a free NES emulator with movie recording, capture, configurable controllers, or debugging tools. It may also suit users who need support for the listed NES, UNIF, FDS, or NSF formats.

Verdict

Nintendulator offers a substantial set of emulator and debugging features, including movie recording and AVI capture. Note the age of the listed official release and treat the separately listed beta as unstable.

Where Specifiction places it

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