NES / Famicom
The console that revived the video game industry.
Overview
The Nintendo Entertainment System (1983) revived the video game industry after the 1983 crash. The Japanese version was called the Famicom (Family Computer). It runs perfectly on Steam Deck with any of several excellent emulators.
| Year | 1983 (Japan), 1985 (NA) |
| Media | Cartridge |
| Steam Deck | Perfect |
| BIOS Required | No |
Emulators
| Emulator | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mesen | RetroArch core | Cycle-accurate, best overall choice |
| Nestopia UE | RetroArch core | Very accurate, lower resource usage |
| FCEUmm | RetroArch core | Good compatibility |
Setup
ROM Folder
roms/nes/
File Formats
.nes, .zip (compressed)
NES ROMs should be headered (have a 16-byte iNES header). This is the standard format and what No-Intro provides. Headerless ROMs are rare and mainly used for flashcarts.
BIOS
Not Required
The Famicom Disk System add-on requires disksys.rom placed in your bios folder.
Recommended Settings
- Use Mesen core for best accuracy
- Enable sprite limit removal for less flicker (purists may leave it on)
- CRT shaders add authentic look
Where to Find Games
Look for No-Intro verified sets on Myrient or Internet Archive. See the Download Guide for detailed sources.