DIY portable NES Emulator for less than 25$

Published at : 23 Dec 2025

Links to components, drivers, source code etc. in this description.
In this video I'll show you how to build a portable NES Emulator.
I used an ESP32, an ili9341 Display and a Battery. All this components are placed in a NES-Controller.

It is based on the Nesemu Source Code from Espressif. I've made some changes, now it's possible to choose between a bunch of Roms that have been flashed to the ESPs internal memory. Also one can open a little menu with some settings like sound, brightness or fullscreen.

Source Code:
mine: https://github.com/MittisBootloop/esp32_nesemu_wemosmini

original by Espressif: https://github.com/espressif/esp32-nesemu

If you want to build one on your own, but don't want compile the Source Code, you can download the following zip-File, it contains all needed files + a little manual "How to Flash". You can also download the circuit schematic:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vhh_dH3Y5HFa4yqkVhevmMNTjaeFxtNw

You'll also need a Driver
https://www.silabs.com/products/development-tools/software/usb-to-uart-bridge-vcp-drivers

and a FlashTool
https://www.espressif.com/sites/default/files/tools/flash_download_tools_v3.6.4_0.rar

Music:
Fluidscape von Kevin MacLeod ist unter der Lizenz "Creative Commons Attribution" (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) lizenziert.
Quelle: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100393
Künstler: http://incompetech.com/

Components i've used:
These are AFFILIATE-LINKS, I'll get a little amount of money, if you buy over one of these - NO extra costs for you!!
ESP32 Board:
https://ebay.to/2BdNYz9 (leads to Ebay - Affiliate)
Display:
https://ebay.to/2MbN6zN (leads to Ebay - Affiliate)
NES-Controller:
https://ebay.to/2w0yLvc (leads to Ebay - Affiliate)
Battery:
https://ebay.to/2MIg2eU (leads to Ebay - Affiliate)
Charger:
https://ebay.to/2w1MnGz (leads to Ebay - Affiliate)
Boost-Converter:
https://ebay.to/2MhIlUK (leads to Ebay - Affiliate)