FCE Ultra is a console emulator I use quite often. I am a huge fan of the NES and grew up sitting next to one, every... single... day. FCE Ultra has been in development for a while, with its latest update being from 2004. Have no fear. The reason for the lack of updates is the simple fact that they are not needed. As it stands, everything works great.

The Linux version of FCE Ultra does not have a GUI, therefore everything from configuration and loading of a ROM needs to be done by command prompt. However, there is a frontend called GFCE Ultra which I recommend if you don't want to deal with the command line. That includes me.

GFCE makes it easy to configure your keyboard or gamepad for use with the game, up to four controllers. You can also quickly enable OpenGL mode as well, although I've never noticed a difference with using it. Full screen mode does the opposite. If you have smoothing enabled, it will be disabled in full screen. I am unsure why, but I had the same problem when I used to use FCE via command line. Full screen mode will show the game as you would see it on the original console.

I have never had a problem with this emulator, although I never managed to run it in full screen where it actually stretches to fill the black space. Hopefully you will have better luck than me, if that's your goal. Without a doubt though, FCE Ultra is your one stop shop for playing your favorite NES games.

• FCE Ultra - Official Site
• GFCE Ultra - Official Site