Controller Functions

Set the video output mode

To set the video output mode, press and hold d-pad down + select button for at least three seconds and release d-pad down only. Then, while still holding select, press the d-pad down n times then release the select button. If the debug LEDs are off, the number count will show on the LEDs. It comes set to automatic detection by default.

Number of times d-pad down is pressed	Video output mode
1	Composite video
2	S-video
3	Component video
4	RGB video
5	Automatic detection (power up load test)

In-game reset

If this is enabled, you may reset the console by pressing all four controller buttons together start + select + A + B and release.

In-game palette select

If this is enabled, you may select the next palette by pressing start + select + dpad right or the previous palette with start + select + dpad left without having to enter the menu. As long as you hold start + select,  you can keep tapping left or right on the dpad to cycle through the palettes. The palette name will briefly show up on the screen.

On-screen menu

To activate the on-screen menu, on the player one controller, press and hold d-pad down + select button for more than one second, but less than three and release. When in the menu, up and down on the d-pad will select the menu item, left and right on the d-pad will change the value if the item, the select button will exit the menu and save all the values. What follows is a list of every menu item and its purpose.

• Audio from cartridge
  If the cartridge audio mixing is wired up on a NES console, the audio input pin will be unconnected when the console has a NES cartridge inserted. To prevent noise from this unconnected input being mixed into the audio circuit, you can turn it off here.


• Vertical position
  Adjust the vertical video position up to +/- 15 pixels. Works on RGB, component, and s-video outputs, but not composite. Sync fix must be enabled too.


• Horizontal position
  Adjust the horizontal video position up to +/- 15 pixels. Works on RGB, component, and s-video outputs, but not composite. Sync fix must be enabled too.


• In-game reset
  You can enable/disable this feature.


• In-game palette select
  You can enable/disable this feature.


• Debug LEDs
  This controls what information is shown on the seven LEDs on the NESRGB board labelled G R 4 3 2 1 0. Typically you would set this to off unless testing. This setting can also be changed by installing tactile switch SW1 onto the NERGB board. Pressing this switch toggles between Off, Cable detect, and Monitor modes.
  
  • Off
    LEDs are normally off and will come on only briefly when accessing the menu and changing the video output mode via the controller.
  • Cable detect
    This mode shows two sets of information that alternates every two seconds. The first set is the video output mode.
    

    LED:	G	R	4	3	2	1	0
    Meaning:	-	-	Automatic mode	RGB	Component	S-video	Composite

    This shows whether automatic cable detection is enabled or not and what kind of video signal the NESRGB board is outputting. If LED 4 is on, but 3, 2, 1, 0 are all off it means nothing was detected and it output the default which depends on the value of the Automatic configuration setting.
    The second set of information is the video load detector result.
    

    LED:	G	R	4	3	2	1	0
    Video signal:	Y	VS	B	G	R	CS#	OVIN

    The load detection is performed at power up and the result is displayed here. The LEDs in this set will twinkle, so you can tell the two sets apart.
  • Monitor
    This shows the system monitor. Signals 0-3 are actual signals from the hardware divided down so they are visible to the human eye. Under normal operation they blink at approximately twice per second. LED 4 is from the microcontroller comes on if the game is reads the controller and while any of the buttons are pressed.
    

    LED:	G	R	4	3	2	1	0
    Meaning:	-	-	Controller access	PPU vertical interrupt	PPU access (chip select)	PPU sync	PPU clock

  • Always off
    LEDs are off in all circumstances.
    
    
• PPU modifications
  There are two miscellaneous features here sharing the same setting. I suggest leaving it on the default (A. Ring fix).
  • Colour emphasis off 
    Colour emphasis in a rarely used feature of the PPU which changes the colour palette a bit. This lets you prevent the game from using the feature.
  • Arkista's Ring fix
    This is a fix for the game Arkista's Ring, which would otherwise lock up at the end of the first loop. I think it's OK to leave on all the time, but it can be disabled in case it causes problems.
  • ARF, CE off
    Both of the above.
  • None
    Neither of the above.
  
  
• Calibrate video load
  This is an experimental feature for lead testing the original composite video output connection. Works on front loading NES consoles only. It says 'Success' if it's on and the calibration procedure has completed successfully. See the front loader installation guide for more details.
  
  
• Video test pattern
  Show video test patterns. There are different patterns available depending on the video output mode. This is just for checking the video DAC linearity.
  
  
• Video low pass filter
  The video driver on the NESRGB board has 6th-Order 9.5-MHz (–3 dB) Butterworth filter that you can enable if you want. It's for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) more than anything else. It's off by default.
  
  
• Automatic configuration
  There are two setting sharing the same item here.
  

  Auto configuration nr.	Load on R, G, B only means	If nothing detected, default output is
  0	Component video	RGB video
  1	RGB video	RGB video
  2	Component video	Composite video
  3	RGB video	Composite video

  
  
• Video output format
  Shows the current video output setting. It's either Automatic, RGB, Component, S-video, or Composite. This is just status info, to change it you need to use a controller button combination. It cannot be changed in the menu.
  
  
• Sync fix
  Formerly known as de-jitter. The NTSC PPU is short by one pixel every second frame of video. This apparently makes the composite video signal look better, but causes problems with digital that don't expect it. Turning this feature on will make all video frames the same size. This has no effect on PAL consoles. Must be enabled to use horizontal/vertical position controls.
  
  
• Colour palette
  There are ten colour palettes to choose from.
  
  • Generated NTSC
  • Generated PAL
    These two were made with the Pally NES palette generator.
  • Nestopia YUV
    This was included with the very first version NESRGB board because it was the most accurate PAL style palette on the internet in 2013. This and Generated PAL are the only two PAL style palettes of the ten.
  • SmoothV2
    
  • Digital Prime
    These two were created by Firebrandx with attention to accuracy. More info here.
  • Pixeltao CRT
    Handmade palette, increased colour vibrancy. More info here.
  • Sony CXA
    An even more colourful palette of unknown origin.
  • FCEUX
    A colourful, but inaccurate palette that this popular emulator uses.
  • Dark Power
    This one is actually called Toshiba CF2005 1985 Dark Powergamma Beta 2025/05/26, which I have shortened to Dark Power. It's from this Nesdev forum thread. I've never seen a dark palette like this before - it looks very odd!
  • Playchoice
    This is the palette from a NES compatible arcade system called the Nintendo Playchoice. The original hardware had a three bit per channel video DAC. As a result, it has an excessively colourful palette. The palette itself is from Nestopia.

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Last updated 30/4/2026.