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I built a Game Boy emulator in F#

nickkossolapov.github.io

April 30, 2026

22 min read

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63/100

Summary

Nick Kossolapov developed a Game Boy emulator using F# to deepen his understanding of computer functionality. The project was inspired by his childhood experiences with the Game Boy and aims to emulate its hardware in a simplified manner.

Key Takeaways

Nick Kossolapov developed a Game Boy emulator called Fame Boy using F#, which includes sound and runs on both desktop and web platforms.
The emulator's architecture mimics the actual Game Boy hardware, with a CPU that interacts with a memory map and an IO controller for managing hardware registers.
The Fame Boy emulator operates in a single-threaded manner, synchronizing all components through a central stepper function to maintain the correct number of cycles per second for gameplay.
Kossolapov previously built a CHIP-8 emulator to gain experience in emulator development before tackling the more complex Game Boy emulator.

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Community Sentiment

Mixed

Positives

Building a Game Boy emulator in F# showcases the language's capabilities, highlighting its potential for creative and educational projects in programming.
Emulators serve as an excellent way to learn a programming language, allowing developers to engage deeply with both the language and the underlying hardware.
The discussion around optimizing F# for performance indicates a growing understanding of how to balance functional programming with imperative techniques for efficiency.

Concerns

Concerns about the performance of F# for certain applications suggest that while it has strengths, it may not always be the best choice for speed-critical tasks.
The negative experiences with LLMs, particularly in terms of plagiarism and lack of genuine understanding, raise ethical concerns about AI's role in programming education.