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Visual 6502 in JavaScript

Screenshot of visual6502.org captured 2026-07-20
Page preview · captured 2026-07-20

Resurfaced independently across 7 calendar years, with breakout response in 2 of them.

submissions
9
submitters
9
observed span
2010–2020
peak thread · 28 comments
155 pts
latest 20+ return · 2020-02-10
155 pts

Submission timeline

2007–2026

One slot for every year since HN launched. Height is that year's peak points; orange marks a 100+ point or 50+ comment breakout. Select a bar to open its strongest thread.

First comments on top threads

HN comment order

I recently wrote a "remix" of visual6502 (just for fun), with C (and a bit of C++), compiled to WASM to see whether the rendering performance of the chip visualization can be improved while still running in browsers, and also to improve the "UX" a bit: https://floooh.github.io/visual6502remix/ Check Help -> About for a list of dependencies used in that project (lots of good stuff in there), the two most important being the original data sets from visual6502, and a C…

At the transistor level? I assume this means that each transistor is simulated digitally, as a pure switch, and not as an analog component, which I imagine would be near impossible to do in Javascript on current hardware. Not the most practical way to emulate a CPU, but surely a good exercise in learning how a processor works from the component level on up.

teilo·123-point thread·

This is still cool, but has anything updated lately? I don't see anything newer than the Atari 2600 simulation, but I also can't get the "Recent Changes" page on the wiki to show anything, so I might be missing something.

The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.

Breakout years
2

100+ points or 50+ comments

Total points
382

reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking

Total comments
63

reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking

Every submission

DateTitle as submittedByPointsComments
2010-09-176502 simulated at transistor level in JavascriptFirst breakoutpnp12328
2010-09-20Visual 6502 in JavaScriptdfox50
2011-01-07The Visual 6502 in JavaScriptelasticdog10
2012-03-06Visual simulation of the MOS 6502kghose60
2012-12-28The Visual 6502 JavaScript Simulatortdrnd30
2014-05-12The Visual 6502kumarski10
2015-09-08The Visual 6502sebkomianos8715
2016-06-28Interactive visual JavaScript simulation of the 6502 CPU, used in the Apple IIbokenator10
2020-02-10Visual 6502 in JavaScriptBest thread · Latest 20+ point returnkijduse15520