diff --git a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/NES/NESGraphicsConfig.cs b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/NES/NESGraphicsConfig.cs
index bfc9d097ac..ae0fd61962 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/NES/NESGraphicsConfig.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk/config/NES/NESGraphicsConfig.cs
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 			pictureBoxPalette.Image = bmp;
 		}
 
-		private int[,] ResolvePalette(bool showmsg = false)
+		private byte[,] ResolvePalette(bool showmsg = false)
 		{
 			if (AutoLoadPalette.Checked) // checkbox checked: try to load palette from file
 			{
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Client.EmuHawk
 				else // no filename: interpret this as "reset to default"
 				{
 					if (showmsg) GlobalWin.OSD.AddMessage("Standard Palette set");
-					return (int[,])Palettes.QuickNESPalette.Clone();
+					return (byte[,])Palettes.QuickNESPalette.Clone();
 				}
 			}
 			else // checkbox unchecked: we're reusing whatever palette was set
diff --git a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/NES/NES.Core.cs b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/NES/NES.Core.cs
index db8f390432..7c43878a73 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/NES/NES.Core.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/NES/NES.Core.cs
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.NES
 		public bool irq_apu { get { return _irq_apu; } set { _irq_apu = value; } }
 
 		//user configuration 
-		int[,] palette = new int[64,3];
 		int[] palette_compiled = new int[64*8];
 
 		// new input system
@@ -440,20 +439,38 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.NES
 		}
 
 		/// <summary>
-		/// sets the provided palette as current
+		/// Sets the provided palette as current.
+		/// Applies the current deemph settings if needed to expand a 64-entry palette to 512
 		/// </summary>
-		private void SetPalette(int[,] pal)
+		private void SetPalette(byte[,] pal)
 		{
-			Array.Copy(pal,palette,64*3);
-			for(int i=0;i<64*8;i++)
+			int nColors = pal.GetLength(0);
+			int nElems = pal.GetLength(1);
+
+			if (nColors == 512)
 			{
-				int d = i >> 6;
-				int c = i & 63;
-				int r = palette[c, 0];
-				int g = palette[c, 1];
-				int b = palette[c, 2];
-				Palettes.ApplyDeemphasis(ref r, ref g, ref b, d);
-				palette_compiled[i] = (int)unchecked((int)0xFF000000 | (r << 16) | (g << 8) | b);
+				//just copy the palette directly
+				for (int c = 0; c < 64 * 8; c++)
+				{
+					int r = pal[c, 0];
+					int g = pal[c, 1];
+					int b = pal[c, 2];
+					palette_compiled[c] = (int)unchecked((int)0xFF000000 | (r << 16) | (g << 8) | b);
+				}
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				//expand using deemph
+				for (int i = 0; i < 64 * 8; i++)
+				{
+					int d = i >> 6;
+					int c = i & 63;
+					int r = pal[c, 0];
+					int g = pal[c, 1];
+					int b = pal[c, 2];
+					Palettes.ApplyDeemphasis(ref r, ref g, ref b, d);
+					palette_compiled[i] = (int)unchecked((int)0xFF000000 | (r << 16) | (g << 8) | b);
+				}
 			}
 		}
 
diff --git a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/NES/NES.ISettable.cs b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/NES/NES.ISettable.cs
index 9c81ab5b3f..fed992396c 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/NES/NES.ISettable.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/NES/NES.ISettable.cs
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.NES
 			public int PAL_TopLine = 0;
 			public int PAL_BottomLine = 239;
 
-			public int[,] Palette;
+			public byte[,] Palette;
 
 			public int Square1 = 376;
 			public int Square2 = 376;
@@ -113,21 +113,22 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.NES
 			public NESSettings Clone()
 			{
 				var ret = (NESSettings)MemberwiseClone();
-				ret.Palette = (int[,])ret.Palette.Clone();
+				ret.Palette = (byte[,])ret.Palette.Clone();
 				return ret;
 			}
 
 			public NESSettings()
 			{
-				Palette = (int[,])Palettes.QuickNESPalette.Clone();
+				Palette = (byte[,])Palettes.QuickNESPalette.Clone();
 			}
 
 			[Newtonsoft.Json.JsonConstructor]
-			public NESSettings(int[,] Palette)
+			public NESSettings(byte[,] Palette)
 			{
 				if (Palette == null)
 					// only needed for SVN purposes
-					this.Palette = (int[,])Palettes.QuickNESPalette.Clone();
+					// edit: what does this mean?
+					this.Palette = (byte[,])Palettes.QuickNESPalette.Clone();
 				else
 					this.Palette = Palette;
 			}
diff --git a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/NES/Palettes.cs b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/NES/Palettes.cs
index fb0b92d6c4..568fda9b05 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/NES/Palettes.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/NES/Palettes.cs
@@ -20,19 +20,30 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.NES
 		}
 
 		/// <summary>
-		/// Loads a simple 192 byte (64 entry RGB888) or 1536 byte (64*8 = 512 entry) palette which is FCEUX format (and probably other emulators as well)
-		/// The 512-entry format is new and backwards compatible. (actually, the 512-entry format extra data isnt used yet, I just edited this to support the larger quicknes file i committed)
+		/// Loads a simple 192 byte (64 entry RGB888) or 1536 byte (64*8 = 512 entry) palette. FCEUX uses these, as do almost every NES emulator.
 		/// </summary>
 		/// <param name="fileContents">192 or 1536 bytes, the contents of the palette file</param>
-		public static int[,] Load_FCEUX_Palette(byte[] fileContents)
+		public static byte[,] Load_FCEUX_Palette(byte[] fileContents)
 		{
-			//'validate' file, solely by length
-			if (fileContents.Length == 1536) { }
-			else if (fileContents.Length != 192) return null;
+			int nColors;
 
-			int[,] ret = new int[64, 3];
+			//'validate' file, solely by length
+			if (fileContents.Length == 1536)
+			{
+				nColors = 512;
+			}
+			else if (fileContents.Length == 192)
+			{
+				nColors = 64;
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				return null;
+			}
+
+			byte[,] ret = new byte[nColors, 3];
 			int i = 0;
-			for (int c = 0; c < 64; c++)
+			for (int c = 0; c < nColors; c++)
 			{
 				for (int z = 0; z < 3; z++)
 					ret[c, z] = fileContents[i++];
@@ -41,7 +52,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.NES
 		}
 
 		const int SHIFT = 2;
-		public static int[,] FCEUX_Standard = new int[,]
+		public static byte[,] FCEUX_Standard = new byte[,]
 		{
 			{ 0x1D<<SHIFT, 0x1D<<SHIFT, 0x1D<<SHIFT }, /* Value 0 */
 			{ 0x09<<SHIFT, 0x06<<SHIFT, 0x23<<SHIFT }, /* Value 1 */
@@ -109,7 +120,7 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Nintendo.NES
 			{ 0x00<<SHIFT, 0x00<<SHIFT, 0x00<<SHIFT }, /* Value 63 */
 		};
 
-		public static int[,] QuickNESPalette = 
+		public static byte[,] QuickNESPalette = 
 		{
 			{102, 102, 102},
 			{0, 42, 136},
diff --git a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/QuickNES/QuickNES.ISettable.cs b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/QuickNES/QuickNES.ISettable.cs
index 365ca5fa0d..7f9695a89f 100644
--- a/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/QuickNES/QuickNES.ISettable.cs
+++ b/BizHawk.Emulation.Cores/Consoles/Nintendo/QuickNES/QuickNES.ISettable.cs
@@ -104,22 +104,39 @@ namespace BizHawk.Emulation.Cores.Consoles.Nintendo.QuickNES
 				SetDefaultColors();
 			}
 
-			public void SetNesHawkPalette(int[,] pal)
+			public void SetNesHawkPalette(byte[,] pal)
 			{
-				if (pal.GetLength(0) != 64 || pal.GetLength(1) != 3)
+				//TODO - support 512 color palettes
+				int nColors = pal.GetLength(0);
+				int nElems =  pal.GetLength(1);
+				if (!(nColors == 64 || nColors == 512) || nElems != 3)
 				{
 					throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException();
 				}
 
-				for (int c = 0; c < 512; c++)
+				if (nColors == 512)
 				{
-					int a = c & 63;
-					byte[] inp = { (byte)pal[a, 0], (byte)pal[a, 1], (byte)pal[a, 2] };
-					byte[] outp = new byte[3];
-					Nes_NTSC_Colors.Emphasis(inp, outp, c);
-					_Palette[c * 3] = outp[0];
-					_Palette[c * 3 + 1] = outp[1];
-					_Palette[c * 3 + 2] = outp[2];
+					//just copy the palette directly
+					for (int c = 0; c < nColors; c++)
+					{
+						_Palette[c * 3 + 0] = pal[c, 0];
+						_Palette[c * 3 + 1] = pal[c, 1];
+						_Palette[c * 3 + 2] = pal[c, 2];
+					}
+				}
+				else
+				{
+					//use quickNES's deemph calculator
+					for (int c = 0; c < 64; c++)
+					{
+						int a = c & 63;
+						byte[] inp = { (byte)pal[a, 0], (byte)pal[a, 1], (byte)pal[a, 2] };
+						byte[] outp = new byte[3];
+						Nes_NTSC_Colors.Emphasis(inp, outp, c);
+						_Palette[c * 3] = outp[0];
+						_Palette[c * 3 + 1] = outp[1];
+						_Palette[c * 3 + 2] = outp[2];
+					}
 				}
 			}