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Browser-Based Retro Computer Emulator Collection

Hacker News •
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A browser-based emulator project called Tiny Emulators provides instant access to over 30 vintage computer systems and hundreds of programs without installation. The collection includes Visual 6502 Remix and Visual Z80 Remix transistor-level CPU simulations alongside full-system emulators for the Amstrad CPC 464/6128, ZX Spectrum 48K/128K, Commodore VIC-20 and C64, Acorn Atom, and East German Robotron KC85/3, KC85/4, Z1013, and Z9001 machines.

Each emulator runs in JavaScript and WebAssembly, loading ROM images and disk images directly in the browser. The project packages not just system firmware but curated software libraries: CP/M 2.2 for the CPC, FORTH and BASIC interpreters for Robotron systems, and over 100 games and demos including Boulderdash, Bomb Jack, Prince of Persia, Nebulus, and dozens of European demoscene productions like Batman Forever and Wunderbar.

The implementation handles platform-specific quirks — Kempston joystick mapping for Spectrum titles, CRTC register timing for CPC demos, and custom keyboard layouts for Robotron and Atom systems. Users launch titles through a minimal UI that passes keystrokes directly to the emulated hardware, with on-screen prompts for non-standard controls.