I built a tiny fantasy console from scratch, inspired by early 90s handheld consoles.
It runs entirely in the browser (JavaScript + WebAssembly), includes a virtual ARMv4-like CPU, 1 MB of RAM, a minimal RTOS, 16-color graphics, and can run games written in C/C++.
To test the system, I created a working 1-dimensional version of Pac-Man:
– The maze is just a straight line
– Ghosts still chase you
– Power pellets and score items work like the original
– Runs in real time on the virtual CPU
Demo (runs in browser, no download):
https://beep8.org/b8/beep8.html?b8rom=1dpacman
Technical details:
– ARM-like CPU (no floating point), emulated at 4 MHz
– Custom RTOS (threads, semaphores, SVC interrupts)
– 128×240 pixel display, 16-color palette
– WebGL-based PPU for tiles and sprites
– Games are compiled with GCC into ROM and executed on the VM
This is a personal learning project. Not commercial, no ads, no tracking.
If anyone is curious, I can share more about the CPU instruction set, memory map, RTOS, or performance challenges in WebAssembly.
Feedback, criticism, and questions are very welcome.
Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45796229
Points: 1
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Source: github.com
