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https://github.com/arianrhodsandlot/nostalgist

A JavaScript library used for running emulators of retro consoles inside browsers.
https://github.com/arianrhodsandlot/nostalgist

atari atari2600 emscripten emulator gb gba gbc megadrive nes nintendo retroarch retroarch-wasm retroarch-web retrogaming sega sega-genesis snes virtualboy webassembly

Last synced: about 1 month ago
JSON representation

A JavaScript library used for running emulators of retro consoles inside browsers.

Host: GitHub
URL: https://github.com/arianrhodsandlot/nostalgist
Owner: arianrhodsandlot
License: mit
Created: 2023-10-03T13:09:21.000Z (9 months ago)
Default Branch: main
Last Pushed: 2024-05-06T03:23:57.000Z (2 months ago)
Last Synced: 2024-06-06T22:29:21.882Z (about 1 month ago)
Topics: atari, atari2600, emscripten, emulator, gb, gba, gbc, megadrive, nes, nintendo, retroarch, retroarch-wasm, retroarch-web, retrogaming, sega, sega-genesis, snes, virtualboy, webassembly
Language: TypeScript
Homepage: https://nostalgist.js.org
Size: 7.38 MB
Stars: 623
Watchers: 5
Forks: 16
Open Issues: 1
Metadata Files:
- Readme: readme.md
- Changelog: changelog.md
- License: license

Lists

awesome-list - arianrhodsandlot/nostalgist - A JavaScript library used for running emulators of retro consoles inside browsers. (TypeScript)

README

        
Nostalgist.js




  





  

    

  

  

    

  

  

    

  



Nostalgist.js is a JavaScript library that allows you to run emulators of retro consoles, like NES and Sega Genesis, within web browsers.

>  [!tip]  

>  Nostalgist.js is for developers. If you are a player and prefer playing games you own in browsers, rather than building something with code, you may want to try another open-source project [RetroAssembly](https://github.com/arianrhodsandlot/retro-assembly).

## A Quick Glance



  



## Website

Checkout [nostalgist.js.org](https://nostalgist.js.org/) for more online examples and documentation.

## Features

+ Launch a retro game with RetroArch emulator in a browser

  ```js

  import { Nostalgist } from 'nostalgist'

  await Nostalgist.launch({

    core: 'fceumm',

    rom: 'flappybird.nes',

  })

  ```

  Related API: [`launch`](https://nostalgist.js.org/apis/launch)

+ Save the state of the game, then load it later

  ```js

  import { Nostalgist } from 'nostalgist'

  const nostalgist = await Nostalgist.nes('flappybird.nes')

  const { state } = await nostalgist.saveState()

  await nostalgist.loadState(state)

  ```

  Related APIs: [`saveState`](https://nostalgist.js.org/apis/save-state), [`loadState`](https://nostalgist.js.org/apis/load-state)

+ Customize any RetroArch config before launching

  ```js

  import { Nostalgist } from 'nostalgist'

  const nostalgist = await Nostalgist.launch({

    core: 'fceumm',

    rom: 'flappybird.nes',

    retroarchConfig: {

      rewind_enable: true,

    },

    retroarchCoreConfig: {

      fceumm_turbo_enable: 'Both',

    },

  })

  ```

  Related API: [`launch#retroarchConfig`](https://nostalgist.js.org/apis/launch#retroarchconfig)

+ Access low level APIs of Emscripten

  ```js

  import { Nostalgist } from 'nostalgist'

  const rom = 'https://example.com/zelda.sfc'

  const nostalgist = await Nostalgist.snes(rom)

  const FS = nostalgist.getEmscriptenFS()

  FS.readdir('/')

  ```

  Related APIs: [`getEmscriptenModule`](https://nostalgist.js.org/apis/get-emscripten-module), [`getEmscriptenFS`](https://nostalgist.js.org/apis/get-emscripten-fs)

## Motivation

Nostalgist.js is built on top of RetroArch Emscripten builds. We love RetroArch to run in browsers because that's portable and convenient. Although there is already an official instance, [RetroArch web player](https://web.libretro.com/), and some third-party ones like [webretro](https://binbashbanana.github.io/webretro/), it's still not that easy to launch RetroArch in a browser programmatically.

The purpose of Nostalgist.js is to simplify the process of launching an emulator to play a game, via RetroArch, in browsers. Given a ROM and a core, the game should be launched without any additional configuration.

## APIs

Please refer to [nostalgist.js.org/apis](https://nostalgist.js.org/apis).

## Related

### Credits

+ These are the fundamental dependencies of Nostalgist.js.

  + [RetroArch](https://www.retroarch.com/) and its friends(the emulators/cores)

  + [Emscripten](https://emscripten.org/)

  + [BrowserFS](https://github.com/jvilk/BrowserFS)

+ We are using ROMs here for the purpose of demonstration.

  + [retrobrews](https://retrobrews.github.io/) and the authors of the homebrew games.

+ By default, our ROMs and cores are all loaded from this free CDN service.

  + [jsDelivr](https://www.jsdelivr.com/)

### Showcases

+ [RetroAssembly](https://github.com/arianrhodsandlot/retro-assembly)

  A web app with which you can build a custom retro gaming library inside your browser.

  Game states can be synced with cloud storage services like OneDrive/Google Drive/Dropbox

  It's built on top of Nostalgist.js.

### Alternatives

+ [EmulatorJS](https://emulatorjs.org/)

  Another JavaScript library for emulation inside browsers.

  It's more powerful and more sophisticated. It has many custom cores and has a friendly user interface. It can be used inside mobile browsers with touch support.

  It's not that friendly towards modern frontend development.

## Caveat

> [!caution]

> + Nostalgist.js **DOES NOT** provide any pirated content, like copyrighted ROM files or BIOS files.

> + And it **DOES NOT** encourage that.

## License

[MIT](license)