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Show HN: Resurrecting DOS – Bringing Classic Gaming to the Web (weplaydos.games)

7 points by beingmudit ↗ HN
Hi There,

We’ve all felt the nostalgia for classic DOS games like DOOM, Prince of Persia, and Duke Nukem. Unfortunately, running these games on modern systems is a hassle with often 10+ setup steps. To bridge that gap, I’ve built a platform that leverages DOSBox and JS-DOS to bring these beloved titles directly to the browser.

Say goodbye to complex setups! This platform seamlessly emulates DOS games, letting you jump straight into the action. I'm eager for your feedback on emulation performance, game compatibility, and user interface.

I’m currently beta testing and plan to integrate a light CMS like PocketBase for more user controls. I’m also excited to open-source the project soon, allowing users to create personalized “DOS cabinets” with their favorite games!

Let me know your thoughts and help bring back the glory days of DOS gaming!

10 comments

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thebuilderjr
Wow this is so cool. How did you get the licenses for these games? Does the gaming industry have patent-expiration-like regulations where after a certain period of time, the source code is free to use?
beingmudit
To be honest I haven't figured out anything about the licensing yet. I think most of the games are abondonwares but I can maybe start adding a license field.

Also, in the open source version, you will have to bring your own roms or maybe we can pull from archive.org.

wingi
Most games have owner (or it's unclear who own the games). Abandonware doesn't exists on a legal perspective! Find eXoDOS ... or LaunchBox ... there are illegal solutions out!
austin-cheney
Will this be an application that I can self host, perhaps in a Docker container?
beingmudit
Yes that is the exact plan. Once I get the CMS in, I can do all the customisations for users and containerise it.
austin-cheney
Great, then once that is stable contact the guys at linuxserver.io to get some super high visibility and additional maintenance support.
beingmudit
Cool. Thanks for this! Are you from the linuxserver team?
austin-cheney
No. I am just a user enjoying several of their images