I think Libretro’s mission as software most closely matches the Web’s mission as a platform. In my (sparing) spare time, I want to make a distribution of RetroArch that is available on all platforms in perpetuity, supporting as many devices as possible with a single distribution, and, if possible, using only Web-native technologies (not NaCL, no plugins).
My initial goal is to support Chrome and Chrome OS, followed by iOS.
If you want to join, just know that I have 1-2 programming jobs already (depending on the week) and so am too busy to lead a team on this. This is mostly an exercise that allows me to contribute to emulation as a developer, advance the Web, and experiment with some really powerful technologies, which would be rather impossible in my for-profit life.
Thoughts on tech (here be Web jargon):
[ul] [li]asm.js will be the backbone technology, following in Toad King’s footsteps. In the last 6 months, all the major JS engines just woke up and decided to support it, which is why this is the right time to investigate such a project.[/li][li]The idiomatic side of the codebase will use the latest TC39 standards. So likely involving Babel, but not JSX, TypeScript, or any of that.[/li][li]It should run on all devices that can talk Web. That includes phones, VR headsets, or anything else.[/li][li]Should use Pointer Events for input where applicable, as it’s the only universal input standard. Using a polyfill, natch.[/li][/ul]
I’m just starting on this, so if anyone wants to provide any helpful comments, or perhaps point to parallel efforts, I would most appreciate it.
