The context
Veranda95 is an internal project. The starting point was a specific wish: to get back to the games of an era with nothing to install, in an interface that looks like the web of that time rather than a modern site dressed up as a retro one.
The problem
Existing online emulators require heavy sign-ups, serve intrusive ads and lose the current game as soon as the tab closes. Nothing really brought back the feel of the games of that era, nor the atmosphere of the web of that time.
Existing emulation sites live off advertising. You arrive to play and spend the first minute closing windows. And when you come back the next day, the game is gone along with the browser cache.
The solution
Hand-coded platform, no CMS, with a deliberate 1998 look: an arcade of 115 titles emulated in the browser, playable online chess, user accounts with saved games kept between sessions, a community forum and a weekly challenge to bring players back.
Emulating in the browser, nothing to install
The games run right in the page. No download, no executable, no permission to grant. The visitor clicks a title and plays within a second, which removes the main reason people give up on this kind of site.
Saves attached to the account
Game state is stored server-side and tied to the account, not the browser. Switching machines or clearing the cache no longer loses progress. It is the detail that turns a one-off visit into a habit.
Not requiring sign-up to start
You can play without an account. Signing up only becomes useful to keep your games, which reverses the usual order: the visitor sees what they gain first, then signs up. The same logic applies to any online service.
A deliberate look, not neglect
The 1998 look is a design decision. It had to stay legible and usable on a modern phone screen, which took more work than a modern theme: interfaces from that era were never designed for touch.
Tech stack
The result
A site where you play in one click, with no install and no mandatory sign-up to start. Games resume where they left off thanks to account-linked saves.
- 115 NES, Game Boy, SEGA and Atari games playable in one click
- Saves kept between sessions and across devices
- Playable online chess, community forum and weekly challenge
- No install and no mandatory sign-up to get started
Frequently asked questions
Why hand-code a games platform?
Because no CMS handles accounts, saved games, a forum and an arcade without stacking five plugins that get in each other's way. Custom code was quicker to write here than it would have been to assemble.
What does a business take from a project like this?
The mechanics are the same as on a customer portal: user accounts, personal data kept between visits, content that makes people come back. A games site simply pushes those constraints further, with far less patient visitors.