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A project called demoscene-recomp presents four classic PC demoscene productions in a browser, using WebAssembly and models of DOS-era hardware. Its site says the demos’ original release files are served unmodified and that execution is checked against an x86 emulator; independent verification and technical performance details are not provided in the supplied report.
A web project called demoscene-recomp is making four classic PC demoscene productions playable in a browser by translating their executed DOS code into WebAssembly and modelling the hardware they used. The project says this approach lets the demos’ original loaders, music players and visual effects run, rather than replacing them with newly written browser versions.
The project describes a process that begins by running each demo on an x86 emulator, which records the blocks of code the processor executes over the course of the production. According to the site, those recorded instructions are translated into C one for one, with cycle timing based on the emulated machine, and then compiled to WebAssembly for use in a browser.
The browser version also includes models of the timer, VGA card and Sound Blaster hardware the programs use. The project says it checks the compiled version against the emulator event by event, including interrupts, hardware port accesses and video frames at corresponding points in emulated time. The demos’ code and the hardware models are distinct parts of this process: the site says only the hardware is modelled.
The available productions are Unreal and Second Reality by Future Crew, Crystal Dream II by Triton, and Stars: Wonders of the World by NoooN. The project says all were released free to the demoscene and that their original release files are served unmodified for the programs to read at runtime. Its page links to a GitHub repository, but the supplied report does not give performance measurements or independent test results.
Preserving Demos Beyond DOS
The project offers a way to experience software built for 1990s PC hardware without setting up a period computer or configuring a conventional DOS emulator. That matters for productions whose music and graphics depend on the timing and behaviour of specific hardware, not just on video files or recorded demonstrations.
Its method also makes the project relevant to software preservation: it aims to retain the original program’s executed instructions while recreating the environment those instructions expect. The site’s account describes the developers’ approach, not a third-party assessment, so claims about accuracy should be understood as project statements rather than independently established results.
For readers, the immediate appeal is practical: these works can be opened in a browser, while the technical approach illustrates one route for presenting older interactive software on modern systems. The site cautions that the productions originally ran at 70 Hz, saying they look smoothest on a display at that refresh rate or at 140 Hz and above. That note signals that a browser port can remain sensitive to the display used.
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Four Productions From the DOS Era
The productions listed on the project page come from the PC demoscene, a community in which groups created audiovisual demonstrations designed to show what computer hardware and software could produce. The four named works are attributed to Future Crew, Triton and NoooN; the project says they were released free to the demoscene. The supplied material does not provide original release dates for each title, beyond describing the demos’ loaders, music players and effects as running as they did in 1992 and 1993.
Older demos can be difficult to run reliably on current computers because they were written for particular processors and devices, including VGA graphics and Sound Blaster audio. Emulation can reproduce parts of that environment, while the approach described here uses recorded execution traces and a WebAssembly build to bring the result into a browser. The project says the trace covers the code the CPU actually executes during a demo, rather than claiming to translate every possible execution path in the original program.
The page also credits the IBM VGA 8×16 font by VileR of int10h.org, under a CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. It says visits are counted anonymously, without IP addresses, tracking cookies or personal identifiers. Those details describe the project page’s stated credits and privacy practice; the source material does not include an external audit of either.
“The original DOS code, recompiled instruction for instruction, runs in your browser.”
— demoscene-recomp project page
Accuracy and Browser Support
The supplied source is the project’s own description. It does not include an independent comparison of the browser builds with the demos running on original hardware, nor does it publish error rates, frame-timing measurements, browser compatibility details or a list of tested devices. The project says it checks execution against an emulator, but the report does not explain how that validation is documented or whether it covers every machine configuration.
It is also not clear from the source how the browser versions behave across different operating systems, browsers or display refresh rates, or whether every feature works consistently on mobile devices. The 70 Hz guidance is given by the project, but no testing methodology or measured comparison is included. The page’s anonymous visit-counting statement is likewise not independently verified in the supplied material.
Testing the Browser Builds
Readers can try the productions through the project’s browser page and inspect the linked GitHub repository for implementation details. The supplied report does not announce a release schedule, upcoming titles, planned platform support or a next technical milestone, so further development plans cannot be confirmed.
Useful next information from the project would include a browser and device compatibility list, documented comparison results against an emulator or original hardware, and details about how it handles code paths that may not appear in a recorded run. Until such information is available, the current account supports a clear description of the method and titles, but not a broad claim that every browser build reproduces every aspect of the original experience.
Key Questions
Which classic demos are available?
The project lists Unreal and Second Reality by Future Crew, Crystal Dream II by Triton, and Stars: Wonders of the World by NoooN.
How do the demos run in a browser?
The project says it records code executed in an x86 emulator, translates those instructions into C with emulated cycle timing, then compiles the result to WebAssembly alongside models of the timer, VGA card and Sound Blaster.
Are the original files changed?
The project says the original release files are served unmodified and read by the demos at runtime.
What display refresh rate does the project recommend?
The site says the demos originally ran at 70 Hz and look smoothest on a 70 Hz display or one running at 140 Hz or higher.
Has the browser version been independently verified?
The supplied report describes the project’s own event-by-event comparison with an emulator, but provides no independent verification or published accuracy measurements.
Source: hn
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