NES Contra (1987) port (ASM –> C and then C –> WebAssembly)
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Based on vermiceli's annotated disassembly of Contra: https://github.com/vermiceli/nes-contra-us. Thanks for the great work.I ported it in two steps. First to C: the game logic is translated routine by routine from the 6502 assembly, and checked frame by frame against the original in the Mesen emulator. Then the C code to WebAssembly so it runs in the browser.The cherry on top: online multiplayer, so two players can play co-op over the internet.Source: https://github.com/epoyraz/nes-contra-us
HN · launched Oct 31, 2026 · 91 upvotes (top 11%) · 0 views
Niche: video game source ports · 455 launches, 42 in the last 7 days ▼ -33% · Explore this niche →
Category and tags
- Media & entertainment
- B2C
- Not AI
- Hobby / open-source project
Visit website ↗ Source listing ↗
Could you build this?
Partial AI can help translate 6502 assembly into C and then compile to WebAssembly. Frame-accurate fidelity, verification, and peer-to-peer netcode still take serious emulation and systems expertise.
What it would actually take: Start from an annotated disassembly and translate routine by routine into C, then compile with Emscripten to WebAssembly and render via canvas. Verify frame by frame against a reference emulator such as Mesen. Online two-player needs WebRTC or a relay with input sync and rollback or lockstep handling, plus Nintendo copyright considerations.
Discussion
20 comments analyzed.
Competitors mentioned: 3dSen, Codex
Concerns raised: Arrow-key-only controls, Possibly low-effort AI-generated port, Audio not working, No controller support, A and B keys swapped
Feature requests: WASD and mouse controls, Controller support, Music playback, Faux depth via motion vectors, DLSS support
Competitors
Other products that read as similar to this one : 378 launches clear the similarity bar, closest 8 shown.
Attention rank: #42 of 379 (itself plus its competitors, highest first, normalized so YC and Product Hunt are compared fairly).
Launched 360 days after the earliest competitor.
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- NSMB-Wii-Multiplayer-Recompilation · github · 2026-10-07 · 14 upvotes · similarity 0.45
- sm64ds-3ds · github · 2026-10-09 · 11 upvotes · similarity 0.45
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