Emulators have become a popular way to play classic video games, whether you're looking for a quick blast of nostalgia or are a younger gamer who wants to experience classic games for the first time without having to track down vintage hardware. The Internet Archive, a non-profit organization with the purpose of building a freely accessible internet library, is now taking it a step further by adding web versions of classic 70s and 80s video games to its collection. It will mark an expansion of its Historical Software Collection and will come in the way of the Console Living Room beta, which lets users play hundreds of classic titles from the Atari 2600, Atari 7800, ColecoVision, Astrocade, and Magnavox Odyssey.
At this point, beta appears to be the right term, as reports are saying there are still technical issues with the emulation. Not only is there still gaps in the game collection, the audio is reportedly not working as of yet. Some are criticizing the free-to-play Console Living Room beta, and rightfully so, as it does not appear to be on par with existing emulators. Having said that, it is still early and it likely won't be long before the folks over at the Internet Archive have this thing complete and running smoothly.
If you're interested in giving the beta a try, you can do so from the Console Living Room page. There are several games available for each of the above mentioned systems, and be sure to read the disclaimer portions to ensure the best possible experience. For example, the 2600 reads: "Please be aware that there were many not-excellent cartridges produced for the Atari 2600 and some of the games should be observed but moved on from pretty quickly."