Dragon Palm
Dragon Palm
Proper Games in Your Pocket
Welcome to an Alternate 1985
Dragon Palm is a fantasy 8-bit handheld console that runs tiny (8KB) raw binary cartridges right in your browser. Built around the philosophy that constraints are part of the game, it features a 128x128 packed-pixel screen, 16 colours, and a deliberately severe 11-opcode CPU.
This web emulator allows you to swap between multiple authentic .dgc cartridges. Just select a game and experience a piece of parallel-universe British hardware folklore.
🕹️ Universal Controls
You can play using the clickable on-screen handheld buttons or via your keyboard:
| Console Button | Keyboard |
|---|---|
| D-pad | Arrow keys or WASD |
| U | U |
| K | K |
| START | Space |
| PWR | Enter |
💾 Included Cartridges
Select from the following cartridges:
- Adder: A classic snake-style survival game. Use the D-pad to change direction
- Brick Breaker: The classic breakout game reimagined for the Dragon Palm. Use D-pad to change direction.
- Dover Paint: A pocket drawing tool with palette. The D-pad draws, the
Ubutton presses the ink to the paper, andKchanges colour. - Dragon Scene: A technical demo showing different art techniques on the Dragon Palm.
- Falling Blocks: One of the launch titles for a future rival console, reimagined for the Dragon Palm.
- Magic Screen: A pocket drawing tool. The D-pad draws, the
Ubutton changes colour up, and theKbutton changes colour down. - Tennis: A competitive paddle game versus AI. Use Up and Down to move your paddle.
You can make cartridges too! Take a look at the Dragon Carts repository for more information on how to make your own game for Dragon Palm.
📖 The Hardware Lore
"What can we ship?"
In another Britain, a small Welsh hardware firm looked at spare components and asked the most dangerous question in engineering. The resulting Dragon Palm was not elegant, featuring just one 16 KB memory array and three 8-bit registers. It had no sound. It was a machine that didn't hide its workings—it dared you to understand them. It was awkward, it was clever, and for a certain kind of player, it was perfect.
❤️ MIT Licensed
All source code freely available on GitHub.
