Constellation Web Browser for Playdate

Browse a different web from your Playdate!

DOWNLOAD the latest version at:
https://browser.particlestudios.eu/

At the website linked above, you'll also find the documentation on how to create a website for the Constellation Browser.

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When I set out to make a web browser, it didn’t make sense to try support HTML, CSS, Javascript… Flash? on the Playdate. With only a D-pad, a small black & white screen, and 16 MB of RAM, it would be very difficult to reject a website’s cookies, much less browse through it.

So I created a new, lightweight JSON-based format, with a layout that works best for the device’s screen, controls, and processing power. Which also has the inherent benefit of creating a parallel web that works only on the Playdate.

I see the Playdate as a hobbyist device. And I think one of the joys of owning one is tinkering with it, or around it.

To me, the Playdate represents a great opportunity for all of us to create a new web from scratch. One that resembles more to the wild west the web used to be on its infancy, where you could get lost following links and discovering new websites. My hope is that we can create a new, niche web to explore together.

So I invite you to download this browser, try the homepage and, if you are a bit tech savvy, make your own website; host it on Vercel or elsewhere, and add it to the Directory for everyone else to discover.

Whether you make a website about the Playdate, its games, or a personal blog, daily news digest about cheese and other milk-related products, or whatever you feel like, the Directory is waiting for you. If there are enough websites around, you could even make your own Directory too!