Internet Archive opens the Console Living Room collection

The Internet Archive, the non-profit digital library which provides permanent storage of and free public access to collections of digitized media, has opened the Console Living Room consisting of collection of console video games from the ‘70s and ‘80s, the organization announced on its blog.

As an expansion of the Historical Software Collection, the library currently includes games from Atari’s Atari 2600 (1977), The Atari 7800 ProSystem (1986), Coleco Industries’ ColecoVision (1982) and the Magnavox Odyssey² (1978) and Midway’s Astrocade (1983).

According to the announcement, the Console Living Room is in beta so the “ability to interact with software in near-instantaneous real-time comes with the occasional bumps and bruises” and those with up-to-date browsers are advised to use JSMESS emulator. While sound isn’t currently available, the functionality is expected to be rolled out soon. The organization also states that the playable software collection featured in Console Living Room will “expand greatly” in the coming months.