A browser-based emulation platform designed to let players pick up a game on one device and continue on another is reportedly turning its attention to two more demanding consoles. Afterplay, the project launched by developer Patrick Corrigan roughly five years ago, may soon add support for the PlayStation Portable and the Sega Dreamcast.
The platform was born out of a common frustration: starting a retro session on a desktop, then wanting to continue the same save on a phone while away from home. Corrigan has spent years refining a system that runs emulators directly in the browser and syncs progress across devices, removing the friction of exporting memory cards or manually transferring save files between machines.
Speaking about the project’s longer-term vision, Corrigan described becoming “the default place to play retro games” as the team’s ongoing target.
Why PSP and Dreamcast Are the Logical Next Step
The choice of PSP and Dreamcast signals a significant jump in technical complexity for any browser-based emulator. Both consoles pushed the boundaries of their respective eras and remain popular targets for retro collectors and homebrew enthusiasts long after their official lifespans ended.
The Sega Dreamcast, launched in 1999, was home to a deep library of arcade-perfect ports, experimental titles, and early online experiments through its built-in modem. The PSP arrived a few years later and brought console-style experiences to portable play, building a library that ranged from polished JRPGs to ambitious multimedia projects. Adding either system to a browser-based stack would mark a meaningful leap for Afterplay and the wider category.
The Bigger Picture for Browser-Based Retro
Cloud-synced saves address one of the most persistent headaches in modern retro gaming. Standalone emulators typically store progress locally, leaving players to wrestle with file formats, folder structures, and device-specific quirks whenever they want to switch hardware. A browser-based solution sidesteps much of that friction, treating a save the same way a modern streaming service treats a bookmark.
For enthusiasts who rotate between a laptop, a phone, and the occasional smart display, that portability has become its own selling point. The catch has historically been performance: running demanding console hardware inside a sandboxed browser tab is no small feat, and the jump to PSP- and Dreamcast-class machines raises the bar considerably.
Corrigan’s roadmap suggests the team is willing to chase that bar rather than settle for easier targets. If PSP and Dreamcast land successfully, the platform would cover a substantially wider slice of gaming history, spanning from early 8-bit staples all the way through the late-1990s and early-2000s console boom, without forcing players to install anything at all.
Retro fans can follow along with more coverage of cloud-save emulation and Afterplay’s progress in RetroArcade’s news section as the story develops.
Source: Time Extension