PoppyJump: A Flappy Bird Clone
Today I built PoppyJump, a single page, dependency free Flappy Bird style game starring Poppy, a cream cavapoo, jumping over flower crowned deer to chase a local high score. Nothing fancy under the hood: one index.html, no frameworks, no external assets, no build step.
The interesting part isn't the game itself, it's where it runs.
Play Anywhere With a Browser
PoppyJump uses plain HTML5 Canvas for rendering and the standard browser Gamepad API for input, with fallbacks for non standard USB controllers and older WebKit implementations. That means it picks up XInput, DirectInput, PlayStation, Switch style, arcade stick, and generic USB controllers when the browser exposes them, multiple connected controllers included.
Because it's just a web page with conservative JavaScript and browser APIs, it runs anywhere a browser does. Including, as it turns out, a PS5.
Getting It Running on PS5
There's no dev kit involved. The trick is simpler than that:
- Send yourself (or a friend) the GitHub Pages URL over a PlayStation Network message, the PlayStation App works fine for this from a phone.
- Open the message on the PS5 and select the link.
- The game opens in the PS5's web view. Any DualSense button, or pushing either analog stick up, makes Poppy jump.
No installation, no signing, no store review. Just a URL and the console's own browser doing the work.
Under the Hood
- Responsive HTML5 Canvas rendering with no external assets or dependencies
- Procedural cavapoo, deer, flowers, butterflies, clouds, particles, and parallax scenery
- Keyboard, pointer, touchscreen, DualSense, and generic game controller input
- Local high score persistence
- Generated Web Audio effects with graceful fallback when audio is unavailable
- Conservative JavaScript and browser APIs suitable for embedded browsers like the PS5's
Play It
https://manicx100.github.io/PoppyJump/
Keyboard: Space, Enter, W, or Arrow Up. Mouse or touch: click or tap. Controller: any button, or push either stick up. Press M to mute, R to restart after a game over.
Repo: github.com/MANICX100/PoppyJump
Peace ✌️