At first, testing ALEXX SkyRider™ outside my main PC was simply a matter of curiosity.
I started asking myself questions.
Will it work in a Linux browser?
Then another question followed:
Will it work on a Chromebook?
That is how the testing began.
What became interesting was that one test led naturally to another.
When it worked on Linux, I wanted to see what would happen on Chromebook. After that came other devices, other systems, and different ways of controlling the game.
Little by little, ALEXX SkyRider™ stopped being, in my mind, simply an arcade that worked on a Windows computer.
Actually Testing the Game
For me, seeing a game open in a browser does not automatically mean that it has passed a test.
You have to play it.
You have to move the ship.
You have to test the controls.
You have to listen to the sounds.
And you have to observe how everything responds during actual gameplay.
Both ALEXX SkyRider™ arcades include a frame counter, so performance is another thing I watch during testing.
The goal is to maintain as many frames as possible while keeping the gameplay feeling stable.
Of course, there are also factors that do not depend entirely on the game.
If the Internet connection is slow, the experience may not feel the same.
That is why I distinguish between a game simply loading and actually providing a satisfying gameplay experience.
Linux and Chromebook
Linux was one of the first surprises.
Originally, the project was mainly focused on playing through a browser in a Windows environment.
When I tried it on Linux and saw that it could be played properly, another possibility opened up.
Then came Chromebook.
That worked too.
This was important to me because it showed that the game did not necessarily have to be tied to a traditional Windows computer.
Little by little, I continued testing.
I also tested both arcades on an Android phone and tablet, where they were playable.
Every successful result created the same question:
Where else might it work?
The Xbox Series S Surprise
One of the tests that surprised me most was Xbox Series S.
It was not originally a system I had in mind as a primary platform for a browser arcade.
The test required very specific conditions and some care, but it worked.
And it did not simply open.
Gameplay was good, and I could hear the game sounds.
Those are the kinds of tests I enjoy because sometimes you begin with nothing more than curiosity and discover something you did not expect.
That does not mean I automatically promise universal console compatibility.
It means I performed a real test and personally observed the result.
For me, there is an important difference between those two statements.
Not Every Test Produces the Same Result
I also learned that different devices can behave differently.
On iPhone and iPad, for example, I was able to play very well, but during my tests I could not hear the audio.
That already makes the experience different.
Later I tested an iMac, thinking that perhaps something similar would happen.
Instead, I got another surprise:
the sound worked, and the game played very well.
That is exactly why I believe testing matters.
I do not want to assume that because something works on one system, it will automatically behave exactly the same way on another.
I prefer to verify it personally.
Some tests confirm what I expected.
Others reveal a limitation.
And sometimes the result is a pleasant surprise.
PLUG AND PLAY Also Has to Be Tested
Saying PLUG AND PLAY sounds simple.
But for me, it has to be supported by real results.
I do not want to publish a huge list of systems simply because they are technically capable of running a web browser.
I prefer to mention the systems where I personally know ALEXX SkyRider™ works because I have actually tested them.
Windows.
Linux.
Chromebook.
Steam Deck.
And other devices that have been part of the testing process.
The same applies to controls.
I have used a keyboard, gamepads, and joysticks, among other options.
Each type of control can change the feeling a little, but each test also helps determine whether the idea of connecting and playing is really being achieved.
If I Have Not Tested It, I Do Not Promise It
One of the things I have learned through this process is that compatibility should not simply be assumed.
A browser can behave differently.
An operating system may handle audio differently.
A device may respond differently to fullscreen.
A controller may be recognized differently.
That is why I prefer to follow a simple rule:
if I have not tested it, I do not present it as guaranteed.
If it works later, excellent.
That is a bonus.
But when I say that a system has been tested, I want that statement to mean there was a real gameplay experience behind it.
From One PC to Many Possibilities
Everything began with a simple question:
Will it work outside Windows?
That question led to Linux.
Then Chromebook.
After that came more devices, more controls, and more tests.
Each one helped me better understand the possibilities of an arcade that runs through a web browser.
The important part for me is not simply being able to say that it works in different places.
It is the possibility that a gamer can reach a compatible system, open the browser, use a controller or keyboard, and start playing.
That is what I want to communicate when I use the words:
PLUG AND PLAY.
But with something very important behind them:
real testing.