https://myrient.erista.me/ - main site
This is arguably the best site ever made for this kind of preservation. And they shutdown because of insufficient funding and increased prices for hardware. They have full sets for NoIntro, Redump, TOSEC, MAME, RetroAchivements supported games, exo sets and lots of important coverage from good Internet Archive sources. All of this with direct downloads, no ads, super fast. Everything neatly organized and always available.
Either people start donating fast, or its gone. I recommend to download as fast as possible what you need. Its closing in about a month from now on March 31st, 2026.
Its already being uploaded and hosted elsewhere now. New site will be Minerva. So, while its sad, its not gone and will still continue on elsewhere.
Here is their matrix server https://chat.minerva-archive.org/
They are also taking anyone’s help that has storage and can help download anything that still hasn’t been downloaded yet. They have a backup tracker that you can check to see what still needs downloaded. They are also working on data for the checksums to ensure everything matches.
And here is their website if you wish to help and see updates.
Good to know. The question is, about the quality of the site (no ads, fast downloads, direct links) and so on.
It will be the exact same. Theyve already posted screenshots and it will be no different. It looks the exact same as well other than the name Minerva now. Looks like theyre preserving and mirroring Myrient as closely as possible.
They also have a Discord now, errrrm as well where you can track progress and talk to them. If Discord is your thing now lol
There is another project called RetroTorrents, it seems to take a different approach, and is more deserted due to the lack of interest with the playable formats .chd .rvz and .wux, .zip is good but sucks with disc based games.
It sounds like it’s MORE than just the funding issue but the funding issue is one of the big, CORE reasons why. Honestly, hosting this stuff also puts a target on the host-er’s back, so not sure if they even want to take that risk on anymore. The internet Wild West has been dead for a long while.
A sad day for emulation and game preservation.
Edit: Oh wow, their download speeds are terrible currently. I assume everybody and their mum is in the process of archiving.
Yes, they have alot of people to help archive for the new site. They just posted that the best way to help is to use their script to take some of the workload off the site and increase speeds. Minerva, that is.
Donated! Don’t think it will help much, but here goes nothing.
This is legitimately crushing news. Myrient is an invaluable archive and I hate to think of it disappearing. I use it constantly :(
Ugh, a dagger in my heart. That sucks, I really like Myrient. Anyone know what their Discord and/or Telegram channels have to say about this? I don’t have an account for either (nor do I want one).
I also did just upload a copy of a screenshot (not made by me). The screenshot here is the message from Discord or Telegram: https://lemmy.ml/pictrs/image/3ce1c9cc-7332-4367-9acd-ed6948e5e735.png
Thanks for this. The message is really disheartening to read. But points #2 and #3 in particular just piss me off. Just shitty moves all around and of course AI is somehow involved in this. We can’t ever have nice things, man.
no no no no , goddamnn
Am I reading this correct that hShop will not be affected?
No announcements about a closure on https://hshop.erista.me/announcements . If I understand correctly, both hShop and Myrient are operating independently and are hosted on erista.me.
as i start to work harder on my 8080 emu with a goal to get cp/m working then move on to NES… this kind of stuff makes me sad. :(
Dang, I had never heard of this one. A shame but maybe some folks like me will hear about it for the first time and chip in. 6k out of pocket every month is wild, is that a realistic cost? I can’t even imagine being in a place to consider shelling that out.
