August 20, 2026
Yes, you read that right: WESTPOINT BBS // TRSI HQ is back.
Not as a dusty memory, not as a screenshot from a time when you’d initialize your modem with “ATZ” and then dial into the system with “ATDT +49-211-575-xxxx,” but as a web-based BBS right in your browser. And the best part: The old sysop is also the new sysop: HAMSTER
WESTPOINT is exactly what it sounds like: a website that looks, feels, and works just like a classic bulletin board system. A black background, real ANSI characters rendered at runtime, menus, commands, messages, file areas, chats, and all those little details that make you think after just a few seconds: “Yes, this is exactly how it should look and feel.”
And since a board isn’t just meant to be looked at but also used, WESTPOINT can, of course, be controlled using the arrow keys or corresponding buttons. The computer mouse gets a break and is used only for scrolling, if at all. Navigate through menus, select entries, move through sections. “Terminal meets living room” only in a browser and without the hassle of a high phone bill or the need for a blue box.
For us, however, WESTPOINT is more than just a retro gimmick in the browser. It’s a growing archive of TRSI’s works, releases, and history. A place where we want to collect material, organize it, tag it with metadata, and make it accessible to everyone. Many files are already available, and more will follow. Step by step, an archive is taking shape that not only looks back but also continues to grow.
Because that’s exactly what this is all about: TRSI has a history. A rich history. Releases, music, graphics, texts, memories, and fragments from different eras and systems. Much of it is scattered here and there, some of it is hard to find, while other parts are in danger of simply disappearing someday. WESTPOINT is meant to help bring all these things back together in one place.
An archive, but not a boring one.
A BBS, but in a browser.
A retro feel, but with today’s technology.
Of course, we didn’t just build a download site. WESTPOINT also brings back classic BBS features. Message bases, private messages, chats, a user list, “Who’s Online,” auto-messages, file areas, and other sections are all part of the system. Private messages are encrypted, so even in this retro setting, not everything is out in the open like it used to be on some floppy disks or hard drives. After all, we want to give you the opportunity to communicate directly with us.
On top of that, there are modern convenience features that didn’t really exist back then. Many file types can be previewed directly in WESTPOINT without having to download and organize them locally first. Images, text files, NFOs, and other formats can be viewed right within the system. And since TRSI without music would make about as much sense as an intro without a logo, there’s also a built-in player for music files.
That means: browse, choose, watch, and listen, all right in your browser.
It was important to us that WESTPOINT not simply become a modern website with a bit of ANSI decoration. It was supposed to have that special feel that defined the old message boards, that mix of menu navigation, text mode, directness, and the faint impression that somewhere in the background, an Amiga drive is still chugging away, even though, of course, everything has long since been running in the browser.
Anyone who used to hang out on BBSes will quickly find their way around. Those who didn’t experience that era might get a sense of why such systems were more than just technical platforms for many of us. BBSes were meeting places. Archives. Spaces for communication. Places for releases, making connections, discussions, and sometimes even for very unique forms of humor.
WESTPOINT builds directly on that legacy.
Not as a museum behind glass, but as a usable system. As a TRSI hub on the web. As a bridge between then and now. And as another building block in what we’re currently working to rebuild more strongly: greater visibility, more structure, more collaboration, and greater access to what TRSI has created over the years.
Of course, WESTPOINT isn’t finished. A BBS is probably never finished. There’s always a feature that can be added. A file area that needs to be filled. A small detail in the interface that could be improved. An import function that needs to run more smoothly. And, of course, there’s always someone with another idea.
But that’s exactly why it’s great.
WESTPOINT thrives on growth with every file, every release, every message, and every new piece of TRSI history that finds its place there.
We are pleased to announce this development publicly and look forward to your visit.
You can find WESTPOINT at:
So stop by, log in, click through the file areas, read messages, write something, listen to music, discover old and new things, and enjoy for a moment that feeling that the web can sometimes look a little more like a BBS again.
If you spot any errors, don’t hesitate to report them to us. We’re grateful for any kind of feedback.
