Retro

The Pokémon Company has released the Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue Game Music Collection, a miniature Game Boy Juke Box that plays original chiptune tracks and sound effects via 45 swappable cartridges.

Hyper Sentinel Fusion, the retro-styled arcade shooter from Andrew and Rob Hewson, has launched a Kickstarter for a special edition that packages a DRM-free PC/Mac build on a floppy-disk-inspired USB drive, with the game targeting a summer 2026 release across PC, consoles, and collector formats.

A popular game archive service with around 390 TB of data, Myrient, will be closing its metaphorical doors later next month. Citing rapidly rising infrastructure costs, abusive usage, and lack of increase in donations, the service's founder has deemed it unsustainable.

Secret of Mana: Reborn version 2.5 resurrects two long-cut locations from the 1993 SNES classic, letting players traverse the original Water Palace-to-Neko route and an early Moogle Village reconstructed from pre-release magazine screenshots.

A purported revival of the long-dormant Atari Jaguar 3D adventure “Project Owl” has sparked confusion after a forum user shared footage claiming to have restored a “legal copy” found on a collector’s console.

Sorath has announced Devil Daggers II exactly ten years after the original’s 18 February 2016 Steam release, reviving the cult arena shooter renowned for its punishing difficulty.

Evercade has announced the Evercade Wireless Controller for its VS, VS‑R, and Alpha systems, with a confirmed release date of 28 September 2026 and pre-orders already available at select retailers.

The debut of the ReXGlue SDK for Xbox 360-to-PC recompilations has spurred the launch of four wildly different recompilation projects, though three of them are tied to deceased mangaka Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame. ReXGlue SDK also lays the groundwork for many more recomps to come.

The Gaminja ANS13 is a Game Boy-style budget handheld with a 720 × 720 IPS square screen, Linux-based open-source software, and more than 15,000 built-in games, all for under $40 on AliExpress. The gadget is designed for gamers seeking a budget retro experience in a compact and portable form factor.

The TrimUI Smart Pro S is a compact retro gaming handheld sold in numerous eye-catching finishes. Now available officially, the Smart Pro S contains several upgrades over the older Smart Pro S without deviating from its predecessor's PSP-like design.

GameMT has pivoted to a new handheld after releasing the E3 Vigor in December. Seemingly a reworked GameMT EX5, the new handheld retains the EX5's odd control layout that omits a second joystick in favour of a performance dial. Somehow, the Pocket Super Knob 5000 is a real name too.

A new version of the R36 Max gaming handheld is coming. Referred to as the R36 Max 2, the new handheld contains several upgrades over its predecessor. The original device's unusual design elements, though.

TrimUI is working on a clamshell retro handheld. Positioned as a smaller alternative to the Retroid Pocket Flip 2, the handheld is said to have a 4.7-inch display and may be as little as 15 mm thick.

Fallout’s creator has revealed how technical limitations, licensing setbacks, and a “B-tier” label forced them to adopt inventive solutions that ultimately defined the RPG’s identity.

The Phawx has delivered an early review for the Anbernic RG Vita. While clearly inspired by the PS Vita, Anbernic's latest retro handheld is not powerful enough to emulate many games from the Vita library. The same is true for GameCube, Saturn, PSP and PlayStation 2 emulation for the most part too.

A YouTuber has confirmed a key detail about Anbernic's PS Vita-inspired gaming handheld. Surprisingly, Anbernic has turned to a chipset last used three years ago to power the RG Vita. A global release is on the horizon, too.

MagicX has announced preliminary details for two new retro gaming handhelds. Both rivals to the Retroid Pocket 2S, the MagicX Two Dream Light and Two Dream Pro will be relatively affordable options too despite their 1080p and 4.5-inch displays.

Hamster Corporation, known for its meticulous Arcade Archives series, is expanding into console emulation with new Console Archives line for Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5, debuting with Coolboarders and Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos.

A retailer has revealed what appear to be the retail colours for TrimUI's upcoming Brick Pro gaming handheld. Departing from the original TrimUI Brick in several areas, the TrimUI Brick Pro should be powerful enough to emulate up to PlayStation 2 games, too.

The Pocket Max is an affordable gaming handheld equipped with a 144 Hz OLED display. Also featuring a larger battery and a more powerful chipset than the Air X, the Pocket Max is set to go on sale imminently with a sizeable launch discount too.

Anbernic has showcased its first gaming handhelds of 2026. A throwback to the PlayStation Vita, the RG Vita and RG Vita Pro feature full glass fronts to help create premium-looking designs.

Ayaneo has released a new high-end Android gaming handheld globally. Available in three colours with up to 16 GB of RAM, the Pocket S Mini also features LPDDR5X-8533 RAM, a 960p display and a large enough battery for hours of retro emulation.

In the 1980s, the Quickshot II was a staple in every well-equipped gaming setup alongside the Competition Pro. It has now returned with several quality-of-life improvements, such as USB support, whilst retaining signature features like microswitches and an autofire function.

Gamers who fondly remember the 1990s may appreciate the Maingear Retro98. The prebuilt gaming PC combines cosmetics inspired by the Windows 98 era with today’s most powerful CPUs and GPUs. The version with the Ryzen 7 9850X3D with Nvidia RTX 5090 graphics card costs $4,999.

GOG reminds fans of a simpler time when games didn’t rely on online-only launchers. Even so, with a suspicious banner, it’s embracing the modern trend of AI art replacing the work of humans. An artist for the storefront confirmed that generative AI was responsible for a wonky New Year Sale graphic.

A new Raspberry Pi Pico-based hardware mod for later-model PlayStation 3 consoles unlocks quasi-custom firmware, enabling unprecedented CELL and RSX overclocking, native PS2 ISO support, and Linux compatibility through direct XDR RAM exploitation. By achieving stable RSX clocks of up to 850 MHz and CELL speeds reportedly reaching 4.1 GHz, this community-driven breakthrough transforms the once-limited PS3 Super Slim into a powerful retro and homebrew platform, albeit with a hardware installation barrier.

An investigation has revealed that Anbernic has downgraded one of its recent gaming handhelds without so much as a tweet about the change. Switched earlier this month, the change should not affect existing RG34XX SP stock held by retailers, though.

A 15-year-old modder has pushed Hytale’s systems to their limits by emulating Windows 95, Minecraft Classic, Doom, and even Game Boy titles entirely within the game just days after its January 13, 2026, launch. His feats, achieved through custom CPU-based rendering and streamed as pixel data to Hytale’s world map, highlight the engine’s surprising flexibility and have already drawn attention from Hypixel Studios’ leadership.

The TrimUI Brick Pro will be considerably more powerful than initially expected. While the TrimUI Brick struggled beyond PlayStation and Nintendo 64 titles, a new video shows the TrimUI Brick Pro emulating PlayStation 2 games with ease.

For five days or more, PS3 fans haven’t been able to cloud stream games on the PS5. When trying to launch a title, PS Plus Premium members find that nothing happens. While workarounds exist, the popular RPCS3 PS3 emulator remains functional with a growing compatibility list.

PS3 emulation has challenged talented developers to replicate unique console specs. Through a team effort, an open-source option has set a new benchmark for playable PS3 games. Without the RPCS3 emulator, cloud streaming on the PS5 works with fewer titles and introduces additional drawbacks.

Following an initial unveiling in September 2025, Ayaneo has now provided new details about the upcoming Pocket S Mini handheld. The manufacturer has revealed the display type and design details, including a new color. However, it is still keeping some key specifcations under wraps.

Mangmi has finally shared the full spec sheet of the Pocket Max. The spec sheet reveals there will only be one configuration available for the 7-inch Android-powered handheld.

Ron Perlman reveals he was paid just “$40 and a sandwich” for his original Fallout narration and had no sense the 1997 RPG would evolve into a cornerstone gaming franchise. In a recent podcast interview, the actor reflected on his iconic role, his distance from gaming culture, and his surprise at Fallout’s explosive success.

An English fan translation has opened access to Delisoba Deluxe, an ultra-rare 1996 Sega Saturn title based on a Tokyo Friend Park 2 game show challenge that was never commercially released and exists in reportedly fewer than 100 copies.

First announced in January 2024, the Hyperkin Mega 95 is a handheld that can play SEGA Genesis and SEGA Mega Drive cartridges. Hyperkin has now provided an explanation as to why the device is yet to hit store shelves two years after it was unveiled.

Red Bull’s quietly released, limited-edition Tetris handheld, disguised as an energy drink can and capped at 10,000 units, has already tripled in value on resale sites after selling out within days. With its quirky 1.55-inch screen, simple controls, and numbered collector’s run, the device has quickly become a sought-after oddity for retro gamers and memorabilia hunters alike.

A new homebrew port of Super Mario 64 brings Nintendo’s classic platformer natively to the Sega Dreamcast, running at full speed in crisp 480p thanks to extensive decompilation and optimization work. Developed over several years by MrNeo, jnmartin84, and Falco Girgis, the project has impressed the retro-gaming community with performance and polish that rival, and in some respects surpass, the original Nintendo 64 release.

Retro publisher Mega Cat Studios is ringing in 2026 with a “triple launch” of new NES and SNES cartridges, reviving classic hardware with Super Fanger, Plyuk, and Old Towers. Blending couch co-op tag, cloning-based puzzle-platforming, and frantic action-puzzling, the lineup underscores how the homebrew scene is pushing old consoles into surprisingly fresh territory.

Japan’s Game Preservation Society has launched a Patreon campaign after government subsidies were slashed due to alleged regulatory violations related to its digital archiving practices. The nonprofit, which continues to expand its Tokyo operations and plans a US sister organization, aims to secure financial independence to protect its curatorial integrity and long-term preservation efforts.

Masahiro Sakurai, creator of Super Smash Bros. and Kirby, argued that ballooning AAA development teams make individual contributions harder to see, stripping away the personal satisfaction that once defined his work on smaller projects. In a candid interview, he reflected on the shift from tight-knit teams to hundred-person teams, warning that the current trajectory of large-scale game production is unsustainable and may push studios toward greater reliance on generative AI.

My Arcade’s long-teased Sega mini-arcade line is finally launching, with OutRun, Shinobi, Streets of Rage, and Golden Axe cabinets set to ship from April 2026 after a year-long silence. Sonic leads the rollout as the first available unit, offered in a $59.99 two-game “Joystick Player” and a $119.99 four-game “Mighty Player” configuration already on sale through My Arcade’s website.

Graded and sealed Nintendo 3DS consoles, especially limited-edition Majora’s Mask models, are commanding prices up to $1,500 on eBay, fueling anger among players already struggling with inflated costs for working handhelds. Critics warn that encasing unopened systems in acrylic traps aging lithium-ion batteries, raising safety concerns over potential swelling or leakage while rendering the devices unusable as game consoles.

A Reddit user known as “uncleseeth” has completed a 20-year quest to collect every physical North American Xbox 360 release, amassing 1,353 games and turning a casual achievements rivalry with friends into a lifelong pursuit. His painstaking hunt, revived after a family hiatus and culminating with a final gift, Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, now shifts focus from acquisition to playing and completing achievements across the entire library.

Vigilant Paradise, a Miami Vice-inspired first-person shooter quietly released for the Sega Saturn after five years of solo development, channels the aesthetics and design ethos of 90s console gaming with low-poly 3D visuals, branching narrative, and a synth-heavy soundtrack. Initially soft-launched in November 2025 and only later spotlighted by the retro community, the homebrew title showcases an ambitious technical feat on original hardware while offering a full single-player campaign at a modest $10 price point.

NBC’s broadcast of the Steelers–Ravens regular-season finale briefly turned into a retro gaming crossover when a graphics segment on Cam Heyward’s “frog stance” was inexplicably set to Bubblegloop Swamp music from 1998’s Banjo-Kazooie. The surprise cue ignited a wave of nostalgic reactions across social media and even stunned the game’s original composer, Grant Kirkhope, who learned of the moment from fans online.

The SuperStation One, an FPGA-based console from YouTuber Taki Udon, has finally begun shipping after a tumultuous development cycle, offering cycle-accurate emulation for platforms ranging from the PS1 to the Sega Saturn and Nintendo 64, while retaining compatibility with original PlayStation hardware and physical discs.

The X5 Alteron may prevent retro gamers from having to travel with multiple accessories. Both sides of the GameSir and Hyperkin mobile controller are customizable for fighting or shooting titles. Nintendo users can swap between modules designed for modern Switch 2 games or N64 classics.

David Rosen, the co-founder of Sega and a driving force behind the rise of arcades and the Sega Genesis era, has died at 95, leaving a legacy that helped define modern video gaming. As someone who transformed a post-war Japanese pastime market into a global industry, his influence meandered from early coin-op imports to iconic arcade hits, eventually powering Sega’s fierce home-console rivalry with Nintendo.