Author: taternews

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Game Over: Pioneer LaserActive

https://retrohandhelds.gg/game-over-pioneer-laseractive/

If you thought $500 for a PS5 was steep, buckle up—1993 had LaserActive, a machine that looked like a microwave married to a NASA control panel and charged $1,000 just to turn it on. No games. Just… potential.

To play Genesis or TurboGrafx games? Add a $600 “PAC.” Want VR? Good luck—no one remembers what it did, but we assume it gave users motion sickness and existential dread. The whole setup? $2,000 in 1993 dollars. That’s like buying a Lamborghini to drive to the grocery store… while wearing a space helmet.

The library? Mostly clunky FMV “interactive movies”—think Hi-Roller Casino with live-action actors and the emotional depth of a PowerPoint. A few gems like Road Blaster looked gorgeous on LaserDisc, but they were buried under piles of slow, expensive video experiments. Why buy this when a Genesis cost less than your monthly coffee habit?

By 1996, it was dead. DVDs rose. PlayStation crushed it. And LaserDiscs? Forgotten relics in a dusty attic.

Today, the LaserActive is retro collecting’s final boss: rare, ridiculous, and wildly impractical. A monument to ambition… before someone asked, “Wait, why not just buy a console?”

Still, we kinda love it. 🎮💸

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

Anna’s Archive Loses .Org Domain After Surprise Suspension

https://torrentfreak.com/annas-archive-loses-org-domain-after-surprise-suspension/

Anna’s Archive just lost its .org domain—again—and honestly, it’s starting to feel like a digital game of whack-a-mole with copyright lawyers.

The shadow library, which lets users access millions of pirated books (and yes, that 300TB Spotify backup everyone’s buzzing about), got its main domain suspended overnight. .org domains? Usually sacred ground for nonprofits. But when rightsholders come knocking with a court order? Even PIR, the registry that once defended The Pirate Bay, bends. No official statement yet—but suspicion is high that Spotify’s unlicensed archive triggered the move.

But Anna’s Archive? Not fazed. They’ve done this before. After losing .org to a WorldCat lawsuit, they hopped to .gs—only for that domain to get yanked too. Back they came. Now? They’re already live on .li, .se, .in, and .pm. “This happens regularly,” they shrug on Reddit, like it’s just a bad Wi-Fi day.

The real story here isn’t the domain loss—it’s the resilience. Every time they’re knocked offline, they rebuild faster, smarter, and with more absurdly large backups. The music industry might think they’re fighting piracy. Anna’s Archive? They’re building a digital Library of Alexandria… one unlicensed MP3 at a time.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

8BitDo Announces Controller Built for Vertical Mobile Gaming

https://retrohandhelds.gg/8bitdo-announces-controller-built-for-vertical-mobile-gaming/

Forget horizontal gaming—8BitDo just flipped the script.

Meet the FlipPad: a USB-C controller that literally flips up from your phone like a relic from 2003, but for vertical mobile games. Think Game Boy DMG aesthetics (burgundy buttons! gray Start/Select!) meets modern smartphone ergonomics. No Bluetooth pairing, no battery anxiety—just plug it in, flip it open, and game like it’s 2005 but with better graphics.

It’s designed for portrait mode—perfect for mobile RPGs, shooters, or that one game you play while waiting in line. Six mystery buttons? Probably for save states and fast-forwarding, because let’s be real, we all need those. And yes, it works with both iPhone and Android. Apple support? That’s a big deal.

Launching this summer, it’s not the first mobile controller—but it might be the most charming. At $40–$60? We’ll probably buy two. One for ourselves. One to gift our nostalgic bestie.

CES 2026 booth #15641 is where you’ll find it. Bring your phone, bring your nostalgia—and maybe a case that doesn’t hate being flipped.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Pocket8 Makes PICO-8 Playable On Your iPhone

https://retrohandhelds.gg/pocket8-makes-pico-8-playable-on-your-iphone/

Hey, PICO-8 fans—your iPhone just got a whole lot more magical.

Remember trying to play Celeste on your phone through a browser, only to have the audio lag like a Zoom call with your uncle? Yeah. Pocket8 fixes that. The native iOS emulator, now officially endorsed by PICO-8’s creator zep, brings buttery 60fps gameplay, instant saves, and touch controls that actually respond—no more fumbling through platformer deaths like you’re trying to high-five a greased pig.

It’s not just a clone—it’s the real deal. Loads .p8 and .p8.png carts, supports multicarts via LOAD(), lets you favorite and rename games like your personal arcade cabinet. And yes, BBS browsing is coming soon—so you won’t have to bounce between Safari and the app like a digital pinball.

Android users? Patience. Lexaloffle’s official Android app is dropping late 2026 with Splore support and highscore syncing. Pocket8? It’s iOS-only for now—and it’s the way to play PICO-8 on iPhone. Sideload the IPA from GitHub, and start your pixelated journey.

Your phone’s never been this retro—and this responsive. 🕹️📱

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

Indian ‘Piracy Kingpin’ Acquitted After 10-Years Due to Lack of Evidence

https://torrentfreak.com/indian-piracy-kingpin-acquitted-after-10-years-due-to-lack-of-evidence/

The “Piracy Kingpin” Who Wasn’t — And the 10-Year Nightmare That Followed

Ten years ago, Priyank Pardeshi — a quiet IBM employee visiting family in India — got caught in a media-fueled witch hunt. Police found pirated movies on his laptop during an unrelated raid, declared him a “kingpin,” and spun a Hollywood-worthy tale: camcording theaters, running TellyTorrents, raking in millions. The headlines screamed. His life imploded.

But here’s the twist: none of it was proven.

No forensic analysis. No bank records. No domain ownership proof. Even the “expert” witnesses admitted they never saw him upload a single file. The court didn’t just dismiss the case — it eviscerated it, calling the investigation “devoid of technical evidence.” Priyank spent 311 days in jail. He couldn’t get a job. No one wanted to marry him. A co-defendant died during the trial.

Now, he’s free — but broken. “People saw me as a criminal,” he says. Meanwhile, the press is already crowning another alleged “kingpin” behind iBomma — with the same flashy claims, zero forensics, and a director gushing over police heroics.

The pattern? India’s anti-piracy crusades often prioritize spectacle over substance. The real crime? Destroying lives before the evidence even shows up.

Priyank’s story isn’t about piracy. It’s about what happens when suspicion replaces proof — and the system forgets to check its own work.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

Furrtek’s Store Reopened

https://retrorgb.com/furrteks-store-reopened.html

Furrtek’s shop is back—and retro gamers are doing a happy dance.

The star of the show? The NeoGeo MVS to AES converter. For those who don’t know: MVS arcade carts are way cheaper than their AES (home console) cousins, and they’re identical in gameplay. Now you can plug your budget-friendly MVS carts into your prized AES console. Budget win? Check.

But here’s the real MVP: ten tiny, custom-made replacement chips for SNK arcade boards. These aren’t just spare parts—they’re lifelines. If your Neo Geo motherboard’s fried because a 30-year-old chip croaked, these boards bring it back from the dead. No more “oh no, it’s unfixable” despair. Just plug, power up, and play.

And let’s not forget: Furrtek isn’t just selling stuff. They’re preserving history—one FPGA at a time. Open-source tools, hardware hacks, quiet heroics… this is the retro scene’s unsung wizardry.

Neo CD Loaders? Still MIA. But hey—we’ll take what we can get.

👉 Grab your fixes before they’re gone: furrtek.org/shop

📰 New article from RetroRGB

Vigilant Paradise, a New Homebrew Saturn FPS, Flies Under the Radar

https://retrorgb.com/vigilant-paradise-a-new-homebrew-saturn-fps-flies-under-the-radar.html

Let’s talk about Vigilant Paradise—a 5-year labor of love that just dropped like a surprise palm tree on your Sega Saturn doorstep.

Riccardo Campione’s homebrew FPS flew under the radar for two months—until someone typed “Sega Saturn” into Itch.io and stumbled upon a full-blown, voice-acted, CD-synth-blasting cop thriller. Two buddies. One sun-drenched city full of terrorists. And enough cheesy one-liners to fill a ’90s action movie trailer. Oh, and it’s six levels long. That’s longer than most Saturn games ever were—homebrew or not.

It runs on real hardware (preferably with an ODE), has 3D graphics, PCM audio, and uses both Saturn CPUs like it’s trying to win a hardware Olympics. The controls? D-pad moves, L/R triggers shoot—no analog, no look up/down. Just pure, deliberate, Doom-meets-Point Blank gunplay.

And here’s the kicker: it costs $7. Not free. Not a demo. A commercial homebrew, self-funded and proudly sold with a “don’t pirate me” note. That’s rare. Bold. Adorable.

If you’ve ever dreamed of blasting terrorists in a Saturn game with seagulls chirping in the background? This is your moment. Grab it before the CD-Rs sell out—and maybe thank Riccardo for not giving up after five late nights. 🌴🔫

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

PS2 Remake of Ys V Now Playable In English

https://retrohandhelds.gg/ps2-remake-of-ys-v-now-playable-in-english/

Let’s be real—Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand was the game everyone nodded at politely while quietly reaching for a different entry in the series. Forgotten? Maybe. Unplayable in English? Absolutely—until now.

Enter Kaisaan, the fan translator who looked at the 2001 PS2 remake of this cult-classic misfit and said, “Nah, we’re fixing this.” The result? A beta English patch that finally lets Western players dive into Adol’s desert odyssey—where ancient alchemy, a sneaky merchant, and an amnesiac girl named Niena turn sandstorms into storybook drama.

Mechanically? Yeah, it’s a little barebones—jumping, eight-directional movement, and combat so easy you could play it with your eyes closed. But the atmosphere? The music? That haunting desert vibe? Pure Ys magic. This isn’t your grandpa’s action RPG, but it is a crucial piece of gaming history—now unlocked.

This isn’t about making Ys V a masterpiece. It’s about giving it dignity. No more whispers in the dark. Just Adol, a crumbling city, and an English patch that says: You’re not forgotten anymore.

Check the GitHub. Beta? Sure. But so was the internet in ‘95—and look how that turned out.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Emerald Dragon Finally Breaks Free Of Import Jail

https://retrohandhelds.gg/emerald-dragon-finally-breaks-free-of-import-jail/

Let’s be real—Emerald Dragon was the RPG version of that gorgeous vintage poster you never hung up because it came with a 10-page instruction manual in kanji. For decades, fans stared longingly at its anime cutscenes and CD-quality voice acting, whispering, “I wish I could play this… but also, no.”

Well, 2026 is the year magic happens. Thanks to a brand-new English patch by Supper, the 1994 PC Engine CD version of Emerald Dragon is finally playable without a translator, a cheat code, or a PhD in Japanese folklore. Think Final Fantasy meets Dragon’s Lair, but with more dragons and fewer “press start” screens.

This isn’t just a port—it’s a full-blown remake. Voiced dialogue? Check. Smoother turn-based combat? Double check. Over-the-top fantasy drama where a dragon-man saves his human pal from demonic apocalypses? Oh, absolutely. It’s the kind of game that makes you forget you’re playing on a 30-year-old console… until you hear the CD spin up like it’s auditioning for a sci-fi radio play.

Now, finally, you don’t need to be a retro archaeologist to enjoy it. Just boot it up, grab a snack, and let Atrushan and Tamrin drag you through an epic of dragons, destiny, and surprisingly good voice acting. The import jail is broken—and it’s about time.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

NHL’94 Finally Gets In The Fightin’ Spirit

https://retrohandhelds.gg/nhl94-finally-gets-in-the-fightin-spirit/

Let’s be real: NHL ’94 was the GOAT of 16-bit hockey games—until you realized it was basically a polite ice rink with no fists.

For 30 years, fans whispered the same prayer: “Where are the brawls?” Back in ’93, you could drop the gloves and go full Rocky IV on the ice. Then ’94 came along… and suddenly, hockey felt like a corporate team-building retreat. No punches. No penalties for punching. Just… skating.

Enter NHL ’94: Fight Edition—a ROM hack so beautiful, it’s basically a love letter to grizzled 90s teens who once screamed “PROBERT!” at their TV. The genius? It doesn’t rewrite the game. It just remembers what it used to be: bruised knuckles, chaotic scrums, and the sweet sound of a goalie screaming as two enforcers tumble into his crease. And yes—fights now trigger penalty boxes. Because even chaos has rules.

What’s wild? It works with existing custom rosters and old-school Genesis carts. No fancy graphics, no modern tweaks—just pure, uncut nostalgia with extra pugilism. Fans are already posting videos of their 1994-era Osgoods vs. Probert showdowns like it’s the Stanley Cup Finals.

Sometimes, the best way to honor a classic isn’t to remake it.

It’s to give back what was stolen… by fists.