Author: taternews

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

IPTV Piracy Crackdown in Sweden ‘Exposes’ 4,886 Subscribers

https://torrentfreak.com/iptv-piracy-crackdown-in-sweden-exposes-4886-subscribers/

Sweden’s pirate IPTV scene just got a lot more personal.

While The Pirate Bay may be old news, illegal streaming is booming—roughly 700,000 Swedish households are using cheap, illegal IPTV services. And now, authorities aren’t just going after the operators… they’re keeping tabs on you.

After busting Nordicplay—a massive operation pulling in $3.8 million via fake companies and Swish payments—police uncovered a list of 4,886 paying subscribers. Yep. Your credit card just got snooped on by the cops. (And no, you’re not being charged… yet.)

But here’s the twist: they didn’t go after these users for piracy. They went after the operators for tax fraud. Still, anti-piracy group Rights Alliance is pushing for a gentle nudge—sending warning letters to subscribers: “Hey, your name’s on a criminal list. Maybe rethink that $5/month ‘Netflix++’ deal?”

And it’s not just a scare tactic. Starting July 1, 2026, Sweden plans to make it illegal to even watch pirate IPTV. Fines? Coming soon.

So if you’ve been saving cash with a shady stream service… your wallet might not be the only thing getting thinner.

Pro tip: Legit streaming is cheaper than legal fees.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Escape 2049 Announced for Sega Genesis and GBA

https://retrohandhelds.gg/escape-2049-announced-for-sega-genesis-and-gba/

Forget time travel—Escape 2049 is taking us back to the future… on a Sega Genesis.

French studio OrionSoft just dropped news that Escape 2049, the gritty sequel to Escape 2042, is hitting retro consoles like it’s 1995… if 1995 had AI surveillance, asteroid prisons, and grenades that solve puzzles. You play as Elena, hacker hubby Shun’s wife, who gets jailed after AI spots her too late. Think Contra meets Oddworld, with a dash of Another World’s eerie atmosphere—and all wrapped in pixel art that somehow feels fresh.

Gameplay? Run, gun, hack, disable cameras, hunt keycards, and blow up stuff across four wild worlds: prisons, deserts, forests, and—yes—an asteroid. Twelve levels. Twelve bosses. Zero mercy.

And if you’re a collector? Cartridges with manuals. Physical boxes. The full nostalgia package. (Or go digital, no judgment—we’ve all got cluttered shelves.) Plus, Steam’s getting it too, and Escape 2042 is being re-released like a cult classic vinyl.

Kickstarter’s live, and the demo’s free. If you miss the days when “dystopia” meant 16-bit sprites and cassette tapes… this is your sign.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

TrimUI Smart Pro S Review: The Same (But Better)

https://retrohandhelds.gg/trimui-smart-pro-s-review/

Let’s be real: if you bought the original TrimUI Smart Pro and thought, “This is cute… but I need more oomf,” — congratulations. 2026 heard you.

The Smart Pro S keeps the same chunky, Vita-esque design (good grip? nope), 720p screen (still perfect for PSP), and clicky buttons you either love or flinch at. But under the hood? Big upgrade: an Allwinner A523 chip, 1GB RAM, and TMR analog sticks that won’t die after three hours of Sonic Advance 3.

PSP games? Smooth. N64? Barely playable, but possible. Dreamcast? Don’t push it. The stock OS is… fine. Like a plain toast with jam — gets the job done, but you’re craving something better.

Enter: the hackers. CFW from Spruce, Knulli, and NextUI is already in the wild, turning this into a real Linux powerhouse. Think of it as a blank canvas — ugly out of the box, but with mods? Chef’s kiss.

Alternatives? Mangmi Air X (Android) or RGB10 Max 3. But if you want Linux, under $100, and don’t mind squishing your hands like a stress ball? This is the handheld.

It’s not perfect. But it’s the underdog with a plan — and community love on its side. Just don’t blame us when you’re up at 2 a.m. playing Buster Brothers like it’s 2004 again.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

Weekly Roundup #497

https://retrorgb.com/week497.html

You know you’re living in the future when your retro gaming fix comes with 4K textures, FPGA deep dives, and a vinyl soundtrack for Chrono Trigger—because why just play the game when you can own it?

Bob from RetroRGB’s latest roundup is a love letter to the old-school with a modern twist. He’s testing a cheap magnifying headset that makes SNES pixels look like Renaissance paintings, and yes—he’s figured out how to bypass the Genesis’ subcarrier for cleaner video (because analog purists never sleep). There’s also a Quest 64 recompilation for your PC, HD Mario Kart textures that’ll make your eyes weep with joy, and a Virtual Boy in slow-mo (yes, really—you’ve never seen those 3D visuals until now).

But wait—there’s drama. Bob warns about “fake CRTs” and dodgy SNES units floating on eBay, because nobody wants to drop $200 on a brick that looks like a console. Meanwhile, OpenMenu is breathing new life into the GD-ROM system, and Lu’s MiSTer FPGA updates are dropping like it’s 1995 again—Apple IIGS? CD-I FMV? Sign us up.

And if you’re feeling generous? Support Bob. He’s not just making videos—he’s preserving gaming history, one pixel at a time.

P.S. The Chrono Trigger vinyl? Pre-order now. You’ll thank us when it arrives with a cassette of “One-Winged Angel” stuck to the inside.

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

Unsealed: Spotify Lawsuit Triggered Anna’s Archive Domain Name Suspensions

https://torrentfreak.com/unsealed-spotify-lawsuit-triggered-annas-archive-domain-name-suspensions/

Spotify just pulled the plug on Anna’s Archive—literally.

You knew Anna’s Archive as the shadow library that hoarded pirated books. But in December, they dropped a bombshell: they’d also scraped 86 million Spotify tracks. No music yet—just metadata. But the labels panicked. Within days, Spotify and the Big Three (UMG, Sony, Warner) filed a sealed lawsuit accusing Anna’s Archive of brazen DRM-busting, mass copyright theft, and planning to “freely distribute” millions of songs. The goal? Stop them before they even hit “upload.”

And it worked—fast. A judge issued an emergency restraining order in January, and boom: Anna’s .ORG and .SE domains vanished. Even Cloudflare got dragged in—not because they hosted the files, but because they helped them load. The court didn’t wait for a hearing. They went full legal nuke: domain registries, hosting providers, even India’s internet exchange were ordered to cut ties.

Then came the twist: Anna’s Archive quietly removed its Spotify downloads. No fanfare. Just… gone. Coincidence? Probably not. It’s the digital equivalent of a thief dropping the loot when the cops show up.

The lawsuit is still ongoing, and Anna’s Archive hasn’t surrendered—other domains still work. But for now? Spotify’s secret stash is back under lock and key. For the first time ever, the shadow library got shadowed.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Nintendo Wouldn’t Let Sonic Stand in Front

https://retrohandhelds.gg/nintendo-wouldnt-let-sonic-stand-in-front/

Let’s be real—Mario and Sonic are basically the Mario Kart and Forza of their respective universes. One’s a plucky plumber who jumps on turtles; the other’s a blue blur who outruns time. So when Nintendo insisted Sonic literally not stand in front of Mario on box art? Yeah, that wasn’t just branding. That was war.

Ryoichi Hasegawa’s anecdote is peak Nintendo: a 2008 crossover game, Sonic still reeling from the disaster that was Sonic ‘06, and Mario fresh off winning hearts (and awards) with Super Mario Galaxy. Yet somehow, the real battle wasn’t on-screen—it was in Photoshop. One pixel too far forward? Fix it or we kill the deal.

And guess what? Nintendo held firm. From Beijing to London, Mario’s boot was always the first thing you saw. Even when Sonic could theoretically outrun a bullet, he had to settle for second place… in art. Only by Rio 2016 did they finally let Sonic stand tall.

It’s absurd. It’s hilarious. And honestly? Kinda beautiful. Nintendo didn’t just protect Mario—they worshipped him. And somehow, in the most petty way possible… they won.

(Also, imagine being the artist who got that email: “Can you nudge Sonic back? Like, a lot.”)

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Another Japanese PS2 Game, MabinoxStyle, Gets Translated

https://retrohandhelds.gg/another-japanese-ps2-game-mabinoxstyle-gets-translated/

Let’s be real: if you’ve ever daydreamed about being the awkward human in a magical academy where everyone’s got a spellbook and a crush, Mabino×Style is the PS2 time capsule you didn’t know you needed.

Out in 2005 and all but forgotten, this Japanese visual novel — where you juggle classes, magic stats, and romantic subplots like a caffeinated wizard — has just gotten its first full English patch. Thanks to Brazilian fan Gopicolo (and crew), you can now navigate the school halls, flirt with witches, and accidentally trigger a 50-hour romance arc without knowing a single kanji. No half-translated FMVs here — the whole thing, from menus to voice lines (yes, Riya’s mid-2000s bop included), is now 100% English.

It’s not just another dating sim. Kid, the studio behind it, planned a whole multimedia universe — manga, novels, maybe even more games. But like so many PS2 gems, it vanished into the void… until now.

The patch dropped last week on romhack.ing, and fans are already streaming it with subtitles. Think Harvest Moon meets Harry Potter, but with more blushes and fewer Quidditch matches. Your weekend just got a spellbook.

Go ahead — you know you want to pick “Study Magic” over “Talk to the Cute Girl.” (We see you.)

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

TrimUI Brick Pro: Everything We Know So Far

https://retrohandhelds.gg/trimui-brick-pro-everything-we-know-so-far/

Meet the TrimUI Brick Pro — because sometimes, a 3.2-inch screen just isn’t enough when you’re craving PS2-era glory on the go.

Rumor has it TrimUI’s cult-favorite vertical handheld is getting a glow-up: a juicy 4-inch display, dual RGB joysticks (yes, actual sticks — no more thumb-squishing), and, shockingly… Android. That’s right. No more Linux. The system’s new brain is rumored to be powerful enough to run NetherSX2, meaning PS2 games might soon be playable in your pocket. (RIP, your old GameCube controller collection.)

The original Brick and Hammer were beloved for their minimalist charm — but the Pro? It’s basically a Switch Lite if it dated a PC enthusiast. We don’t know the exact chip yet, but it’s definitely not the A133 Plus. And that’s fine — we’ll take a little less “retro purist” if it means Silent Hill 2 on the subway.

Leaked videos show an Android home screen, app drawer, and emulators already running. TrimUI’s suddenly not just a retro brand — they’re an entertainment platform. Who saw that coming?

Drop your thoughts below. Are you team “keep it simple” or team “give me PS2 and RGB”? 🎮

📰 New article from Wololo.net

Optimizing a 2D Godot Game for the Nintendo Switch. My first-hand experience

https://wololo.net/2026/01/21/optimizing-a-2d-godot-game-for-the-nintendo-switch-my-first-hand-experience/

Your 2D Godot Game Runs at 10 FPS on Switch? Here’s How I Fixed It (Without a Time Machine)

So you built a slick 2D card game in Godot, proudly tested it on your beefy PC… only to watch it crawl at 10 FPS on the Nintendo Switch? Welcome to the club. Spoiler: It’s not the Switch’s fault—it’s you (and your overzealous Node tree).

The fix? Start dumb-simple. Lower resolution to 720p. Yes, really. Your gorgeous 1080p art? Cute. But the Switch doesn’t care—just like your roommate doesn’t care if you “have to” use 12 napkins. Dropping resolution gave me +7–10 FPS instantly.

Then: Stop making things over and over. Caching card data? Done. Reusing card nodes instead of spawning new ones every time? Genius. I now treat Nodes like expensive takeout—you don’t order a new one if you’ve got leftovers in the fridge.

And _process()? It’s not your best friend. If it’s not moving, animating, or reacting to input—get it out. Cache results. Use signals. Or just… wait 2 frames to check if anything changed. (Shhh, nobody’s watching.)

Also: Delete unused Nodes from the scene tree. Seriously. If a card’s face-down in your deck, do you need 20 child nodes calculating its aura? No. Just hide it. Or delete it. Cache the blueprint, not the full ensemble.

Final pro tip? Lazy load. If startup feels like a slow-loading menu screen, pre-load assets in the background. Make it feel fast—even if it’s not.

Result? 20–25 FPS. Not perfect. But playable. And hey—if your game’s fun, nobody’s gonna notice the lag… until you tell them.

(And if they do? Just say “it’s a feature.”)

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

RetroAssembly Updated to Version 5

https://retrohandhelds.gg/retroassembly-updated-to-version-5/

RetroAssembly just dropped v5—and if you’ve ever lost a save because your browser died, this is the update you’ve been waiting for.

Auto-save? Check. Now it quietly pockets your progress every few minutes (though you can turn it off if you’re into suffering). No more “I was this close to beating Bowser!” tears. Plus, the search bar got a brain transplant—it remembers your favorite games and serves them up like a caffeinated librarian.

Shader lovers, rejoice: 29 new visual filters just landed. Want your NES games to look like they’re viewed through a 1987 CRT? Done. Want your SNES to feel like it’s glowing through a lava lamp? Also done. And yes—you can assign different shaders per system. Because why settle for one nostalgic aesthetic when you can have six?

But the real game-changer? Multi-user support. Self-hosters can now turn a single Docker container into a full family gaming hub—each person gets their own library, saves, and settings. No more fighting over who last played Metroid. It’s like Plex for your ROMs… but with more pixel art and less subtitles.

Grab it via Docker or just use the hosted version. Your NES deserves this upgrade.