Author: taternews

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

HP Just Wants To Help, Guys

https://retrohandhelds.gg/hp-just-wants-to-help-guys/

HP Just Wants To Help… Uh, Help?

Let’s be real: HP isn’t giving you a lifeline during the laptop shortage—it’s handing out credit cards with a side of obligation. Their new subscription rental program for Omen and Victus laptops is sleekly marketed as “flexible,” but it’s basically leasing your dreams (and wallet) back to Big Tech.

For $50/month, you can “borrow” a mid-tier Victus rig—RTX 4050, Ryzen 7, all the bells—that would otherwise cost ~$950 outright. Sound like a deal? Only if you don’t mind never actually owning it. Do the math, and you’re paying ~$950 after 19 months… for a laptop HP can reclaim anytime. Higher-end Omen models? $130/month, ~$2,100 over 16 months—same story, just shinier.

Sure, they’ll throw in “24/7 expert support” and next-day replacements—basically, a warranty with extra steps—but the real sell is psychological: what if gaming gear felt less like an investment and more like Netflix? Except you can’t cancel anytime. Or keep it. Or mod it. Or turn it into a retro emulation powerhouse in 2035.

This isn’t convenience—it’s behavioral conditioning for a world where hardware is disposable, permission-based, and always overdue. 🎮🔋

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Diablo II Has A New Class, And You Can Play It Right Now

https://retrohandhelds.gg/diablo-ii-has-a-new-class-and-you-can-play-it-right-now/

Blizzard Just Threw a Demon-Eating Wizard Into Diablo II—and You Can Play It Today

Forget “don’t change a winning formula”—Blizzard just rewrote the rulebook for Diablo II: Resurrected by adding a brand-new class, the Warlock, in the Reign of the Warlock DLC. And no, this isn’t just a reskin or fan fiction—it’s live, priced at $24.99 (or $40 for the full Infernal Edition bundle).

So who is this Warlock? Think of them as a demon-bargaining sorcerer with a dark twist: you summon fiends like the Goatman and Tainted, then either bind or devour them to steal their lifeforce for buffs, powers, and wild build synergies. It’s equal parts Necromancer summoner and barbarian brute—melee and ranged chaos, with pet management at its core.

But hold up—it’s not just about the class. The DLC drops new Terror Zones, a climactic boss fight against the Colossal Ancients, over 30 new unique items, sets, and runewords, and long-awaited quality-of-life upgrades for stash management and loot tracking.

And here’s the kicker: The Warlock is heading to Diablo IV (in Lord of Hatred) and Diablo Immortal too. So if you’ve been lurking in Sanctuary’s oldest corners, now’s the time to dust off your keyboard—and maybe relearn how to type “goatman” in chat. 🐐✨

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Your Backlog Pays Off In The Adventures of Elliot

https://retrohandhelds.gg/your-backlog-pays-off-in-the-adventures-of-elliot/

Your Retro Save Files Just Got a Sword Upgrade 🗡️

Square Enix is playing the long game—literally—with The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, rewarding loyal fans with in-game bonuses based on their game history. Think of it as a “loyalty card” for HD-2D veterans.

If you’ve dabbled in any of Square’s beloved RPGs, your save data (or Steam purchase history) could earn you special sword-boosting “magicite” abilities. Here’s the loot list:

• Octopath Traveler 0 → Guidance of the Sacred Flame: +10% sword dmg vs. low-HP foes
• Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake → Critical Hit: +6% sword crit chance
• Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD → Brave: +10% sword dmg, but guard costs more stamina
• Various Daylife → Expeditionary Wisdom: -10% sword charge time
• Triangle Strategy → Counter Stance: +10% sword dmg if shield stamina ≥90%

No, none are OP—but stack a few, and your early-game swordplay gets significantly smoother.

It’s a clever nod to fans who’ve stuck with Square’s HD-2D evolution, turning nostalgia into tangible gameplay perks.

Elliot drops later this year on PC, PS5, Switch 2, and Xbox—so yeah, dust off those old saves. Your backlog just paid dividends. 🎮✨

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Breath Of The Wild Is Now A Full VR Experience

https://retrohandhelds.gg/breath-of-the-wild-is-now-a-full-vr-experience/

Zelda Just Got a VR Upgrade—And It’s Not From Nintendo

Who knew your Wii U dump could unlock Breath of the Wild like never before? A new BetterVR mod—running on PC via Cemu emulator—turns Hyrule into a full-on VR playground. Think actual head movement to peek over cliffs, physically drawing your bow, and swinging weapons with real hand motion. No cardboard Labo gimmicks here—this is proper 6DOF tracking, stereoscopic 3D, and motion controls layered onto the Wii U build.

Yes, you need a decent PC, a legal copy of the game, and a VR headset (Quest via Virtual Desktop works too), but early testers are calling it “amazing” and even “borderline magical.” Sure, there are hiccups—frame pacing quirks, texture glitches—but for a mod? It’s wild how immersive it feels.

This isn’t just a visual upgrade—it reshapes how you experience Hyrule. And it’s a reminder: some of the most exciting “next-gen” tech isn’t in stores. It’s in modded emulators, shared across Discord servers and GitHub repos, quietly expanding what beloved games can be.

If you’ve got the hardware and nerves for motion sickness, this might just be the best way to revisit BotW—or discover it for the first time, all over again. 🏹✨

📰 New article from RetroRGB

SaG’s Virtual Boy Valentines Day Sale

https://retrorgb.com/sags-virtual-boy-valentines-day-sale.html

Stone Age Gamer’s Virtual Boy Valentine’s Sale Is Blazing Red Hot! ❤️📺

Stone Age Gamer (SaG) has dropped a very special—and very on-brand—Valentine’s Day sale: everything Virtual Boy is discounted until noon Monday, February 16th (NYC time). That means carts, full kits, link cables, even the infamous red-tinted glasses—all at reduced prices. Bonus: use code SEEING-RED for $5 off $50 orders, or $10 off $150+. (Because romance is literally in the eye of the beholder… and possibly slightly bloodshot.)

If you’ve ever wanted to dive into Nintendo’s most polarizing console—or finally give Tetris: The Virtual Boy Version a chance—now’s your moment. And for the true VB enthusiasts out there, SaG link-drops two must-watches:

• A deep-dive livestream with Kevin Mellott, covering hardware and homebrew software.
• Tito’s (Macho Nacho Productions) jaw-dropping Virtual Boy rebuild—proof that even the most “problematic” retro tech can get a second chance at love.

So whether you’re shopping for yourself or a fellow colorblind masochist, grab your (metaphorical) rose and strike while the pixels are hot. 💌

📰 New article from RetroRGB

GameShark Returns: The Complete Cheat Code Compendium

https://retrorgb.com/gameshark-returns-the-complete-cheat-code-compendium.html

GameShark Returns—and It’s Bigger Than Ever (Thanks, Kickstarter!)

Remember those magical little devices that let you fly through walls in Super Mario 64 or unlock every character in Street Fighter Alpha without the grind? Yeah, them. The legendary GameShark is making a triumphant return—not as a hardware hack, but as a hardcover book.

Led by Todd Hays, the original creator of GameShark, GameShark Returns: The Complete Cheat Code Compendium is now fully funded on Kickstarter. Priced at $60, the hardcover promises cheat codes for 100 iconic games plus insider stories from the devs and creators behind GameShark, GameGenie, and Action Replay.

But here’s where it gets cool: While the book covers the “top 100,” backers will also get access to an online vault with 500+ more games, regional code variants, hidden tips, and even weird edge cases (yes, there’s a whole section on “glitch codes that accidentally work better than intended”). Think of it as the ultimate cheat archive—part nostalgia trip, part technical reference.

If you grew up typing “UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN…” or wrestling with 16-digit codes to cheat your way through gaming’s golden age, this is the book you’ve been waiting for. 🎮✨

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Disney Wants To Premiere Movies In Fortnite

https://retrohandhelds.gg/disney-wants-to-premiere-movies-in-fortnite/

Disney Wants to Premiere Movies in Fortnite—Yes, Really.

Forget red carpets; Disney’s new CEO, Josh D’Amaro, wants premiere night to happen inside Fortnite. According to Puck News, he’s floated the idea of debuting full Disney films directly in Epic Games’ battle royale-turned-social hub—complete with virtual theaters, branded cruises, and maybe even a Super Bowl halftime from inside the game. Yes, really.

This isn’t pure fantasy: Fortnite’s already hosted film tie-ins, like Tarantino’s Kill Bill short during After Dark. And with Disney’s $1.5B investment in Epic, the two are building what they call a “persistent social universe”—a fancy euphemism for a metaverse hub where you’ll play, watch, shop… and get sold more stuff.

But here’s the catch: if movies live only inside walled gardens like Fortnite, who owns them in 20 years? Preservationists shudder. No more popping a disc into a handheld and playing The Empire Strikes Back on a bus—now it’s all tied to servers, logins, and microtransactions.

Still, it is where the kids are. If this works, expect other studios to deploy their own Battle Buses for movie nights.

Disney + Fortnite: coming soon to a server near you. 🎮🎬

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Steam Deck Inventory Seemingly Dries Up Overnight

https://retrohandhelds.gg/steam-deck-inventory-seemingly-dries-up-overnight/

Steam Deck OLED Vanishes—Again (Wait, Isn’t It New?)

Just when you thought the Steam Deck OLED was the fresh, shiny upgrade we all needed—poof. It’s suddenly out of stock across major regions: US, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan—with no official word from Valve. (Europe still has some stock, and Japan’s Komodo hints inventory may return in February.)

The timing? Awkward. The original LCD Deck was already discontinued last December, and Valve’s been quiet on any plans for an OLED restock—or a Deck 2. Enter the wild theories:

• Memory meltdown? DRAM and SSD prices have surged, squeezing margins on a device likely sold near cost.
• Soft-discontinuation? Maybe Valve’s holding off until the “memory apocalypse” cools.
• Deck 2 imminent? Unlikely—Valve insists any new hardware needs real performance gains, not just tweaks.

Meanwhile, rival handhelds (ASUS ROG, Lenovo Legion, etc.) are quietly eating lunch—offering similar Steam gaming experiences, often with better specs. If this drought stretches into spring? You might just end up modding a Windows machine with SteamOS and calling it a day.

Bottom line: Wishlist now. Regret later.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Blood Strike is a Shameless COD Ripoff: I’m Fine With That

https://retrohandhelds.gg/blood-strike-is-a-shameless-cod-ripoff-im-fine-with-that/

Blood Strike: The COD Clone That Actually Feels Right — And We’re Here for It

Let’s be real: Blood Strike, NetEase’s new mobile shooter, isn’t reinventing the wheel. It’s wearing a very familiar tire tread—specifically, the ones from Call of Duty: Mobile (and yes, even older console CODs). Maps? Some look suspiciously borrowed. Modes? Straight-up homages to Kill Confirmed and Gun Battle. But here’s the twist: it works.

In a post-Warzone Mobile shutdown world, Blood Strike steps in not with originality—but with polish. Gameplay feels tight, responsive, and fun, especially on handhelds like the Odin 3 where loading times are snappy and graphics pop—even at Ultra settings. The unlock system is generous: level up weapons via performance or objectives, and while there’s cosmetics-for-cash, it doesn’t feel pay-to-win.

What makes it compelling isn’t ambition—it’s execution. If you’ve ever reinstalled COD: Mobile for the 17th time just to feel that dopamine rush in a quick 10-minute match, Blood Strike is your new pit stop. And honestly? We’re fine with that.

👉 [Google Play](#) | 🎮 Early access vibes, full retro-cool potential.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Anbernic RG Vita: First Impressions

https://retrohandhelds.gg/anbernic-rg-vita-first-impressions/

Anbernic RG Vita: First Impressions — A Vita-Shaped T618, But at What Cost?

The Anbernic RG Vita is here — and it looks like a Vita, feels like a Vita (sort of), but underneath? It’s another T618-powered Android beast. And that’s both its strength and its biggest limitation.

The Good:

✔️ Decent screen — vibrant colors, good brightness, just marred by heavy oversharpening (yes, again — it’s a pattern).

✔️ Solid ergonomics — close to the real Vita in shape, though slightly larger and with sharper edges.

✔️ Performance on par with other T618 devices: PS1/GBA/NES ✅, PSP mostly ✅, Saturn/N64/Dreamcast with tweaks ✅, PS2/GameCube… maybe 🤔, Vita emulation? ❌ (lol).

✔️ Decent speakers and responsiveness for local streaming.

The Meh:

⚠️ Controls are typical Anbernic — fine, but stiff and slightly grinding. Triggers remain digital only (a bummer for racing fans).

⚠️ Runs hotter than expected for a T618 unit — warmth becomes noticeable even during lighter emulation.

⚠️ UX quirks: messy default emulator setups, inconsistent mappings — expect to tinker.

The Big Unknown: Price.

This is the elephant in the room — without it, the RG Vita’s value hinges entirely on aesthetics and niche appeal. If priced aggressively like the RG405M or Pocket Air Mini? It could be a fun, stylish mid-tier pick. If it creeps up near $200+? Hard to justify when rivals offer better power or polish.

Bottom Line:

The RG Vita is competent, familiar, and visually nostalgic — but whether it’s worth it? Stay tuned. 🎮

(And yes, the Vita-shaped dream is alive — just not quite the Vita you remembered.)