Author: taternews

  • Weekly Roundup #503

    📰 New article from RetroRGB

    Weekly Roundup #503

    https://retrorgb.com/week503.html

    RetroRGB Weekly Roundup #503: More Retro Tech Magic Than a Time Machine Can Handle

    Bob from RetroRGB is back with another packed episode of hardware hacks, firmware drops, and love letters to vintage tech — all served with his trademark blend of enthusiasm and geeky precision. If you’ve ever wanted to turn your Raspberry Pi into a legit 240p CRT machine or mod a Neo Geo AES without breaking the bank (or the board), this week’s roundup is chef’s kiss.

    Highlights include:

    • Neo Geo AES bypass boards for easier RGB modding — yes, it’s as cool and straightforward as it sounds.
    • RT4K firmware v1.9.9.8, bringing more 4K upscaling magic to your retro setups.
    • Lu’s MiSTer updates, now with Eight Tutankham, Apple IIGS fixes, and more FPGA goodness.
    • OpenMenu’s Virtual VMU trick: use a $10 serial SD adapter to give Dreamcast games per-game memory cards.
    • And yes, there’s even a Super Contra NES-to-SNES conversion guide — because why not mix those two classics?

    Also worth noting: Bob’s gear list and affiliate links (no markup, just support!) make it easy to grab the tools he uses — like that sweet 10Gbps USB-C cable or the newly reviewed Arcooda 4K arcade monitor.

    Pro tip: If you’re into Linux and DaVinci Resolve, his Linux Mint compatibility guide might just save your weekend.

    🎧 Listen on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts — and consider tossing a tip his way if you’re feeling generous. Retro doesn’t run itself!

  • Xbox on Android is Finally Here Thanks to X1 Box and Xemu

    📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

    Xbox on Android is Finally Here Thanks to X1 Box and Xemu

    https://retrohandhelds.gg/xbox-on-android-is-finally-here-thanks-to-x1-box-and-xemu/

    Xbox on Android Is Finally Here—And It’s More Real Than You Think

    After years of whispers and wishful thinking (yes, even on the Retro Handhelds podcast), Xbox emulation on Android has officially arrived—thanks to X1 Box, now live on the Google Play Store.

    Developed by izzy2lost and built atop the open-source xemu project, X1 Box brings genuine Xbox emulation to Android devices. No more “maybe someday” — if your hardware plays nice, you can run Halo, Gears, or Sunset Overdrive (yes, really) right from your tablet or phone.

    But hold up—this isn’t Plug-and-Play 101. To run it smoothly, you’ll need:

    • An 8GB+ RAM device with Vulkan support
    • Your own Xbox hardware (to extract the required BIOS and hard disk images)
    • Games converted to `.xiso.iso` format (thankfully, izzy2lost included a built-in converter)

    And yes—it’s $7.99, which feels fair for the tech involved, even if licensing gray areas linger.

    If you’ve been waiting for this moment like we have… fire up yourOdin 3 and say hello to Halo: Combat Evolved on Android. Gaming history just got portable. 🎮

    👉 Get X1 Box on the Play Store

  • PortMaster Roundup: February 2026

    📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

    PortMaster Roundup: February 2026

    https://retrohandhelds.gg/portmaster-roundup-february-2026/

    🔥 PortMaster Roundup: February 2026 – Dead Cells, Counter-Strike & More (But Yeah, Some Cost Money)

    Ah, February — the month when your wallet gets lighter and your handheld gets heavier (with glorious games). This PortMaster round-up delivers a mixed bag: freebies you can drop in and play today, and premium ports that ask for a little cash (or at least, proof you already bought the game elsewhere).

    Free & Ready-to-Run Highlights:

    For zero cost, grab the Quake-powered punch of DarkPlaces, the pixel-art chaos of Defendguin (penguins vs. aliens, yes really), and the emotionally charged platforming of Mega Serval. Oh, and Corsairs—a fully translated Nokia-era pirate classic that somehow still slaps in 2026.

    Paid but Worth It:

    If you’re team “I already own it,” then Dead Cells and Counter-Strike are absolute no-brainers — both bring top-tier gameplay to handhelds with minimal fuss. Nox? An RPG gem that somehow predates modern genre soup and just gets it right. And yes, Crash Bandicoot – Psyched Out! is a fan-made triumph — and somehow legally grey but so good.

    Quick Picks:

    • Best free: DarkPlaces (Quake: Remastered for modern hands)
    • Most nostalgic: Corsairs or Retro Highway
    • Worth the buy-in: Dead Cells, Counter-Strike, Nox

    What’re you grabbing first? Drop your picks below — or just yell into the Discord void like the rest of us. 🎮✨

  • Anbernic RG Vita Pro Shown Off Running Linux and Android

    📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

    Anbernic RG Vita Pro Shown Off Running Linux and Android

    https://retrohandhelds.gg/anbernic-rg-vita-pro-shown-off-running-linux-and-android/

    Anbernic’s RG Vita Pro Is Looking Real Good — and It’s Running Linux + GammaOS Android

    Anbernic just dropped its first dedicated teaser video for the RG Vita Pro, and wow — it’s packed with promise. Clocking in at just over six minutes, the footage shows the handheld crushing it on both Linux and Android (via GammaOS), with smooth gameplay from God of War II, Devil May Cry, Chains of Olympus, and even Muramasa: The Demon Blade on Wii emulation.

    That last one? Surprising. It hints at serious muscle under the hood — likely the Rockchip RK3578, a chip we’ve seen in high-end phones but never in a retro handheld before. And unlike the original RG Vita (which sometimes stumbled), this thing looks stable across platforms: PSP, PS2, GameCube, N64… you name it.

    But here’s the real kicker: dual-OS flexibility. GammaOS continues to impress, and with other distros like KNULLI or ROCKNIX rumored to follow, users could swap systems post-purchase. That’s huge for tinkerers and purists alike.

    Still missing? A release date… and the price. Because no matter how cool it is, if it’s $400+, we might all be sighing into our snacks. 🍿

    What do you think — worth the wait?

  • Segagaga Fan Translation is Available Now

    📰 New article from RetroRGB

    Segagaga Fan Translation is Available Now

    https://retrorgb.com/segagaga-fan-translation-is-available-now.html

    Segagaga’s English Fan Translation Is Here — And It’s a Labor of Love (and 25 Years of Nostalgia)

    After decades of fan hope, frustration, and false starts, the English translation patch for Sega’s cult-classic Dreamcast RPG Segagaga is finally live. Released just in time for the game’s 25th anniversary, this patch isn’t just a straight translation — it’s a full-on passion project built by a passionate team over five years.

    The patch began as a rough “playtesting translation” using AI tools like DeepL and ChatGPT — but don’t worry, that’s where the human magic kicks in. Months (yes, months) of meticulous editing, rewriting, and cultural localization followed, ensuring the final result feels natural, witty, and true to the game’s satirical heart.

    Why so much effort? Because Segagaga is weird, wonderful, and uniquely Sega: a self-aware JRPG where you tame rogue R&D teams inside vaults to save the company from bankruptcy. It parodies Sega’s own history, cramming in references to obscure IPs, internal politics, and even the Dreamcast’s demise — all with a charmingly janky aesthetic that somehow works.

    The team behind the patch includes familiar faces from other celebrated Dreamcast translations, with Exxistance (known for Shinrei Jusatsushi Taroumaru) leading the charge. He shared insights into the challenges — like translating over 1,000 negotiation combos and crambling Japanese puns into 17-character English names — and even dropped a secret texture easter egg for diehards.

    If you’ve ever dreamed of playing Segagaga in English, now’s your moment. Grab the patch, boot it up, and prepare to laugh, cringe, and maybe even cry at how bizarrely prescient this game was about the fate of Sega. 🎮✨

    👉 [GitHub Patch & Details](#) (link in original)

    💡 Bonus: Try the debug menu — it’s where Segagaga truly reveals its soul.

  • Build A Boy Sign Up Page Goes Live on Crowd Supply

    📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

    Build A Boy Sign Up Page Goes Live on Crowd Supply

    https://retrohandhelds.gg/build-a-boy-sign-up-page-goes-live-on-crowd-supply/

    You Can Actually Play Games on Your LEGO Game Boy— Soon!

    Remember that stunning (but non-functional) LEGO Nintendo Game Boy set released last year? Yeah, we all wanted to pop in a real Tetris cartridge and fire it up—not just stare at fake gameplay screenshots. Good news: Build A Boy, the brainchild of Natalie Cursio (aka Natalie the Nerd), is finally making waves.

    After she reverse-engineered and retrofit a real Game Boy DMG motherboard into the LEGO shell, allowing full cartridge compatibility, fans have been begging for a public release. And now—the official Crowd Supply launch page is live, with a “Coming Soon” status and sign-up options for early access.

    Here’s what to expect from the DIY kit (which doesn’t include the LEGO set itself):

    • Works with original Game Boy & Game Boy Color games (not Advance carts)
    • Optional link port for multiplayer, plus display-out capability
    • Modern touch: 2.73″ backlit screen, USB-C charging, durable tactile buttons
    • Open-source potential—schematics and software planned for GitHub

    In short: the dream of a playable, nostalgic-yet-upgraded LEGO Game Boy is no longer just a fan project—it’s inching toward reality. Keep your eyes on Crowd Supply… and maybe start saving now. 🧱🎮

  • Anna’s Archive Loses .LI Domain As Legal Pressure Mounts

    📰 New article from TorrentFreak

    Anna’s Archive Loses .LI Domain As Legal Pressure Mounts

    https://torrentfreak.com/annas-archive-loses-li-domain-as-legal-pressure-mounts/

    Anna’s Archive Loses Another Domain—Leaving Just One Lifeline

    Anna’s Archive, the massive shadow library known for archiving scholarly works and, more controversially, music from Spotify, is under siege—and it just lost another critical domain.

    The `.li` (Liechtenstein) domain was abruptly deleted—not suspended, but fully wiped from the DNS system—rendering `annas-archive.li` unreachable. This isn’t a routine takedown; it’s a full erasure, suggesting coordinated legal pressure has escalated beyond typical domain-hold tactics.

    The site is now down to just one working domain: `.gl` (Greenland), added last month after losing `.pm`. If history repeats, expect another backup domain soon—but each loss makes recovery harder.

    Who pulled the plug? Unclear. The registrar (Immaterialism/Njalla) and registry (Switzerland’s Switch Foundation) both previously resisted U.S.-based court orders. But with IFPI—the global music industry’s anti-piracy arm—backed by Swiss legal infrastructure, pressure may have reached a tipping point.

    The stakes? A high-stakes battle over digital preservation vs. copyright enforcement, with Anna’s Archive defiantly positioning itself as a “backup of the internet”—even if that backup includes Spotify’s entire music catalog.

    Stay tuned: this shadow library is running out of rungs on the ladder.

  • Savage Raven’s Tetris Themed Grips Are Awesome!

    📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

    Savage Raven’s Tetris Themed Grips Are Awesome!

    https://retrohandhelds.gg/savage-ravens-tetris-themed-grips-are-awesome/

    Could not retrieve a summary for this article.

  • Game Over: Maximum Action!

    📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

    Game Over: Maximum Action!

    https://retrohandhelds.gg/game-over-maximum-action/

    Could not retrieve a summary for this article.

  • Super Contra NES to SNES Conversion

    📰 New article from RetroRGB

    Super Contra NES to SNES Conversion

    https://retrorgb.com/super-contra-nes-to-snes-conversion.html

    Super Contra Gets the SNES Upgrade — and It’s a Lot More Than Just High-Res Pixels

    Retro dev Infidelity is back with another impressive homebrew conversion: Super C (NES) reborn as a full SNES experience. And no, this isn’t just a resolution bump—it’s a thoughtful overhaul packed with features that actually enhance the classic run-and-gun gameplay.

    Think of it as Super Contra meets modern controls. The SNES version ditches the NES’s infamous slowdown and sprite flicker, while adding MSU-1 audio support—including five soundtrack options (arcade original, clean analog rip, and remixes). Yes, remixes. Because why not?

    The SNES controller’s extra buttons get smart use:

    • L button: Lock your gun position and strafe freely (yes, finally).
    • R button: Shoot in 7 directions while standing still—perfect for tight spots.
    • X button: Swap between two weapon types (RAPID fire flagged with an icon).
    • A button: Cycle through 18 retro CGRAM palettes for that true 16-bit vibe—or wild neon trips.

    There’s even a Star Fox-style training menu accessible from the title screen to practice all these new tricks. And if you love how Infidelity breathes new life into retro classics, head over to their Patreon—they’re doing god’s work, one ROM hack at a time.