Author: taternews

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Game Store Rentals: PlayStation Edition

https://retrohandhelds.gg/game-store-rentals-playstation-edition/

### The Glory of the Rental Shelf

Ever feel like you missed out on the “big” hits because you weren’t part of the cool crowd? For many of us, greatness wasn’t found in the latest blockbuster releases, but in the dusty, overlooked bins at the local video game rental shop.

While everyone else was obsessing over Final Fantasy VII, some of us were busy discovering the “leftovers”—the gems that stayed on the shelf because they weren’t trending. From car combat to pink-haired platformers, these are the PlayStation classics that found a home through sheer availability:

• Vigilante 8: 2nd Offense: Pure vehicular mayhem featuring missiles, disco vibes, and enough explosions to make your dad regret letting you play.
• Fighting Force: A classic beat-’em-up where “smashing things with a cop car” was a perfectly valid gameplay loop.
• The Legend of Dragoon: An epic RPG that rewards you for actually paying attention during combat thanks to its unique “Addition” system.
• Tomba!: A colorful, wild adventure driven by the sheer charm (and questionable box art) of a feral boy with pink hair.

These weren’t just games; they were the unexpected treasures of the rental era. They might not have been the most talked-about titles in town, but they certainly made for the best after-school memories.

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

Spanish Court Declines to Fine NordVPN Over LaLiga Piracy Blocking Order

https://torrentfreak.com/spanish-court-declines-to-fine-nordvpn-over-laliga-piracy-blocking-order/

If you thought catching a pirate stream was hard, try doing it when the IP addresses change faster than a celebrity’s hair color.

A Spanish court just handed NordVPN a bit of a win by refusing to slap them with fines over LaLiga piracy blocking orders. Back in February, a court in Córdoba ordered VPN providers to actively block IPs hosting illegal football matches. LaLiga, feeling the sting of lost revenue, tried to penalize NordVPN for not being “compliant” enough.

However, the judge wasn’t so quick to throw the book at them. NordVPN argued that the requested “blanket” blocking was technically impossible and would have accidentally nuked thousands of perfectly legal websites—a phenomenon known as overblocking.

The court essentially said: “We hear you.” While the judge didn’t officially declare NordVPN “right,” they declined to issue fines because there wasn’t enough evidence that the company was deliberately ignoring the order.

This isn’t a total victory just yet, as the main legal battle is still ongoing. But for now, it’s a much-needed reality check on whether courts can actually demand technical feats that defy how the internet works.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

AYANEO Announces KONKR Pocket Block, Pocket AIR Mini IGS, and Teases Pocket Play

https://retrohandhelds.gg/ayaneo-announces-konkr-pocket-block-pocket-air-mini-igs-and-teases-pocket-play/

### AYANEO is Throwing Everything at the Wall (and Some of It Looks Great)

If you thought AYANEO was done playing with retro hardware, think again. After a massive four-hour livestream, the company dropped enough news to keep handheld enthusiasts busy for months.

First up is the Pocket AIR Mini × Arcade Home Limited Edition. This isn’t just a new coat of paint; it’s a fancy maroon and gold beauty officially licensed by IGS. It comes pre-loaded with arcade classics like Knights of Valour, making it a ready-to-play nostalgia trip for anyone looking to spend around $130.

But the real conversation starter is the KONKR Pocket Block. While we were all hoping for a candybar-style device, AYANEO is going vertical instead. It’s aiming to compete with heavyweights like the Miyoo Mini Plus, but with a twist: it runs Android. That’s a rare powerhouse move for such a small form factor.

Here’s the quick breakdown of what else is brewing:

• Pocket Play: AYANEO’s first-ever smartphone is officially in development.
• REMAKE Initiative: A new retro-focused handheld is on the horizon.
• AYANEO AI: The mysterious “coming soon” tech is finally on the roadmap.

Whether they’re building phones or retro clones, one thing is clear: AYANEO isn’t slowing down.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

1000Hz, 1080p Display – What That Means For “Us”

https://retrorgb.com/1000hz-1080p-display-what-that-means-for-us.html

### Is 1000Hz the End of Motion Blur?

Hold onto your graphics cards, because LG just announced something that sounds like science fiction: the UltraGear 25G590B. It’s a 1080p display capable of a staggering 1000Hz refresh rate. Now, before you scoff that your PC can’t even hit 144fps in Cyberpunk, there is a massive “why” behind this overkill.

The secret sauce is LG’s new “Motion Blur Reduction Pro.” This is essentially high-end Black Frame Insertion (BFI). The magic happens when you use a high refresh rate to “break up” a standard 60Hz or 120Hz signal into tiny, rapid-fire slices.

Think of it like a flipbook: the more pages you have, the smoother the animation looks. With 1000Hz to work with, we could see motion clarity that rivals the legendary “zero blur” feel of old-school CRT monitors—without the massive flicker that usually plagues lower-refresh BFI.

The bottom line: Even if your console is stuck at 60fps, this monitor could potentially trick your brain into seeing much sharper, snappier movement. If LG nails the implementation, it might just be the closest we’ve ever come to a modern “CRT experience.”

📰 New article from RetroRGB

OmniDrive Firmware – Rip Xbox, GC, Wii Discs on your PC

https://retrorgb.com/omnidrive-firmware-rip-xbox-gc-wii-discs-on-your-pc.html

The Ultimate Retro Rip: OmniDrive is Here

Ever looked at your collection of GameCube, Wii, or original Xbox discs and thought, “I wish my PC could read these without a specialized setup”? Well, hold onto your controllers, because the hardware gods have answered.

A new homebrew firmware called OmniDrive is making waves in the preservation community. If you have an optical drive based on the MT1959 platform (the same stuff used for high-end Blu-ray ripping), you can flash this new software to unlock a massive library of legacy media. We’re talking everything from GameCube and Wii to Xbox and even Xbox 360 discs.

The best part? It doesn’t seem to sacrifice your modern capabilities. Early testers have successfully ripped PS2 games while still maintaining the ability to clone UHD discs. It essentially turns a standard Blu-ray writer into a Swiss Army knife for retro gaming enthusiasts.

A quick word of caution: Flashing firmware is a high-stakes game. If you pick the wrong file, you could “brick” your drive, turning an expensive piece of hardware into a very shiny paperweight. If you’re feeling brave, grab a cheap slim laptop drive and a USB enclosure to experiment—just proceed with care!

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

AYN Odin 3 vs. KONKR Pocket Fit: Is There a Winner?

https://retrohandhelds.gg/ayn-odin-3-vs-konkr-pocket-fit/

### High-End Handheld Showdown: Odin 3 vs. Konkr Pocket Fit

If you’ve been following the Android emulation scene lately, you know things are getting… expensive. We’ve officially entered the era of the $500 handheld, where “premium” means massive RAM and enough power to make your desktop PC sweat. But when you’re dropping half a grand, do you want raw power or a polished experience?

A recent head-to-head comparison between the AYN Odin 3 and the Konkr Pocket Fit highlights this exact dilemma. On paper, the Odin 3 is a beast, sporting the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. However, due to some early-stage driver growing pains, the Konkr’s G3 processor actually feels smoother for heavy hitters like Switch emulation right out of the box.

Here’s the quick breakdown:

• The Screen: It’s a battle of OLED vs. LCD. The Odin 3’s AMOLED is gorgeous (though you might need to tweak the saturation), while the Konkr offers a top-tier, vibrant LCD.
• The Controls: This is where the Odin 3 pulls ahead. While the Konkr has great buttons, its analog sticks are notoriously slippery. The Odin 3 features grippy, tall sticks that make precision gaming much easier.
• The Software: AYN takes the win here with a clean, intuitive Android setup. The Konkr’s “Ayaspace” can feel a bit clunky and buried in menus.

The Verdict? If you love tinkering with drivers to squeeze out every frame, the Odin 3 is your new home. If you want a “set it and forget it” device that works immediately, the Konkr Pocket Fit is the way to go.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

MiSTer FPGA News – Mortal Kombat 2, Rastan Saga III, Sega Saturn & More

https://retrorgb.com/mister-fpga-news-mortal-kombat-2-rastan-saga-iii-sega-saturn-more.html

MiSTer FPGA News – Mortal Kombat 2, Rastan Saga III, Sega Saturn & More

If you thought your MiSTer library was getting full, think again. The latest wave of updates is hitting the FPGA scene with enough arcade nostalgia to make your thumbs ache.

The headline grabber? A new core for Mortal Kombat II has arrived via Coin-Op Collection. It’s currently a Patreon exclusive, but it comes packed with an extensive cheat menu pulled straight from a ROM disassembly. If you’re looking for something less violent, the beat-em-up China Gate is also officially playable.

However, it’s not all smooth sailing in the hardware department. The Sega Saturn core development has hit a bit of a “wall”—specifically, the physical limits of the FPGA chip itself. Developers are now facing some tough choices regarding which features to keep and which to overhaul to prevent the project from overflowing its digital container.

Other quick hits worth noting:

New Cores: City Connection, Cobra Command, and a sneak peek at SD Gundam Psycho Salamander*.

• MiSTer Companion: The utility just got a massive facelift with an offline mode, UI overhaul, and RetroAchievement support.
• Steam Controller: A new Reddit project is making it possible to use the Steam Controller as a proper gamepad on MiSTer.

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

Hollywood Secures Broad “Omnibus” Pirate Site Blocking Order in UK High Court

https://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-secures-broad-omnibus-pirate-site-blocking-order-in-uk-high-court/

### Hollywood’s New “Whack-a-Mole” Strategy

If you thought the battle between Hollywood and pirate sites was already a high-stakes game of whack-a-mole, get ready for the difficulty setting to crank up to “Expert.”

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has reportedly secured a massive new “omnibus” blocking order from the UK High Court. In the past, studios had to play a tedious game of legal catch-up: identify a specific pirate domain, file a court application, and ask ISPs to block it. It was slow, expensive, and—to be honest—a bit ineffective against sites that change names every five minutes.

This new ruling changes the rules of engagement. Instead of targeting specific names or even “pirate brands,” studios can now seek to block any service that meets certain “structural infringement” criteria. Essentially, if a site looks and acts like it’s hosting stolen content, it can be added to the blocklist without the studios needing to file a fresh application for every new domain.

The MPA argues this is necessary to combat “agentic AI” and automated tools that allow pirates to spin up entire networks of mirror sites in seconds. However, there’s a catch: the full text of the order hasn’t been made public yet, leaving much to speculation regarding how much oversight—and transparency—will actually exist when these lists are updated behind closed doors.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Latest RG Vita Pro Update from Anbernic Brings the Google Play Store

https://retrohandhelds.gg/latest-rg-vita-pro-update-from-anbernic-brings-google-play-store/

If you’ve been using your Anbernic RG Vita Pro, you might have noticed something suspiciously missing: the Google Play Store. It sounds like a weird oversight for a modern Android device, but Anbernic is finally fixing that “oops” moment with their latest v1.1.4 update.

For those of us who immediately ditched the stock software for custom firmware like GammaOS, this might not change much. But if you’ve been sticking to the factory build, life just got a whole lot easier. You no longer have to hunt down APKs or rely on third-party stores like Obtainium just to get your favorite apps running.

The best part? You don’t even have to do any heavy lifting. The update is rolling out via an Over-The-Air (OTA) notification. Just head into the FOTA Update app, hit download, and let the device do its thing.

Anbernic seems to be on a software winning streak lately—from fixing oversharpening on the RG Rotate to dropping official Linux builds for the RG DS. In an era where hardware components are getting pricier by the day, seeing a manufacturer focus this much on polishing the user experience is a massive win for retro enthusiasts.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

AYANEO Could Announce New ‘BITWAVE’ Handhelds Tomorrow Morning

https://retrohandhelds.gg/ayaneo-could-announce-new-bitwave-handhelds-tomorrow-morning/

Get your charging cables ready: AYANEO is about to drop some news.

If you’ve been following the handheld rumors lately, you know things have been getting a little spicy. After whispers of a vertical “Pocket Block” device surfaced last week, AYANEO has officially scheduled a “Product Sharing Session” for tomorrow morning (May 21) at 8 AM EST.

But here’s where it gets interesting: leaked promo images suggest we aren’t just getting one new toy. We might be looking at a duo under a new “BITWAVE” branding—including a classic candybar-style handheld.

While some expected a budget-friendly release, the leaked specs are punching way above their weight class. We’re talking:

• Flagship-level performance (no “lite” versions here!)
• High refresh rate screens for that buttery smooth gameplay
• Extended battery life for those marathon sessions

The big question remains: is AYANEO trying to dominate the $150–$300 market, or are they about to drop a premium powerhouse? Either way, we’ll know the truth in less than 24 hours. Stay tuned.