Category: Tater News

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Lord of the Rings: Conquest’s Multiplayer Is Back Online

https://retrohandhelds.gg/lord-of-the-rings-conquests-multiplayer-is-back-online/

Ever felt like a hobbit stuck in a lonely campaign? Good news: the multiplayer doors of Lord of the Rings: Conquest have swung open again—thanks to a fan‑run server revival.

A community collective called MordorWide has rebuilt EA’s original matchmaking backbone, giving PC players fresh access to full‑map, full‑mode online battles. The best part? All DLC is bundled in, so you won’t need to hunt down long‑gone add‑ons to field every class and arena.

Why it matters: Conquest was always a quirky outlier—an EA‑acquired Pandemic title that let you swing swords for both the Fellowship and Sauron’s legion. Though reviews were mixed at launch, a tiny cult followed its class‑based brawls and “evil campaign” fantasy. With the official servers dead since 2009, this fan‑powered resurrection not only restores the multiplayer experience but also fuels ongoing mod projects that aim to polish graphics, AI and maps for modern standards.

Bottom line: If you’ve ever wanted to charge into a digital Pelennor Fields or test your Orc tactics, fire up the game, join MordorWide’s lobby, and finally get the multiplayer showdown you missed a decade ago.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Catacomb, Commander Keen Cash, and the Leap That Led to Doom

https://retrohandhelds.gg/catacomb-commander-keen-cash-and-the-leap-that-led-to-doom/

Ever wonder how a modest dungeon‑crawling demo turned into the birth of modern FPSes? John Romero’s new mini‑doc pulls back the curtain on id Software’s “leap of faith” that took them from Catacomb 3‑D straight to Wolfenstein 3D and eventually Doom.

Romero, Carmack, Hall and Adrian chat about how Catacomb 3‑D stole a trick from an old graphics textbook—drawing multiple vertical pixel columns at once—to squeeze texture‑mapped walls onto a 1991 PC without choking the frame rate. That same hack sparked the first ever on‑screen health indicator (a cracked skull) and even early mouse support, long before DOS gamers bothered with a pointer.

The real kicker? Despite catapulting Commander Keen into ten‑times the cash flow of those early shooters, the team tossed the safe 2D platform money aside after an artist nearly fell out of his chair when a troll leapt at him. That “wow” moment convinced them to gamble on a full‑blown FPS, birthing Wolfenstein 3D and setting the stage for Doom.

Bottom line: id’s iconic legacy wasn’t just tech wizardry—it was a bold, almost reckless decision to chase immersion over guaranteed profit.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

The AYN Thor Just Got a Quality-of-Life OTA That Fixes the Annoying Stuff

https://retrohandhelds.gg/the-ayn-thor-just-got-a-quality-of-life-ota-that-fixes-the-annoying-stuff/

The AYN Thor just got a sweet OTA that finally shaves off some of its daily irritations.

First up is OLED Ultra‑Black Mode tucked away in Odin → Advanced Settings. Flip the switch and the screen trades those murky “dark gray” patches for true blacks—perfect for low‑brightness, night‑time gaming sessions that used to look like a PS Vita with a bad filter.

The update also patches three long‑standing bugs:

• Battery gauge now stops lying about being at 1 % when you still have juice left.
• Home/Return buttons automatically bind to the active touchscreen (or focus‑locked screen), making navigation between the Thor’s dual displays feel less like a juggling act.
• Volume slider finally respects both wired headphones and Bluetooth earbuds, so turning it up or down actually changes what you hear.

In short, version 1.0.0.372 cleans up the visual grind, gives you honest power stats, smooths dual‑screen control, and restores sane audio tweaks. If you’ve been battling those quirks, this OTA is worth a quick install before your next gaming marathon.

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

U.S. Rightsholders Applaud India’s “Lock and Suspend” Piracy Blockades

https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-rightsholders-applaud-indias-lock-and-suspend-piracy-blockades/

Ever notice how the same old “pirates‑on‑the‑high‑sea” story keeps playing out—until someone finally slashes the mainsail? That someone is a Delhi court, and its new weapon is a simple but brutal “lock and suspend” order that can yank a domain offline anywhere in the world.

In 2023 U.S. studios scored a landmark ruling: Indian ISPs must block pirate sites and domestic registrars have to freeze the offending domains while handing over registrant details. The ripple effect? Hundreds of sites—Animeflix, Fmovies, VidSrc and more—vanished overnight, wiping out what the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) calls “billions of global piracy visits.”

Rightsholders are cheering. Their annual Special 301 report notes that more than 400 piracy domains have been erased, shifting the pirated‑content pie away from Hollywood movies toward anime and manga. The orders even reach U.S. registrars like Namecheap, giving the crackdown a truly global punch.

But it’s not all smooth sailing. Some Indian ISPs drag their feet, and a few foreign registrars ignore the decree, limiting its reach. The IIPA urges India to roll the model out nationwide and tighten enforcement timelines—otherwise the “Priority Watch List” warning from Washington could stick around longer than a bad sequel.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

GameNative 0.7.1 Adds Epic Store Support

https://retrohandhelds.gg/gamenative-0-7-1-adds-epic-store-support/

If you’ve been tapping “Free This Week” on the Epic store and wondering how to squeeze those titles into your pocket‑sized PC, GameNative just handed you the key.

Version 0.7.1 adds full Epic library integration alongside its existing Steam (and GoG) support, turning any Android handheld into a mini‑gaming rig. After updating, you log into Epic via a browser, paste an auth token, and—voilà—your entire catalog appears in the same launcher you already know.

What’s new besides the Epic hookup?

• A performance wrapper that gives PowerVR and Mali chips a little extra juice.
• An “8 Elite Turnip” driver bundle for Snapdragon 8 Elite testers (downloadable from a dropdown, no side‑loading required).
• Dual‑screen handling and smoother game exits, plus the first taste of Steam Input integration and save‑sync tweaks.

The setup is still the same: install the APK from GitHub, link your accounts, sync libraries, then experiment with what actually runs on your device. Multiplayer on Epic isn’t live yet, and compatibility remains hit‑or‑miss, but if you’ve been hoarding free games for years, this update finally gives you a handheld excuse to play them.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

AYANEO’s Pocket Play Is a Brick-Shaped Xperia Throwback With a 165 Hz OLED Screen

https://retrohandhelds.gg/ayaneos-pocket-play-is-a-brick-shaped-xperia-throwback-with-a-165-hz-oled-screen/

Ever seen a gaming phone that looks like it was rescued from a 2000‑s nostalgia museum? AYANEO just unveiled its Pocket Play, a brick‑shaped, slide‑out wonder that pays homage to the Sony Xperia Play while packing modern muscle.

Under the hood sits MediaTek’s Dimensity 9300—a flagship‑grade SoC built for GPU punch and efficiency. In theory, that means buttery‑smooth emulation, cloud streaming, and native Android games, as long as AYANEO can keep heat in check inside the compact chassis. The front flaunts a 6.8‑inch OLED panel (2400×1080) with an eye‑popping 165 Hz refresh rate, and a side‑slide gamepad pops out with full button sets and shoulder triggers.

The device isn’t slated for release until later this year, but the Kickstarter page is already teasing “Launching Soon.” Success will hinge on three things:

• Price: Can it compete with other handhelds?
• Thermals: Will the brick overheat under heavy play?
• Controls: Does the slide‑out feel solid or flimsy?

If AYANEO nails those, the Pocket Play could become the retro‑meets‑future handset gamers didn’t know they were waiting for.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Final Fantasy VII’s 2013 Steam Release Is Being Delisted for an ‘Improved’ Edition

https://retrohandhelds.gg/final-fantasy-viis-2013-steam-release-is-being-delisted-for-an-improved-edition/

Picture this: you’ve been polishing your save file of Final Fantasy VII’s 2013 Steam edition, when Square Enix drops a bombshell—​the classic is about to get an “improved” makeover, and the old build will vanish from the storefront.

Here’s the lowdown. A brand‑new version of the 1997 RPG will replace the current Steam listing, promising a smoother gameplay experience (think console‑port goodies like 3× speed, optional random encounters, and built‑in boosters). The existing 2013 edition won’t disappear from your library; anyone who already owns it gets the upgrade for free. New buyers, however, will only see the all‑caps “FINAL FANTASY VII” title.

The catch? Saves won’t travel between versions, so your hard‑earned progress stays locked to whichever build you keep. Modders are also bracing for broken tools, as the new executable reshuffles data structures. If you need the old version for mods or save compatibility, grab it now—some regions still list it under $5, but the window is closing.

Bottom line: expect a shinier, faster FFVII on PC soon, but be ready to start fresh (or keep both copies side by side) if you want to preserve your legacy saves.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

A Decade of Patches: Ars Goes Inside NVIDIA’s Shield Experiment

https://retrohandhelds.gg/a-decade-of-patches-ars-goes-inside-nvidias-shield-experiment/

If you thought “10‑year updates” was a brag reserved for dinosaur‑era flip phones, think again—NVIDIA’s Shield TV just hit that sweet spot. Launched in 2015 as an Android‑TV set‑top box, it has survived a decade of OS upgrades, security patches, codec swaps and feature drops while the hardware under the hood (the Tegra X1/X1+) is now technically antique.

Why does this matter? In a smartphone world where “seven years of updates” earns a gold star, Shield proves that a committed OEM can keep an Android device fresh far beyond its launch window. NVIDIA didn’t just push new Android versions; it rebuilt security stacks, chased Google’s ever‑shifting TV requirements and continually tweaked the video pipeline so newer streaming formats (think AV1) don’t break your favorite apps.

The company treats Shield as a full‑stack lab—tying GPU, CPU, OS, UI and cloud services like GeForce Now into one experimental playground. And despite no official “Shield 3” on the horizon, the 2019 model still sells weekly, thanks to a loyal fanbase and hints of future upgrades (AV1, HDR10+, a less obnoxious Netflix button).

Bottom line: NVIDIA’s decade‑long love affair with Shield shows what long‑term Android support looks like when you actually care—something most phone makers could learn from.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

The PS Vita Lives! Anbernic Reveals the RG Vita and RG Vita Pro

https://retrohandhelds.gg/the-ps-vita-lives-anbernic-reveals-the-rg-vita-and-rg-vita-pro/

If you thought the PS Vita was dead and buried, Anbernic just gave it a second wind—right before Chinese New Year, no less. The Chinese‑made retro guru unveiled two new handhelds: the RG Vita and its beefier sibling, the RG Vita Pro.

What we do know (thanks to a 35‑second teaser) is that the base model ships with a hefty 5,000 mAh battery and likely sports a 5‑inch screen, while the Pro bumps the display up to about 5.5 inches. Rumor has it the standard unit will run on an Unisoc T820 chip paired with at least 8 GB of RAM—more than enough for smooth Vita emulation—whereas the Pro could sport a Snapdragon Dimensity 8300, turning it into a mini‑gaming powerhouse.

Design-wise, Anbernic nailed the nostalgia factor: glass front, plastic back, finger‑groove indents and even a D‑pad that mirrors the original Vita’s. The only gripe? The ABXY buttons stay in their classic layout instead of adopting the Vita’s distinctive shape.

Bottom line: if you’ve been missing a portable way to relive Vita classics, keep an eye on Anbernic’s upcoming specs—these devices could be the long‑awaited bridge between retro love and modern hardware.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

MANGMI Pocket Max Price and Release Date Revealed

https://retrohandhelds.gg/mangmi-pocket-max-price-and-release-date-revealed/

Picture this: a 7‑inch AMOLED handheld that finally feels like it belongs in your pocket without demanding a small‑loan payment. MANGMI just dropped the numbers on its new Pocket Max, and the news is as tidy as a well‑organized game library.

The device ships with a Snapdragon 865, 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB of UFS 3.1 storage and an eye‑pleasing 144 Hz display—all for $239.99. Better still, if you snag one between Feb 5‑12 you’ll snag a $40 Early Bird discount, bringing the price down to a neat $199.99. That’s right on the sweet spot many fans guessed.

What makes the Pocket Max stand out isn’t just its specs but its modular controls. The standard membrane ABXY/D‑pad comes standard; upgrade to mechanical micro‑switch modules for an extra $12 if you crave that clicky feel. At roughly $250 fully loaded, it’s now a direct competitor to AYN’s newly discontinued Odin 2 Portal (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2) which is still hovering around $249.

Bottom line: grab the Early Bird deal if you can, because after Feb 12 the price jumps back up and the budget‑gaming battlefield gets a little tighter. Happy hunting!