Category: Tater News

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Now It’s an Xbox: Microsoft Emulation on The ROG Xbox Ally

https://retrohandhelds.gg/now-its-an-xbox-microsoft-emulation-on-the-rog-xbox-ally/

Let’s be real: Microsoft calls the ROG Xbox Ally an “Xbox”—but if you can’t play your old digital games on it, is it really? Spoiler: Nope. Thankfully, the internet’s nerdiest hobbyists have stepped in to fix this injustice.

Enter: emulation. Thanks to Xemu and Xenia, you can now run your original Xbox and 360 games right on the Ally—no streaming, no Xbox console required. The OG Xbox? About 80% of games work. Just dump your BIOS (yes, you have to source it yourself—no links here!), hit reset after loading the ISO (weird, we know), and boom: Halo on the go. The 360? Even smoother. No BIOS needed. Just load a game, and Xenia Canary does the rest. Think of it like time travel for your old favorites—NBA Jam HD, anyone?

The best part? This isn’t just nostalgia porn. It’s liberation. Your purchased games belong to you, not a subscription gate. The Ally, with its Windows 11 guts, turns into the ultimate retro Xbox vault—no Microsoft permission needed.

So if you’ve got a backlog of dusty digital treasures, now’s your chance to dust ‘em off. Emulation isn’t about piracy—it’s about preservation. And maybe, just maybe, it’s the only way Microsoft will ever truly deliver on its “This is an Xbox” promise.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

AYANEO Debuts KONKR Fit and Gives Another Look at the Pocket S Mini

https://retrohandhelds.gg/ayaneo-debuts-konkr-fit-and-gives-another-look-at-the-pocket-s-mini/

AYANEO didn’t just drop a new gadget—they dropped two like it’s nothing.

First up: the Pocket S Mini. It’s basically a nostalgic pocket-sized arcade cabinet with a 4:3 LCD screen, Snapdragon G3x Gen 2 chip (yes, the same one that crushed retro games on the original Pocket S), and now a sweet “Retro Power” colorway to match your 2003 Game Boy Advance SP. No price yet, but if it’s anything like its siblings? You’ll be able to run Doom and Mario Kart with your coffee in hand—for under $300.

Then came the real bombshell: KONKR FIT. This isn’t just another Windows handheld—it’s a thicc little beast with an 80Wh battery, a 7-inch OLED screen, and AMD’s brand-new Ryzen AI HX 470 chip (basically an overclocked HX 370, because why not?). It’s designed to be the ultimate portable PC powerhouse—and yes, “Dragon Cheese” is coming.

No pricing. No release date. But we already know what you’re thinking: “When do I preorder?” Stay tuned, because AYANEO’s back—and they’re not playing nice anymore.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Retro Handhelds Weekly: AYN Odin 3, Ghostship Port, Doom on a Pressure Cooker, and More

https://retrohandhelds.gg/retro-handhelds-weekly-edition-82/

Retro Handhelds Weekly: Doom on a Pressure Cooker? Yes, Really.

Let’s be real—this week’s retro handheld news reads like a sci-fi fever dream. AYN just dropped the Odin 3, and instead of drama over RAM speeds (they did clarify it’s fine, phew), we got Doom running on a pressure cooker. Wait—what? Yeah. Someone actually ran Doom inside a kitchen appliance. We’re not sure if it’s genius or arson, but we’re impressed.

Meanwhile, the PlayStation Portal might finally get an OLED upgrade after two years of silent treatment. And the N64 controller? Now works on Dreamcast. Someone out there is living their best GoldenEye meets Phantasy Star Online life.

Software’s not slacking either. Ghostship just dropped a fresh Super Mario 64 port, Last Crown Warriors mashed up Zelda with RTS chaos, and Cory in the House is being hailed as “the greatest game of all time.” (We’re not judging. We’ve all had that one NES game we pretend is a masterpiece.)

And if you’re into emulators, EmuDevz—a game about building emulators—just hit Steam. Yes. It’s a meta sandbox where you debug SNES chips for fun.

Subscribe to the Retro Handhelds Weekly newsletter. It’s free, ad-free, and includes Russ’s music recs. Because nothing says “weekend chill” like 8-bit synth and a pressure-cooker Doom run. 🎮🔥

📰 New article from Wololo.net

Homebrew Release: Warnel Chawpiovs v1.0.0 (PC, Nintendo Switch), adds “The Rise of Red Skull” cards

https://wololo.net/2026/01/20/homebrew-release-warnel-chawpiovs-v1-0-0-pc-nintendo-switch-adds-the-rise-of-red-skull-cards/

You can now fight Red Skull on your Switch… and it’s weirdly brilliant

Meet Warnel Chawpiovs — yes, that’s the real name (no typos, we checked) — a homebrew digital take on Marvel Champions that turns your Switch into a solo superhero simulator. Think of it as if your brain outsourced the rulebook to a very overworked AI assistant who still forgets where it put its coffee.

Version 1.0 just dropped, and it’s packed with Rise of Red Skull goodies: Hawkeye, Spider-Woman, and a rogues’ gallery that includes Taskmaster (who’s basically the human version of “I’ve seen this move before”) and Red Skull himself — because nothing says “evil genius” like a guy who looks like he lost a fight with a red paint can.

The big new feature? Adventure Mode — win games to unlock heroes. No more cheating your way into Thor. You earn it, like a real Avenger… or at least someone who’s read the rulebook twice.

It runs on Switch, but good luck if you’re not overclocking. The devs say it’s “slow.” Translation: your console is doing its best impression of a dial-up modem trying to load a 4K Marvel movie.

Multiplayer? Still broken. But hey — at least you won’t have to argue about who gets the last power card.

Download it, ignore the 15-minute asset load time (yes, even on PC), and may your dice rolls never betray you. 🦸‍♂️💥

(P.S. If you’ve ever yelled “I’M NOT A HERO, I’M JUST GOOD WITH CARDS” — this is your calling.)

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Mangmi Releases Full Specs on the Pocket Max

https://retrohandhelds.gg/mangmi-releases-full-specs-on-the-pocket-max/

Meet the Pocket Max: the handheld that’s basically a tiny gaming PC with a 144Hz screen—and it weighs less than your phone (okay, maybe not less, but still… 450g? That’s a brick with benefits).

Mangmi just dropped the full specs on their upcoming Pocket Max, and wow. 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, a Snapdragon 865, and—wait for it—a 7-inch AMOLED display running at 144Hz. That’s not just “good for a handheld”—that’s “why is my PS5 jealous?” territory. Battery? A hefty 8000mAh. Connectivity? WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1. It’s basically a Nintendo Switch if it dated a gaming laptop.

But here’s the real question: How much? The Air X nailed it at $100. This thing’s specs are closer to the Retroid Pocket Mini V2—which retails around $200. With memory prices climbing and that gorgeous AMOLED panel, $180–$220 feels likely. That’s a tough sell in an already crowded $150–$250 handheld market.

If Mangmi can hit $179? Game over. If it’s $249? Maybe just wait for the next gen. The hardware is stellar—now all they need is a price that doesn’t make your wallet scream.

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

NVIDIA Contacted Anna’s Archive to Secure Access to Millions of Pirated Books

https://torrentfreak.com/nvidia-contacted-annas-archive-to-secure-access-to-millions-of-pirated-books/

NVIDIA didn’t just build AI chips—it apparently built them on stolen books.

In a twist that reads like a corporate thriller, new court filings reveal NVIDIA reached out to Anna’s Archive—a notorious “shadow library” of pirated books—to secure access to millions of copyrighted texts for training its AI models. Yes, the company behind the world’s most sought-after AI hardware allegedly asked a pirate site: “How much for high-speed access to your illegal book collection?”

Internal emails, now public, show NVIDIA didn’t just stumble upon these books—they actively sought them out. Anna’s Archive even warned the company: “Hey, this stuff is stolen.” NVIDIA replied with a green light within days.

And it’s not just Anna’s Archive. The complaint alleges NVIDIA also mined LibGen, Sci-Hub, and Z-Library—all while distributing tools that let customers scrape pirated datasets like “The Pile.” The plaintiffs? Bestselling authors. Their claim? NVIDIA turned copyright infringement into a revenue stream.

The irony? NVIDIA’s chips power the AI revolution. But now, it may be the one getting run over by its own ethical blind spots.

This isn’t just about books—it’s about who owns knowledge in the age of AI. And if a trillion-dollar tech giant thinks “fair use” means raiding pirate libraries, we’re all in trouble.

Bonus: Anna’s Archive just lost its domains. Now it’s got a VIP customer.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Hyperkin Floats the Idea of a Cart-Slotted N64 Portable

https://retrohandhelds.gg/hyperkin-floats-the-idea-of-a-cart-slotted-n64-portable/

Picture this: You’re on the subway, N64 controller in hand, popping in your dusty Ocarina of Time cart—no ROMs, no flash drives, just pure, unadulterated nostalgia. Hyperkin’s quietly daydreaming about making it real.

They’re not announcing it—not yet—but when a fan asked if a portable N64 was possible, the reply? “Potentially in the future.” Translation: We’re thinking about it… while we fix our Genesis handheld that’s glitching like a corrupted save file.

Here’s the catch: It wouldn’t be some FPGA-powered luxury device like Analogue’s $1,000 marvel. Nope—Hyperkin would go the Retron GX route: dump the cart into memory, then emulate it. That means screen tearing, frame drops, and maybe Link floating through walls… but hey, you’d be playing your actual cartridges. No PC, no downloads—just you, your childhood, and a tiny screen.

The kicker? Hyperkin already makes N64-style controllers. They know the hardware. But if they can’t fix visual artifacts on the Genesis handheld—something far easier to emulate—they’re in for a very rough ride with the N64’s wonky 3D rendering.

Still… if they pull it off? That’d be the most charmingly chaotic handheld of 2027. Just don’t blame them if your Mario Kart race ends with a wobbly banana peel… and no sound.

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

Storm Chasers Sue Meta for Ignoring Repeat Infringements of Popular Accounts

https://torrentfreak.com/storm-chasers-sue-meta-for-ignoring-repeat-infringements-of-popular-accounts/

Let’s be real: if you’ve ever posted a video of a tornado and watched some mega-account steal it for clout—and Meta shrug—it’s not just annoying. It’s now lawsuit-level infuriating.

Enter Brandon Clement and a crew of storm chasers who’ve spent years watching their heart-pounding, weather-beaten footage get ripped off by viral aggregators on Facebook and Instagram. They sent hundreds of thousands of DMCA takedown notices. Meta? Mostly ignored them—sometimes even blocking the creators for “going too fast” with takedowns. Yes, you read that right: too fast.

The complaint? A smoking gun of alleged corporate hypocrisy. Leaked docs show Meta lets high-revenue accounts rack up 500 strikes before acting, while small advertisers get axed after eight. And now? They’re allegedly calling fair use on a two-minute watermarked storm surge video… and leaving it up. For profit.

The plaintiffs aren’t just mad—they’re suing for direct, contributory, and vicarious copyright infringement. With statutory damages of $150K per work? We’re talking millions. And Meta’s silence so far is louder than a tornado siren.

This isn’t just about weather videos. It’s about whether platforms can pick and choose who gets protected—while cashing in on the chaos. The storm’s coming. And Meta? It’s not ready for it.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

MiSTer FPGA News – Apple IIgs, CD-i FMV Updates, New Arcade Cores, & More

https://retrorgb.com/mister-fpga-news-apple-iigs-cd-i-fmv-updates-new-arcade-cores-more.html

MiSTer FPGA Just Got Wildly Cool (Again)

Let’s be real: if you’re still playing Pac-Land on an original arcade cabinet, we need to talk. But if you’re on MiSTer FPGA? You just got Pac-Land, Twin Cobra, Snow Bros, and now—Apple IIgs. Yes. The 1986 Apple with the color GUI is coming to your FPGA box. Your retro shelf is about to get very crowded.

And it’s not just classics. The Sega Channel? A dial-up-era game download service from the ‘90s? Now emulated. CD-i FMV playback got a massive upgrade—so you can finally watch those painfully slow “interactive” videos without wanting to throw your TV out the window. Even IQ151, a Czechoslovakian school computer from 1985? Done. Because why not?

Meanwhile, Jotego’s fixing CPS cores so Street Fighter II doesn’t sprint like it’s late for a bus. The Playstation core now lets you pick “Old GPU” mode—because nothing says nostalgia like 5:5:5 color bleeding. And Biduleman’s “Auto Save” SNES/NES core? Genius. No more forgetting to hit “Save to SD”—your progress won’t vanish if you power off mid-boss.

Oh, and the SuperStation One? A PlayStation-shaped MiSTer box that plays real PS1 discs. Yes, it’s real. And yes, it looks chef’s kiss.

MiSTer isn’t just keeping old tech alive—it’s turning it into a living, breathing museum with a cheat code.

Update your FPGA. Your 80s self will thank you.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Ghostship: A New Super Mario 64 Port!

https://retrohandhelds.gg/ghostship-a-new-super-mario-64-port/

You know what’s better than playing Super Mario 64? Playing it in 4K, at 120fps, with a level select menu that doesn’t require a PhD in N64 hex editing.

Enter Ghostship—the latest, slickest, most “I didn’t know I needed this until now” port of Mario 64 from Harbour Masters, the wizards behind Ship of Harkinian and Spaghettikart. No more fiddling with emulators or hunting down obscure config files. Install it. Drop in your ROM (yes, you still need it—sorry, pirates). Boom. You’re back on Peach’s Castle with buttery-smooth graphics and texture packs that make the Goombas look like they stepped out of a Pixar short.

And it’s not just PC-bound. Linux users, brace yourselves—port incoming. Android? Almost certainly coming soon thanks to developer Waterdish. Meanwhile, the N64 revival wave is crashing hard: GameSir just dropped a controller with an actual C-pad module, and Donut Dodo’s now playable on the N64 (yes, really).

Ghostship isn’t just a port—it’s a love letter to the golden age of 3D platformers, served with modern convenience. Go grab it before your inner 8-year-old starts crying because you waited too long.