📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Anbernic Shows Off RG DS Plus Gameplay and Its New DS Emulator

https://retrohandhelds.gg/anbernic-shows-off-rg-ds-plus-gameplay-and-its-new-ds-emulator/

If you’ve been itching to revisit your Nintendo DS library without the squinting or the aging hardware, Anbernic might have just saved your weekend. Following their recent announcement, the company has dropped a fresh gameplay showcase for the upcoming RG DS Plus, and it looks like they’re pulling out all the stops.

The star of the show is a brand-new emulator called “NNDDSS.” In the footage, titles like The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks and Pokémon White Version 2 run smoothly, and—crucially for DS purists—stylus support seems to be fully functional for games like Ninja Gaiden.

But it isn’t just a DS clone. The device handles a wide range of classics, from PS1 to Sega Genesis. Anbernic also showed off some clever UI flexibility, allowing you to toggle which screen plays the game and which displays “Now Playing” info. They even threw in a glimpse of Forza Horizon 5 via PC streaming and a look at two-player netplay.

Anbernic usually drops these showcases right before hitting the “buy” button, so expect official release news and reviewer units to start popping up any day now.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

120Hz Gaming for under $100: Leaf on the MINILOONG Pocket 1

https://retrohandhelds.gg/120hz-gaming-for-under-100-leaf-on-the-miniloong-pocket-1/

### The $80 Power Move

If you’ve been hunting for a budget handheld, you know the drill: you usually have to choose between a price you love and specs that make you weep. But the MiniLoong Pocket 1 is officially breaking that cycle, and it’s all thanks to a new custom firmware called Leaf.

Until now, the MiniLoong was a bit of a “diamond in the rough”—great hardware, but held back by a clunky, frustrating stock OS. Enter Leaf, a snappy, lightweight Linux alternative that actually makes this $80 device feel premium.

The headline feature? 120Hz support. While most budget devices struggle to stay smooth, Leaf unlocks the MiniLoong’s 720p screen for high-refresh-rate gaming. This means:

• Butter-smooth menus and responsive gameplay.
• Black Frame Insertion (BFI) options to boost motion clarity.
• A much faster UI that doesn’t feel like it’s running through molasses.

It also includes quality-of-life wins like automatic game art scraping and a “5 Game Mode” to help you stop scrolling and start playing. If you want a pocketable retro beast without dropping $200 on a Retroid, the MiniLoong + Leaf combo is officially the value king.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

OSSC Pro Legacy AV-In (+RF) 3D Printed Case

https://retrorgb.com/ossc-pro-legacy-av-in-rf-3d-printed-case.html

If you’re a retro gaming enthusiast, you know the OSSC Pro is basically the holy grail for getting those old consoles looking crisp on modern screens. But as much as we love modularity, naked circuit boards aren’t exactly “living room chic.”

Enter Dan from The Brewing Academy, who is now selling a custom 3D-printed case specifically designed for the latest OSSC Pro Legacy AV-In module. This isn’t just a generic shell, either; it’s a modified version of a popular design that includes a dedicated hole for the RF expansion and an extra support post to keep those composite and S-Video inputs from wobbling.

Installation is a total breeze—think “Lego-level” simple. You just angle the jacks through the holes and snap the top on. A few quick tips if you pick one up:

• Don’t skip the screws: While it snaps together, adding two small screws (6-10mm) will stop the whole thing from shifting around.
• Secure it to the scaler: The case allows you to screw the module directly to the OSSC Pro, which is a lifesaver if you’re worried about the weight of an RF cable pulling the board out.

At just under $20, it’s a small price to pay to keep your setup looking professional and your hardware safe.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

MiSTer FPGA News – Taito F3, DVD Discs, Computer Cores & More

https://retrorgb.com/mister-fpga-news-taito-f3-dvd-discs-computer-cores-more.html

If you thought your MiSTer FPGA was complete, think again. The latest round of updates is a massive, “everything-and-the-kitchen-sink” style dump that covers everything from obscure arcade boards to actual movie discs.

The heavy hitters this week include a brand-new DVD core—meaning you can finally play actual DVD discs and images—and significant progress on a Nintendo DS hybrid core. If you’re a Nintendo purist, you’ll be thrilled to hear that the N64 core now boasts 64DD support, bringing those rare Japanese peripherals to your setup.

Here’s a quick glance at what else is hitting the library:

Arcade Gains: New cores for Taito F3, RoboCop 2, Ring King*, and a highly accurate Irem M72 update.

• Computing Classics: Major updates for Macintosh (LC and Quadra 800), Amiga, and even the z486 core, which is now 22% faster.
• Quality of Life: A new, blazing-fast frontend called Degauss is here to make navigating your library much smoother.

Whether you’re looking to play Street Fighter II bootlegs or dive into the world of retro computing, there’s plenty of tinkering to do this weekend.

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

Online Piracy Costs the UK 9,400 Nurses a Year, If Pirates Keep Their Word

https://torrentfreak.com/online-piracy-costs-the-uk-9400-nurses-a-year-if-pirates-keep-their-word/

If you’ve ever felt a tiny twinge of guilt for watching a football match on a dodgy link, the UK government might soon be calling you a villain.

A new report from the anti-piracy campaign BeStreamWise claims that illegal streaming is costing the UK a staggering £1.35 billion in missed revenue. To make the numbers hit home, they’ve translated that lost tax income into human terms: that’s enough money to fund 9,400 NHS nurses or 140 million free school meals.

But before you go deleting your bookmarks, there’s a massive asterisk attached to these figures.

The math relies on a “pinky promise” from pirates. Researchers asked people who use illegal streams how much they would be willing to pay if piracy were suddenly impossible. The £1.35 billion is essentially an extrapolation of those hypothetical promises. As any economist will tell you, people often claim they’ll do the right thing in a survey, only to go right back to their old habits the moment the lights go out.

A few quick takeaways from the data:

• Social media is king: Over half of pirates are accessing content via social platforms rather than traditional torrent sites.
• The motivation is simple: Most people cite cost and convenience as their primary drivers.
• The “guaranteed” money is shaky: The study didn’t account for “hypothetical bias,” meaning the actual revenue lost is likely much lower than the headline figure.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Retro Handhelds Weekly: RG DS Plus, Wave Launcher, and Another Huge Week for Emulation

https://retrohandhelds.gg/retro-handhelds-weekly-edition-115/

If you thought the handheld market was cooling off, think again. This week’s news proves the retro gaming community is actually just getting warmed up.

The headline act is undoubtedly Anbernic’s official reveal of the RG DS Plus. It’s a Nintendo DS/DSi-style clone that promises larger screens and a built-in stylus, all while keeping the price tag under $100. If you’re a fan of dual-screen classics, your wallet might be in trouble.

But the hardware fun doesn’t stop there. FunnyPlaying is cooking up a “Retro Pixel MiniGB”—a tiny, Game Boy-inspired device that can actually play real cartridges. It’s basically a pocket-sized nostalgia trip.

On the software side, there’s plenty to keep your devices looking sharp:

• Wave Launcher V1.0 has officially dropped, offering a stylish, XMB-focused frontend for those who care about aesthetics.
• Socket Frontend is now free for everyone, a huge win for Android users.
• Ocarina of Time 3D just got a massive 4K texture pack and single-screen support mod.

Whether you’re hunting for new gear or just polishing your current setup, it’s a massive week for emulation fans.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Wave Launcher Drops V1.0

https://retrohandhelds.gg/wave-launcher-drops-v1-0/

If you’ve spent any time tinkering with retro handhelds lately, you know the “frontend” struggle is real. Most software is currently obsessed with mimicking Nintendo, leaving fans of the sleek, iconic Sony XMB interface feeling a little left out in the cold.

Well, the wait for that classic PlayStation aesthetic is officially over. Wave Launcher has just hit V1.0, and it’s a love letter to the XrossMediaBar.

This isn’t just a skin; it’s a deeply polished, feature-rich experience designed to make your Android handheld feel like a premium piece of Sony hardware. We’re talking:

• Deep Customization: From personalized color schemes and wallpapers to custom boot logos (including PS3 and Anbernic styles).
• Pro-Level Scraping: It pulls beautiful metadata from SteamGridDB and ScreenScraper, even grabbing authentic assets from PSP and PS3 sources.
• Media Mastery: A modernized, PS3-style music player, video player, and photo gallery.
• Smart Management: Automatic playtime tracking, seamless SD card hot-swapping, and full controller support.

Whether you’re rocking a Retroid or an Anbernic, if you want your device to feel less like a gadget and more like a console, Wave Launcher is worth the install.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Ocarina of Time 3D 4K 5.0: It’s Fantastic

https://retrohandhelds.gg/ocarina-of-time-3d-4k-5-0-its-fantastic/

If you thought the 3DS version of Ocarina of Time was the final word on Link’s adventures, think again. A massive new update to Henriko Magnifico’s 4K texture pack just dropped, and it’s essentially giving this classic a high-definition facelift that would make even Ganondorf blush.

The big news in version 5.0 isn’t just the eye candy; it’s the newfound flexibility. Thanks to a partnership with modder RTG, the pack now fully supports a “single screen” mod. This means you can ditch the dual-screen clutter and play with a streamlined UI that works beautifully on almost any device.

Here is what’s actually changing under the hood:

• Crystal Clear Text: No more blurry, 240p dialogue. The code has finally been cracked to allow for true HD text.
• Hand-Crafted UI: A complete interface overhaul by artist Skilar, done entirely by hand (no lazy AI upscaling here).
• 4K Ready: Textures are scaled up to 8x the base resolution, making it perfect for modern displays.

It’s a premium update reserved for Patreon supporters, but it begs the question: is this the definitive way to play Zelda, or is the PC port Ship of Harkinian still the king of the hill?

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ Gets a New Arc G3 Model in Luminous Blue

https://retrohandhelds.gg/msi-claw-8-ex-ai-gets-a-new-arc-g3-model-in-luminous-blue/

If you’ve been eyeing a premium handheld but your bank account has been staging a protest, MSI might have just thrown you a bone.

A new configuration of the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ has surfaced, and it’s all about making the tech a little more accessible. While the high-end “Extreme” model is a powerhouse, this new variant swaps in the standard Intel Arc G3 SoC and the Arc B370 iGPU. To sweeten the deal (or perhaps offset the hardware dip), it also comes in a fresh “Luminous Blue” colorway.

Here is the quick breakdown of the trade-offs:

• The Good: It’s $300 cheaper than the top-tier model, sitting at a more palatable $1,499.
• The Compromise: You’ll get 512GB of storage instead of the usual 1TB.
• The Constant: You still get that gorgeous 8-inch 120Hz display and 32GB of RAM.

The real catch? Availability. The Claw has been notoriously difficult to find since its launch, with retailers constantly running dry. We’re crossing our fingers that this new blue beauty actually hits the shelves—and stays there.

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

Adult Film Producer Unmasks Prolific ‘John Doe’ Torrent Pirate as Meta Executive

https://torrentfreak.com/adult-film-producer-unmasks-prolific-john-doe-torrent-pirate-as-meta-executive/

### From “John Doe” to Meta Executive: A Piracy Plot Twist

It turns out that “John Doe” might have a very high-powered day job.

In a legal saga that reads like a corporate thriller, adult film producer Strike 3 Holdings has unmasked an anonymous torrent pirate. The culprit? An executive at Meta’s Reality Labs division, the team behind the Quest VR headsets.

This isn’t just a case of someone downloading a movie on a Tuesday night. Strike 3 is currently embroiled in a massive $446 million lawsuit against Meta, alleging the tech giant used thousands of adult films to train its AI models. Now, they’re connecting the dots.

The producer claims this executive’s home connection wasn’t just casually browsing; it was pulling down nearly 20,000 files, including massive “mega packs” of software, movies, and VR adult content. The timing is also suspicious: the heavy downloading allegedly spiked right after Meta was warned about its corporate IP addresses being used for piracy.

The big takeaway: Strike 3 is fighting to link this individual’s “personal” downloads to Meta’s corporate liability. If they succeed, a single residential IP address could become the smoking gun in a nearly half-billion-dollar legal battle. Meta, meanwhile, is sticking to the classic defense: an IP address doesn’t prove who was actually behind the keyboard.