📰 New article from TorrentFreak

Online Piracy Can Boost Box Office Revenue, Study Suggests

https://torrentfreak.com/online-piracy-can-boost-box-office-revenue-study-suggests/

Let’s be real: Hollywood has spent decades screaming that piracy is the end of cinema. But what if… it’s actually a free trailer?

A new study from Monash and San Jose State universities found something wild: high-quality pirate releases of blockbusters like Marvel movies don’t kill box office sales—they boost them. How? Because watching a pirated copy of Avengers: Endgame on your laptop makes you realize, “Wait… I need to see this on a 70-foot screen with Dolby Atmos and popcorn in my lap.”

The magic? “Spectacle” films—big visuals, loud soundtracks, immersive experiences—are enhanced by theaters. Piracy acts like a viral ad: “This looks insane… I gotta see it for real.” Meanwhile, romantic comedies like 27 Dresses? Piracy kills their box office. Why? You can watch those on your couch with zero regret.

And here’s the kicker: low-quality leaks (grainy CAM rips) still hurt sales across the board. So it’s not piracy itself—it’s quality piracy that backfires… in a good way.

The takeaway? Studios shouldn’t just sue pirates. They should upgrade the theater experience—premium seats, themed events, IMAX snacks. Because sometimes, the best anti-piracy tool isn’t a lawyer… it’s a better popcorn machine. 🍿

— And yes, this is real research. Not satire. (We checked.)

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

The GameMT EX5 is Coming Soon, Complete With a Performance Dial

https://retrohandhelds.gg/the-gamemt-ex5-is-coming-soon-complete-with-a-performance-dial/

Meet the GameMT EX5—because why just have a thumbstick when you can also have a kitchen timer on your gaming handheld?

Yes, you read that right. The EX5’s standout feature isn’t a 4K screen or AI upscaling—it’s a physical dial labeled “Performance, Balance, Pwrsave-Auto,” glinting like it was borrowed from your grandma’s old microwave. And honestly? We’re weirdly here for it. In a world of sleek, minimalist designs, this thing leans into chaotic charm.

Under the hood? A MediaTek Helio G81, 4GB RAM, and a surprisingly crisp 5-inch 1080p IPS display—solid for budget handhelds, but not exactly “next-gen.” Still, running Android with ES-DE and Pegasus frontends means it’ll happily chew through retro games and cloud titles like a digital Pac-Man. One thumbstick? Weird, but maybe it’s a stealthy nod to classic Game Boy Advance SP vibes.

No release date yet—just a teaser video with the ominous tagline: “Will be released soon.” (Translation: probably next Tuesday, or maybe never.) But if you’ve ever wanted to tweak your frame rate with a dial that looks like it belongs in a 2003 kitchen, the EX5 might just be your weird little soulmate.

Stay tuned. Or don’t. We’ll tell you when it drops.

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

Google Removes Sci-Hub Domains from U.S. Search Results Due to Dated Court Order

https://torrentfreak.com/google-removes-sci-hub-domains-from-u-s-search-results-due-to-dated-court-order/

Here’s your punchy, newsletter-ready summary:

—

Google just scrubbed Sci-Hub from U.S. search results… using a 7-year-old court order.

Yep, it’s 2025, and Google is acting on a 2018 injunction — one that’s been gathering digital dust since the American Chemical Society won a $4.8M judgment against Sci-Hub (and its “pirate bay of science” founder). The order? Block all Sci-Hub domains, including future ones. But for years? Nothing happened.

Then, out of nowhere this December, UK law firm Wiggin LLP hit Google with a request to deindex 34 new Sci-Hub mirror domains — like `edu.scihubtw.tw` and `freeus.scihubtw.tw`. Google complied. Now, if you search “Sci-Hub” in the U.S., you’ll see a crisp little notice: “Removed by legal request.”

What’s wild? This is the first time ACS has gone after search engines. And while Google claims no comment, it’s likely playing it safe — not because the law forces them to, but because they’ve done this before in the UK and Australia with ISP blocks. They’re not legally obligated, but they don’t want the hassle.

Bottom line: Sci-Hub still works. You can still access it. But if you’re in the U.S., Google just made finding it a treasure hunt — and ACS finally remembered they had a sword.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Retro Handhelds Deals of the Week

https://retrohandhelds.gg/retro-handhelds-deals-of-the-week/

Retro Handhelds Are Having a Holiday Binge — And Your Wallet’s About to Thank You

Let’s be real: if you’ve been eyeing a Retroid Pocket 6 or an AYN Odin 3 but kept telling yourself “maybe next month,” well… next month is here, and it’s wearing a Santa hat with a 20% off sticker.

This week’s deals are insane. The Anbernic RG35XXSP? Down to $49.99. The AYANEO Pocket DS with 1TB storage? $599 — down from $719. Even the tiny R36T handheld (yes, it fits in your pocket and plays SNES) is under $32. And if you’re feeling fancy, the ASUS ROG Ally? $489. That’s less than a new pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

But wait — it gets better. AliExpress is dropping dozens of discount codes: $65 off a $569 handheld? Yes, please. And if you need storage for all those ROMs, SanDisk’s 2TB microSD card is $219 (down from $277). Plus, free games galore: Hogwarts Legacy is still free until Dec 18. (You’re not playing it for nostalgia… you’re doing it for the lore, right?)

Controllers? Check. Chargers? Check. Even a Sonic-themed microSD card? Double check.

Your holiday wishlist just got a whole lot shorter — and your bank account, a whole lot lighter. Time to hit “Add to Cart” before Santa’s elves run out of stock. 🎮🎅

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

MKVCinemas: ACE Anti-Piracy Coalition Takes Credit For Sudden Shutdown

https://torrentfreak.com/ace-anti-piracy-coalition-takes-credit-for-sudden-mkvcinemas-shutdown-251212/

Here’s the newsletter-ready version—punchy, playful, and packed with punch:

—

The Pirate King Who Forgot to Hide His Debit Card

Meet Immadi Ravi: 39, computer science grad, self-styled “kingpin” of Indian piracy… and the guy who paid for his domain using his personal debit card. Oops.

After running iBomma—a 21,000-title movie empire that allegedly cost Bollywood $428 million in 2024—Ravi got arrested in Hyderabad. Turns out, running a global piracy operation from the Caribbean while flying back to India? Risky. Paying for it with your real Visa? Even riskier.

While Ravi’s in jail, his empire crumbled. iBomma? Down. Bappam TV? Gone. And just as fans were mourning the loss of free movies, ACE (the anti-piracy coalition) dropped a bombshell: they took down MKVCinemas, another massive pirate hub linked to a “drive-to-drive cloning tool” used by thousands.

Here’s the twist: ACE says they tracked the operator to Bihar. Meanwhile, a big-name Bollywood star just told police he was “unbearable” that a 22-year-old from Bihar was raking in crores through piracy. Coincidence? Maybe. But when the CEO of “I’ll steal your movie but not my identity” gets caught using his own card… well, even pirates aren’t immune to rookie mistakes.

And now? 25 domains handed over. More coming. The lights are off—for now.

—

Piracy’s not dead. But its CFO just got fired.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Mangmi Pocket Max Could Be a Bigger, More Powerful Air X

https://retrohandhelds.gg/mangmi-pocket-max-could-be-a-bigger-more-powerful-air-x/

Meet the Mangmi Pocket Max—your new favorite “wait, is this real?” handheld tease.

After knocking it out of the park with the budget-friendly Air X, Mangmi’s back with a shadowy, sleeker, bigger contender. A single dark screenshot on Discord? Check. Cheesy tagline? Obviously. Specs? Still a mystery—but the leaks are whispering Snapdragon 865 and Retroid Pocket 5-level power. Translation: this thing could run Elden Ring in a parallel universe.

Think of it as if the Air X grew up, hit the gym, and started wearing AYANEO-style aesthetics. No official price yet—but if it undercuts the Retroid Pocket 5? Game over. Third-party Linux devs will be drooling before it even ships.

Right now, it’s all vibes and speculation. But the fact that it’s already showing up on Geekbench? That’s not a glitch—that’s a preview. Mangmi’s playing the long game: drip-feed hype, then drop a beast.

We’re not just watching. We’re pre-ordering in our minds.

Update coming when (not if) they drop the real specs.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Long-Lost NES Game Xcavator Announced At Day Of The Devs

https://retrohandhelds.gg/long-lost-nes-game-xcavator-announced-at-day-of-the-devs/

You know that feeling when you spend years trying to get your side hustle noticed… only for the world to ignore it? Meet Chris Oberth, 1991’s OG indie dev who made a clever little NES puzzle game called Xcavator—and got zero bites from publishers. His prototype? Boxed up. Source code? Dusty. Dreams? Deferred.

Fast forward 34 years: Oberth passed away, his family donated the code to the Video Game History Foundation, and a ragtag crew of retro heroes—Mega Cat Studios, Retrotainment Games, and iam8bit—decided it was time to resurrect this forgotten gem. Using 1991-era tools to stay true to the original vision, they finished what Oberth started. No modern polish. Just pure, unfiltered NES charm.

Now, Xcavator 2025 is real—and it’s not just a game. It’s a museum piece you can play. For $100, you get a gray NES cartridge, a 14-page doc detailing its wild journey, and the knowledge that every dollar after costs goes straight to saving other lost games from digital oblivion.

Frank Cifaldi of the foundation summed it up: “The world wasn’t ready in 1991.”

Turns out, we are now. And maybe—just maybe—we owe it to the pioneers to finally press play.

Pre-orders close Jan 10, 2026. Don’t let history stay buried.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

Philips / Magnavox CDi 450 / 550 Power Supply

https://retrorgb.com/philips-magnavox-cdi-450-550-power-supply.html

If you own a Philips or Magnavox CDi 450/550, you’ve probably stared at its weird ethernet-looking power cable and wondered: “Who designed this?” Probably someone who thought “future-proof” meant “unreplaceable.”

Good news: Zaxour just dropped a game-changing replacement power supply that nixes the fragile, hard-to-find “inline brick.” Now you just plug in a standard 12V/2A wall wart (like the Triad models linked) and connect it via a short Ethernet cable. Boom—no more hunting eBay for dying PSUs.

You can buy the whole kit for $50, or go DIY with the “naked” version for $35. Pro tip: Use a super short Ethernet cable (they recommend 0.5ft). Why? Because these things are finicky, and long cables = voltage drop = console tantrums.

If your CDi’s power brick still works? Congrats. But seriously—buy this anyway. These units are 30 years old. When it dies, you’ll thank your future self for not scrambling in the dark with a multimeter and a prayer.

TL;DR: CDi owners, this is the power supply upgrade you didn’t know you needed… until now.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

New Firmware Updates for Saturn ODEs Fenrir, SAROO

https://retrorgb.com/new-firmware-updates-for-saturn-odes-fenrir-saroo.html

Ever tried playing Shining Force III on your Sega Saturn… only to have it stubbornly refuse because the B button doesn’t work? Yeah, welcome to the wild world of Saturn ODEs.

This weekend, two beloved Sega Saturn optical drive emulators got long-awaited updates. First up: Fenrir Lite. After months of users hitting a wall with Fenrir Loader Kai failing to load games from SD cards, creator Ced dropped a fix—then spent 48 hours fine-tuning it with Discord users until it was butter-smooth. Now? B button works. Games load. Peace returns to the Saturn faithful.

Meanwhile, SAROO dropped version 0.8—and it’s a party. CD+G audio CDs? Check. Two-player controller support? Double check. Plus, it now reads .cdg/.sub files (just name them like your .cue file and you’re golden). TPUnix also warned: don’t mix this firmware with YZB’s—they’re like iOS and Android. Same phone, different OS.

It’s 2025, and we’re still geeking out over Saturn emulators with more passion than most modern consoles get. And honestly? We wouldn’t have it any other way. 🎮✨

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

Scammers Mimic Cloudflare’s ‘Error 451’ Site Blocking Notice to Infect Pirates

https://torrentfreak.com/scammers-mimic-cloudflares-error-451-site-blocking-notice-to-infect-pirates-251211/

Here’s your punchy, newsletter-ready summary:

—

When Cloudflare blocks pirate sites, scammers don’t just watch—they strike.

UK pirates hit with a wave of Cloudflare blocks last month thought they’d found a workaround. Instead, they got a fake “Error 451” page—mimicking Cloudflare’s official site-blocking notice—to trick them into downloading malware.

The bait? A shoddy clone of Cloudflare’s legal-blocking page, complete with a suspicious “Thank you for your !” (yes, that exclamation mark is weird). The site—Flixerplus—looks legit enough to fool tired, frustrated users scrolling past ISP and VPN blocks. But behind the scenes? Iframes, shady scripts, and background calls to sketchy domains. No antivirus flags yet… which means it’s flying under the radar.

This isn’t just phishing—it’s psychological hacking. Scammers are exploiting a moment of digital confusion: when users expect to see blocks, they stop questioning them. And now, fake blocks are the new front door for malware.

Cloudflare hasn’t commented. The domain? Still live. And if you’re hunting free movies in the UK right now… maybe just rent one.

Bonus tip: If a “legal notice” looks off, it probably is. Hover before you click.