📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

AYN Odin 3 Review: The New Go-To

https://retrohandhelds.gg/ayn-odin-3-review/

Meet the new king of handhelds: the AYN Odin 3. Two years after the Odin 2 redefined the category, this $329–$519 beast isn’t just an upgrade—it’s a whole new level. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite? Check. Gorgeous 6” 120Hz AMOLED display? Double check. And yes, it actually plays your Switch and PS3 games without turning your hand into a grill.

Ergonomics? Improved. The grippy back and beefier sticks make long sessions feel like a massage, not a workout. Controls are quieter, smoother, and finally feel premium—no more clicking like a faulty keyboard. The fan? A little whiny under heavy load, but the cooling system keeps temps sane (97.9% stability? That’s serious).

Performance-wise, it smashes everything else. RetroArch runs like a dream. Switch emulation? Eden and Citron work wonders. Even x86 games like Enter the Gungeon or Marble it Up! load and play without a hitch. Battery life? Solid. Charging? 60W fast charge means no more “I’ll just finish this one level…” turning into a 3-hour wait.

Is it perfect? Nah. Glass front = fingerprint magnet. Some emulators still need tinkering. But for raw power, polish, and playability? The Odin 3 isn’t just the new go-to—it’s the first handheld that makes you forget you’re even using an emulator.

Bottom line: If you want the best Android handheld on the market today, stop looking. You’ve found it.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

Chrono Trigger Vinyl Soundtrack Artbook Pre-Order

https://retrorgb.com/chrono-trigger-vinyl-soundtrack-artbook-pre-order.html

Let’s be real—Chrono Trigger isn’t just a game. It’s a time-traveling, dragon-slaying, emotional rollercoaster wrapped in pixel art and unforgettable music. And now? It’s getting the luxury vinyl treatment.

Square-Enix just dropped a $175 box set featuring the full 64-track OST pressed onto four black LPs, each sleeve dripping with Akira Toriyama’s iconic art. Yes—the guy who designed Dragon Ball and gave us the world’s most charming frog-boy. This isn’t just a record; it’s a museum piece you can spin while sipping tea and whispering “Serge, I miss you.”

Included? A heartfelt note from composer Yasunori Mitsuda (yes, that guy who made “Corridors of Time” sound like a lullaby from another dimension) and an MP3 download code—because your phone still exists, and so do playlists.

Release date? March 25 in Japan. April 2026 for the US and EU. Translation: if you’re outside Japan, start saving now… and maybe learn a little Japanese just in case the liner notes are mostly in kanji.

This isn’t a product—it’s a legacy. And it’s gonna look stupid good on your shelf.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

Breathing new life into the GDEMU with the “openMenu Virtual Folder Bundle”

https://retrorgb.com/breathing-new-life-into-the-gdemu-with-the-openmenu-virtual-folder-bundle.html

Let’s be real—GDEMU fans have been putting up with a clunky menu for too long. Sure, it plays every Dreamcast disc ever made, but browsing 300 ISOs in a single scrolling list? That’s not nostalgia—it’s a chore.

Enter Derek Pascarella, the unsung hero who looked at openMenu (the GDEMU’s open-source menu system) and said, “We can do better.” And he did. The new openMenu Virtual Folder Bundle is basically the Dreamcast ODE equivalent of upgrading from a flip phone to an iPhone.

No more endless scrolling. Now you can organize games into folders—real folders—with subfolders, drag-and-drop renaming, and even support for MP3s, VCDs, and PlayStation discs (yes, really). The interface? Sleek. Themable. Includes a Blue Swirl™ theme because of course it does. And fast boot? Finally. No more waiting for the BIOS to yawn awake.

Plus, the Card Manager app now lets you bulk-assign folders and preview art without becoming a code wizard. It’s not just an update—it’s a full UX overhaul.

If you own a GDEMU, this isn’t just an upgrade—it’s the missing piece your Dreamcast didn’t know it needed. Version 1.1 is stable, packed with features, and ready to make your disc library look like a curated museum instead of a dusty garage sale.

Download it. Organize it. Play it. 🎮💙

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

AYN Clears the Air About The Odin 3 RAM Speed ‘Controversy’

https://retrohandhelds.gg/ayn-clears-the-air-about-the-odin-3-ram-speed-controversy/

Here’s your punchy, newsletter-ready summary:

—

Odin 3 RAM Drama: Turns Out It’s Just… Slower, Not Broken

Let’s be real—when your $500 handheld claims 5300MHz RAM but delivers 4266MHz, people notice. And yes, early adopters did panic. Reddit threads exploded. YouTube testers pulled out their diagnostic tools like forensic detectives at a RAM crime scene.

Turns out, AYN didn’t lie—they just… under-promised and over-delivered? Sort of. Their official take: All Odin 3s ship with 4266MHz RAM. No “premium” batches. No secret upgrades. Just consistent, slightly slower memory—likely a cost-saving move in today’s volatile chip market.

So what’s the real impact? For most games? Barely a blip. Emulating Switch or running Windows apps? Maybe a slight hitch in heavy titles. But unless you’re benchmarking for fun, you won’t notice.

The kicker? AYN quietly hinted that faster 9600MHz RAM could come later. Translation: “We’re watching the market—and we’re not done upgrading.”

Bottom line: It’s a bummer, but not a scandal. AYN kept it transparent (rare these days). And hey—if your handheld runs The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild smoothly, does it really matter if the RAM is 10% slower?

Still… next time, just say “4266MHz” upfront. The community would’ve appreciated the honesty.

— Your friendly neighborhood tech journalist who still believes in transparent companies.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

AYN Odin 3 and Thor Officially Arrive on AliExpress…Kinda

https://retrohandhelds.gg/ayn-odin-3-and-thor-officially-arrive-on-aliexpress-kinda/

You know it’s a good day when your dream handheld finally shows up on AliExpress—kinda.

AYN just dropped the Odin 3 and Thor on their official AliExpress store… as “pre-orders.” Which is tech-speak for: “We have them, but not really.” Still, it’s a win. For weeks, third-party sellers were jacking up prices like it was Black Friday in a comic book store. Now, at least you’re buying direct—no shady resellers, no “limited edition” markup drama.

Here’s the tea:

• Odin 3 Base: $352 + shipping (still cheaper than Amazon’s “I need it yesterday” prices)
• Thor Pro: $387 + shipping (yes, that’s technically a steal)
• Odin 3 Ultra? Nope. RAM shortage means it’s MIA for now.
• Thor Lite? Also missing. Mystery deepens.

Pre-orders are AYN’s way of saying, “We’re not lying this time.” And honestly? Refreshing. After the chaos of last year’s launches, playing it cool is a win.

So yeah—don’t rush. Wait for the real release. But if you’re patient (and budget-conscious)? This is your moment.

Now… when’s AYN dropping on Amazon? We’ll be waiting with bated breath—and a coupon code.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

Virtual Boy in Slow Motion

https://retrorgb.com/virtual-boy-in-slow-motion.html

You ever wonder how the Virtual Boy—Nintendo’s most awkwardly red-eyed console—actually draws a game? Spoiler: It doesn’t. Not really.

The Slow Mo Guys dropped a jaw-dropping video showing the VB’s secret: it draws one single line of red LEDs at a time, rapidly spinning a mirror to scan the image across your eyes. No full-screen refresh. No pixels. Just a single line, flickering faster than your brain can process… and somehow, it tricks you into seeing 3D. Mind blown? Good. That’s the point.

It’s like watching a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat—except the rabbit is your childhood nostalgia, and the hat is a $100 brick with a weird red glare. The engineering? Brilliant. The execution?… Well, let’s just say Nintendo didn’t exactly nail the “comfort” part.

This isn’t just retro tech porn—it’s a masterclass in low-tech ingenuity. One line. One mirror. Zero chill. And yet, it worked. For a few hours, before everyone went back to the Game Boy.

Watch it. Then go stare at your modern OLED TV and whisper, “We’ve lost our way.”

📰 New article from RetroRGB

Mega-AV: Sega Triple Bypass Successor

https://retrorgb.com/mega-av-sega-triple-bypass-successor.html

If you’ve ever stared at your Genesis’s fuzzy composite output and sighed, “Why does this look like it was filmed through a foggy aquarium?” — welcome to the future. Enter the Mega-AV, the spiritual successor to the legendary Sega Triple Bypass, and honestly? It’s the cleanest analog video we’ve seen from a Genesis… better than stock.

This open-source mod isn’t just about RGB upgrades — though it does those too. Its real magic is composite video that actually looks good. No more smeared colors or noise ghosts. Just crisp, stable analog bliss. And if you’re rocking a Model 3 (with its gorgeous video but sad mono audio)? The Mega-AV fixes that too.

So, should you swap your 3BP? Only if composite matters to you — otherwise, your existing mod is still golden. But for new builds or folks who love retro clarity? This might be the new gold standard.

Pro tip: Grab the GitHub files, whip one up yourself, or wait for the pre-built version dropping soon. And yes — they’re already fixing SMS compatibility issues. Because even legacy consoles deserve a glow-up. 🎮✨

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Five PSP Games on the Mangmi Air X

https://retrohandhelds.gg/five-psp-games-on-the-mangmi-air-x/

If you thought PSP games were just nostalgic relics, think again—on the Mangmi Air X, they look stunning. This little handheld isn’t just a retro throwback; it’s a secret weapon for some of the most underrated gems of the early 2000s.

Take Def Jam: Fight for NY – The Takeover. It’s a hip-hop brawler where you build your rep across NYC’s five boroughs, complete with real rappers, dirty moves, and a soundtrack that still slaps. And yes—you can mount enemies. No regrets.

Then there’s Hammerin’ Hero, where a carpenter whacks emotions off NPCs with a mallet. Yes, you read that right. Polygonal sprites, 2D/3D backgrounds, and bento-box stat boosts? It’s bizarre. It’s brilliant.

Jeanne d’Arc turns Joan of Arc into a magic-armlet-wielding SRPG hero—yes, there’s a frog that eats skill stones. Persona 2’s dual-story duology? A haunting, rumor-fueled JRPG masterpiece that predates the social sim era and still feels fresher than most modern titles. And Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together? The “One Vision” mod turns it from great to legendary—less cheese, more strategy.

The Mangmi Air X doesn’t just run these games—it celebrates them. If you’ve been waiting for an excuse to dive into PSP’s deep cuts? This is it.

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

U.S. Court Order Against Anna’s Archive Spells More Trouble for the Site

https://torrentfreak.com/u-s-court-order-against-annas-archive-spells-more-trouble-for-the-site/

Anna’s Archive just got slapped with a federal court order—and it’s not just a warning, it’s a death sentence for its WorldCat data.

For years, the shadow library scraped and shared millions of books from OCLC’s WorldCat database. No permission? No problem. Until now. A U.S. judge in Ohio just issued a permanent injunction—no damages, no fines, but a full takedown order. All WorldCat data? Gone. All torrents? Deleted. And anyone helping Anna’s Archive—hosting providers, domain registrars, even folks who link to it—could be next on the chopping block.

The legal twist? The court ruled that by using WorldCat’s site daily, Anna’s Archive implicitly agreed to its terms—even though there was no “I agree” checkbox. Yep, browsewrap is now a legal weapon in the copyright wars.

Meanwhile, Anna’s Archive lost its .org domain last week and its .se domain went dark. Coincidence? Probably not. OCLC’s lawyer isn’t done yet—they’re already eyeing hosting companies and registrars to cut the site’s lifelines.

Bottom line: This isn’t just another copyright takedown. It’s a blueprint for how rights holders can shut down big, unresponsive pirates—not with lawsuits, but by weaponizing infrastructure. Anna’s Archive may have outsmarted the system for years… but now, it’s being dismantled piece by piece.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Quest 64 Gets The Recomp Treatment

https://retrohandhelds.gg/quest-64-gets-the-recomp-treatment/

Quest 64. Yeah, that Quest 64—the N64 game so weird it made people question if they’d accidentally inserted a Nintendo prototype from another dimension. And now? It’s got a glow-up.

Thanks to Rainchus and N64Recomp, this cult oddity just got a full modern facelift: instant loads, 144 FPS, ultrawide support, and RT64 rendering that keeps its pixel-art soul intact. No multi-year decomp needed—just smart recompilation magic that lets the original ROM run like it was made for your 2026 gaming rig. HUD’s still stuck in the ’90s? Sure. Cutscenes glitch at the edges of your 49-inch ultrawide? Of course. But the feel? Perfect.

It’s not just Quest 64, either. Majora’s Mask and Perfect Dark are next in line, and the N64 library is officially having a renaissance. Who knew the console’s most baffling JRPG would become its most unlikely tech showcase?

Bottom line: If you’ve ever stared at Quest 64’s awkward camera and thought, “This needs more resolution… and less confusion,” now’s your chance. Grab the Japanese ROM, fire it up, and marvel at how far we’ve come—while still loving the weird stuff that got us here.