📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

PlayStation Flex: Pay More, Own Nothing

https://retrohandhelds.gg/playstation-flex-pay-more-own-nothing/

PlayStation Flex: The “Rent-to-Own” Trap That’s Not Even Close

Sony and UK rental firm Raylo have launched PlayStation Flex—a PS5 leasing program that sounds like a deal until you do the math. At £9.95/month for 36 months, you’ll shell out £417.24 for the 825GB digital PS5—almost as much as buying new (£479.99)—but walk away with nothing at the end.

Worse? The “cheap” rate only applies if you lock in for three years. Go month-to-month? £24.49/month—that’s nearly £883 over three years… still no console ownership. And cancel early? You’re on the hook for at least 20 months of payments, even if you bail.

The approval process? 60 seconds, soft credit check only. No income proof, no questions asked—just easy access to debt for people already stretching their budget.

This isn’t convenience—it’s a modern rent-to-own scam, dressed up with greenwashing about “circular economies.” Raylo’s already loaded up on £180M in debt to scale this model, and it’s heading to the U.S. soon.

Bottom line: If you can afford it, buy used. If not, wait for a sale—or just save up. At least then, it’ll be yours.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Dolphin Emulator Finally Brings Triforce Arcade Support to Main Branch

https://retrohandhelds.gg/dolphin-emulator-finally-brings-triforce-arcade-support-to-main-branch/

Dolphin Emulator Finally Breaks Into the Arcade — With Triforce Support!

After two decades of faithfully emulating GameCube and Wii, Dolphin has finally stepped out of your living room—and into the neon glow of arcades. The latest dev build (2512-395) now officially supports Nintendo’s Triforce arcade platform, a milestone years in the making.

Triforce was always an odd duck: built on GameCube hardware but with custom parts like GD-ROMs, arcade-specific networking, and I/O boards. Early attempts to emulate it were clunky, got disabled in 2016, and lingered in a forgotten fork. Now? It’s been rebuilt from scratch and merged into mainline Dolphin—no more janky forks required.

The library is small but iconic:

• Mario Kart Arcade GP & GP 2 (with Pac-Man crossovers and card-scanning tricks!)
• F-Zero AX (unlocks content from both home and arcade versions)
• Virtua Striker 3 & 4 (Sega’s arcade soccer legacy)
• Japan-only gems like The Key of Avalon and Gekitou Pro Yakyuu

Even better: it’s already running on Android—think Retro handhelds like the Retroid Pocket 4+ (SD865 or better). And yes, networked multiplayer works too, meaning local co-op Mario Kart across multiple devices is finally possible.

Arcade nostalgia just got a serious upgrade. 🕹️

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

MagicX Two Dream Teased In New Images [UPDATE]

https://retrohandhelds.gg/magicx-two-dream-teased-in-new-images/

MagicX’s Two Dream Handhelds Are Looking Real—And Colorful

MagicX is teasing its next-gen handheld duo—the Two Dream Light and Two Dream Pro—with fresh images revealing not just sleek 4.5-inch, 1440×1080 screens but also four bold color options: Aquamarine, Purple, Black, and Grey. Each model gets its own visual flair—especially with those cheeky “Skittles” buttons on Black and Grey Pro units.

While specs remain thin on the ground, community buzz suggests the Light model might pack MediaTek’s D7050 (think PSP/Dreamcast-era power, but efficient), and the Pro could get the beefier D7350—enough oomph for most GameCube classics, if not all. Either way, it’s a shot across the bow at AYANEO’s Pocket Air Mini.

What makes this extra intriguing? MagicX isn’t chasing raw specs or premium pricing. They’re betting on fun—oddball designs, hall-effect sticks, front-firing speakers—and nudging the midrange toward innovation. If the Light hits sub-$100 and Pro stays under $200, this could be the sweet spot for retro fans tired of bloated flagships.

No official launch date yet—but with rumors swirling and Discord buzzing, 2026 might finally see the RP2S’s true heir emerge. 🎮✨

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Citron, Popular Switch Emulator, Is Gone But It’s Not Nintendo’s Fault

https://retrohandhelds.gg/citron-popular-switch-emulator-is-gone-but-its-not-nintendos-fault/

Citron, the popular Switch emulator, has mysteriously disappeared — and no, Nintendo isn’t (directly) to blame.

Just days after releasing the “Pathfinder” update and teasing iOS support and Gamebanana mod integration, Citron’s website, GitHub, GitLab, and Discord vanished overnight. The timing sparked immediate panic: Was Nintendo finally pulling the plug? Turns out, nope — this was internal drama of the worst kind.

According to a post on r/Citron, the shutdown ties back to a messy fallout involving Eden (another Switch emulator) and someone named Zephyron. A leaked file dubbed “citron files” reportedly exposed private info — full name, location, and internal conflict details — related to a past cease-and-desist over unauthorized donations and leadership claims. After quieting down for a year, tensions flared again — and Citron’s admin team apparently imploded.

Meanwhile, Ryubing, a maintenance-focused fork of Ryujinx, also quietly announced it’s stepping away — though unlike Citron, its code remains available.

The takeaway? Back up your emulators before the next one vanishes. And maybe don’t trust anyone who says “just one more update…” — especially when the future’s as unstable as a Citron Nightly build.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Lazuli Is A New Rust-Based GameCube Emulator

https://retrohandhelds.gg/lazuli-is-a-new-rust-based-gamecube-emulator/

Lazuli: The Rust-Powered GameCube Emulator That’s Actually Worth Watching

Forget duct tape and hope—Lazuli, a brand-new GameCube emulator written in Rust, is building something cleaner and more modern than most legacy ports. Created by solo developer vxpm as a hobby project, Lazuli already boots several titles—including Super Mario Sunshine—and homebrew apps. Yes, it’s early (textures glitch, FPS stutters), but the foundations? Solid.

Here’s why it’s exciting:

• Modern stack: Uses Cranelift for PowerPC JIT, a custom vertex JIT, wgpu for rendering (hello, cross-platform!), and CPAL for audio.
• Open & portable: Binaries exist for Linux and Windows; macOS support is just a PR away thanks to Rust/wgpu.
• Ambitious roadmap: Not stopping at GameCube—Wii emulation is already on the horizon.

The YouTube demo shows Mario swimming (slowly), but it’s a real demo of a commercial game running on custom code—not just a boot screen. For emulation nerds, tinkerers, or Rust fans: this is one to star on GitHub and check back weekly. It’s not your daily driver yet—but it might be soon. 🏗️🎮

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

GameHub Coming To macOS, In Some Capacity

https://retrohandhelds.gg/gamehub-coming-to-macos-in-some-capacity/

GameHub Heads to macOS — But Don’t Pop the Champagne Just Yet 🥂

GameSir is eyeing Apple Silicon with its GameHub app — an Android staple that acts like a controller hub and (allegedly) emulates Windows/Steam games on mobile. Now, it’s officially coming to macOS “soon,” promising features like AI upscaling, graphics tweaks, and Steam integration — all from a single app.

But here’s the catch: GameSir is tight-lipped about how it’ll pull this off. No mention of Wine, Proton, or streaming tech — just buzzwords like “PC emulator” and a beefy settings panel that hints at performance magic under the hood. And while macOS gets the full treatment, iOS remains off-limits: GameHub on iPhone/iPad is strictly a controller calibrator, no PC emulation in sight.

Compare that to existing tools like Whisky (Proton wrapper for Mac), native ports, or even a DIY Windows VM — and GameHub’s appeal is clear: convenience. One app, minimal setup. The trade-off? Closed-source black box, vendor lock-in, and total reliance on GameSir’s updates (and patience during bug fixes).

If you’re deep in the handheld/Mac hybrid scene and want couch-friendly Steam access with minimal friction? Worth watching. If you’re after rock-solid compatibility or open-source control? Maybe hold off — or just spin up Whisky. 🛠️

No release date announced.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

PS3 Emulation Hits 73% Playable, With 98% In-Game

https://retrohandhelds.gg/ps3-emulation-hits-73-playable-with-98-in-game/

PS3 Emulation Just Got Serious — 73% Fully Playable, 98% In-Game

Emulation’s holy grail just got a little less mythical: RPCS3, the open-source PS3 emulator, has hit a massive milestone. A staggering 73.06% of the PS3 library is now “Playable” — meaning you can boot, play, and finish games without major roadblocks. Another 25.12% are “Ingame,” where they run through menus and gameplay but may stumble on glitches or performance hiccups. Combined? 98.18% of PS3 games now get past the title screen — that’s almost the entire catalog, down to the last obscure indie release or niche JRPG.

What’s holding up the final stretch? Mostly PlayStation Move junk. Of the 62 remaining “Intro” titles (boot but crash before gameplay), 46 rely on Move controllers — a clunky peripheral whose motion tracking and input quirks are proving stubborn for emulators to nail. But here’s the kicker: this isn’t about core performance anymore. It’s about edge cases — niche peripherals, odd control schemes, or ultra-specific hardware dependencies.

That means if you’ve been waiting for PS3 emulation to mature before building a retro handheld or mini PC setup? The wait’s over. The PS3 is no longer a gamble — it’s now a strategic addition to any emulation-powered library. At this pace, “when,” not “if,” is the only question left. 🎮🚀

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

RIP Hideki Sato, The Father of Sega Hardware

https://retrohandhelds.gg/rip-hideki-sato-the-father-of-sega-hardware/

RIP Hideki Sato: The Quiet Architect Behind Sega’s Golden Age

Hideki Sato—Sega’s unsung hardware visionary, the man who helped design nearly every iconic console from the SG-1000 to the Dreamcast—has passed away at 75. Known as the “Father of Sega Hardware,” he shaped not just machines, but generations of gamers.

Sato joined Sega in 1971, just as arcade gaming was exploding. He led engineering for the SG-1000 (launched the same day as Nintendo’s Famicom!), the Genesis/Mega Drive—which gave Sega its 16-bit edge—and even the bold, colorful Game Gear handheld. His technical foresight helped Sega punch above its weight against Nintendo and Sony alike.

Later, he guided the Saturn and Dreamcast projects, ensuring that even as Sega shifted from manufacturing, his philosophy—fun first, innovation always—remained central. After leaving Sega in 2008, he taught the next wave of engineers, passing on not just circuit diagrams, but a spirit of playful ambition.

His legacy? Every time you heard that Genesis startup chime or felt the satisfying click of a Master System controller—you were feeling Sato’s hand at work. Rest in power, Hideki-san. The pixels will remember you.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

Homebrew Dev Recreates Minecraft on Saturn

https://retrorgb.com/homebrew-dev-recreates-minecraft-on-saturn.html

Homebrew Hero Builds Minecraft on Sega Saturn—Yes, That Saturn

Forget emulation: a homebrew wizard has actually built Minecraft from scratch for the Sega Saturn. Developer Frogbull pulled off the impossible—porting one of gaming’s most beloved voxel-based sandboxes onto hardware that peaked in the 1990s—and it’s already playable (if very early).

The prototype runs on modified Saturn hardware using Frogbull’s own clever optimizations and the Z-Treme Engine, wrapped in Sega’s low-level SGL graphics library. No fancy PC power here: just raw ingenuity to squeeze out performance on a 28.6MHz CPU and 2MB RAM. The result? A creative-mode sandbox with nine block types, infinite skies/oceans (well… simulated), and full audio—including that iconic music loop—plus floating movement via shoulder buttons. No mining, crafting, or collision yet… but it’s moving.

What’s next? Bigger worlds (thanks to a 4MB RAM cartridge), more block types, and—eventually—survival mechanics. With community support from devs on SegaXtreme Discord cheering him on, Frogbull may just deliver the Saturn’s most ambitious homebrew yet: a full-on tribute to a modern classic.

💡 Fun fact: He stores each block in just 4 bits—giving him 16 possible IDs (one is air). Smart, efficient—and a testament to why Saturn homebrew still thrives decades later.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

Architecture of Consoles Book #4: The Handheld Club

https://retrorgb.com/architecture-of-consoles-book-4-the-handheld-club.html

Hot New Release: “The Handheld Club” – A Love Letter to Portable Gaming

Rodrigo Copetti’s Architecture of Consoles series just hit its fourth volume—“The Handheld Club”—and it’s a beautifully packed tribute to five iconic portable systems: the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation Portable.

If you’ve ever geeked out over the engineering wizardry behind handhelds (or just loved staring at their sleek casings), this is your jam. Copetti doesn’t just talk about these devices—he dissects them, with schematics, teardown photos, and deep technical insights that are equal parts scholarly and wildly cool.

Available in hardcover ($50), paperback ($30), or eBook ($10), each version is a joy to hold—or scroll through. (Yes, even the eBook looks stunning.) And while all his work is free online, grabbing a physical copy supports an amazing creator—and gives your bookshelf that nerd-chic glow-up it’s been begging for.

👉 Check it out here

📚 Bonus: His whole series is worth collecting—especially if you dig the hidden stories behind hardware history.