📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

AYN Issues a Massive Thor Update

https://retrohandhelds.gg/ayn-issues-a-massive-thor-update/

Let’s be real: if your handheld’s update notes include “anti-image retention for OLED panels,” you’re not just buying a device—you’re adopting a pet that needs therapy.

AYN just dropped a massive OTA update for the Thor, and it’s packed with goodies: better bass EQ, smarter fan control, third-party launcher support (finally!), and—yes—that all-important OLED “don’t burn my screen” mode. Pro tip: after installing, let your Thor die completely before recharging. Apparently, the update messes with battery math like a toddler with a calculator.

But here’s the kicker: while Batch 2 orders are finally shipping (yay!), Batch 3 is coming… at a higher price. RAM costs spiked, so Early Bird pricing is dead. Lite and Base models jump $10; Pro and Max? +$20. No ship dates yet for Batch 3, but if you’ve been waiting? Now’s the time to pounce—while stock lasts.

This isn’t just a firmware update. It’s a warning shot: if RAM keeps climbing, your next handheld might come with a “memory tax” sticker. And we all know who pays for those… us.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Budget Beatdown: Mangmi Air X vs. AYANEO Pocket Air Mini

https://retrohandhelds.gg/mangmi-air-x-vs-ayaneo-pocket-air-mini/

Let’s be real: for under $100, you’re not buying a gaming console—you’re buying a tiny, pocket-sized miracle. And yet, here we are, comparing the Mangmi Air X and AYANEO Pocket Air Mini like they’re rival superheroes in a retro-action flick.

The Mangmi Air X? Big screen (1080p IPS!), bigger battery, and it feels lighter even though it’s heavier. It crushes PSP and Wii games with ease—plus, it doesn’t scream “budget” when you hold it. The AYANEO Pocket Air Mini? Slimmer, denser, and oddly premium-feeling—like a mini RG CubeXX with a personality disorder. Its buttons? Mushy. Its sticks? Tiny. But its 4:3 screen is perfect for N64 and PS1, and it outperforms the Air X on heavier titles like Rogue Galaxy.

Here’s the twist: Air X wins on screen quality, Pocket Air Mini wins on raw power. One’s a sleek all-rounder; the other’s a 4:3 specialist with ghosting issues and squishy buttons. And yet—both run everything from GBA to GameCube with surprising grace.

So which to buy? If you want one device, go Pocket Air Mini—it does more. But if you’re the type who owns two Game Boys… just get both. At this price? You’re not paying for perfection—you’re paying for joy. And that’s priceless.

📰 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 Moment (And Your Wallet Can Thank Us Later)

Let’s be real: if you’ve ever stared at a $100 handheld emulator and sighed, “I can’t afford this,” — we see you. And guess what? This week, everyone can.

AliExpress is dropping coupon bombs like it’s Black Friday in July. Codes like USWS07 (get $7 off $49+) and RHH25 ($25 off $209) are making Anbernic and PowKiddy handhelds cheaper than your last Amazon impulse buy. The RG35XXSP? $70. The TrimUI Brick Hammer? Under $80. Even the Miyoo Mini Flip is now under $60. Your pocket-sized nostalgia has never looked this affordable.

And it’s not just handhelds — x86 beasts like the ASUS ROG Ally are now $499 (down from $600), and mini PCs? You can grab a full Windows machine for under $230. Need storage? A 1TB SanDisk SSD just dropped to $170. Even controllers are on sale: the 8BitDo Pro 3? $59. The Razer Kishi Ultra? Half price.

Meanwhile, Epic Games is giving away Bloons TD 6 (yes, the monkey-tower-defense game), and Humble Bundle has nine retro-themed bundles waiting. Your Switch is jealous.

Bottom line? If you’ve been waiting to go full retro nerd — now’s the time. Your fingers (and your bank account) will thank you. 🕹️💸

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

How To Upgrade Your ASUS ROG Xbox Ally Internal Storage

https://retrohandhelds.gg/how-to-upgrade-your-asus-rog-xbox-ally-internal-storage/

You bought a 1TB SSD for $30 in 2025? Congrats—you’re basically a time traveler who beat inflation.

ASUS ROG Xbox Ally owners, listen up: upgrading your internal storage is stupidly easy. No proprietary screws, no glue traps—just three tiny Phillips screws, four longer ones (one doesn’t fully unscrew—don’t panic), and a gentle pry tool. The real villain? That ribbon cable connecting the screen. Yank it too hard, and you’ll be weeping into your spare controller. (Yes, I speak from experience.)

Disconnect the battery first—yes, really. Don’t be that guy trying to swap drives while the power’s still live. Then pop out the old SSD, slap in your $30 Lexar (or whatever trusted 2280/2230 PCIe drive you’ve hoarded), reattach the ribbon like a nervous librarian handling a first edition, and reboot.

Here’s the magic trick: Hold Volume Down + Power to enter BIOS, fire up Asus Cloud Recovery, and let it reinstall Windows clean. In ~40 minutes, you’ve got a fresh Ally with twice the storage—and zero regrets.

Bonus: You now have more space for games than your ex has excuses. Upgrade wisely. 🎮💾

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

Court Orders Porkbun and Other Registrars to Hand Over PornXP Domains to Aylo

https://torrentfreak.com/court-orders-porkbun-and-other-registrars-to-hand-over-pornxp-domains-to-aylo/

Let’s talk about the internet’s most stubborn porn site—and how a court just got really serious about shutting it down.

Aylo (yes, the company behind Pornhub) spent years chasing Alex Abdullaev, a guy in Kyrgyzstan who ran PornXP—a site sucking up 17 million monthly visitors and, Aylo claims, costing them $172M/month in lost subs. When they couldn’t serve him in person? They went full legal ninja: sued, won a $30M default judgment… then got cut down to $10.2M because, hey, not every visitor was gonna pay.

But the real win? Seizing the domains. Or so they thought.

Enter Porkbun, a U.S.-based domain registrar that said: “Nice order… but it only says ‘registries.’ We’re registrars. Not our problem.” Cue courtroom drama. Turns out, in internet land, registrars (who sell domains) and registries (who run the backend) are two different beasts—and the court’s first order accidentally left registrars off the hook.

Aylo didn’t blink. They came back with an amended order, naming Porkbun, NameSilo, and others directly. Judge Settle signed it. Now they’re being forced to hand over control to EuroDNS, who’ll hand it to Aylo.

Some foreign domains (.eu, .me) still live—courts can’t reach them easily. But the U.S.-based ones? Going dark soon.

Turns out, taking down a porn site isn’t about just blocking videos. It’s about who owns the web address… and who’s legally forced to give it up.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

Sega Merch On Amazon

https://retrorgb.com/sega-merch-on-amazon.html

Sega just dropped official merch on Amazon—t-shirts, hoodies, hats, the whole retro vibe—but hold up… where’s Sonic?

Yeah, you read that right. The blue blur is MIA from the lineup. No Tails. No Knuckles. Just a whole lot of Dreamcast logos, Genesis controllers, and… uh… what even is that abstract “SEGA” wordmark on the hoodie? It looks like someone dragged a font through Photoshop and called it “design.”

Don’t get me wrong—some stuff’s kinda cute. That Genesis water bottle? Solid. But half the shirts look like they were made by an AI that only knows “retro = pixels + 90s font.” And no, I don’t have fashion sense. But even I know a shirt shouldn’t make you look like a walking Sega logo poster from 1994.

If you’re hunting for merch that actually feels like it was made by fans, not a corporate focus group… skip Amazon. Head over to Ariel’s shop at ArtisticPixels305.com—where the art has soul, not just a license plate.

And yeah, I’m getting the water bottle. For science.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Retro Handhelds Weekly: AYANEO Saga Continues, CES 2026, MiniLoong Pocket 1, and More

https://retrohandhelds.gg/retro-handhelds-weekly-edition-81/

Retro Handhelds Weekly: AYANEO’s Bag Game Is Strong (And So Are the Bugs)

Let’s be real: if your handheld company sends you a free branded sling bag just for buying two devices, you’re either loved… or deeply confused. AYANEO’s latest move—mailing Thor + Odin 3 owners a chic little sling—is the kind of “wait, they remembered?” gesture that makes you forgive them for shipping a device with a 37% battery life.

Meanwhile, the Pocket DMG just got a yellow version. Because why stop at one limited edition when you can flood the market with pastel variants? (We’re not mad. We’re just… emotionally invested.)

On the software front, dArkOS quietly dropped like a Linux ninja—bringing Debian to old Rockchip chips. Suddenly, your 2023-era MiniLoong Pocket 1 doesn’t feel like a brick. It feels… potential.

CES 2026 delivered surprises too: Lenovo’s Legion Go 2 is getting a SteamOS version (finally!), and GameSir unveiled a controller shaped like a taco. Yes, really. GameSir Pocket Taco. $35. For portrait gaming. We have no regrets.

And don’t sleep on Henriko Magnifico’s 4K Zelda textures. He’s not a man—he’s a force of nature with a texture pack and a mission.

The retro handheld scene isn’t slowing down. It’s just getting weirder. And we’re here for it. 🎮💛

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Game Over: Bally Astrocade

https://retrohandhelds.gg/game-over-bally-astrocade/

The Bally Astrocade wasn’t just ahead of its time—it was way ahead, like a sports car with no wheels and a half-baked owner’s manual.

In 1977, Bally dropped a console that could spit out smooth sprites and color-packed graphics while the Atari 2600 was still figuring out how to make a paddle turn. It had BASIC programming, RAM upgrades, and even cassette storage—basically a home computer pretending to be a game console. And yet… no one could find it. Bally didn’t know how to sell it, retailers were baffled, and the name kept changing like a confused toddler at a costume party.

Then came the glitches. Units overheated. Memory failed mid-game. Peripherals vanished like socks in a dryer. By the time Astrovision took over, the video game crash was knocking on the door—and the Astrocade showed up with a “Nope” sign taped to its forehead.

Still. The Incredible Wizard. Bally Pin. Glorious, pixel-perfect gems buried under corporate chaos. Today, collectors treat it like a relic from an alternate universe where things worked out… just not this one.

It didn’t win. But it sure looked amazing losing. 🕹️💀

📰 New article from RetroRGB

Digital Foundry Discusses NVIDIA G-Sync Pulsar Technology

https://retrorgb.com/digital-foundry-discusses-nvidia-g-sync-pulsar-technology.html

If you’ve ever longed for the crisp, flickery motion of a CRT on your modern monitor—well, NVIDIA just handed you the keys to the time machine.

Enter G-Sync Pulsar: a new display tech that pulses the backlight to mimic the motion clarity of old-school CRTs. No more smearing in fast-paced games. Just sharp, stutter-free motion—even at 60Hz. And yes, it’s only for Windows PCs with NVIDIA GPUs… which means your PS5 and Xbox? Still stuck in the blur zone. (RIP, OLED fans—no backlight = no Pulsar.)

But here’s the kicker: you don’t need to wait until January 2026 to try it. Grab ShaderBeam, a free Windows app that simulates CRT beam effects on your current 120Hz+ monitor. It’s not perfect, and it runs better with two GPUs—but for $0? It’s a wild demo of what Pulsar could do.

And if you’ve got a RetroTINK 4K Pro? You can already beam-simulate your SNES and N64 games up to 240Hz. Add HDR, and it’s like teleporting into a 1995 arcade.

Pulsar isn’t just tech—it’s nostalgia, optimized. And if NVIDIA nails the flicker tuning? This might be the most exciting thing to happen to gaming motion since high refresh rates.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

Interview with Vint Creator: William Sokol Erhard

https://retrorgb.com/interview-with-vint-creator-william-sokol-erhard.html

Here’s the scoop: William Sokol Erhard—the genius behind Vint—just dropped an audio interview that’s basically a love letter to video nerds who miss the soul of film and hate “soap opera effect” like it’s a bad Yelp review.

Think: 24p film, BFI (that’s “Black Frame Insertion” for the uninitiated), and interpolation that doesn’t turn your Netflix binge into a wet sponge. He breaks down how to make motion look smooth without making everything feel like a cheap infomercial. And yes—he even chats about NVIDIA’s new Pulsar tech (coming 2026, because apparently patience is a virtue now).

Vint itself? It’s like Photoshop for motion—real-time video interpolation + CRT glow vibes. If you’ve ever stared at a 60Hz screen and whispered, “I miss the flicker,” this is your jam.

And guess what? It’s on sale right now.

• Try it on Itch.io
• Or grab it on Steam

Bonus: His YouTube channel is a treasure trove of motion science wrapped in dad jokes. Also, if you’ve ever wondered why your TV looks like a 2003 sitcom on caffeine—this guy has answers.

Don’t just watch video. Feel it.