📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Dolphin Release 2512 Brings Latency Improvements, Better Frame Pacing, and More

https://retrohandhelds.gg/dolphin-release-2512-brings-latency-improvements-better-frame-pacing-and-more/

Just when you thought Dolphin couldn’t get any smoother—boom—Release 2512 drops like a Christmas present wrapped in optimized code.

The big wins? Rush Frame Insertion and Smooth Frame Presentation. Think of them as cheat codes for latency. RFI sneaks frames out faster without breaking your favorite games (looking at you, Star Wars: Rogue Leader), slashing input lag by ~10ms. Pair it with IPXFB, and you’re beating real GameCube hardware in responsiveness. Meanwhile, SFP fixes janky frame pacing—perfect for Twilight Princess fans who hate stuttery cutscenes. All while adding just 1-2ms of delay. That’s not a feature—it’s a miracle.

Android users, don’t panic—these aren’t live yet… but they’re coming. The fact that Dolphin’s dev team is even building this for mobile says everything: the future of handheld emulation isn’t just playable—it’s fluid.

Also? New default controller profiles, reset-to-default settings (thank you, sanity), and even BBA networking between Dolphin instances on one PC. It’s like a holiday gift card for every emulator nerd.

Bottom line: If you’re playing GC/Wii on anything but a CRT, Dolphin just made your life 10% more magical. And yes—we’re already waiting for Release 2513.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

OneXSugar Wallet is First Android Handheld with a Foldable Screen

https://retrohandhelds.gg/onexsugar-wallet-is-first-android-handheld-with-a-foldable-screen/

Meet the OneXSugar Wallet — the handheld that folds like a romance novel and plays games like it’s trying to impress your ex.

Yep, it’s real. A single, 8-inch foldable OLED screen that collapses into a clamshell form, complete with D-pad, two analog sticks, and four extra buttons. No dual screens here — just one glorious, bendy display that promises big-screen nostalgia in your pocket. Think DS on a yoga mat.

The design’s clever: no gaping crease like the Surface Duo, so your snacks won’t get trapped in the hinge. But here’s the kicker — foldable screens are still fragile, expensive, and prone to drama (looking at you, early Galaxy Z Folds). And if OneXSugar’s past pricing is any hint? You’ll be paying for the tech with your firstborn.

Is it perfect for DS emulation? Probably not — it’s too wide. But is it the most audacious handheld since the Gizmondo? Absolutely.

No price, no release date. Just a folding dream and a lot of questions. But hey — if you’re gonna gamble on future-gadgets, at least make it glamorous.

Who’s pre-ordering? (We’ll be the ones nervously holding it like a live grenade.)

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Game Over: Mattel’s Hyperscan “Console”

https://retrohandhelds.gg/game-over-mattels-hyperscan-console/

Mattel’s HyperScan: The console that tried to turn video games into a trading card game… and failed spectacularly.

In 2006, while the PS3 and Wii were about to revolutionize gaming, Mattel dropped a black-and-red brick called the HyperScan—a device that required you to scan plastic cards to play. Yes, really. IntelliCards, they called them. Think Pokémon cards… if they also randomly erased your progress when placed near a speaker.

The tech was janky. Cards got wiped by magnets. Games loaded slower than dial-up. And to actually play the X-Men game? You had to buy booster packs like it was a CCG. Spoiler: the standalone TV version? No scanner. No characters. Just a sad, flat box with one button.

Only five games ever released. Retailers slashed prices to $9.99—then gave up and sent the rest to tech purgatory, next to the Barcode Battler.

Funny thing? Mattel wasn’t wrong. They just arrived 10 years too early. Skylanders, Amiibo, Disney Infinity—all proved physical-to-digital was a winner. But the HyperScan? It was less “visionary,” more “what if we made a Tamagotchi play Street Fighter?”

A cautionary tale for innovators: being ahead of your time doesn’t help if your tech can’t even read a card.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

Interview With VGHF’s Frank Cifaldi

https://retrorgb.com/interview-with-vghfs-frank-cifaldi.html

Let’s be real—most “lost” video games don’t just vanish into the void. They get buried in old hard drives, forgotten server rooms, or worse: a landfill in New Jersey. Enter Frank Cifaldi and the Video Game History Foundation, the unsung heroes of digital archaeology.

They don’t just dig up ROMs—they resurrect entire ecosystems. Think: 100+ Sega Channel games recovered from decaying tapes, the NES Origin documentary that feels like a time machine, and yes—they’re rebuilding Sega VR in modern VR. (Yes, that thing was real. And yes, it was terrifying.)

This isn’t nostalgia porn. It’s preservation as rebellion. Every dumped cartridge, every restored demo, every restored ad is a middle finger to corporate amnesia and format obsolescence. And it’s messy, expensive work—requiring old hardware, duct tape, and pure obsession.

If you’ve ever cried over a missing level or wondered why your favorite game “just disappeared,” this is the crew keeping those ghosts alive. Their digital library? It’s the Smithsonian of your childhood. And it needs your help.

Support them. Watch their docs. Download a ROM (legally, please). Let’s not lose another pixel to time.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Retro Handhelds Weekly: Retroid Pocket 6, KTR2, Xbox FSE on Legion Go 2, and Much More

https://retrohandhelds.gg/retro-handhelds-weekly-edition-79/

Hey there, retro fanatics—your weekly dose of handheld hype is here, and it’s wild.

This week felt like a toy store exploded in a tech lab. Retroid Pocket 6? Finally, real photos. KTR2 just dropped pre-sales in China—finally, a new player besides Anbernic and AYANEO. And MANGMI’s Pocket Max? Powered by the Snapdragon 865. Yes, that’s a 2019 chip… but hey, if it runs PS2, who’s complaining?

Meanwhile, software got a major glow-up. Xbox FSE just landed on the Legion Go 2—no more hacky workarounds! Dolphin emulator added RetroAchievements support (because who doesn’t want bragging rights?), and ePSXe—yes, that ancient 2015 relic—got its first update in ten years. CHD files? Done. The past is alive, folks.

And let’s not forget the weirdest gift of all: Tiger’s R-Zone. A red LCD strapped to your face in 1995? Yep, that was “VR.” We laughed then. We laugh now. But we still keep one in a drawer. For science.

Meanwhile, the Odin 3 and AYANEO Pocket Ace got deep dives, ASUS ROG Ally got a budget-friendly nudge to $490, and someone made a PICO-8 emulator for iOS. We’re not worthy.

The retro handheld scene isn’t slowing down—it’s accelerating like a SNES cart with a bad battery. Grab your coffee, check the deals, and don’t forget: if it runs Doom or Donkey Kong Country, it’s a miracle. And we love miracles.

— Your friendly neighborhood retro nerd 🕹️☕

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

KTR2 Could Shake Up the $100 to $200 Handheld Market

https://retrohandhelds.gg/ktr2-could-shake-up-the-100-to-200-handheld-market/

Hold onto your joysticks—China’s got a new contender in the $150 handheld wars, and it’s not Anbernic or AYANEO this time. Enter the KTR2, KT Pocket’s surprise upgrade to the KTR1S, and it’s packing some serious juice for the price.

We’re talking magnesium alloy builds, 4G connectivity (yes, cellular on a retro handheld), and—biggest win—active cooling with a fan. That’s rare at this price point, and if it actually works well, it could be a game-changer for long gaming sessions without thermal throttling. And yep, it’s powered by the fresh-from-2024 MediaTek Dimensity 7300, making it the first handheld to use it. Sneaky smart.

Pricing? Starting at just $142 for the Wi-Fi model, with 8GB/256GB hitting $199—right in the sweet spot between budget bots and premium beasts. It’s going head-to-head with the MANGMI Air X, Retroid Pocket G2, and AYANEO Pocket Air Mini. All good options… but the KTR2’s fan + 4G combo could be the secret sauce.

The real question? When does it land stateside? If KT Pocket pulls off global shipping without a price hike, this might just shake up the whole market. Watch this space—retro gaming’s about to get a lot more interesting.

📰 New article from RetroRGB

ShaderBeam – CRT Beam Emulation Windows App

https://retrorgb.com/shaderbeam-crt-beam-emulation-windows-app.html

You ever miss the way old CRTs smudged motion like a watercolor brush? Meet ShaderBeam—the free, no-install app that turns your modern 120Hz monitor into a time machine for CRT motion clarity.

Developed by the genius behind ShaderGlass, ShaderBeam slaps Blur Buster’s legendary CRT beam emulation right onto your desktop. No fancy hardware needed—just a high-refresh screen and a spare GPU (yes, even your motherboard’s integrated one). Just extract the .zip, run it full-screen, and watch your 60Hz emulator games gain that sweet, smearable motion blur we all secretly loved (and pretended not to miss).

Here’s the kicker: you don’t even need to use it for gaming. Try it while scrolling Twitter or watching YouTube—suddenly, your 4K screen feels alive again. And yes, it’s open source, zero cost, and runs like a ghost app—no installer, no bloat. Just pure nostalgia in a .exe.

Pro tip: Enable your integrated GPU (even if nothing’s plugged into it) for best performance. No dual monitors? Still works. Just read the GitHub docs, tweak settings, and prepare to be weirdly emotional when your pixel-perfect SNES game glows like it’s 1998.

Go on. Download it. Your eyes will thank you.

👉 https://github.com/mausimus/ShaderBeam

📰 New article from TorrentFreak

Cloudflare Reports Surge in Streaming Piracy Takedowns, Removes 20k+ Storage Accounts

https://torrentfreak.com/cloudflare-reports-surge-in-streaming-piracy-takedowns-removes-20k-storage-accounts/

Here’s your punchy, newsletter-ready take:

—

Cloudflare just went from “passive middleman” to piracy cop—by accident?

Remember when Cloudflare just shrugged and forwarded copyright complaints? Yeah, that’s over. In the first half of 2025 alone, they axed over 54,000 hosting takedowns—a 3,800% spike from last year. What changed? They gave copyright holders API access. Suddenly, studios and sports leagues could auto-blast takedown requests faster than a DVR can skip ads.

The result? Over 21,000 R2 storage accounts deleted—mostly automated. And it’s not just about deleting files. Cloudflare’s now geo-blocking pirate streams in France, and even voluntarily blocking UK piracy sites (with a polite 451 “This site is blocked by court order” sign). Smart. Targeted. Not the nuclear option.

But here’s the twist: They’re still refusing to block DNS—because breaking the internet’s backbone isn’t in their job description. And they’re calling out LaLiga for causing collateral damage, blocking thousands of unrelated sites just to stop a football stream. Oof.

Cloudflare’s new mantra? “We’ll help you clean up piracy—but we won’t become the internet’s firewall.”

Good luck, Hollywood. You’ve got a new gatekeeper—and he’s got an API.

—

Word count: 198

📰 New article from RetroRGB

Sega Channel on MiSTer

https://retrorgb.com/sega-channel-on-mister.html

Remember when your console needed a phone line just to download games? Welcome back, ‘90s nostalgia.

Shane Lynch just dropped a MiSTer core that brings the Sega Channel—the 90s cable-based game service that made your Genesis feel like a tech demo from the future—to life. No more waiting for Saturday morning ads; now you can browse virtual game menus, watch trailers, and even snag demos like it’s 1996—all without dial-up screeching in your ear.

It works on MiSTer setups with 128MB SDRAM (so check your hardware first), and while save files aren’t supported yet, the experience is shockingly authentic. Just drop the ROMs into your MegaDrive folder, load the .rbf file, and suddenly you’re scrolling through pixelated game listings with that iconic chime playing in the background. Some ROMs launch straight to games; others give you the full Sega Channel interface—complete with “Upcoming Titles” and cheesy voiceovers.

And hey, if you’re not a MiSTer user? BillyTime! Games also offers Raspberry Pi images—and MAME’s now got it too. So whether you’re modding a console or just dusty-ing off your old cable box, the Sega Channel is officially back. And yes, it’s as gloriously clunky as you remember.

📰 New article from Retro Handhelds

Retro Handhelds Deals of the Week

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

Retro Handhelds Are on Fire This Week — And Your Wallet’s About to Thank You

Let’s be real: if you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to buy that Anbernic RG477V or a PowKiddy V90S… well, the universe just dropped a holiday-sized gift basket of deals.

From $199 Anbernics to $34.99 retro clones that look like they were smuggled out of 2003, the deals are insane. The RG40XXV? Down to $57. The Miyoo Flip? Under $60. Even the legendary AYANEO Pocket DS is slashing prices like it’s Black Friday in July.

But wait — it gets better. x86 beasts like the Lenovo Legion Go S? Down to $479. SSDs? 1TB for under $130. And don’t sleep on the 8BitDo Pro 2 — now $63, with Hall Effect sticks that feel like magic in your palms.

Even the storage is on sale. Want a 2TB microSD card? Grab it for $173. Need a 4TB WD Black SSD? $499. Yes, you can now store every PS1 game ever made… and still have room for your 4K fan edits of Sonic.

Controllers, mini PCs, free games on Epic and Steam — this isn’t just a deal list. It’s a full-blown retro revolution with a 10% discount code and free shipping.

Your future self is already holding a handheld, smiling. Go ahead — treat yourself. The only thing cheaper than these deals… is regret.