Welcome to the latest edition of Retro Handhelds Weekly. This week, we saw a bunch of news in the world of hardware and software. Our writing team continues to be on an absolute tear, and there’s even a surprise or two sprinkled in! So sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and catch up on what’s happened this week in the world of Retro Handhelds.
Table of Contents
Hardware & Industry News
- MagicX Two Dream Light and Pro ‘Core Specs’ Revealed: The MagicX Two Dream Light will be powered by the ever-familiar MediaTek Helio G99, and will sport 3GB of RAM to go along with 32GB of storage. Meanwhile, the Two Dream Pro offers upgrades across the board with the Dimensity 7300 at the helm, paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
- Xbox’s Project Helix Is Basically A Windows Gaming PC In Console Clothing: New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has confirmed that the next-gen Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, will “lead in performance” and “play your Xbox and PC games.” Details are light for now, but the pitch is clear: a hybrid console/PC box that blurs the line between Xbox OS and Windows more than ever.
- Report Claims PC Shipments to Drop by 11% in 2026: Following its original report in November 2025, a new report published by the International Data Corporation (IDC) suggests that PC shipments are expected to be down by 11.3%. This is a massive shift following the initial 2.4% projection, and as you might suspect, “memory and supply chain” constraints are to blame.
More Hardware News
- Play Virtual Boy on Switch 2 with an Original Controller
- Major Nelson Lands At Commodore
- New DIY Adapter Beams Game Boy Camera Photos Straight To Your Phone
- PS6 Performance Rumored to Trail Xbox Project Helix But “Not By Much”
Apps and Software
- Xbox Mode Escapes the Ally and Lands on Windows 11 for Everyone: Microsoft’s “Xbox Mode” is heading to every Windows 11 box you own starting in April: desktops, laptops, mini PCs, the whole circus. The full‑screen, controller‑first UI that debuted on devices like the ROG Xbox Ally is getting rebranded from the very Microsoft-ish “Xbox Full Screen Experience” to the much simpler Xbox Mode and rolling out globally in select markets.
- EmuLnk Makes Dual‑Screen Handhelds Finally Make Sense: EmuLnk is a new app trying very hard to make all of your emulators shine on dual-screen handhelds like the Thor. It’s an Android companion tool that hooks into your emulators over UDP, reads game memory in real time, and turns a second screen into a themed, DS‑style dashboard with live maps, inventories, and HUD elements.
- [UPDATE: AYANEO Response] AYANEO in the Spotlight for the Wrong Reasons After AYAWindow Discovery: As first noted by Mr. Sujano, AYANEO’s built-in AYAWindow app may not only be taking screenshots without your knowledge, but also sending those screenshots to servers somewhere. AYANEO has since responded to both our email and the original GitHub post, sharing more information regarding the AYAWindow “Snapshot” folder.
More Software News
Emulation Corner
Game of the Month
From the Writers
While there’s always a lot of news to cover and talk about, we also try to take a step back and give everyone something a bit different to enjoy. These are the more editorial-styled articles and reviews that you might have missed over the course of this week.
- The New PSP Showdown Has a Clear Winner
- Community Rhythm Games and the CRKD Les Paul Pro Have Me Back In 2006 Again
- Mangmi Pocket Max Review: Great, but Pricey
- The NSO Virtual Boy: Is It Worth It?
- Why Do We Love RetroAchievements?
- Game Over: APF Electronics MP-1000
On the YouTubes
RH Partners
Looking for Deals?
This week marks AliExpress’ 16th year, and to celebrate, the online retailer is having a huge anniversary sale across the entire site. And of course, that means we have a bunch of new coupon codes to enjoy, along with the RHMARCH codes that last until the end of the month. Not only that, but Anbernic’s Spring Sale is already underway, offering savings of up to 55%!
AliExpress Discount Codes
Sign Up For the Retro Handhelds Weekly Newsletter
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