Hardware, software, reviews, and CES ’26: Retro Handhelds Weekly rounds up the biggest stories, standout community finds, and what to watch next.
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The 1977 Bally Astrocade had arcade-quality graphics and expandability, but chaotic distribution, hardware failures, and the Atari 2600 killed it by 1983.
AYANEO responds to criticism from creators and the retro handheld community, promising to do better and releasing some service improvement plans for 2026.
MagicX hits the scene again with the One 35. A sub $100 Android handheld with a good experience AND TATE mode? This could be the one for a lot of people.
It’s been a long week but CES is finally over. With a lot of announcements, here’s what stood out as some of the most interesting to the Retro Handhelds team.
AceMagic is back again with an update to their Matrix M1. With an upgraded CPU, and GPU, is this going to come out ahead? Or is it still behind in the long run.
The DSpi is a 3D-Printed, CM5-powered dual-screen handheld, with a breakout board that will eventually power a whole suite of homebrew handhelds.
Catch up on the week’s biggest retro handheld headlines: Another AYANEO debacle, foldable handhelds, and upcoming price hikes, plus fresh emulator and software updates.
The Pioneer LaserActive was a LaserDisc game console for rich people, and was quickly buried by the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn.
AYANEO announced nearly 20 devices in 12 months, but backers are still waiting. See the status of every 2025 reveal and why fans are fed up right now.