News
Everything that’s happening in the retro handheld gaming world.
The Latest
Kex Is The Abstract Board Game The PC Engine Never Got
Kex is a free homebrew marble board game for PC Engine and TurboGrafx‑16, blending abstract strategy, board games, and local multiplayer into a 256 KB ROM.
Tecmo Super Bowl: NCAA 2K26 Is The Missing NES College Game
NCAA 2K26 turns Tecmo Bowl into a 32‑team college football season with updated 2025–26 rosters, smarter hacks, and multiple difficulty variants for modern play.
8BitDo Announces Controller Built for Vertical Mobile Gaming
8BitDo’s FlipPad is a portrait-mode USB-C controller for iOS and Android with Game Boy styling, and a flip-up design launching summer 2026.
Pocket8 Makes PICO-8 Playable On Your iPhone
Pocket8 brings native PICO-8 to iOS with official backing from creator zep, ditching browser lag for proper 60fps performance and responsive touch controls.
PS2 Remake of Ys V Now Playable In English
Ys V’s PS2 remake finally has a beta English translation, making this long-missed Ys entry fully playable and preserving a forgotten chapter of the series.
Emerald Dragon Finally Breaks Free Of Import Jail
Emerald Dragon’s PC Engine remake finally has an English patch, unlocking its cinematic JRPG story, tactical combat and anime presentation for modern players.
NHL’94 Finally Gets In The Fightin’ Spirit
NHL’94: Fight Edition restores brawls to the Genesis classic, a smart ROM hack that adds what was missing without breaking what made it great.
touchHLE Now Compatible With 300+ Early iOS Games
touchHLE is a clever high-level emulator bringing early iOS games back from the dead, marking a big win for mobile game preservation.
ASUS Signals 2026 Price Increases, Blames AI and the New Normal
ASUS will raise prices on select products starting Jan 5, 2026, citing AI-driven demand, memory and storage costs, and long-term supply chain pressure.
Macross M3 for Dreamcast Gets English Translation
Macross M3’s new fan translation lets Dreamcast players enjoy its post Space War 1 story and Dancing Skull cast instead of just surviving the language barrier.
AYANEO Refuses to Accept Responsibility, Puts Blame on Everyone Else for Delays
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.
PortMaster Roundup: December 16 – December 31
PortMaster rounds out 2025 with ten new games, including a full-featured reimplementation of Warcraft 2 and four ready-to-run freebies!
Another Day, Another Asinine Sony AI Patent
Sony’s AI ghost patent presents as help but positions the platform as an authority deciding what content players see and how much they play themselves.​
GAMEMT E3 Vigor Pre-Orders Open, Starting at Just $45
Almost three months later, the GAMEMT E3 Vigor is now available for pre-order. It’s just the latest 1:1 handheld to arrive, but priced affordably.
JarPlay Brings J2ME Emulation to the iPhone and iPad
JarPlay brings J2ME emulation to iOS, letting users run lost early-2000s mobile games via .jar files, marking another small but real win for game preservation.
AYANEO Releases Screen Details and a Kickstarter Page for the Pocket Play
AYANEO shares additional details concerning the screen that is being used in the upcoming Pocket Play, along with a landing page for the Kickstarter campaign.
Lost NES RPG Resurfaces In Seven Minute Video
Gameplay footage of a near-complete 1993 Japanese NES RPG thought lost has surfaced, alongside plans for a book of unreleased materials with dev approval.
Dolphin Release 2512 Brings Latency Improvements, Better Frame Pacing, and More
Dolphin Emu has one last trick up their sleeve just before the holiday season comes to a close! And we have improved input latency, frame stability, and more!
OneXSugar Wallet is First Android Handheld with a Foldable Screen
OneXSugar, makers of the quirky Sugar1, have released details on its upcoming OneXSugar Wallet, a clamshell device with a single, foldable screen.
Retro Handhelds Weekly: Retroid Pocket 6, KTR2, Xbox FSE on Legion Go 2, and Much More
Catch up on the week’s biggest retro handheld headlines: KTR2 shakeup, Pocket Vert details, Pocket 6 photos, plus fresh emulator and software updates.
![[UPDATE: Pre-Sales Open] KTR2 Could Shake Up the $100 to $200 Handheld Market](https://rh-handhelds-content.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/2025/12/KTR1-S-Real-Image-1080x675.jpeg)
[UPDATE: Pre-Sales Open] KTR2 Could Shake Up the $100 to $200 Handheld Market
KTR2 enters the hot $100–$200 bracket with aggressive pricing and higher-end materials. Can KT Pocket carve out space against Retroid, MANGMI, and AYANEO?
![[UPDATE] AYANEO Unveils Details on the Pocket Vert](https://rh-handhelds-content.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/2025/12/AYANEO-Pocket-Vert-Feature-1080x675.jpeg)
[UPDATE] AYANEO Unveils Details on the Pocket Vert
AYANEO unveils the full specifications and details for their upcoming Pocket Vert, along with a campaign landing page on IndieGoGo.
Retroid Pocket 6: Real Pics Arrive as First Batch Nears Shipping
New Pocket 6 photos give the best look yet at Retroid’s upcoming flagship, including a peek at the Light Purple colorway and a surprisingly tempting Orange.
MANGMI’s Pocket Max is Powered by a Rather Familiar Processor
MANGMI confirms Snapdragon 865 for the Pocket Max, signaling strong performance while RAM, storage, and pricing details remain uncertain ahead of launch.
Retro Handhelds Weekly: Anbernic RG477V, ModRetro, Steam Winter Sale Highlights, and Much More
Retro Handhelds Weekly is back covering RG477V deals, Steam Deck LCD news, Pocket Max reveals, and the week’s top hardware and software updates.
Anbernic RG477V Pre-orders Now Open, Starts at Just $199
Pre-orders for the Anbernic RG477V are officially live! For the first 72 hours, you can grab this brand new handheld for just under $200.
RIP The Steam Deck (LCD), Long Live the Steam Deck (OLED)
It’s been almost four years since the first Steam Deck arrived, but Valve finally decided enough was enough and has officially discontinued the Steam Deck LCD for good. This move leaves just the two Steam Deck OLED models available, potentially shaking things up a bit.
Here’s a Better Look at the MANGMI Pocket Max and Possible Colorways
Rather than deciding internally, MANGMI has turned to its Discord community to help choose how the Pocket Max will look at launch, but you can see for yourself.
Anbernic RG477V Pre-Orders Begin on December 20, Starting at $199
Anbernic’s final handheld of the year will be here soon, as pre-orders for the Anbernic RG477V will begin on December 20, with a starting price of $199 during the Early Bird phase.
Sony Says FUDGE Age Restrictions With New AI Censorship Patent
Sony patented AI that can detect and sanitize violent, sexual, or profane content in games in real time, letting parents set rules and profiles across devices.