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
- GameMT’s Pocket Super Knob 5000 is the Weirdest Android Handheld Yet: GameMT has apparently decided subtlety is dead, because its next Android handheld is called the Pocket Super Knob 5000 (either separate from the previously announced EX5, or a rebrand with a better chip) and it’s launching this April.
- Lenovo and ASUS Reportedly Dropping Driver Support for Ryzen Z1 Extreme: Out of nowhere, a Reddit thread surfaced revealing messages from Lenovo’s Korean support staff stating that “there are no more plans to update the drivers for the current Legion Go model.” This is in reference to the original Legion Go from 2023, but the message also suggests that AMD itself might be dropping support for the Z1 Extreme entirely.
- ROG Xbox Ally Sales Have Reportedly “Stalled”: There might be a good reason why the ROG Xbox Ally keeps going on sale, and according to one analyst, it’s because ASUS isn’t selling enough. Despite previous claims that ASUS and Microsoft were finally “making a dent” in the Steam Deck’s market share, this might not actually be the case, except for when “it had a nice month one.”
More Hardware News
- Lenovo Set to Increase Device Prices Next Month
- No More Dongles: Official Evercade Wireless Controller is On the Way
- This Game Boy‑Inspired Kids’ Handheld Ditches iPad Chaos for Calm Learning
Apps and Software
- izzy2lost Aims xemu at Android for Original Xbox Emulation: An Android‑native Xbox emulator just dropped on GitHub, and it’s from exactly the kind of chaos agent you’d expect: izzy2lost, the dev behind PSX2 and those infamous decompiled Android N64 ports. This new project is a mobile fork of xemu aimed at playing legally obtained backups of Xbox games on modern Android hardware, with the usual warning label attached: it’s early, it’s heavy, and it is hungry for resources.
- You Can Play Dreamcast in Your Browser?!?: This one popped up on my radar just last night, but apparently it’s now possible to play Dreamcast games right from your browser. This is made possible thanks to a Flycast WASM core that was built for EmulatorJS. Before you get too excited, the creator says, “It’s not going to replace native Flycast, but it proves the concept and the groundwork is there for optimization.”
- Our Handhelds and Tariffs: An Optimistic Future?: After nearly a year of sweeping tariffs and ongoing “trade wars” between the United States and foreign economic powers, we might be seeing what we might assume to be the “Light at the end of the tunnel.” The tariffs levied last year were deemed illegal by the Supreme Court.
- We might one day be able to play Xbox, PS3, and Wii U via RetroArch Cores: It would appear that a developer is actively working on some new RetroArch cores that would bring Xbox, PS3, and Wii U emulation to the platform. As you might suspect, these are listed as “Alpha,” with one Reddit comment going so far as to say that they’re “more preliminary/proof-of-concept.”
More Software News
- PKsinew – Pokemon Companion w/ embedded mGBA Emulator
- ThorCPY v0.3.0 Adds Wireless Support
- Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green Are Coming to Nintendo Switch
- Pyrite64 Lets You Build True N64 Games Without ’90s Toolchain Pain
- Recalbox Hits Deck, Ally, and Legion Go With Big V10 Update
- Sega’s Police Raid Preservation Scandal Keeps Getting Worse
- RetroDECK Removes Switch Emulator support due to “Toxicity” and DMCA concerns
- Someone is working on a Cemu fork that adds native Wii U Gamepad support
Emulation Updates
- igir v4.3.1
- Flycast compiled to run in the browser via EmulatorJS
- UAE4ARM 2026 comes to Google Play
- Hades v1.1.1
- ScePSX v0.2.0.1 adds Android support
- emuze 0.58.0
- Vita3K-ZX v12.5 build 18
- melonDS-android v0.6.0 introduces offline RetroAchievements support
- ArkadyzjaClient 0.0.42
- Mario Kart Double Dash: Retro GP v1.3
- hydra v0.4.0
- Console Launcher v2.0.0-beta 6.5
- Cocoon Frontend beta-2.02
Custom Firmware
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 Legend of Zelda Series Turns 40!
The Legend of Zelda hits its 40th anniversary, highlighting the series’ lasting influence on adventure games, RPGs, and modern open-world design.
Hyper Street Kart is the Mashup I want in a ROM Hack
Tired of choice paralysis? Dust off that handheld and discover Hyper Street Kart, a brilliant SNES ROM hack that mashes up the best of Street Fighter and Mario Kart.
KONKR Pocket Fit Review: The Value Choice
AYANEO’s first swing at a value handheld brings the KONKR Pocket Fit. With as much power as they can ship at the moment, is it worth the cost?
Dolphin Guide: How to Use Texture Packs on Android
Make GameCube classics look modern on your Android handheld. Learn how Dolphin textures work, where to place them, and which settings matter most.
Rewind Roundup #2: Sony’s Big Week
Metal Gear Solid 4 finally leaves PS3, Rayman gets a five-version anniversary package, God of War trilogy remake confirmed, and Black Flag leaks continue.
The Asus ROG Xbox Ally Needs More Sleep
Love the hardware, hate the “always on” Windows behavior? This guide walks through disabling sleep RGB and switching the Ally’s power button to Hibernate.
Hacking The Mainframe #2: Re-hacking The Past
This week’s hacks include 700-track Mario Kart Wii mod, Sonic Megamix Mania v1.0, Gordon Freeman in Jak & Daxter, and a Castlevania overhaul with new levels.
Homebrew Side Quests #2: Sentient Inhalers
This week’s homebrew brings arcade-perfect Ghosts’n Goblins to Amiga AGA, Super Pang to Genesis, and a Game Boy platformer starring an inhaler named Pumpy.
Next Level #2: Screw Indiana Jones
This level’s slate includes artifact-reclaiming heists, cooking rhythm RPGs, Edmund McMillen’s cat-breeding sim, punk band management, and Y2K golf vibes.
On the YouTubes
Don’t think that the writers are the only ones getting things done. The RH video team is constantly working on new videos, and now’s the best time to subscribe.
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