Busy week! I did a quick review on some Retroid Pocket 6 accessories, rounded up some classic favorite handhelds, and somehow managed to make a 58-minute emulation guide video at the same time.

🎥 Now Playing

Here are the videos I released this week:

My Favorite Handhelds Of All time

Let's take a walk down memory lane and celebrate some of my favorite handhelds since starting Retro Game Corps back in 2020.

Retroid Pocket 6 Accessories

I tested out some official Retroid Pocket 6 accessories, including a screen protector and their TPU grips. They certainly improve the experience!

Retro Gaming on a $30 Walmart TV Box

The ONN 4K Plus streaming device does way more than just play your favorite video apps. In this video I'll show you how to set it up to play retro games, too.

📰 Loading...The Latest News

Each week I will compile some of the most important news from the retro gaming universe. Whether it's software updates, shipping delays, handheld announcements, or juicy gossip, I got you covered.

• Nintendo 3DS emulator Azahar has released a new update that re-enables support for .3ds file extensions. Previously, .3ds files needed to be renamed to .cci files; this extra requirement drove users to install forks like Azahar Plus so that they didn't need to rename their ROMs. Note that as always, .3ds files will still need to be decrypted for use in the emulator.

• Windows 11 got an update that completely disabled the controls and touchscreen input of the ROG XBox Ally. Read about the screw-up and how to quickly fix the issue at Retro Handhelds.

• AYN has officially discontinued the Odin 2, removing it from their storefront and eulogizing it on their official Discord. When it first came out in 2023, it was a huge trailblazer for high-end Android handhelds. Nowadays, the Retroid Pocket 6, Thor, and the Odin 2 Portal remain our only SD8Gen2 handhelds available for retail purchase.

• ​Zero Racers, a previously "lost" F-Zero spinoff for the Nintendo Virtual Boy, is finally getting an official release through Nintendo Classics. Read more about it here.

• Square Enix has announced a "new" version of the original Final Fantasy VII is coming to Steam. This will completely replace the listing for the 2013 PC port on their storefront, though details regarding what is new about this version remain scarce. If you already own the 2013 release (currently on sale for $4.79), you'll get a free upgrade to the new version, and you'll still be able to download and play either version when the new one comes out.

❤️ Currently Grinding

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Peter Jackson's LOTR trilogy (boy do I feel old now). To celebrate, my retro game of the week is The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. While movie tie-in games are notoriously not great, I thought this hack-and-slash was a masterpiece upon release. It features levels taken directly from both The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers films, and it would play the actual movie scene before seamlessly transitioning to the action; back in 2002, this added a level of cinematic detail rarely seen in video games. There was also a Return of the King game released in 2003 that was similar, but included more characters and varying storylines. It should be noted that the GBA version of LOTR: Return of the King is still celebrated as a very capable Diablo clone.

Absolum

My modern game of the week is Absolum, a traditional beat-em-up game with rogue-like and RPG elements. It was developed by Guard Crush Games (who also made Streets of Rage 4), and was nominated for Best Independent Game during the 2025 Game Awards -- but sadly didn't survive the Clair Obscur bloodbath that happened at last year's show. In the game you play through randomized beat-em-up levels, with end bosses at each major stage. Even though you will die often, its rogue-like progression allows you to slowly power up your character so that each run becomes easier, until you get to the point that you can actually beat the game. Last week I was testing a new device and inadvertently saved over my Steam cloud save, forcing me to start at the very beginning. But I really didn't mind that much, and I'm slowly gaining back the 10 hours of gameplay I lost -- which says a lot about how good this game is!

Charge Group - “Run” (Music Video)

This Australian art-rock band features members of Purplene, one of my favorite mid-2000s emo/math rock bands. Charge Group includes a violinist, which gives them a more cinematic sound, and they fall somewhere between Fugazi and Sigur Rós. What really sits with me about this band is the music video for "Run", from their self-titled album from 2012. The video features breathtaking choreography from the Australia-based Suara Indonesia dance group and features actor Brendan Cowell (who appeared in the two most recent Avatar movies). Apparently the late, great Steve Ablini (who recorded Purplene's amazing 2004 album) was a huge fan of this music video, and marveled at how it all came together so nicely. The proof is in the pudding -- even though the Charge Group YouTube channel has only 128 subscribers (as of making this newsletter), this music video has over 44,000 views. When the song finally kicks in around the three-minute-mark, you'll understand why.

💰 Bargain Bin

One of my favorite pastimes is to hunt for good deals, so I plan on sharing some of my results each week! Here is a real banger:

• AYN have slashed the price of their Odin 2 Portal, which means it will probably join the Odin 2 and Odin 2 Mini at a farm upstate in the near future. Pick one up while they still exist. Sale prices are $249 for the Base (8GB/128GB) model, $369 for the Pro (12GB/512GB) model, and $449 for the Max (16GB/1TB) model.

  • Buy one here: Affiliate link / Non-affiliate​

  • Here is my Odin 2 Portal review video​

• The Anbernic 476H is finally up for sale on Amazon. It's more expensive than their official website or AliExpress store, but you'll get reliable shipping and easy returns if you get sent a dud. Here is my review of the handheld, I think it's one of their best-ever devices (but may not be worth upgrading to if you have something similar).

  • Amazon ($178): Affiliate link / Non-affiliate

  • AliExpress ($149 after using USCD20 code): Affiliate link / Non-affiliate​

  • Anbernic direct ($155 + shipping): Affiliate link / Non-affiliate​

• ​AliExpress is having a big "Love Delivers + Choice Day" sale event starting today. Here are the US-based codes, which includes Retro Game Corps-specific codes they made for my audience. Unfortunately these are US-only, because that's all I have access to; to find your own regional codes, it's usually easiest to go to the AliExpress homepage where they will have them displayed on a banner.

  • 04RGC or USCD04 = $4 off orders $29+

  • 07RGC or USCD07 = $7 off orders $49+

  • 9RGC or USCD09 = $9 off orders $69+

  • 13RGC or USCD13 = $13 off orders $99+

  • 020RGC or USCD20 = $20 off orders $159+

  • 25RGC or USCD25 = $25 off orders $209+

  • 40RGC or USCD40 = $40 off orders $329+

• Here are some AliExpress deals that I found after some quick searching. Tip: search by name of the device you are looking for, then look at the stores selling the items; if they have sold a large number of devices, and have a high rating, they likely are the safest bet. If you are in the US, be sure to look for US-based shipping, which will help avoid any potential tariffs upon checkout. Prices are listed after coupon.

  • Miyoo Mini Plus ($44.80): Affiliate / Non-affiliate ​

  • Miyoo Mini V4 ($45.25): Affiliate / Non-affiliate

  • Anbernic RG35XXH ($48.55): ​Affiliate / Non-affiliate​

  • Anbernic RG35XXSP ($43.24): Affiliate / Non-affiliate

  • Anbernic RG40XXH ($49.91): Affiliate / Non-affiliate ​

  • Anbernic RG Cube XX ($50.88): Affiliate / Non-affiliate ​

  • Miyoo Mini Flip ($50.87): Affiliate / Non-affiliate​

  • TrimUI Brick ($52.58): Affiliate / Non-affiliate​

  • Anbernic RG Slide ($116.88): Affiliate / Non-affiliate​

  • Anbernic RG406H ($123.16): Affiliate / Non-affiliate

⏪ Previously on Retro Game Corps

PS Vita Setup Guide

The PS Vita library still can't be reliably emulated, which means the best way to play Vita is on a Vita. It's also a pretty competent emulation device, and a looker to boot. My guide is a little old but still holds up -- I think 2026 is the year where I will do another deep-dive into this handheld console.

My Favorite Handhelds of 2021

After you've watched my "favorite of all time" video, revisit the quaint lineup of just a half-decade ago, back when a device like the GPD XP was good enough to warrant an honorable mention. (It should go without saying, but please forgive the terrible production quality of my older videos!)

🎬 Behind The Scenes

Have you ever wondered how it is that I can whip out dozens of handhelds in the same video? It actually takes quite a lot of forethought and preparation. On the floor behind me I will arrange all of the devices I plan on discussing in order of appearance, then quickly spin around and grab them when needed. Prior to that, I go through each device and ensure that it's properly charged and loaded with the latest OS version, app updates, and games, so that when filming it is a relatively seamless experience. The whole prep experience takes nearly a full day on its own.

Pictured above are the devices I used in my Favorite Handhelds of All Time video earlier this week; eagle-eyed readers may notice that the RP Classic was there on the floor, but at the last minute I decided not to include it (mostly because I was worried about rambling too much and making the video longer than it needed to be).

That’s it for now, see you next week!
Russ