I think this is the most jam-packed issue yet.

🎥 Now Playing

Three new videos for your viewing and snacking pleasure:

AYN Thor Starter Guide

I made a feature-length movie! Here is a full starter guide for the AYN Thor, which will walk you through the setup process from start to finish. Some neat elements: I used 100% free apps (no Play Store login required), and it uses Cocoon as its main frontend launcher. I also updated my written guide if you’d like to follow along at your own pace.

This New Game Boy Color Shader Is Neat

There is a new collection of shaders that create a unique visual effect on Game Boy Color emulation: it seeks to mimic the experience of playing the original (non-backlit) device in a sunlit environment. This video will show you how to set up the Pixel Transparency Sunlight Shimmer shader on your favorite Android-based emulation handheld.

Lossless Scaling + Emulation is Pretty Wild

I’ve been hearing about Lossless Scaling’s frame generation technology for a while, but this week I took it for a deep-dive spin on my handheld PCs. My biggest takeaway: it can be wonderful for emulating certain systems, and it unlocks capped frame rates on some beloved games, like Wind Waker HD.

Fun fact: all of the gameplay footage was filmed in 4K 60, so that I could more clearly demonstrate how the games look and feel. This was my first time filming at that standard; it severely overheated my cameras and I had to take many breaks to capture it all. The file sizes were also HUGE compared to my usual clips. Hopefully it’s helpful!

Other Russ Sightings

Sheesh, there was no shortage of random Russ appearances on the internet this week. I’m surprised I found the time to sleep!

• Expedition Handheld - Adam and I discussed frame generation on handhelds, my Game Boy shimmer shader testing, and how to properly enjoy Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

• Nerd Nest - this episode was a banger (as usual); we talked about Steam Deck 2 leaks, Switch 2 pricing, that crappy Legion Go price increase, and Sony’s potential PS6 handheld.

• Handhelds United - I hung out with the Handhelds United crew for the first time this week! Great group of folks. We chatted about PS5 pricing, the best handheld PCs right now, and our recommendations at the $500 price point.

• I couldn’t find the time to make my own April Fool’s video this year, but I did appear in a couple other videos: TechDweeb made a handheld assistant app that features an “RGC guru” option, and I weighed in on the infamous Retro Handheld Pocket Titan v1 (their joke segment appears at the end of Zu’s Anbernic RG Vita Pro review).

📰 Power-Up(dates)

Lots to talk about:

• Cannoli is a new frontend for Android-based handhelds. Inspired by MinUI, it strips away the clutter to focus on one thing: playing games. With minimal configuration, easy ROM management, and a curated set of built-in features and cores, Cannoli brings a clean, "opinionated" experience to Android. It’s also tailor-made for Android TV boxes, which I’m going to try out this coming week.

• In what may come as news to literally nobody, the RAMpocalypse continues to send memory prices soaring, forcing some manufacturers to cut specs or cancel devices outright. But maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel: in a new article, Retro Handhelds look at whether Google's new efficient TurboQuant compression technology could ease the pressure on the RAM market and eventually make electronics affordable again.

• Better Wii Menu DE is a quirky little Dolphin fork with a charming premise: instead of launching games from Dolphin's standard game list, your ROMs show up as proper channels right in a faux Wii System Menu. Once set up, you can switch between games using only a Wii Remote — just like the real thing. The bad news: it's available on Windows only, and because it's a fork, it may struggle to keep up with mainline Dolphin and their prolific output and fall behind upstream over time (like many projects do). Either way, it’s definitely worth a look, and a promising start!

• Anbernic is doing cool, weird stuff again. Leaked footage of a device (possibly called the RG Rotate) shows off a 1:1 touchscreen display that pivots 180 degrees to reveal a hidden gamepad underneath. Motorola FlipOut, anyone? It runs Android, which might make it a viable audio player too. Metal and plastic shell options are reportedly in development but no specs, pricing, or release date have been announced yet.

• SteamUReady is an awkwardly-named tool with a brilliant premise: it will show you discounts for PC games that have been tested on Android-based handhelds via apps like GameNative and GameHub. Born from a community script, the site pulls live deals from Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store, then filters them against EmuReady's community compatibility database so you can quickly find games that are both on sale and confirmed working with your specific setup.

❤️ Currently Grinding

Retro Game: Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night

I originally jumped into this game a little late: my first playthrough was on the Xbox 360 in 2006. I’ve been meaning to replay it since then (I can’t believe that was 20 years ago!); this week I logged my first couple of hours with the game on my Odin 3 via DuckStation. SOTN is still a masterclass in exploration, with enough variety and mystery to keep me constantly searching for new stuff to explore. I’m not sure if I’ll be finishing it this time around, but Adam is apparently already nearing completion after we chatted about it the other day.

Modern Game: Raccoin

A new rogue-like that is tearing up the Steam Deck charts is Raccoin, a coin pusher game that reminds me a lot of Balatro. It has a similar “play > shop > play” mechanic, but also has that deliciously addictive coin drop experience built in. I am strangely drawn to coin pushers, and have most definitely shopped around for used machines during some frantic late-night shopping sprees. Thankfully, Raccoin is a satisfying enough placeholder for the real thing. My favorite game feature: when you return to your coin pusher after visiting the shop, your previous play session continues (instead of resetting with each round). This means that if you are on a high-scoring run, the momentum (and chaos) simply resumes when you jump back in.

Music: Damien Jurado - The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania

Damien Jurado was a big musical inspiration for me. Only a few years my elder, he was a staple in the Seattle underground rock scene during the late 1990s, just as I was first learning about independent music. Through his connection with Seattle emo legends Sunny Day Real Estate, he was signed to Sub Pop Records seemingly out of nowhere in 1997, and it felt like a true rags-to-riches story for aspiring teen musicians like me. By 1999, his songwriting had pivoted to traditional folk ballads, and I was lucky enough to catch one of his early acoustic performances. 22 albums later, he can still effortlessly drop a simple song that is both arresting and haunting. Admittedly, it’s been hard to keep up with his prolific output (seven albums in the past five years!), but I recently fell in love with his 2021 record, The Monster Who Hated Pennsylvania, which I had initially missed in his flurry of post-pandemic releases. Like with last week’s recommended album, this one works equally well as pleasant background music, or blasted in a car stereo.

💰 Bargain Bin

Here are the deals I found this week:

• 2K Games, publishers of series like Borderlands, Civilization, and Mafia, are having a big sale on Fanatical. All games are available as Steam keys, and some games are over 90% off.

• Slim pickings, but 8BitDo has a few of their controllers discounted on Amazon:

  • 8BitDo Lite SE, $21 (Normally $30) Affiliate / Non-Affiliate

  • 8BitDo Ultimate, $36 (Normally $45) Affiliate / Non-Affiliate

  • 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile, $40 (Normally $50) Affiliate / Non-Affiliate

  • 8BitDo Ultimate 2, $51 (Normally $70) Affiliate / Non-Affiliate

• AliExpress sent me some coupon codes to coincide with their hilariously-named “Outdoor Fun” sale. Codes are US only:

  • RGC2 or USCD02: $2 off orders of $15 or more

  • RGC4 or USCD04: $4 off orders of $29 or more

  • RGC7 or USCD07: $7 off orders of $49 or more

  • RGC9 or USCD09: $9 off orders of $69 or more

  • RGC13: $13 off orders of $99 or more

  • USCD16: $16 off orders $109 or more

  • RGC20: $20 off orders of $159 or more

  • USCD25: $25 off orders $169 or more

  • RGC40: $40 off orders of $329 or more

  • RGC55: $55 off orders of $459 or more

• Here are some choice deals:

  • Anbernic RG476H ($137.99 after coupon): Affiliate / Non-affiliate

  • Anbernic RG477V ($200.21 after coupon): Affiliate / Non-affiliate

  • Anbernic RGDS ($93.99 after coupon): Affiliate / Non-affiliate

  • Anbernic RG Vita ($98.99 after coupon): Affiliate / Non-affiliate

  • Anbernic RG Vita Pro ($126.99 after coupon): Affiliate / Non-affiliate

  • Mangmi Air X ($91.94 after coupon): Affiliate / Non-affiliate

⏪ Previously on Retro Game Corps

GRID Studio’s Deconstructed Tech Art

In one of this week’s videos I show you how to reconstruct the Game Boy Color experience. In this throwback video from 2021, I show you a deconstructed Game Boy Color experience. Thematic symmetry!

🎬 Behind The Scenes

For several years now, 8BitDo will release a limited edition controller to celebrate Lunar New Year, but they’re generally only available on their China-based website. Somehow, they added me to this mailing list, and the 2026 Year of the Horse edition showed up at my house the other day. The controller shape and hardware design haven’t changed since 2015, but thankfully it’s comfortable, and their ornamentation keeps getting better. Sadly, their marketing materials indicate that this controller is the last of their Chinese Zodiac series; I was hoping for an updated Monkey version when my lunar calendar cycle comes in 2028.

Hope you are having a nice weekend!
Russ