Latest articles by Phil Hayton
Scanlines will help give your retro console visuals an edge, but not all CRT effects are equal
Features Here's a deep dive into why scanlines are used to enhance retro games today and the various effects used by consoles and emulators to mimic CRT TVs.
"Mario looks like Mario now" - One week later, the cursed plumber in Super Mario 64 for 3DO has been cured
News After just one week, Mario 64 for the 3DO has improved, and the plumber now looks less like the cursed sprite that's been haunting my dreams.
Anbernic is making yet another GBA SP clone, and I'm glad it's ditching the sticks
News Anbneric is taking yet another stab at making a GBA SP, and the RG SP trims down its last version and removes its controversial embedded thumbsticks.
"I was told you couldn't do 3D on the Playdate, so I did it" - gamedev creates a 3D renderer for Panic's tiny monochrome handheld
News Katavatis is a "Metroidbrania" that's bringing 3D platforming to the Playdate using a custom renderer, and it can even do Mirror's Edge parkour segments.
Steam Deck sales are seemingly down an estimated 82% - Bear with me while I put on my surprised face
News Reports suggest Steam Deck sales have fallen by 82% since Valve increased the OLED model's MSRP, but the price hike might not be solely to blame.
The Game Boy Pocket is now 30 years young, and I'd thank it for today's retro handhelds
News The Game Boy Pocket celebrates its 30th anniversary today, and the sequel to Ninty's original handheld brick is still making an impact on the scene today.
Jokes aside, buying the $4,299 Ayaneo Next 2 would mean selling my car
News The Ayaneo Next 2 IndieGoGo is live, but if you're looking for the top-spec gaming handheld, you'll have to fork out over $4,000.
You can now play SNES Doom with modern dual analogue controls thanks to Blueretro dev
News You can now play DOOM on an FX3 SNES cart using dual analogue sticks, and it'll even work in Mesen if you'd rather emulate.
LCD emulation could preserve a bunch of iconic Nintendo handhelds and their cursed rivals
News Project BrickEmuPy aims to preserve classic LCD games by dumping and emulating the ROMs, and it's potentially the first to dump Nintendo's Mini Classic series.
Broken laptops can morph into Steam Machine alternatives, and the base parts cost less than 32GB RAM
News Turns out you can easily turn an RTX 4060 gaming laptop motherboard into a Steam Deck alternative that's half the price of Valve's cube.
That Lenovo Cloud handheld lands this August, and a 120Hz display and TMR thumbsticks won't get me into streaming
News Lenovo has shared another teaser for its C700 handheld that reveals a 7.82-inch 120Hz screen and TMR thumbsticks, but it's still a cloud-streaming handheld.
My favorite shmup game is coming to a retro console I still can't remotely afford
News Polymega Vol. 20 pays tribute to Truxton, its sequel, and some of the best shoot-em-ups by iconic arcade publisher Toaplan.
After 15 years, I've got Microsoft's shunned Fable 3 port working on PC
Features Microsoft might have delisted Fable 3 on PC, but if you have the physical disc, the RPG shines when freed from the original Xbox 360.
Ayaneo unveils its Konkr Pocket Advance, and it's the GBA handheld remake I was holding out for
News Ayaneo has unveiled its GBA remake, and the Konkr Pocket Advance looks to be an authentic homage to the 2001 handheld with a larger screen.
"This shouldn't work": Super Mario 64 now runs on the most expensive console of the '90s, and it's even "sort of" functional
News Super Mario 64 shouldn't work on a then-expensive 3DO console from 1993, but a developer has created a cursed version of the N64 classic for the '90s console.
Retroid finally provides a closer look at its Pocket Nova handheld in action
News Retroid has shared footage of its Pocket Nova retro handheld handling PS2, Saturn, Dreamcast, and GameCube games alongside 3DS using an attachable screen.
Modder does what Nintendon't and makes a Switch 2 Virtual Boy controller
News You can now transform a Virtual Boy controller into a gamepad for Switch 2 thanks to mod kits that add wireless connectivity while preserving OG compatibility.
Discontinuing physical discs is one thing, but the PlayStation Portal already hinted at Sony's worrying ambitions for an all-digital future
Features Sony might be discontinuing physical PS5 discs, but the PlayStation Portal provides a taste of the streaming-focused console world ahead of us.
After just four years, Valve is seemingly discontinuing Steam Deck LCD parts
News Valve is supposedly "sunsetting" Steam Deck LCD parts, as iFixit says it is looking less likely that it'll restock the handheld's battery.
Palit releases a new RTX 3060 model after clearly falling into a wormhole to 2021
News Palit has created a brand-new RTX 3060 graphics card for Nvidia's 2026 revival, but it's still just the same Ampere GPU that arrived five years ago.
Best retro consoles 2026: my favorite ways to play classic capers
Buying Guide Here are the best retro game consoles in 2026, including mini plug-and-play systems, emulation devices, and accessories that will upscale your original hardware.
The best portable monitors for gaming 2026
Buying Guide We're running down the top contenders for best portable monitor across the price and quality spectrums.
The Analogue 3D feature I've been waiting for slipped right under my nose, but I can finally start my N64 scrapbook
News The new Analogue 3D Version 1.4.0 update finally brings screenshot functionality to the 4K N64, allowing you to snap, tweak, and export your favorite frames.
