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Game Tech Wiki has everything you'd ever want to know about CRT shaders
(emulation.gametechwiki.com)
RetroGaming
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I spent $3.50 to pick up a ten-year-old vibration-free Betop Bat gamepad, just for nostalgia. I own many controllers. Their specs keep getting better, yet I cannot recapture that old feeling. I suddenly remembered the first time I connected a gamepad to my PC. Compared with cheap no-name controllers, the experience was totally different. This is the rumble-free Betop Bat. Back then it sold for $6.85, while the rumble-enabled version was priced at $10.90. Its hand feel is mediocre, and the dpad is its biggest weakness. I do not even see the lack of wireless support as a downside. Most cheap generic controllers in that price range back then only supported DInput. Still, its build quality was far better than off-brand alternatives. It was popular among students and retro game players for its solid value. If we only look at practical value, spending $3.50 on this old pad is not a good buy, since brand-new entry-level gamepads are very cheap today. Even so, it works well enough for casual retro gaming and reminiscing about the old days.
Betop has grown into a gamepad brand with solid technical expertise within China. When I chatted with friends recently, we all remembered that this brand has grown alongside Chinese gamers for 29 years.
Looking back at 2015, options for gamepads at this price point were very limited, in both developed and developing countries. You could only pick up no-name controllers with terrible feel, unreliable lifespan, and messy in-game setup. If you wanted something with solid build quality and decent ergonomics, you would have to pay significantly more. Betop gave more players access to a relatively decent gaming experience. Even though the brand has had its share of debates over these 29 years, I’m just posting this to document a personal memory.
Note: I do not intend to compare the modern Betop Kunpeng with controllers like the DS5. This post only documents the old Bat gamepad and the story of Chinese retro gamers from that era
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A Sega Console Worth Getting to Know
From Getting Burned on My First Saturn Purchase, to Finding the Right Console, to Meeting a Dedicated Creator of Replica Controllers
This all started two months ago, when I decided to get into retro consoles. Before that, I already owned a PS2 and a PS3, and I loved them. My original target was a PS1, but I learned that the PS1 requires modding, and the N64 doesn't look great on modern displays. After comparing my options, the Sega Saturn (SS) stood out—no complicated mods required, beginner-friendly—so I decided to give the SS a try.
Why I Chose the Saturn Over the PS1 and N64
I suddenly wanted to experience a Sega console. As a kid, I played a bootleg Mega Drive, so I had a good impression of Sega and wanted a different kind of retro gaming experience.
Looking back at the era when 3D games were just getting started, the Saturn's visual style actually suits my taste better today. That's not to say the PS1 or N64 were bad—I didn't live through that era myself. I simply prefer the Saturn's visual texture.
I've always liked Sega. In my view, the company's work started from a very high point, and while some titles varied in polish, the experience Sonic gave me was completely different from Mario's. That cemented my decision to buy a Sega console.
Some people would say that this budget could go straight toward digital Sega games, giving Sega direct revenue. But to me, the value of a retro console isn't just about playing games. Emulators are already very mature, but the experience of physical hardware is irreplaceable. When I hold a piece of hardware from over twenty years ago, I can't help imagining: if I'd been born twenty years earlier, standing in front of the PS1, N64, and Saturn back then, would I have made the same choice? That kind of imagination seems useless, but it's genuinely fun.
Inexperience Leads to a Bad Purchase
I spotted a Saturn listed for about $30 on a domestic second-hand platform—a very tempting price. The seller noted: the player 2 controller port had been repaired, the power board was modified, the Japanese console had a modchip installed, it was adapted for China's 220V mains, and it had been running stably for a long time.
At first, everything worked fine. But a month later, the console powered on with the light on, yet produced no image or sound. I took it to a repair technician, who said the machine showed heavy signs of repair, the modified power board was low quality, and it had burned out the motherboard. If I continued repairing it, more faults would likely appear, and the repair quote wasn't worth it.
The technician gave me two options: salvage the working parts as spares and scrap the rest to cut losses, or sell the whole unit to a hobbyist who enjoys tinkering. In the end, I sold the faulty console for about $13 to an enthusiast who wanted to practice repairs. Later, talking with people online, I learned that a Saturn PTU power board can serve as a replacement part. After researching, I found it is indeed a good spare, but domestic channels for buying one are limited, and a reliable off-the-shelf Chinese transformer is cheap and easy to get—so I didn't try that route.
I'm grateful to the people online for the repair ideas. This isn't a complaint—I just want to remind everyone to pay close attention to the power solution when buying a Saturn. I'll attach photos of the faulty machine, and I welcome everyone to share their thoughts.
Meeting a Seller I Hit It Off With, and Getting a Reliable Console
A friend of mine mainly deals in game discs and cartridges and knows retro consoles well. He told me the domestic second-hand Saturn market: a complete-in-box unit in good condition costs at least $85; a bare console in nice condition runs over $55; if you want something practical and stable, $40–$55 can get you a well-maintained machine; anything under $40 likely has hidden problems.
After that, I found a suitable seller who specializes in importing Japanese game consoles and vintage electronics. He's 17 years older than me, but we share the same hobby. He recommended a $50 Malaysia-made Asian version Saturn. Compared to the $42 Japanese model in his shop, this one was more stable, had better optical drive compatibility, and had already undergone routine maintenance before arriving.
The Saturn worked great once I got it. Chatting with the seller and exchanging our gaming stories added a human touch to the purchase. I'll also attach photos of the console's internals for reference.
The seller repeatedly reminded me to use a transformer. I spent about $14 on one with automatic voltage detection. He also recommended I try the Saroo Saturn flash cart, which I bought as well. It plugs directly into the Saturn's accelerator card slot and costs about $25 domestically.
A Saturn Fighting Game Enthusiast's Self-Made Replica Saturn Controller
One of my main reasons for getting a Saturn was to experience classic 2D fighting games. I happened to come across a self-made replica Saturn controller by a fellow player. At first I was skeptical: big companies rarely release new Saturn controllers—can an individual maker do it well? The price was very affordable: about $8 for the original Saturn connector version, about $14 for the version supporting Android and PC with a turbo IC. I ordered one on a whim, and it exceeded my expectations.
This replica controller isn't meant to replace big-brand products like 8BitDo, Beitong, or Hori. Instead, it's specifically designed with fighting game players in mind. I won't say it's better than an original Saturn controller, but the button rebound feel is solid. A friend of mine who's been playing fighting games for 20 years tried it and also gave it a positive review.
The maker is very professional. When I wanted to use it with an emulator to play Saturn games and asked about compatibility, he recommended Yaba Sanshiro 2, which makes button mapping easy. Once I ran into an issue where buttons weren't responding—I initially thought it was an emulator configuration problem—but he suggested I check the in-game button settings, and it was resolved quickly.
I'll include photos of this replica controller. As for how good it is, I'll leave that for everyone to judge—welcome to discuss.
To close the story, here's a photo of a complete-in-box copy of Sakura Wars 2. I picked up this set for about $20, just for market reference. I love the Sakura Wars anime and story, and I've always hoped the series would come to modern gaming platforms.
Have you ever had a bad experience buying a Saturn? What’s your favourite Saturn fighting game?
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I’ve spent the last little while properly getting to know the Retroid Pocket Duo Lite, and my review is probably a little more focused on the feel of the thing, the two-screen experience and what it’s actually like to live with than on endless performance charts. I do cover some of the usual emulation stuff, but I was especially interested in what Retroid has managed to do with the form factor at this price, and whether it still has a bit of that dual-screen magic once the novelty wears off and the limitations of the processor kick in.
I also had quite a few people kindly chime in along the way. SapphireRhodonite, the developer of SeedlessDS, talks about building a modern DS emulator around lower-powered dual-screen hardware; the Cocoon and iiSU teams share what this new wave of cheaper dual-screen devices means for their own development; Chris Covers from Retroid talks about coming back to two screens for the first time since Nintendo’s original hardware; and Mr Stephen’s Retro Corner helped with some proper display testing. There are a few other voices in there too, so hopefully it feels a little broader than just me saying whether I liked the thing or not :)
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I've been spending a bunch of time with TortOS, the new custom firmware for the TrimUI Brick and Brick Hammer, so I chatted with its developer Geekstrada, who also works with Helaas on Leaf for the Miniloong Pocket 1.
My article goes into why he wanted TortOS to be deliberately small and focused, the Cover Flow-inspired UI, how he keeps emulator cores ready in memory to make launching games so fast, and why he’d rather support fewer systems really well than chase everything the Brick can technically run.
We also talk quite a bit about Muse, its lovely music side, and the old iPods and physical music collections that helped inspire it. I’ve been using my TortOS set-up with just three games per system and filling the rest of the card with music, which ended up feeling like a pretty perfect fit for what TortOS is trying to do.
Anyway, if you're at all curious on this new firmware, or the dev side of it, then hopefully you like the article :)
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Going to play some PC 98 games on my old laptop with Gentoo for Halloween. I've seen some of the horror tittles and they look pretty good. I want to play both Dead of the Brain games, corpse party, and a cool RPG called Peret em Heru.
The compile for neko project 21 was quick and figuring out how to load games and getting the fonts wasn't too hard. PC 98 is the oldest system that I've emulated.
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With emulators extremely mature now, why buy a $37 compatible console and plug in physical cartridges?
When I was young, I loved Mega Drive games. That blue hedgehog running at high speed, the varied level routes. The gameplay felt very different from Super Mario on the Famicom. For players in China, most games we had back then were pirated copies. I wanted an original Mega Drive console, but finding a good working unit is a matter of luck. A seasoned Mega Drive player friend suggested I try a handheld that accepts physical cartridges; I might get a nice surprise. I bought the Neocade MD200, and overall the experience is pretty good.
- What kind of game console is this
Important note: The Neocade MD200 is not licensed by Sega. It is a third-party product from brand Neocade. It comes with 18 built-in NES games and an included 12-in-1 licensed reproduction Mega Drive cartridge published by PIKO. PIKO acquired the copyrights for these old games. So this is more of a third-party compatible handheld, not the pirated game consoles made by domestic manufacturers in the old days. One reason I chose it is its good after-sales support.
I got the Chinese domestic version of the unit. The agent sells it for $37, and the price can drop lower during promotions. The overseas version only differs by sales region.
Cheap price does not mean it suits everyone. I keep thinking: now that open-source handhelds are very mature, is there really a reason to play games on a cartridge-based console? I care not only about gameplay experience, but also the stories that happen while playing. My answer is it still has value.
First, hardware specs. This handheld has compatibility issues with flash carts, but works well with licensed physical Mega Drive cartridges.
- Screen: 3.5 inch LCD, resolution 320×240
- Cartridge slot: Standard Mega Drive (MD) cartridge port
- Battery: Built-in lithium battery, roughly 6 hours of play on full charge
- Output: HDMI for TV out, 720P
- System: Linux
- Buttons: Standard Mega Drive 6-button layout (ABC XYZ) + D-pad, Start/Select, volume keys
- Form factor: Portable handheld, pocket-sized
- Box contents: Console + PIKO 12-in-1 MD cartridge + USB charging cable + manual
Pictures of gameplay are attached. Here are pros and cons, feel free to disagree and discuss.
Pros Handheld mode plays well. Volume adjustment works nicely. Buttons have firm travel, grip feels comfortable. I like the modern USB-C and Mini HDMI ports. The included cartridge has PIKO licensed games. They are relatively obscure titles but decent quality. I enjoyed the American football game on it even though I know nothing about the sport.
Cons The D-pad is not the design of the original Mega Drive controller. It works fine for most games, but some players will mind. The six action buttons are packed close together; fighting game players may find it uncomfortable.
There are compatibility issues between Mini HDMI cables and displays. The cable included with the unit did not work with my monitor, but switching to another cable that came with my monitor fixed it. The same applies to TVs.
When outputting to a display, it defaults to 16:9 aspect ratio. There is no automatic adjustment; you need to manually change the picture ratio on your display.
Full game list, total of 30 games: 18 built-in NES games + 12 MD games on the included cartridge.
Built-in 18 NES (Famicom) games
1. 8 Eyes 2. Bad Street Brawler 3. Dash Galaxy in the Alien Asylum 4. Eliminator Boat Duel 5. The Immortal 6. Little Lancelot 7. Metal Mech 8. Motor City Patrol 9. Mutant Virus: The Crisis 10. Power Punch II 11. Road Raider 12. Stanley 13. Target: Renegade 14. Thunderbolt 15. Top Race 2 16. Water Margin 17. Gadget Twins 18. Legend of Wukong
Included PIKO 12-in-1 MD cartridge
1. AWS Pro Moves Soccer 2. Risky Woods 3. Sword of Sodan 4. Street Racer 5. Brutal Sports Football 6. The Immortal 7. Thunderbolt II 8. BOB 9. Beggar Prince 10. Switchblade 11. Deflektor 12. Tinhead
My opinion on this console: If you want to play licensed physical Mega Drive cartridges and experience these 30 games, it is worth considering. If that is not your goal, buying it may not meet your expectations.
- Sonic 2: Memories Across Time on an Old Cartridge
Before I got the MD200, I hunted down a physical Mega Drive copy of Sonic 2. It came complete with box and manual. The yellowed reply card has handwritten level select codes and short comments left by its previous owner. It is clear that the original owner loved this game. I paid $29 for the set, price for reference only.
For Japanese collectors, old cartridges with previous owners' handwriting may be common. For me, it means something different. Looking at those handwritten cheat codes, I keep imagining the player who wrote them decades ago, experimenting with Sonic 2's levels. If I had known this cheat back then, I would have been the cool kid among my friends.
This cartridge is more than a game medium. It carries emotional heritage between players across time. Even though I can buy Sonic games on Steam now, physical cartridges have a unique warmth that emulators struggle to replicate.
- A Strange Accidental Firmware Bug and a Pleasant Customer Service Experience
While testing the included PIKO 12-in-1 cartridge, I encountered a weird behavior. When inserting the cartridge, the handheld would not load the multi-game menu. It would boot straight into Deflektor. Only occasionally would it open the normal game list.
I contacted the store's customer service. They said they had never received reports of this issue before, but they were curious about this strange behavior and checked with the factory. Their solution: send me a brand new replacement 12-in-1 cartridge. They also shipped an extra PIKO licensed reproduction Mega Drive cartridge so I could keep testing compatibility with different physical cartridges.
This extra cartridge was not leftover old stock. They just wanted me to test more cartridges out of curiosity about this bug. This support experience left a deep impression on me.
After checking information to figure this out: this is not an official easter egg. When the 12-in-1 cartridge has poor contact, the handheld detects a cartridge is present, but fails to read the cartridge header ROM data. Instead of throwing an error as the firmware was designed to do, it falls into an unexpected code branch and loads Deflektor stored inside the handheld firmware. The agent had never seen this before. It is a glitch triggered by chance.
I did not make up any events. The customer service offered the extra cartridge voluntarily for testing. I will keep testing different physical Mega Drive cartridges on this console and share more about the MD200 cartridge compatibility later.
I have bought many Sonic games on Steam, and they are great to play. I plan to look at more Mega Drive cartridges in the future, and I hope I can share more gaming stories with everyone.
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I stumbled across this while looking through old PSP physical releases and ended up going down a bit of a rabbit hole. In 2005, Sony released a version of the movie Stealth on UMD that also had a playable, exclusive version of WipEout Pure on the same disc, complete with a Stealth-themed track and a craft based on the film's fighter jet.
I ended up writing a little piece about what was on the UMD, why Sony was experimenting with movie/game hybrids at the time, and what survives of this very strange release today. It is a super light little read, but when it comes to PSP's these days, there's woefully few of those!
Hopefully some in here find it amusing :)
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Hey everyone, I've been playing Guitar Hero since the first one came out, and have an Xbox 360 that is kept alive so I can continue doing so. The guitar controller I have that's in best condition has had issues with the green fret button for years now. When I went to play just now, it took several attempts just to launch the game from the Xbox home screen, so I finally decided to take things apart and look at it, however I think the fix I found can be accomplished without disassembling anything (though it requires basic soldering knowledge, and taking apart the neck of the guitar is very easy and will give you more room).
On the left is what the little contactor board originally looked like; note the divots in the center of each pad where the spring-loaded pins on the body of the guitar press against. The right one is the one that I experimented on, you can just barely make out the divots left in the bead of solder I put on each contactor. The contact pads seem to be too thin for how strong the springs for the pins are; a little solder gives the pins a fresh surface to make a good connection, and much more material to push through (even if the pin does wear all the way through, there will be enough solder surrounding it to make a good connection).
After ~2 hours of playing just now, no issues on any of the fret buttons!
Hope this helps someone! Rock on! 🤘🏾
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Binky: Frozen In Time Is A Brand New C64 Platformer From Thalamus, And It's Available Right Now
(www.timeextension.com)
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I moved my retro game library to Jellyfin, and now I can play them from anywhere
(www.xda-developers.com)
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