This Week in Retro

It's the big four-oh for the Amstrad PC1512, an aggressively cost-reduced PC clone for the UK market. There's also a fascinating time capsule of Atari user group newsletters from August 1987, and Nelumbo, a new engine for classic Lotus racing action, plus Tron references, Kickstarter updates for Spectrum Next and Vectrex Mini, a unique phone booth memorial, and more!

Visit https://www.addict.media/ for your copy of Pixel Addict magazine.

00:00 - Show Opening

04:00 - Cheap PCs, Cheaper PCs and Even Cheaper PCs
Story Link: https://x.com/Lord_Sugar/status/2095098703992250874

18:38 - Exploring A 1987 Time Capsule
Story Link: https://blog.archive.org/2026/08/27/a-computer-history-time-capsule/
Newsletters: https://archive.org/details/antc_Atari_newsletter_time_capsule_1987-08

38:20 - Housekeeping - News links found below

45:15 - Lotus Is Back
Story Link: https://almost-there-games.itch.io/nelumbo 
Launch Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYZk2k6AOA8

55:32 - Community Question of the Week

🏆Your monthly support helps us keep the retro news flowing!
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Bluesky:
https://bsky.app/profile/davevelociraptor.bsky.social
https://bsky.app/profile/jasoncompton.bsky.social

Youtube:
Chris - https://www.youtube.com/@005AGIMA
Jason - https://www.youtube.com/@TheRetroAdventurers

Audio Podcast:
https://retroadventurers.podbean.com/

Subscribe to the audio version of the show!
📻 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-retro/id1526487568?uo=4
📻 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2OPQ3cADaB92E9SpRdTe5y
📻 Podbean: https://twir.podbean.com
📻 Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/show/5734337
📻 RSS: https://feed.podbean.com/TWIR/feed.xml
📻 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeekinRetro

This Week in Retro is a weekly roundup of the hottest stories from the world of retro gaming and computing, voted on by you, the listener! Hosted by Chris from 005 AGIMA, Jason from The Retro Adventurers and Dave. Edited by Duncan Styles.

News In Brief Links
CEX Retro Shop: https://metro.co.uk/2026/08/31/cex-confirms-existence-first-retro-store-birmingham-29501398/

Vectrex Update: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1852390947/vectrex-mini/posts/4787697

Bletchley Park Redundancies: https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/bletchley-park-in-milton-keynes-announces-redundancies-due-to-dwindling-visitor-numbers-8958108

Space Paranoids: https://landonjsmith.com/projects/spaceparanoids/

Defrag Simulator: https://defrag98.com/

PlayStation 2 Emulator: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/08/pcsx2-has-just-been-updated-bringing-serious-performance-gains-and-more-to-the-ps2-emulator

Nick Weerts Memorial Phone Booth: http://nickweertsmemorial.com

Mario On The Master System: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRrioabZZwM

🛠 Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com/ for all your PCB needs! 🛠

New, retro-themed game development and releases dominate the news this week. Chris called his contact at Commodore to get early access to the Alien Breed 35th Anniversary Collection and we take an early look at the new Commodore 77 variant. Michael Cranford is back in game development after a 34-year absence with Shadow Snare, a spiritual sibling to his original Bard's Tale. And Dave makes a cardboard tube into a Sword of Power as he celebrates a new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe game, part of that franchise's big revival.

00:00 - Show Opening

01:24 - I’m Not Saying It’s Aliens
Story Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ck3vhJ6S_E
Commodore 77: https://www.ign.com/articles/cyberpunk-2077-commodore-computer-reveal-gamescom-2026
Commodore is really back! Gamescom 2026: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emKMNXEncmw

20:36 - Bard’s Tale Reborn?
Story Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3pitkK-OVA&t=8s
Shadow Snare Footage: https://shadowsnare.com/assets/shadow-snare/video/shadow-snare-c64-gameplay-demonstration-title-bridge-v2.mp4

35:27 - Housekeeping - News links found below

44:18 - I Have the Power!
Story Link: https://youtu.be/-HQfjANanu0?is=-wpXrfQ6jY1jpjde
He Man Game Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNSf7uUlvKM

53:22 - Community Question of the Week

🏆Your monthly support helps us keep the retro news flowing!
https://www.patreon.com/thisweekinretro

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Follow your hosts!
Bluesky:
https://bsky.app/profile/davevelociraptor.bsky.social
https://bsky.app/profile/jasoncompton.bsky.social

Youtube:
Chris - https://www.youtube.com/@005AGIMA
Jason - https://www.youtube.com/@TheRetroAdventurers

Audio Podcast:
https://retroadventurers.podbean.com/

Subscribe to the audio version of the show!
📻 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-retro/id1526487568?uo=4
📻 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2OPQ3cADaB92E9SpRdTe5y
📻 Podbean: https://twir.podbean.com
📻 Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/show/5734337
📻 RSS: https://feed.podbean.com/TWIR/feed.xml
📻 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeekinRetro

This Week in Retro is a weekly roundup of the hottest stories from the world of retro gaming and computing, voted on by you, the listener! Hosted by Chris from 005 AGIMA, Jason from The Retro Adventurers and Dave. Edited by Duncan Styles.

News In Brief Links

Atari's reissue of Activision games on cartridge: https://www.ign.com/articles/atari-is-re-releasing-39-atari-2600-games-on-working-physical-cartridges

Scrap Men Amstrad PPC 640: https://www.reddit.com/r/thisweekinretro/comments/1vxfki8/a_surpise_gift/

Atari 2600/Vectrex Mashup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_1T-NoEtUU

PS3 Emulation: https://www.notebookcheck.net/RPCS3-reaches-major-milestone-en-route-to-perfectly-playing-all-PS3-first-party-games.1377811.0.html

RIP Peter Cullen: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c15844gwe0wo

Cliff Stoll and the First Cybersecurity Investigation?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=656058JxTM0

Is it time for retro tech trading to go mainstream? We'll soon find out, if the reports of CeX's expansion into retro and import game sales are accurate. We also talk about the end of an era for a retro tech podcast, the return of cassettes, Casio's surprising commitment to blending 1980s digital watch styling with 2026 convenience, the origins of Batman (the game of the movie) and much more.

Visit https://www.addict.media/ for your copy of Pixel Addict magazine.

 

00:00 - Show Opening

01:51 - CeX is back on the menu
Story Link: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/uk-preowned-retailer-cex-is-reportedly-opening-two-stores-dedicated-to-retro-and-import-games/

18:03 - Digital Watches
Story Link: https://www.techradar.com/health-fitness/smartwatches/a-watch-id-actually-buy-casios-latest-retro-take-on-a-smartwatch-is-the-f-b100w-with-step-counting-included

33:50 - Housekeeping - News links found below

44:51 - Tell All Your Friends About Me
Story Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpIVkm4YZU4

53:52 - Community Question Of The Week

🏆Your monthly support helps us keep the retro news flowing!
https://www.patreon.com/thisweekinretro

🕸 TWiR Sub Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/thisweekinretro/

Follow your hosts!
Bluesky:
https://bsky.app/profile/davevelociraptor.bsky.social
https://bsky.app/profile/jasoncompton.bsky.social

Youtube:
Chris - https://www.youtube.com/@005AGIMA
Jason - https://www.youtube.com/@TheRetroAdventurers

Audio Podcast:
https://retroadventurers.podbean.com/

Subscribe to the audio version of the show!
📻 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-retro/id1526487568?uo=4
📻 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2OPQ3cADaB92E9SpRdTe5y
📻 Podbean: https://twir.podbean.com
📻 Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/show/5734337
📻 RSS: https://feed.podbean.com/TWIR/feed.xml
📻 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeekinRetro

This Week in Retro is a weekly roundup of the hottest stories from the world of retro gaming and computing, voted on by you, the listener! Hosted by Chris from 005 AGIMA, Jason from The Retro Adventurers and Dave. Edited by Duncan Styles.

News In Brief Links

Cruis'n USA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCzv7W9DKzg

The A1200 Is An Amiga: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fjzlufkcmj4kh1.png

Maxell UD-60U: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/storage/maxell-partners-with-disk-union-to-release-ud-60u-special-edition-cassettes-black-and-red-ud-tapes-could-be-ideal-for-use-in-your-c64-datassette

Ravi Abbott Leaves Retro Hour: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/08/its-been-a-huge-part-of-my-life-the-retro-hours-ravi-abbott-is-stepping-away-after-more-than-ten-years

James Pond Legacy: https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1vti8ss/james_pond_legacy_devs_used_ai_to_remaster_their/

RIP Dr Timothy James King: https://www.theregister.com/software/2026/08/18/tim-king-amigados-royalty-dies-aged-71/5289101

What Happens Next: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MNNCiQ9gNM

🛠 Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com/ for all your PCB needs! 🛠

Neil stops by to check out Commodore's latest product, the TAC-2. A legendary joystick that has been reborn. An ABCNews story takes a look at our hobby of choice and The Need For Speed is coming to the Atari Jaguar, could this be the game that proves that the Jag could have been a contender? 

We are sure you know already but you can see much more of Neil over at:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheRetroCollective  

00:00 - Show Opening

05:53 -  Sometimes Tactics Aren’t Enough
Story Link: https://commodore.net/store/tac-2/

21:16 - Getting Serious About Preservation
Story Link: https://abcnews.com/Technology/wireStory/ai-grips-world-thrill-collecting-vintage-computers-growing-135508246
ENIAC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUg-tXigVUI
Fuze Museum: https://www.fuze.co.uk/museum.html
National Museums Scotland:  https://my.nms.ac.uk/23690/23691

40:20 - Housekeeping - News links found below

50:26 - ATARI Jaguar Feels The Need For Speed
Story Link: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/07/the-original-3do-programmers-deserve-serious-kudos-this-experiment-is-bringing-a-classic-ea-racer-to-the-atari-jaguar
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/@Budfolk

01:04:01 - Community Question of the Week

🏆Your monthly support helps us keep the retro news flowing!
https://www.patreon.com/thisweekinretro

🕸 TWiR Sub Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/thisweekinretro/

Follow your hosts!
Bluesky:
https://bsky.app/profile/davevelociraptor.bsky.social
https://bsky.app/profile/jasoncompton.bsky.social

Youtube:
Chris - https://www.youtube.com/@005AGIMA
Jason - https://www.youtube.com/@TheRetroAdventurers

Audio Podcast:
https://retroadventurers.podbean.com/

Subscribe to the audio version of the show!
📻 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-retro/id1526487568?uo=4
📻 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2OPQ3cADaB92E9SpRdTe5y
📻 Podbean: https://twir.podbean.com
📻 Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/show/5734337
📻 RSS: https://feed.podbean.com/TWIR/feed.xml
📻 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeekinRetro

This Week in Retro is a weekly roundup of the hottest stories from the world of retro gaming and computing, voted on by you, the listener! Hosted by Chris from 005 AGIMA, Jason from The Retro Adventurers and Dave. Edited by Duncan Styles.

News In Brief Links

Re-Falcon 030: https://bsky.app/profile/philsan.bsky.social/post/3msstgmem4a2t

ASCII City: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YtygAx_C6A

Zzap Amiga: https://www.gamesradar.com/hardware/retro/the-upcoming-amiga-a1200-remake-will-ship-with-a-special-edition-of-an-iconic-uk-gaming-magazine-but-only-if-youre-an-early-bird/

Rare IBM PC: https://hackaday.com/2026/08/13/rare-ibm-pc-brought-back-to-life/

Use C64 As Controller: https://blog.tindie.com/2026/07/give-c64-emulation-a-realistic-touch/

Outrun Sega 32x: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJO8AYSyTeQ

🛠 Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com/ for all your PCB needs! 🛠

Amiga CEO Mike Battilana is our guest this week, so we get right to the lead story: Amiga and Hyperion announced a settlement to long-standing disputes over AmigaOS. At the same time Amiga announced a licensing arrangement with Commodore. We sort through what it means and what might be coming next. In other news, there's a new rich archive of software for Atari ST users and a split-screen head-to-head innovation is coming to the original BBC Micro Elite thanks to the tireless tinkering of Mark Moxon. Plus 1970s computer music on vinyl, new chapters for Worms and Quake, and more.

00:00 - Show Opening

04:00 - What Is Amiga Corporation? Let’s ask the CEO!
Story Link: https://amiga.com/news/20260804-amiga-update
Amiga News: https://www.amiga-news.de/en/news/AN-2026-08-00022-EN.html
Hyperion Entertainment://www.hyperion-entertainment.com/index.php/news/38-corporate

28:57 - A Real Pirate’s Trove
Story Link: https://atari.8bitchip.info/fromhd2.php#dlaciebie
Sidecartridge: https://ataristpublicfloppydb.sidecartridge.com/

43:09 - Housekeeping - News links found below

50:50 - Screen Cheat Elite
Story Link: https://bsky.app/profile/markmoxon.bsky.social/post/3msiwwtnnzk2y

58:54 - Community Question of the Week

🏆Your monthly support helps us keep the retro news flowing!
https://www.patreon.com/thisweekinretro

🕸 TWiR Sub Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/thisweekinretro/

Follow your hosts!
Bluesky:
https://bsky.app/profile/davevelociraptor.bsky.social
https://bsky.app/profile/jasoncompton.bsky.social

Youtube:
Chris - https://www.youtube.com/@005AGIMA
Jason - https://www.youtube.com/@TheRetroAdventurers

Audio Podcast:
https://retroadventurers.podbean.com/

Subscribe to the audio version of the show!
📻 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-retro/id1526487568?uo=4
📻 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2OPQ3cADaB92E9SpRdTe5y
📻 Podbean: https://twir.podbean.com
📻 Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/show/5734337
📻 RSS: https://feed.podbean.com/TWIR/feed.xml
📻 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWeekinRetro

This Week in Retro is a weekly roundup of the hottest stories from the world of retro gaming and computing, voted on by you, the listener! Hosted by Chris from 005 AGIMA, Jason from The Retro Adventurers and Dave. Edited by Duncan Styles.

News In Brief Links

Bits and Bytes: https://youtu.be/WOGi5T_m__8
CCSP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1-vmlGCq4c

Atari System Emulator: https://youtu.be/Ozin3MMEKZE

Magenta Lenovo Trackpoints: https://www.techradar.com/pro/its-not-red-its-magenta-how-thinkpad-designers-gaslit-ibm-to-save-the-iconic-trackpoint

Worms Directors Cut DLC: https://worm.net/

New Quake Level: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/quake-gets-a-free-new-chapter-promising-ferocious-combat-labyrinthine-level-design-and-nightmarish-realms-to-celebrate-its-30th-birthday

WWW Turns 35: https://www.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/comments/1vhfya0/the_web_turns_35_this_august_6/

Episode Credits

Housekeeping Music: https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/fff6e291-5987-42fd-9a60-dc399816e4ee/