This Week in Retro

Throwback media players and long-lost silicon schematics lead our coverage this week. There are a variety of ways to breathe new life into an Apple iPod, including flash drive upgrades and the Sprout replacement motherboard project. Or if you think the software is the problem, Rockbox runs on most iPods and dozens of other players from rival vendors. ZX Spectrum preservation got a big boost when an eBay haul turned up the detailed blueprint for the system's essential ULA chip, and Chris runs with a discussion started on our subreddit. We also note some significant passings and the latest wave of surprise game ports.

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

00:00 - Show Opening

03:04 - iPod Rejuvenation
Story Link: https://www.techspot.com/news/114210-new-mod-brings-apple-classic-ipods-2026-bluetooth.html
Product Link: https://certainthings.studio/
Additional Link: rockbox.org

20:30 - ZX-pect The Unexpected
Story Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiW3P1rJRMc

30:48 - Housekeeping - News links found below

36:13 - Do You Play Your Retro Games?
Story Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/thisweekinretro/comments/1x51i0a/do_you_really_play_those_retro_games/ 

46:39 - Community Question of the Week

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Bluesky:
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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

Robert X. Cringely (Mark Stephens) obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/mark-stephens-obituary?id=62687488

Recent Cringely work: https://www.cringely.com/

Sensible Soccer C64: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoxrNuXKyyg

Original Donkey Kong art sale: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/a-former-nintendo-employee-is-auctioning-a-wealth-of-classic-items-including-the-original-donkey-kong-art/

Super Mario 64 on Atari Jaguar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBJxz8FlSfE

Richard "Levelord" Gray obituary: https://bsky.app/profile/apogeeent.com/post/3mxrooxdr6k2v

Dizzy Collection announcement: https://youtu.be/4UXs9b3AnQ4

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

A surprising collaboration between Retro Games Ltd. and Atari leads the news this week, with an equal-time look at Amiga AGA gaming just behind. The 1990s were the peak and decline of supercomputing and bulletin board system (BBS) operators, and both are the subjects of new deep-dive videos. Plus timely event promos, cross-platform throwbacks, and wistful looks at peak clamshell PDA performance.

00:00 - Show Opening

04:21 - It's An XL Remake
Story Link: https://atari.com/pages/800xl
Into the Vertical Blank: https://intotheverticalblank.com/2026/10/11/making-sense-of-the-800xl-by-retro-games-and-atari-atari-now/

21:12 - The Cry Of The Banshee
Story Link: https://spillhistorie.no/2026/10/05/da-dansk-dynamitt-og-aga-magi-odela-underarmen/

32:35 - Housekeeping - News links found below

41:02 - The Supercomputer And The Sysop
Story Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSgnDD83m-U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROQSw6jqJO8

56:52 - 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

Richard Garriott on copyright: https://youtu.be/m60SbCPdfQI?si=R-j9hA_ZHxUQ0lRz

Vector Doom: https://streamable.com/0u960a

Nintendo FujiNet: https://forums.atariage.com/topic/393355-fujinet-for-nes-bring-up-thread/

Ross Smith 3DFX interview: https://www.club386.com/3dfx-voodoo-history-ross-smith-interview/

Wing Commander 3 remaster: https://www.club386.com/3dfx-voodoo-history-ross-smith-interview/

Margaret Hamilton obituary: https://www.theregister.com/software/2026/10/08/margaret-hamilton-software-pioneer-who-helped-put-humans-on-the-moon-dies-at-90/5301988

Dungeon Master on SCUMMVM: https://www.scummvm.org/news/20261008/

Casio Cassiopeia: https://www.reddit.com/r/thisweekinretro/comments/1wycdlh/vintage_handhelds_for_productivity/

Psion 5 profile: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kht2c7DyhlQ

The rarest treasures lurk under piles of castoff keyboards, and there's a flood of cross-platform software ports heading your way. This week's top stories include a pack of ZX Spectrum updates and developments, the latest in surprise PC software, and the astounding thrift store find of an ultra-rare Humdinger home computer. Plus, catch up on news from the lands of Lemmings, Prodigy, CompuServe, and more.

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

00:00 - Show Opening

03:51 - Any Port In A Storm?
Story Link: https://www.dsogaming.com/news/rave-racer-arcade-perfect-pc-port-is-now-available-for-download/
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/time-crisis-arcade-perfect-pc-port-is-now-available-for-download/
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-legend-of-zelda-wind-waker-unofficial-pc-port-released/
https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/09/this-super-mario-64-snes-port-is-looking-to-push-the-super-fx-chip-to-its-limits
https://ixbt.games/en/news/2026/09/28/spustia-19-let-suter-the-darkness-perenesli-na-pk.html

18:56 - Behold: The Humdinger Computer!
Story Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/thisweekinretro/comments/1wu16c4/found_this_old_humdinger_computer_at_goodwill/
GitHub: https://github.com/indigoprime/doppledinger

33:13 - Housekeeping - News links found below

38:53 - This Week In Spectrum
Story Link: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/10/new-book-celebrating-45-years-of-the-zx-spectrum-smashes-its-kickstarter-goal-day-one 
https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/09/blazes-c64-and-zx-spectrum-handhelds-have-been-delayed-to-april-2027 
https://www.timeextension.com/reviews/grant-sinclairs-gamercard-n-shares-some-of-sir-clives-dna-but-this-is-no-zx-spectrum-style-triumph 

52:05 - Community Question of the Week

🏆Your monthly support helps us keep the retro news flowing!
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🕸 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

Physical media trends: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/oct/02/physical-media-fans-streaming-algorithms-cds-dvds-vinyl

CompuServe retrospective: https://dfarq.homeip.net/what-happened-to-compuserve/

Prodigy restoration: https://staging.prodigyreloaded.com/start/

Lemmings editor: https://github.com/timoheimonen/Amiga-Lemmings-Editor

Windows 2000 vs. Linux vs. Oracle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SliyHq54SxE

The Found Footage Festival: https://gizmodo.com/15000-vhs-tapes-and-counting-meet-the-guys-preserving-the-weirdest-parts-of-the-analog-era-2000816383

Dizzy developments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTSaPajJCcE

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

With museum guide Gameboys and intense Linux overhauls for 486 laptops lined up,  Veronica stops by to make sure everything's crystal clear. King's Quest and other Sierra classics are finally available for Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers, there's a Grand Theft Auto 2 overhaul in the works, and a window full of tiny emulators.

Keep up with Veronica at her main content hub of https://veronicaexplains.net , as well as the new joint podcast with Macintosh Librarian at https://kateandveronica.net

00:00 - Show Opening

04:15 - Serious Uses For Game Boy
Story Link: https://www.gameboymuseum.com/single-post/gb-museum-on-cart
InfoGenius: https://www.gameboymuseum.com/single-post/infogenius-game-boy-productivity
Workboy prototype: https://www.inverse.com/input/gaming/meet-the-workboy-nintendos-long-lost-gameboy-productivity-device

18:00 - SHORK Attack!
Story Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/retrobattlestations/comments/1wl2v0x/1996_ibm_thinkpad_365ed_x_2026_linux_kernel_73rc3/
Github: https://github.com/SharktasticA/SHORK-486
JagOS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atZwJqhJn-A

32:52 - Housekeeping - News links found below

38:23 - King’s Quest For Atari and C64!
Story Link: https://meanhamster.com/games/agi-64

50:28 - Community Question of the Week

🏆Your monthly support helps us keep the retro news flowing!
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🕸 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

Elite Atari 8-bit: https://forums.atariage.com/topic/393094-elite-for-the-atari-8-bit-firebird-version-has-been-completed-and-is-released/

Tiny Elite ships: https://www.reddit.com/r/thisweekinretro/comments/1wqsken/elite_small_enough_the_swallow/

GoldenEye SNES: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/09/it-trivialises-the-hobby-goldeneye-running-on-snes-triggers-more-debate-over-vibe-coded-retro-projects

Retronauts Assemble: https://retronaut.tech/retronauts-assemble-311026/
Retronauts video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0g9pOliSkg

Ace Combat 5 and Midnight Club: Los Angeles for PC: https://www.dsogaming.com/news/burnout-revenge-ace-combat-5-and-midnight-club-los-angeles-get-unofficial-pc-ports/

LGR's VCF Midwest retrospective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-XF5j6x0hs

GTA2 enhanced: https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/pc-gaming/27-year-old-gta-2-gets-full-path-tracing-and-60-fps-frame-generation-via-rtx-remix-custom-direct3d-9-wrapper-modernizes-classic-with-custom-direct3d-9-bridge-unlocks-dynamic-lighting

English Maniac Mansion Famicom: https://rickyderocher.itch.io/maniac-mansion-famicom-english-hack

Star Wars Trilogy for Dreamcast: https://www.thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk/2026/09/star-wars-trilogy-arcade-model-3-port.html

Grundy NewBrain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtCB9w8maAg

Amigos on Atari 600XL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0Ez7qWIC_Y

FujiGrid: https://www.savetz.com/fujigrid/

Dozens of potential trademark violations stand in the way of a retro racer's comeback! Naturally we lead with that news. After a quarter-century the secrets of the PlayStation 2's security chip are now open for inspection, and there's exciting news for enthusiasts of niche platforms including Sony's high-resolution SMC-70 CP/M machine, Amiga Unix, and the Spectravideo 318 in the latest episode of This Week in Retro!

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

00:00 - Show Opening

02:23 - Trademarks Trash Tracks
Story Link: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/09/microprose-turns-to-fans-to-rename-geoff-crammond-racing-4s-grid-following-steam-reissues-licensing-woes

17:20 - PlayStation 2 Finally Cracked
Story Link: https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/playstation/26-year-old-sony-ps2-security-chip-broken-wide-open-after-four-years-of-effort-reverse-engineering-enthusiast-successfully-unlocks-cxp102064-mechacon-chip

32:37 - Housekeeping - News links found below

37:32 - Some Less-Loved Computers
Story Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT2-7KkPkBc
Computer Forum magazine: https://spectravideo.org/viewtopic.php?t=38
Amiga UX: https://amigaux.org

55:12 - 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

Eternal Darkness returns?: https://ixbt.games/en/news/2026/09/16/436122-nightdive-nameknula-na-vozvrashhenie-xorrora-eternal-darkness.html

Wi-Fi For Gameboy Advance: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/canocoder/canoflash-wi-fi-adapter-for-original-game-boy-advance-hard

ZX81 mega expansion: https://codeberg.org/NollKollTroll/OpenSpand

Atari 2600 tech demo: https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2026/09/city-by-the-lake/