In weeks past, this has mirrored the same article that you'd find over on the Retro Handhelds website, but I wanted to try and change things up a bit. Partially to offer something a bit different, while sharing a bit more insight about what's happened in the retro handheld and gaming scene over the past week. Don't worry, if you like the RSS feed-style roundup, it's still available over on the main website.

Let us know what you think, and if this format is something you would prefer to see moving forward.

Myrient Says Goodbye, the Community Steps Up

It's not often that we talk about when a site tailored to those who "sail the seas" is taken down. However, Myrient isn't like the rest, as this site has been around for years, growing its collection like I collect handhelds. Sadly, it was recently announced that Myrient would be closing up shop on March 31.

This is a major blow to the community, not because it's a trusted source casting itself off into the sunset, but because of actual game preservation. With so many studios being shuttered, to go along with the constant DRM frustration, there's a good chance that many of your favorite games won't be accessible in the future.

Thankfully, shortly after the announcement, a new community-wide effort arose from the ashes. The Minerva Archive is a group that is trying to do the impossible: back up and preserve the almost-400TB of files before the March 31 deadline. You can check the progress out for yourself here, which shows almost 130TB of data being archived so far, with about 3.5 weeks left to go.

Valve Goes 'Snip-Snap' with Steam Hardware Release

There were a few hours of excitement on Friday, as it was found that Valve was updating the listings for the Steam Machine, Frame, and Controller. However, about 10 minutes after the original RH article was published, Valve shared its "Year In Review 2025" community post.

Originally, the post said that none of the three products would be released in 2026 due to the ongoing component shortage. However, at some point after that, the post was updated to say that it would be "shipping all three products this year." We're hoping this will actually be the case, but with storage and RAM prices continuing to skyrocket, it doesn't leave us feeling very confident.

Xbox on Android is Here, But Riddled with Drama

Rob the Retro Tech Dad and I have regularly claimed that Xbox emulation on Android was the "next frontier." Well, it's time to saddle up because it's finally arrived, with X1 Box being the first Xbox emulator to hit the Play Store.

It costs $7 to download, bringing us to our first issue, as X1 Box is based on Xemu, which is free to download. The second issue is that there doesn't seem to be very much that's actually playable. Not only will some games just not boot, but if a game does start running, don't expect anything near 30fps.

As a result of X1 Box being a paid app, the Xemu team responded, confirming that it will "have a free, official Android release eventually that will make their app moot." There are also a few forks floating around that have managed to implement fixes of their own, and in some cases, offer better and more stable frame rates.

What's RH Been Up To?

This week has felt quite a bit more chaotic than normal, between the surprise Project Helix announcement, Eden's GitHub getting DMCA'd, and more. In between all of that, the Retro Handhelds crew continues to chug along, aiming to give you the best reading (and viewing) experience in the community.

News & Brews with Mr. Sujano

Friday was one of the funniest episodes of the podcast that I've ever been a part of, and it's not just because of the usual jokes and quips. This was my first time meeting Mr. Sujano, and we proceeded to try to talk about everything from Nintendo suing the U.S. Government to our favorite whiskeys. As it turns out, the show ended up going off the rails a few times, and in the best ways possible.

Zu Can't Stop Playing With His Thor

One could make the argument that, despite FebZuary being all about Zu's favorite games, March is actually Zu's month for GotX. That's because Fire Emblem Awakening was voted as the winner for the 2002 or later category, which just so happens to be one of Zu's favorite games of all time. To celebrate, he dropped a new video sharing the various improvements that can be made on modern hardware like the AYN Thor, and comparing that to the original game on a 3DS.

Nick Reviews the Abxylute E1

Before he even finished writing the review, Nick gave me a warning about how this review was going to end up looking. Even for the proclaimed "King of E-Waste," the Abxylute E1 almost manages to drive Nick mad. It sure seems like this is the kind of e-waste that gives the retro handheld market a bad rep.

Ban Tries Out Another Controller

Like Ban, I too have an embarrassing number of controllers, but then again, I'm not the one out to apparently try to review every controller possible. That said, Ban gives us his take on the EasySMX S10 Lite, a controller that looks rather odd but has a few surprising features.

Around the Community

Not to sound too sappy, Retro Handhelds wouldn't be where it is today if it weren't for the community. Not only do we mean our followers and Discord members, but also other content creators such as Russ, Rob, and others. As such, here are some of the videos published over the course of the past week from others.

Retro Game Corps Reviews the AYANEO Pocket S Mini

The machine never stops, does it? Russ dropped a couple of new videos this week, including his review of the AYANEO Pocket S Mini. This handheld was announced last year, before finally being released, without any community backing, through AYANEO's online storefront earlier this year.

Since it's basically a smaller version of the original Pocket S, did AYANEO release the ultimate 4:3 Android handheld, or is there something else holding this back? I'm not going to spoil the ending, but Russ's conclusion might surprise you.

Game Boy-powered Raspberry Pi?

A couple of weeks ago, Macho Nacho showed us one of the coolest mods we've seen with the Zelda Game & Watch being turned into an emulation handheld. Just a few days ago, Macho Nacho was back at it again, but this time, taking a look at the PicoPal.

We first caught wind of the Pico Pal back in September 2025, as it's essentially a Game Boy Color powered by a Raspberry Pi. At the time, it was being marketed towards PICO-8 games, but as Macho Nacho shows, the Raspberry Pi Pico 2 is more than capable of handling Game Boy and Game Boy Color games.

Game of the Month: Mind Over Matter

Achievement Unlocked: Big Savings

The AliExpress Choice Day Sale has concluded, but the Local Frenzy Sale has only just begun. Of course, that isn't the only place to go if you want to save some money, but here are some deals and new releases worth calling out regardless.

• MINILOONG Pocket 1: $86.99 $73.95 | RH15 at GoGameGeek
• AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini (B.Duck): $109.99 at AYANEO
• ASUS ROG Xbox Ally: $599.99 $549.99 at Amazon
• Miyoo Mini Flip: $53.02 $49.02 | USLS04 at AliExpress
• TrimUI Brick Hammer: $84.68 $76.78 | USLS08 at AliExpress
• BatleXP G350: $44.66 $40.66 | USLS04 at AliExpress

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