This Week in Retro

🛠 Check out PCBWay at https://pcbway.com/ for all your PCB needs! 🛠 Spooky leftovers and a tribute to departed multimedia legend Patrick Stewart anchor our coverage this week. The hosts also discuss ZX Spectrum Next shipping announcements in real-time while bouncing between promising new unofficial cores for the Commodore 64 Ultimate and the impact of a quarter-century of Windows XP. Count the lights and settle in! 00:00 - Show Opening 01:27 - Star Power Story Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAfQ387XReg 16:10 - Ultimate Commodore 64 Unlocked Story Link: https://trex64-dev.github.io/ Demonstration video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqa0KDOW9Fo 30:38 - Housekeeping - News links found below 40:41 - The Best Windows Ever? Story Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAv1EwoRnec 50:52 - 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 Halloween Havoc: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLR9xDHtXapX8 SCUMMVM Trick or Treat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBbWqA_81dU Waxworks Survival Horror: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4u6ZgSJttY Addams Family Values: https://www.timeextension.com/features/the-making-of-addams-family-values-ocean-softwares-attempt-to-mix-hollywood-and-the-legend-of-zelda Ghostbusters II Revamp: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/10/ghostbusters-ii-fans-unite-this-new-mod-brings-its-commodore-amiga-tie-in-closer-to-the-original-film  Top 11 Amstrad Horror Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNlJ0FNQ2Es  Top 10 Spooky games to play at Halloween: https://www.arcadeattack.co.uk/top-ten-spooky-halloween/  2009 Ghostbusters the Video Game goes VR:  https://ghostbustersnews.com/2026/10/24/fan-made-mod-brings-ghostbusters-the-video-game-into-first-person-vr/  Commodore 16 and Plus/4 book: https://commodore16.com/ Atari VCS shutdown: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/10/atari-is-officially-pulling-support-for-the-atari-vcs Xbox CEO on recomps: https://www.purexbox.com/news/2026/10/xbox-knows-its-games-are-getting-recompiled-for-pc-and-its-impacting-their-future Martin Webb on The Retro Hour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D54w__YUNbg PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 explored: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JjaAFiDvIk FujiNet for NES update: https://fujinet.online/nes/ GOG Mulls Big Boxes: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/physical-pc-games-could-make-a-comeback-thanks-to-gog-i-really-hope-that-well-be-able-to-do-it/ Episode Credits Housekeeping Tune: https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/673cb497-b1b0-3580-827f-dbf8e9cd3cf8/ By Anders Krusberg / Peabody Awards - Patrick Stewart, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19595183

Peladophobes beware, because this week's episode features four horribly hairless heads full to bursting with passion for prehistoric programs and Paleolithic processors! Clint from LGR returns to help explore the terrifying terrain of tool-assisted technological transformations as titles Splatterhouse and Alien Breed 3D are mangled to suit new master-machines. Ready to risk electrocution and the condemnation of so-called "respectable" scientists to give rise to the next race of super-human? Then you'll need to master DNA separation on your Commodore 64. Sixty minutes of spine-tingling timeless technology await... if you dare.   Just in case you aren't already following him, please pay Clint a visit at: https://www.youtube.com/@LGR   00:00 - Show Opening 02:57 - MVG Saves Halloween Story Link: https://modernvintagegamer.itch.io/splatterhouse-aga 19:34 - Genetic Experimentation Story Link: http://dnastar.com 34:10 - Housekeeping - News links found below 39:37 - Alien Breed 3D HD Story Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFvim_cU_zE 53:40 - 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 AI in Retro Games: https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/1015430/ai-retro-games-decomp-recomp-port Sayaka's Digital Attic: https://youtu.be/WnNWWbJwYNA IsoDoom: https://youtu.be/cBQNYFaK_lA ZX Spectrum Next laptop: https://www.dorchester3d.com/printing/blog/2020/11/zx-spectrum-next-laptop-version-2 Knightmare, the Adventure: https://www.knightmaregame.co.uk/ BBC Archive The Wonder of Computers: https://youtu.be/P6Q57p-qTpU

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 🏆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 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 🕸 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 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! 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 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