The Memory Core
All the latest in emulation, handhelds, and retro gaming. Sign up now to have weekly news roundups, device reviews, and exclusive interviews and features delivered directly to your inbox, free of charge.
A new PS2 emulator rises, and ModRetro’s M64 gets real
👋 Hello and welcome to another edition of The Memory Core newsletter! This week, I have an interview with the two co-founders of the upcoming ARMSX2 emulator, which may finally breathe new life into PS2 emulation on Android. Plus, I have some new details about the M64, and it’s exciting news for fans of FPGA gaming. As always, the news roundup is at the end, and there are a ton of interesting ROM hacks worth checking out this week. P.S. If you haven't already, consider signing up to get every...
Analogue’s no-show and the next big thing in mobile controllers
👋 Hello and welcome to another edition of The Memory Core newsletter. I'm still working on a few major stories for future newsletters, but I have a couple of interesting developments to share with you this week. First, Analogue's big announcement day passed this week, and there's good news for N64 FPGA emulation, but probably not what you're expecting. Plus, a new category of mobile controllers that could finally make it comfortable to play retro games on your phone. And as always, there's a...
Nintendo's legal victory, RetroAchievements controversy, and more
🧑⚖️ Hello and welcome to another edition of The Memory Core newsletter. It's been a relatively quiet week, but I have two stories to share with you from the world of emulation. The first has to do with a recent court victory for Nintendo and what it could mean for emulation going forward. The other is a deep dive into one of the most controversial moments in RetroAchievements' history, and the changes it brought to the platform this week. As always, the rest of the news roundup is at the end....
Exclusive: Inside iiSU’s bold vision for emulation handhelds
🫧 Hello and welcome to the Friday edition of The Memory Core newsletter. This week, I have a big story about one of the most interesting new apps coming to emulation: iiSU. I spoke with both the creator and the lead developer, gathering plenty of new details to get excited about. It’s also currently a week-long holiday in China, so I wouldn’t expect any major handheld announcements until late next week. After last month, I'm ok with a short break. Let’s hop right into the main (and only)...
The truth behind Eden’s sudden Play Store removal
👋 Hello and welcome to a surprise mid-week edition of The Memory Core newsletter. I know I said I wasn’t going to send one this week, but I have a quick exclusive that many of you will want to read. Shortly after the last newsletter was sent on Friday, the Nintendo Switch emulator Eden was removed from the Play Store. After chatting with the lead developer, I can now share why that happened and what the team plans to do next. You can probably guess who's behind it, but let’s dive right in....
ASUS ROG Xbox Ally pricing revealed — and it’s not cheap
👾 Welcome to the Friday edition of The Memory Core newsletter. Yesterday, I had the chance to try out Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and it was the most time I've spent using the Switch 2 in mouse mode. It works and looks fantastic, but my main takeaway is that I would have rather played on a PC with a real mouse. This week had some major industry news, so our two main stories are about the ROG Xbox Ally and Qualcomm's latest mobile chips. There was also plenty of emulation, FPGA, and retro gaming...
KONKR Pocket FIT hands-on: The ultimate flagship killer?
🕹️ Hello and welcome to the mid-week edition of The Memory Core newsletter. Today, I'm reviewing the KONKR Pocket FIT, which I think is one of the most exciting handhelds coming out in the next few months. More specifically, I'm testing the G3 Gen 3 version, since the 8 Elite edition is shipping later in the year. So far, this chipset has only been used on the AYANEO Pocket S2, and trust me when I say it's a beast. The normal news roundup is still coming on Friday morning, so stay tuned. Not...
Switch emulator Eden launches on Google Play — with Nintendo looking on
👾 Welcome to the Friday edition of The Memory Core newsletter. Wednesday’s newsletter brought in quite a few new subscribers, so I want to thank all of you for joining. Today’s stories are fairly Android-heavy, but I’ve added a new section to the roundup for FPGA news. I expect a lot of interesting things in the space over the next few months, and they don’t quite fit with handhelds or emulators. Before we get to the first story, I also wanted to give you a heads up that the next mid-week...
Exclusive: Analogue 3D, M64, and the future of FPGA gaming
📺 Hello and welcome to a massive mid-week edition of The Memory Core newsletter. This one has been in the works for a few weeks, and I have been dying to share it. I’ve got exclusive details about the Analogue 3D, M64, and possibly the future of FPGA gaming. Writing this up got me so excited to revisit the N64 that I bought an 8BitDo 64 controller. I don’t have an Analogue 3D on pre-order, but I can’t imagine going back to the trident at this point. Sorry, N64 purists. Now let’s get to the...
Meet the dev shaping dual-screen emulation
🫡 Happy Friday! This week was yet another exciting one for fans of Android gaming handhelds, and I’ve got even more exclusive news for fans of dual-screen gaming. I had a chat with the developer behind the dual-screen forks of popular emulators, and the future is looking bright. More on that in the first story. We also got some details on even more handhelds, including an impossibly cheap Snapdragon 8 Elite device. I'll break that down in the second section. Also, just a quick reminder that...
All the latest in emulation, handhelds, and retro gaming. Sign up now to have weekly news roundups, device reviews, and exclusive interviews and features delivered directly to your inbox, free of charge.