Retro World Order - Episode Two

Episode two of Retro World Order is here! It’s been a while, so place your bets on how many new handhelds Mike is now holding captive in his basement!

They’re catching up with a bunch of stuff that’s been going on over the summer. Los has been hard at work trying to maintain his sanity, while Mike keeps tabs on the developing hellscape that is the gaming industry. SO once they gain our bearings, they acknowledge the elephant in the room that is Sony and all their ruinous ways as of late. Yes, this is a retro show - and Mike will be going more in depth with it on On Second Thought with Mike & Matt - but it all ties up at the end, so stick through it!

Once all the negativity is off our chests, they get into the good stuff. Los brags about living in his Steam Deck era, all thanks to the Steam Deck Mini, a.k.a. The AYN Thor. He’s been picking up a few retro games here and there but it’s mostly been playing Steam games on the Thor thanks to GameNative. He’s been digging into Mina the Hollower and Game Boy Color inspired visuals make it the absolute perfect device to play it on! 

Mike holds back and only talks about two devices this week! The ANBERNIC RG Rotate, and the AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini x Arcade Home Limited Edition. You can listen to Mike go into details on both devices, and of course, per usual, Los is now interested in buying both. The RG Rotate has such a small for factor, it is perfect for taking on the go, and the Pocket AIR MINI feels premium at a more affordable price. 

They continue to gush over Pico-8 gaming in hopes someone would listen, and tease upcoming devices in the Anbernic RG 55G1 and the Retroid Pocket Nova. 

And the first community challenge has been cast! If you’re listening to us, find a way to communicate back - whether it be Discords, show notes comments, carrier pigeons, whatever - and let us know what old school game should we play as our first community game? 

Links and Info Discussed

• IGN - Cancelling PlayStation Plus Won’t Make a Difference
• Forbes - Sony Crawls Back to Social Media
• The Verge - Sony is Killing Discs and is Showing Us Why It’s a Bad Idea
• AYN Thor - Product Link
• PicPic - The first Pico-8 Emulator for iOS (and Android)
• WTF is Pico-8?!
• ANBERNIC RG Rotate - Product Link
• Retro Game Corps - RG Rotate Review
• AYANEO Pocket AIR Mini x Arcade Home Limited Edition - Product Link
• Retro Game Corps - Pocket AIR Mini Review
• TechEBlog - Anbernic’s RG 55G1 Brings Switch Lite Charm and Fresh Power to Retro Handhelds
• The Gadgeteer - Why the Retroid Pocket Nova Might Be the Best Retro Handheld of 2026