This Week in Retro

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Neil stops by to check out Commodore's latest product, the TAC-2. A legendary joystick that has been reborn. An ABCNews story takes a look at our hobby of choice and The Need For Speed is coming to the Atari Jaguar, could this be the game that proves that the Jag could have been a contender? 

We are sure you know already but you can see much more of Neil over at:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheRetroCollective  

00:00 - Show Opening

05:53 -  Sometimes Tactics Aren’t Enough
Story Link: https://commodore.net/store/tac-2/

21:16 - Getting Serious About Preservation
Story Link: https://abcnews.com/Technology/wireStory/ai-grips-world-thrill-collecting-vintage-computers-growing-135508246
ENIAC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUg-tXigVUI
Fuze Museum: https://www.fuze.co.uk/museum.html
National Museums Scotland:  https://my.nms.ac.uk/23690/23691

40:20 - Housekeeping - News links found below

50:26 - ATARI Jaguar Feels The Need For Speed
Story Link: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/07/the-original-3do-programmers-deserve-serious-kudos-this-experiment-is-bringing-a-classic-ea-racer-to-the-atari-jaguar
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/@Budfolk

01:04:01 - Community Question of the Week

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Jason - https://www.youtube.com/@TheRetroAdventurers

Audio Podcast:
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📻 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-retro/id1526487568?uo=4
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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

Re-Falcon 030: https://bsky.app/profile/philsan.bsky.social/post/3msstgmem4a2t

ASCII City: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YtygAx_C6A

Zzap Amiga: https://www.gamesradar.com/hardware/retro/the-upcoming-amiga-a1200-remake-will-ship-with-a-special-edition-of-an-iconic-uk-gaming-magazine-but-only-if-youre-an-early-bird/

Rare IBM PC: https://hackaday.com/2026/08/13/rare-ibm-pc-brought-back-to-life/

Use C64 As Controller: https://blog.tindie.com/2026/07/give-c64-emulation-a-realistic-touch/

Outrun Sega 32x: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJO8AYSyTeQ

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

Amiga CEO Mike Battilana is our guest this week, so we get right to the lead story: Amiga and Hyperion announced a settlement to long-standing disputes over AmigaOS. At the same time Amiga announced a licensing arrangement with Commodore. We sort through what it means and what might be coming next. In other news, there's a new rich archive of software for Atari ST users and a split-screen head-to-head innovation is coming to the original BBC Micro Elite thanks to the tireless tinkering of Mark Moxon. Plus 1970s computer music on vinyl, new chapters for Worms and Quake, and more.

00:00 - Show Opening

04:00 - What Is Amiga Corporation? Let’s ask the CEO!
Story Link: https://amiga.com/news/20260804-amiga-update
Amiga News: https://www.amiga-news.de/en/news/AN-2026-08-00022-EN.html
Hyperion Entertainment://www.hyperion-entertainment.com/index.php/news/38-corporate

28:57 - A Real Pirate’s Trove
Story Link: https://atari.8bitchip.info/fromhd2.php#dlaciebie
Sidecartridge: https://ataristpublicfloppydb.sidecartridge.com/

43:09 - Housekeeping - News links found below

50:50 - Screen Cheat Elite
Story Link: https://bsky.app/profile/markmoxon.bsky.social/post/3msiwwtnnzk2y

58:54 - Community Question of the Week

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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
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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

Bits and Bytes: https://youtu.be/WOGi5T_m__8
CCSP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1-vmlGCq4c

Atari System Emulator: https://youtu.be/Ozin3MMEKZE

Magenta Lenovo Trackpoints: https://www.techradar.com/pro/its-not-red-its-magenta-how-thinkpad-designers-gaslit-ibm-to-save-the-iconic-trackpoint

Worms Directors Cut DLC: https://worm.net/

New Quake Level: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/quake-gets-a-free-new-chapter-promising-ferocious-combat-labyrinthine-level-design-and-nightmarish-realms-to-celebrate-its-30th-birthday

WWW Turns 35: https://www.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/comments/1vhfya0/the_web_turns_35_this_august_6/

Episode Credits

Housekeeping Music: https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/fff6e291-5987-42fd-9a60-dc399816e4ee/

Explore one of cinema's most iconic get-rich-quick schemes courtesy of an Atari Portfolio handheld computer. Or celebrate the return of the Gremlin Graphics label and its collection of alliterative and rhyming characters. Or join the discussion: is "hardware specs don't matter" just tired Nintendo messaging, or is it the truth of the next generation of home entertainment? Then take the "pricey prop floppies" challenge: say it three times fast and see what happens. Plus news on Gotek enhancements, a retro memorial, a new interview with a Commodore engineering legend, and much more.

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

00:00 - Show Opening

03:34 - Moles and Springs
Story Link: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/07/we-didnt-want-to-simply-revisit-the-past-for-nostalgias-sake-gremlin-graphics-is-being-revived-as-a-heritage-label

22:12 - Easy Money
Story Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDItCLecx3k

33:11 - Housekeeping - News links found below

39:01 - The Hardware Doesn’t Matter?
Story Link: https://kotaku.com/shigeru-miyamoto-believes-gamers-have-grown-disinterested-in-hardware-specs-as-if-they-had-a-choice-2000719415

48:10 - Community Question of the Week

🏆Your monthly support helps us keep the retro news flowing!
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Follow your hosts!
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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
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📻 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

DOOM prop floppy disk: https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8212065

Sayaka interviews Bil Herd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3jbIH6wuWc

DJ Kavinsky passes: https://www.france24.com/en/france/20260729-french-dj-kavinsky-found-dead-in-paris-home

Commodore 64 DOOM: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/proving-doom-can-actually-run-on-anything-one-programmer-has-made-a-working-build-for-commodore-64/

Physical game release caveats: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/07/the-disc-is-not-the-game-physical-releases-increasingly-require-extra-downloads/

Wireless Gotek screen: https://youtu.be/59ChkzRcMRw

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

Stand, wait to be acknowledged, address all of your comments to the chair, and refer to the hosts in third person only for this proper parliamentary procedure edition of This Week in Retro. Original Xbox games come to Windows 11 (with major caveats)! We learn about the Bit 79: a souped-up Nintendo Famicom from Taiwan that launched an entire genre of 8-bit computers rarely discussed on English-language shows! And Chris dutifully delves into the world of pay-to-unlock content in an Artworx classic. Plus, everything old is new again as Atari once again partners with a film studio, a legendary tech columnist passes, and an infamous battery supplier reaches the end of its leaky road.

00:00 - Show Opening

03:42 - Unbox Those Old Xbox
Story Link: https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-brings-back-compat-to-windows-microsoft-pledges-4-games-on-pc

23:27 - Meet The Bit 79 Home Computer System!
Story Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZH1rR7WogI
Bit79 emulator: https://notin.tokyo/Bit79
Bit79 support materials: https://archive.org/details/bit-79-archive

35:16 - Housekeeping - News links found below

44:11 - Dial 1-800-STRIPPERS
Story Link: https://www.dosgame.at/blog/wie-wir-ein-vergessenes-strip-poker-spiel-wieder-hergestellt-haben?lang=en 

52:33 - Community Question of the Week

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Follow your hosts!
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
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📻 RSS: https://feed.podbean.com/TWIR/feed.xml
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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
SynaMax channel: www.youtube.com/@SynaMax
Nested Dreams: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/synamax/nested-dreams

CPC Attack: https://youtu.be/r9jDnWGsKKU

Candidate advocates for SegaWorld, Shenmue 4: https://metro.co.uk/2026/07/21/count-binface-demands-sega-bring-back-london-arcade-make-shenmue-4-29190664/

John C. Dvorak memorials: https://mailchi.mp/nashownotes/rip-jcd-no-agenda-newsletter
https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/07/23/famed-technology-journalist-john-c-dvorak-dies-aged-80

Dune II Commodore 64: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SILhafNKU8c

SNES SuperFX 3: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/07/randy-is-a-madman-snes-star-fox-gets-a-speed-boost-thanks-to-super-fx-3

Atari/Universal Pictures deal: https://deadline.com/2026/07/atari-universal-deal-10-game-ip-script-matt-reilly-carl-hampe-entertainment-360-1237001656/

Sega Rally port: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/07/this-might-be-the-closest-well-get-to-sega-rally-on-genesis

Varta insolvency: https://www.reuters.com/business/german-battery-maker-varta-files-insolvency-applications-2026-07-24/

We welcome retro productivity software blogger Christopher Drum of Stone Tools (stonetools.ghost.io) to ask the big questions: was the television game show just as important to culture as Doom? Is there a sensible way to acquire arcade cabinets without spending all one's time and/or money on them? And when did the web browser become more important for running software than exploring unconnected pages? 

00:00 - Show Opening

03:33 - Top American Cultural Creations (Besides DOOM)
Story Link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/interactive/2026/07/15/25-most-influential-works-american-culture/
Romero post: https://bsky.app/profile/johnromero.bsky.social/post/3mqp3vasns22u

21:51 - Insert More Coins
Story Link: https://metro.co.uk/2026/07/19/become-a-golden-age-arcade-machine-collector-repairman-readers-feature-29166149/
Additional link: https://www.ukvac.com/forum/

31:26 - Housekeeping - News links found below

39:51 - Long Live Browser Emulation!
Story Link: https://floooh.github.io/tiny8bit
Additional links: https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/07/psp-and-dreamcast-are-the-most-likely-to-land-next-afterplay-creator-on-pushing-the-limits-of-browser-based-emulation
https://retrogamecoders.com/zxnext-js-emulator/

50:53 - 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/

Stone Tools: stonetools.ghost.io

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

UK Nintendo Nostalgia?: https://metro.co.uk/2026/07/15/nes-45-years-old-no-nostalgia-uk-29091381/

Steam cartridge system: https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/pc-gaming/pc-gamer-turns-steam-games-into-cartridges-with-ingenious-2-5-inch-ssd-system-games-are-stored-on-128gb-drives-alongside-a-script-to-auto-start-the-title-once-plugged-in

Zilog Z80 CPU turns 50: https://goliath32.com/blog/z80.html

1.44 MB game contest: https://www.escapistmagazine.com/news-floppy-disk-1-44mb-game-development-contest/

GAME enters administration: https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/26291655.uk-retail-giant-collapsed-administration-owing-16m/
Related: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/physical-games-are-irrelevant-to-gamestops-business-says-ceo/

Day in the Life of a 1980s K-Mart Manager: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCrkaOyDHfw&t=3280s

Super Mario 64 on PS1 and 3DO: https://retrododo.com/super-mario-64-is-now-running-on-the-panasonic-3do-ps1/