Modern Vintage Gamer

S2026 · E1 · Jan 5, 2026

Commodore's NEW Computer - Commodore 64 Ultimate Review Episode 1

Commodore is back with a brand new, but familiar computer - The Commodore 64 Ultimate is a modern FPGA-based recreation of the original C64 from 1982. It builds on years of work by Gideon Zweijtzer and turns it into a complete, officially branded machine. In today's episode we do a full breakdown of the hardware and cover every aspect of the product.

S2026 · E2 · Jan 12, 2026

I get it now..Android Emulation is INSANE Episode 2

Emulation on Android has come a long way. The AYN Odin 3 handheld gaming device is here, and it's a handheld emulation beast! This video highlights the AYN Odin 3, showcasing its interface and specifications in detail and the excellent retro and modern Android emulators and how they perform on this new hardware. It's Impressive stuff.

S2026 · E3 · Jan 19, 2026

How an Owl ruled the world : The Psygnosis Sony Years Episode 3

After dominating the home computer market, Psygnosis were acquired by Sony in 1993, and the iconic owl logo soared into a new era of dominance. But even with the acquisition Psygnosis never lost their independence, never stopped innovating and never stopped their developer first model. Instead, they doubled down. From Wipeout's futuristic racing revolution, Formula 1 sim-racing roots, Colony Wars space strategy, G-Police action and Destruction Derby chaos, Psygnosis was an important part in the success of the PlayStation. Unfortunately, their business model would ultimately lead to its studio closure in 2010. This is the story of developer first ambition, tech pushes, and legacy Psygnosis had in video games.

S2026 · E4 · Jan 26, 2026

Nintendo 3DS Prices have skyrocketed in 2026. Here is Why Episode 4

The price of Nintendo 3DS handhelds has significantly increased recently, prompting many to wonder why. But I think it's obvious - the Nintendo 3DS offers a unique and unrivalled game experience in 2026 that is no longer being made. And of course, modding the hardware makes it even better. We take a closer look at the awesome Nintendo 3DS and its many features in today's episode.

S2026 · E5 · Jan 28, 2026

35 Years later - Speedball is Back Episode 5

Speedball 2 was a classic on the Amiga. One of the most defining games of the 16-bit era and now its back. So, let's check out this modern remake. Does it hold up? Will die hard fans enjoy it or just go and eat ice cream instead? We take a closer look at this new remake of the original classic out now by Rebellion.

S2026 · E6 · Feb 2, 2026

Early Console Modchips - From Piracy to Freedom Episode 6

With the launch of optical media in game consoles such as the Sony PlayStation 1. The console could be hacked with a use of a simple modchip - an unauthorized hardware modification that was soldered directly onto the motherboard. This was done to circumvent security features. While the original goal was for piracy and backups, as modchips evolved, so did their use cases. Everything from Region Free, homebrew, emulators, makeshift development kits and more were soon possible. In today's video we look at the earliest modchips and how they shaped the video game landscape.

S2026 · E7 · Feb 16, 2026

It took 34 years for the Commodore 64 to get Super Mario Bros. Episode 7

When Super Mario Bros. released in 1987 for the NES, the home computer market in Europe wanted the game for the Commodore 64, but Nintendo refused. So Rainbow Arts in Germany would develop a clone known as The Great Giana Sisters and release it in 1988. It was an excellent game in its own right, but Nintendo was not happy and forced the game off the market not long after release. 32 years later in 2019, the Commodore 64 would finally get its Super Mario Bros with a 1-1 port of the original game NES game, proving that the C64 was more than capable of doing the job and how the strong C64 community of talented coders, would never quit.

S2026 · E8 · Feb 23, 2026

MechaCon: PS2s Unbreakable Gatekeeper ...Until it wasn't Episode 8

The Sony PlayStation 2 contains a chip called MechaCon. Its job was to be the system's ultimate security gatekeeper, controlling disc authentication, region locking, MagicGate encryption, and KELF file decryption. For years, it was considered the last unbreakable barrier in PS2 security. Modchips could only bypass it. But buried inside Sony's redesigned Dragon MechaCon it was discovered that it was EEPROM patchable and exists a factory service feature. In this video take a closer look at the exploit chain from the PS2's boot certification handshake through the cryptographic failures, and the tools that finally cracked it open: MechaDump and MechaPwn. The factory backdoor Sony built for their own service centers became the front door for the homebrew community.

S2026 · E9 · Mar 9, 2026

PS4 Emulation 2026 vs 2023 - The Difference Is Insane Episode 9

With the announcement of Sony pulling back from PC ports of their single player games, its unlikely that many classic exclusive PS4 games will ever leave the hardware, but thanks to incredible advancements in PS4 Emulation over the past few years, ShadPS4 - the premier PS4 emulator - is slowly but getting into game with many AAA exclusive titles, and in some instances offering playable experiences. We take a look at the latest development with PS4 emulation on PC, showcasing various games. This video covers the progress of PS4 on PC with a look at the incredible advancements in PS4 emulation technology

S2026 · E10 · Mar 16, 2026

After 12 Years, The Xbox One has finally been hacked Episode 10

After 12 years , the "unhackable" Xbox One has finally been hacked thanks to the new Bliss exploit that triggers a hardware glitch in the Xbox One console Boot-ROM. In today's episode we take a closer look at the exploit and discuss what this could mean for all things unsigned code, homebrew and the preservation of Xbox One games.

S2026 · E11 · Mar 23, 2026

Switch 2 Boost Mode : Here's What They Didn't Tell You... Episode 11

The Nintendo Switch 2 has just released its latest system version 22.0.0 , introducing Handheld Mode Boost - that provides docked mode features in handheld mode to enhance visuals on many Switch 1 titles that run via backward compatibility. We dive into this new feature, showcasing gameplay comparisons with the boost mode on and off to highlight the visual and performance differences and talk about some notable issues when running games in this mode that can take away from the experience.

S2026 · E12 · Apr 6, 2026

How Pre-Rendered Backgrounds Defined Early 3D Gaming Episode 12

A look back at the distinctive visual technique of pre rendered backgrounds, a lost artform thank to modern 3d and a staple of 90s games that defined an era of classic games to overcome early limitations of 3D console gaming hardware. Often attributed to the PS1 graphics, Pre-Rendering techniques actually began during the 16-bit console generation using Silicon Graphics workstations, and games existed on the Sega Saturn and Nintendo 64 that used this approach.

S2026 · E13 · Apr 13, 2026

The New RPCS3 PS3 Emulator Update Is Insane Episode 13

RPCS3 is a PlayStation 3 emulator for Windows, Linux and Mac. In this episode we take a look at the V0.0.540 update, its advancements this emulator has seen in the few months with some seriously impressive results especially on handheld devices.

S2026 · E14 · Apr 20, 2026

I made a new Amiga Game - Zippy Race! Episode 14

S2026 · E15 · Apr 26, 2026

Super ZSNES - GPU Powered SNES emulation is here! Episode 15

The two original developers of ZSNES zsKnight and _Demo_ are back! Introducing Super ZSNES. Re-written completely from scratch, this GPU-powered SNES emulator is here to bring you the following: some of what is familiar, some of what's new, and then some of what goes beyond. In today's episode we take a closer look at the inner workings of Super ZSNES, and discuss why I think it is a very exciting breakthrough in 16-bit tile-based emulation.

S2026 · E16 · May 4, 2026

The Nintendo Switch 1 can run GameCube/Wii Games! Episode 16

The Nintendo Switch 2 recently launched with GameCube games on NSO, but regular Switch 1 owners were left out, leading many to believe the original console lacked the power for proper GameCube emulation. However, this isn't entirely accurate, as demonstrated by Tico, a custom emulation front-end specifically designed for the Nintendo Switch 1. This video shows how the console can indeed handle GameCube and Wii emulation, challenging previous assumptions and offering new possibilities for switch homebrew enthusiasts.

S2026 · E17 · May 11, 2026

My Thoughts on the Neo Geo AES+ Episode 17

Plaion Replai and SNK have announced the Neo Geo AES+, a modern recreation of the legendary Neo Geo AES - and it's coming soon! Releasing in November of 2026. In this video, I break down everything revealed so far about this premium re-release and share my initial thoughts. I cover the new HDMI output, updated internals, build quality improvements, design changes, and how SNK is positioning this as the ultimate modern AES experience for collectors and fighting game fans.

S2026 · E18 · May 18, 2026

The Death of Mini Consoles Episode 18

Remember Mini Consoles like the NES and Super NES Classic? Whatever happened to them, and why did we never see a Dreamcast classic or N64 classic? In today's episode we revisit this era of mini classic consoles and discuss how they no longer are as popular as they once were.

S2026 · E19 · Jun 1, 2026

DOOM Runs On Everything...except Neo Geo Episode 19

DOOM runs on everything. Well, almost everything. The SNK Neo Geo AES console is a 2D sprite pushing beast, but when it comes to 3d, it's not architected to handle it. However, with some hardware tricks it IS possible to build a simple raycaster that runs on Neo Geo hardware, but does this mean Doom is possible? In this episode we discuss the technical reasons why it would be near impossible to port Doom to the Neo Geo!

S2026 · E20 · Jun 8, 2026

DOOM Neo Geo progress...You guys are insane... Episode 20

DOOM Neo Geo progress...1 week later

S2026 · E21 · Jun 15, 2026

Pimpin' an Amiga 1200 in 2026 - 060 , Mechanical Keyboard, New Case! Episode 21

Even long after the demise of Commodore, the Amiga computer lives on thanks to its incredible community who continue to support the machine in both software and hardware. In today's episode, we take an Amiga A1200 motherboard and pimp it out with a brand-new case and mechanical keyboard from A1200.net and for maximum performance a Terrible Fire 1260 68060 Accelerator card in the trap door expansion. The build turned out great, and the machine is a beast. Big thank you to A1200.net! - Please enjoy

S2026 · E22 · Jun 22, 2026

SuperStation One & SuperDock Review - Why This FPGA Device Disappointed Me Episode 22

After nearly 18 months of waiting for mine to arrive. the SuperStation One and SuperDock founder's edition PS1 FPGA Device is finally on my testbench. According to the website SuperStation One is "The world's first affordable FPGA gaming console. A recreation of the best console of the 90s. " SuperStation One is our attempt to make an affordable mainstream FPGA gaming console. It comes packed with all of the features that you need, including multiple video output options, multiple USB ports, built-in Wi-Fi & Bluetooth, and support for original controllers and peripherals. SuperStation One is designed to play PS1 games, but the hardware fully supports the MiSTer FPGA platform. In today's video we review both the SuperStation One and addon SuperDock that provides optical drive functionality for CD based MiSTer cores. However, from the jump it's apparent that much more work needs to be done before I can recommend this product.

S2026 · E23 · Jul 6, 2026

The Video Game Industry is in Turmoil... Episode 23

AI, Layoffs, RAM Shortages, Studio Closures, Price Increases, Rising subscription costs, $80 Dollar Games and now - The Death of Physical Media. The Video Game industry is in a crisis right now and has become unaffordable for many. Let's talk about how we got here.

S2026 · E24 · Jul 13, 2026

I was wrong. DOOM runs on everything, even Neo Geo! Episode 24

In just 6 weeks the community has stepped up to the challenge. DOOM on the Neo Geo might be a reality after all. Despite technical challenges, DOOM is starting to take form on the Neo Geo thanks to two new ports that approach the Neo Geo hardware in different ways. Doom64KB - is a brute force approach to building a framebuffer and applying it to the Fix layer, however a pull request takes the same approach and uses 4x4 blocks and doubles the resolution on the sprite layer. While performance takes a hit, it's currently the closet we have to DOOM on the Neo Geo. But there's more - Another approach known as Doom NG attempts to render DOOM BSP data using sprite strips. The results are early but show promise.

S2026 · E25 · Jul 20, 2026

PlayStation 5 Emulation on the PC Is Here Episode 25

Big news has dropped. Not one but TWO separate PlayStation PS5 Emulators known as Sharp EMU and KytyPS5 that are BOTH capable of booting in commercial games have released. While there is a very long way to go, perhaps multiple years before games can be considered fully playable, early looks are showing great promise especially for preservation. In this episode we take a closer look!

S2026 · E26 · Jul 27, 2026

How Small Can a Video Game Actually Be? Episode 26

Back in the day, video games weren't bloated. They were small, optimized pieces of code that ran very fast on target hardware. There was no operating system, no middleware, no engines to contend with - just the developer, the machine and the bare metal to program on. Some of the most influential video games to ever exist were built in less than a few hundred kilobytes. Let's take a look as some of the most influential tiny games to ever exist.

S2026 · E27 · Aug 10, 2026

Xbox 360 Emulation on Android is Insane Episode 27

Xbox 360 emulation is finally here on Android and its impressive. With a high-performance Android handheld like an Ayn Odin 3 and the new XenDroid emulator it can provide incredible performance and compatibility that was simply unheard of in the past. In today's episode we take a closer look, test some games and show off what is possible with Xbox 360 emulation on Android.

S2026 · E28 · Aug 24, 2026

BOND IS HERE - 007 The World is Not Enough PC Port Episode 28

A sneak previous of my new side project - 007 The World is Not Enough - TWINE Recompiled, A static recompilation of the N64 game to PC with all the features you come to expect from a modern recomp project. 4k, 60+fps, wide screen, mouse/keyboard, mod support etc.

S2026 · E29 · Aug 31, 2026

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: 80s Anti-Piracy Nightmare Episode 29

By the late 80's, the Amiga was decimated by software piracy and many publishers looked for new and innovative ways to provide Anti-Piracy measures for their games. Lucasfilm would release Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The Action Game in 1989, and it was an interesting variation on traditional manual based copy protection at the time. However, like most Anti-Piracy it was a frustrating experience placed on the end user and could be considered one of the worst early forms of Anti-Piracy to exist.

S2026 · E30 · Sep 7, 2026

The Xbox 360 Hack Just Got Insane Fast: ABadAvatar 1.3 Is Here Episode 30

The Xbox 360 hacking scene has reached a new milestone in 2026. A look at the newest ABadAvatar 1.3 - a fork of the 1.3 Bad Update Exploit for Xbox 360 - a Software only Hypervisor Hack that we covered back in March 2025. In this new version it now brings instant boot on the sign-in screen on the Xbox 360! This 1.3 fork takes the ABadAvatar release and integrates Grimdoomer's Bad Update 1.3 changes. And even cooler is the exploit can now be installed on a HDD or memory unit removing the need for a USB key completely.

S2026 · E31 · Sep 14, 2026

The Beauty of Color Cycling in Video Games Episode 31

Color Cycling is a classic technique that brought life to early video games and computer art. This episode we examine the mechanics behind Color Cycling, a method used to create animations and visual effects without using extra processing power or memory - and by looking at examples from games like Sonic the Hedgehog and Shovel Knight, we can see how developers maximized the limitations of their hardware. We also break down the technical side of things, specifically focusing on how Amiga bitplanes and computer color palettes functioned to produce these iconic visuals. From complex landscape scenes to simple object animations, this breakdown covers the fundamental engineering that made these retro graphics possible.

S2026 · E32 · Sep 21, 2026

PS5 Emulation Just Got Serious... Episode 32

PS5 Emulation is advancing at an unprecedented rate. It wasn't even 2 months ago where we could only boot to the intro screens of some games. Now we are getting in game with some AAA titles including Demon Souls and Astro Bot. The progress is insane and its thanks to Agentic AI speeding up the development cycle significantly. We take a look at the latest findings in PS5 Emulation

S2026 · E33 · Sep 28, 2026

Recomps and Decomps have taken over Retro Gaming... Episode 33

There has been a major shift in how we play retro games that's happening right before our eyes. Traditionally to play old retro games we would use emulation, but in recent times technology has advanced and thanks to Agentic AI it's possible to very quickly port games to the PC using technique known as recompilation - translating machine code directly into a modern language (like C) using automated tools. It skips the painful years of manual reverse-engineering, letting developers make native versions of software or retro games in days or week. This has left to a mass influx of recomps flooding the scene.

S2026 · E34 · Oct 5, 2026

The PS5 Hacking Scene is about to Explode Episode 34

PS5 Jailbreaks have been around for many years now, but in the past only a fraction of users have been able to hack their systems due to strict low firmware requirements. However, this has all changed thanks to a new exploit known as Relapse that can hack any PS5 or PS5 Pro from Firmware 7.00 - 13.60 Relapse has re-invigorated the PS5 homebrew scene with many new native emulators now running on the PS5 without the need for PS5 Linux and it's fair to say that the PS5 hacking scene is about to explode with so many updates coming it's been hard to keep up. Of course, this is due to AI which is now capable of assisting developers quickly serve up native PS5 binaries In this episode we take a look at the Relapse exploit for the PlayStation 5 and take a look at some of the early impressions of some emulators that have already released for the hardware.

S2026 · E35 · Oct 12, 2026

Peer Pressure - The "Impossible" Xbox 360 Softmod is here Episode 35

The Xbox 360 hacking scene just took another giant step forward with the deemed "impossible" softmod known as Peer Pressure. This is the very first true soft mod exploit for the Xbox 360 that runs on cold boot and doesnt require any additional hardware to be added. Let's take a closer look at this amazing new way to run unsigned code on you Xbox 360 console!

S2026 · E36 · Oct 19, 2026

It works - PS2 and PS3 physical discs are running on a Hacked PS5 Episode 36

Just a few weeks ago, we discussed the PS5 Hacking scene and how I felt it was about to explode, well that is pretty much what has happened with a huge update that both PS2 and PS3 physical discs now being supported via two different emulators - PS5SX2, a Native PS5 port of PCSX2 and RCPS3-5, a Native PS5 Port of RPCS3. Inserting a PS2 DVD creates a game tile with cover art directly on the PS5 home screen. You can run games straight from the disc or copy them to the internal SSD for better performance and faster load times. This is another breakthrough in terms of game preservation and backward compatibility. In today's episode we take a closer look

S2026 · E37 · Oct 26, 2026

Yes The Switch 2 Has Been Hacked - Let's Talk About It Episode 37

The Nintendo Switch 2 has been hacked with a Userland exploit that requires SmileBASIC to run. Following recent reports of character injection in Mario Kart World running on retail hardware, the security landscape is shifting rapidly. Commercial games are being dumped and datamined and of course some early homebrew is starting to appear, but what does this mean for the end-user and will we start to see emulators, decomps and recomps appearing anytime soon? Lets talk about the Switch 2 Jailbreak, how we got here and what the future holds in todays episode!

S2026 · E38 · Nov 2, 2026

Ghouls 'n Ghosts on the Amiga Could Have Been SO much better... Episode 38

The Commodore Amiga version of Ghouls 'n Ghosts is a 1989 port of Capcom's classic arcade game, developed by Software Creations and published by U.S. Gold. It's a decent effort but suffers from many arcade ports of the era on the Amiga in that it did not take advantage of any of the Amiga's custom chipset. So let's fix that, add some smooth scrolling, 50fps gameplay and a splash of color. We also uncover some interesting secrets hidden in the game code.