I just thought it might be fun to write up a very little article recommending three of the free and open-source games I tried and loved from F-droid!

Not only do I spend a ton of time on Android systems because I review retro handhelds, but I also enjoy exploring the more unusual corners of the platform, especially when they involve open-source software and games. I'm a daily user of F-droid (and have convinced my whole family to do the same), and turning my attention to the gaming side of things seemed a fun idea for an article.

In this one I try and show off three games:

• Breakout 71
• Shattered Pixel Dungeon
• AAAAXY

Read on if you're looking for fun F-droid games you can control easily (which itself is a damn miracle) with the on-screen touch controls.

https://gardinerbryant.com/some-of-androids-most-interesting-games/

And if you've got any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!

Just curious what you (Eben + Annie) and anyone else stumbling over this might be playing through Junk Store lately!

I haven't even had my Steam Deck on in some time now, the last one I was paying was BioShock Infinite (not for the first, nor the last time)

Just pure curiosity here!

Another month has passed, and another PSP has been delivered to me (...and another PSP article has been written, one of many!)

One of my favorite things to do is to keep an eye on Mercari via Buyee, and to buy cheap PSPs. When they're listed on there 99% of the time they'll have the word 'junk' attached, which can mean anything from being dusty to not being charged to being totally ruined. I find sifting through what it might be to be super fun.

This one was really cheap for the condition it was in, judging by the pictures they shared of it. The white of the thumbstick was still white, which itself is a super rarity (they get grubby or yellow SO easily!), but it did have one issue, the charger was broken inside the charging port.

Anyway, this really isn't a deep-dive of an article. Or a guide, it was really just an excuse to share what it was like to take a gamble on the 'junk' tag and buy a dead cheap PSP which in the end required a tiny little fix I did.

If you're at all interested, or nostalgic about PSPs then follow my link to read along. Warning, I ramble and haven't written this very well at all:

https://gardinerbryant.com/buying-a-psp-from-japan/

(spoiler, it came out amazingly and works perfectly for a total of like $35.50 USD)

Another month has passed, and another PSP has been delivered to me (...and another PSP article has been written, one of many!)

One of my favorite things to do is to keep an eye on Mercari via Buyee, and to buy cheap PSPs. When they're listed on there 99% of the time they'll have the word 'junk' attached, which can mean anything from being dusty to not being charged to being totally ruined. I find sifting through what it might be to be super fun.

This one was really cheap for the condition it was in, judging by the pictures they shared of it. The white of the thumbstick was still white, which itself is a super rarity (they get grubby or yellow SO easily!), but it did have one issue, the charger was broken inside the charging port.

Anyway, this really isn't a deep-dive of an article. Or a guide, it was really just an excuse to share what it was like to take a gamble on the 'junk' tag and buy a dead cheap PSP which in the end required a tiny little fix I did.

If you're at all interested, or nostalgic about PSPs then follow my link to read along. Warning, I ramble and haven't written this very well at all:

https://gardinerbryant.com/buying-a-psp-from-japan/

(spoiler, it came out amazingly and works perfectly for a total of like $35.50 USD)

Today's interview is a first. As you (might) very well know by now, I've interviewed a ton of developers from various gaming projects. All kinds, from open-source to paid, from desktop Linux to a huge variety of programs and apps for retro handhelds running on Android (or Linux themselves!), even a small games studio and a pirate who runs their own Switch eShop.

What I'm clumsily trying to covey is that I have interviewed a lot of people over the last few years, but no one who has the same focus as today's article.

You might have seen some of e1000's work before, if you follow handheld gaming. He's notorious for pushing the envelope on what your hardware is physically capable of doing, Steam Deck and ROG Ally running up to 64GB of RAM:

"The community is never satisfied and we eventually got 64GB to work [on the ROG Ally], I figured out the right BIOS edits for this one."

Anyway, this is all just rambling on. Read on if you want to see how someone with no formal training has become 'the' go-to guy for hardware hacking any handheld, from the humble Miyoo all the way to GPD's devices. I'm super proud of this one, because I was approached to get this organized, e1000 is notoriously shy of attention, but being obsessed with my own soldering efforts, we clicked very quickly and he was super happy to share his tales. Link as ever is here:

https://gardinerbryant.com/the-quiet-modder-behind-hardware-hacks-2/

Just a little article from me today. I've been enjoying a few cyberpunkish things recently:

• Psycho-Pass
• Dark Rain
• Cyberpunk 2077

...which reminded me that there was a semi-recent effort at bringing the classic Blade Runner PC game from 1997 to a new era of gaming. It didn't land very well (everyone hated the smoothed graphics nonsense they did for it), but on a subsequent update they did fix that.

Anyway, that recollection led to me installing it on my OLED Switch, which then made me appreciate the atmosphere and environments, the beautiful backgrounds and so on. The backgrounds in this game are truly top-notch.

SO, if you'd like a little rambling about how Westwood went against the grain when 3D gaming was really taking off, and instead focused on a point-and-click adventure, then follow the link as per usual:

https://gardinerbryant.com/when-other-games-chased-polygons/

Just a little article from me today. I've been enjoying a few cyberpunkish things recently:

• Psycho-Pass
• Dark Rain
• Cyberpunk 2077

...which reminded me that there was a semi-recent effort at bringing the classic Blade Runner PC game from 1997 to a new era of gaming. It didn't land very well (everyone hated the smoothed graphics nonsense they did for it), but on a subsequent update they did fix that.

Anyway, that recollection led to me installing it on my OLED Switch, which then made me appreciate the atmosphere and environments, the beautiful backgrounds and so on. The backgrounds in this game are truly top-notch.

SO, if you'd like a little rambling about how Westwood went against the grain when 3D gaming was really taking off, and instead focused on a point-and-click adventure, then follow the link as per usual:

https://gardinerbryant.com/when-other-games-chased-polygons/

For today's interview I got to chat to the developer of 1retro. His program and service is made to back your retro emulated games' saves up, automatically, so you know you're safe and secure.

https://1retro.com/

Quick dot points straight from the website of 1retro:

• Saves upload automatically in the background. Smart syncing means only changed files transfer -- fast, efficient, seamless.

• macOS, Windows, Linux. Our lightweight desktop app runs natively on all three without slowing you down.

• Your saves are backed up and stored safely in the cloud. Your data is yours. Always.

• Every save is versioned. Overwrite something by accident? Roll back to any previous version instantly.

• Power users can automate their workflows, write scripts, and integrate custom emulators with our command-line tools.

I spoke with developer Hans to learn more about building 1Retro, retro gaming fragmentation, accessibility, and why he believes some of the hobby’s biggest improvements still happen behind the scenes.

If you're curious about saves in retro gaming, development, or the service he's looking to offer, have a read with my link. 1retro is new to the scene, but I'm curious about what you think:

https://gardinerbryant.com/fixing-retro-gamings-save-problem/

For today's interview I got to chat to the developer of 1retro. His program and service is made to back your retro emulated games' saves up, automatically, so you know you're safe and secure.

https://1retro.com/

Quick dot points straight from the website of 1retro:

• Saves upload automatically in the background. Smart syncing means only changed files transfer -- fast, efficient, seamless.

• macOS, Windows, Linux. Our lightweight desktop app runs natively on all three without slowing you down.

• Your saves are backed up and stored safely in the cloud. Your data is yours. Always.

• Every save is versioned. Overwrite something by accident? Roll back to any previous version instantly.

• Power users can automate their workflows, write scripts, and integrate custom emulators with our command-line tools.

I spoke with developer Hans to learn more about building 1Retro, retro gaming fragmentation, accessibility, and why he believes some of the hobby’s biggest improvements still happen behind the scenes.

If you're curious about saves in retro gaming, development, or the service he's looking to offer, have a read with my link. 1retro is new to the scene, but I'm curious about what you think:

https://gardinerbryant.com/fixing-retro-gamings-save-problem/

This wasn't my article, but Gardiner's! Anyway, here's a nice guide if you've never done so but would like to emulate PSP on SteamOS :)

This wasn't my article, but Gardiner's! Anyway, here's a nice guide if you've never done so but would like to emulate PSP on SteamOS :)

Approaching the middle of 2026, I thought it might be interesting to check in with a handful of developers building software for the Steam Deck scene to see how things have gone, are going and might be for the future!

Most of these are good friends of mine, but there is one new face here as well. I asked them a few questions each about what the state of Steam Deck software looks like today.

• RetroDECK
• Decky Loader
• Junk Store
• Lutris
• Heroic Games Launcher
• Unifideck

^ all the projects I checked in with! So if you're curious, this one isn't exactly hard-hitting journalist, it is a nice light check-in with friends as to how the Steam Deck world is for them now!

Hope you enjoy it!

https://gardinerbryant.com/steam-deck-software-in-2026/

Approaching the middle of 2026, I thought it might be interesting to check in with a handful of developers building software for the Steam Deck scene to see how things have gone, are going and might be for the future!

Most of these are good friends of mine, but there is one new face here as well. I asked them a few questions each about what the state of Steam Deck software looks like today.

• RetroDECK
• Decky Loader
• Junk Store
• Lutris
• Heroic Games Launcher
• Unifideck

^ all the projects I checked in with! So if you're curious, this one isn't exactly hard-hitting journalist, it is a nice light check-in with friends as to how the Steam Deck world is for them now!

Hope you enjoy it!

https://gardinerbryant.com/steam-deck-software-in-2026/

This looks to be the last handheld review I'll be doing for the near future at least. I did have the TRMUI Brick Pro on the way...but they've delayed that release with no confirmed date yet (I suspect the RAM woes play a big-big part in that), so for now it is what I suppose is the ultimate nostalgia machine - AKA the Retroid Pocket Classic.

Remember the Nintendo Game Boy Color Pokemon special edition? Well, you'll no doubt see where Retroid's inspo came from. Not that they hide it with the 'PKMN Yellow' name for it.

^ the screens have improved over time

• Super powerful with 6GB/128GB on the model they sent me
• Chunky plastic that makes you feel like you're in a Toys-r-us dream
• Perfect-perfect-perfect for systems like GB/GBC/GBA and things like Game Gear (I played Game Gear games for the very first time on this one!)
• The display kicks all kinds of AMOLED butt, you really can't beat it
• Nostalgia is a clear selling factor for this one

If you're interested in my Retroid review, as ever you can read through it here. Or you can ask me whatever you might be interested in here if you don't wanna read through. Clicks don't bother me, we don't run ads on the site so there's no scramble to get people over.

Although this is posted last thing at night on my side of the world, so it might be morning when I wake up and respond to you if you do have any questions!

Link is here:

https://gardinerbryant.com/hands-on-with-the-retroid-pocket/

So this retro handheld review might have been my favorite so far. I have such an obsession with design language (be it gaming or all the way to architecture), and seeing something as unique and different as this rotating touch screen on a retro handheld? It won me over without a second's hesitation

This handheld is a nicely squished cube with rounded corners, has a touch screen, obviously flips up to be a gaming handheld you can (comfortably) play PlayStation/PSP and even some few GameCube/PS2 games. Although you'd have to be crazy to buy this for GCN/PS2. They're just a happy bonus (really, this is NOT a PS2 machine)

Playing music or streaming music is a blast, as are audiobooks. I've had the most fun playing GBA and PS games on here, but if you're interested in my review, you can check it out here:

https://gardinerbryant.com/hands-on-with-the-anbernic-rg-rotate/

Or, you can just ask me what you'd like to know if you'd prefer to not! I love this damn thing. If I could wear it on a belt loop, I promise you I would be doing that like it is the olden days of phones!

I'm sure most of you here have heard about Cemu's woes over the last few days. The AppImage and Ubuntu zip assets of Cemu 2.6 on the official GitHub was "compromised by a pro-Russian threat actor".

Clearly this news isn't good at all, even if it is a smaller batch who might be affected, but the interesting point to me is how RetroDECK has remained separate from this issue because of how it is run:

https://gardinerbryant.com/the-cemu-security-psa-and-why-retrodecks/