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THE GODZILLA OF HANDHELDS: WHY THE AYANEO NEXT 2 IS THE SEGA NOMAD OF THE MODERN ERA
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Fun Fact: Did you know that the OG Xbox controller (“The Duke”) existed because Microsoft’s original hardware partner insisted the huge circuit board couldn’t be reduced.
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The Godzilla Of Handhelds: Why The AYANEO NEXT 2 Is The SEGA Nomad Of The Modern Era
If you thought the Steam Deck was a big boy, you might want to start hitting the gym. Ayaneo has just pulled the curtain back on the Ayaneo Next 2, and it is absolutely unapologetic about its size, its power, and its desire to crush every other portable PC into dust.
We are living in a golden age of handhelds, folks. But while Valve and Nintendo are fighting over the "efficient and approachable" crowd, Ayaneo just kicked the door down shouting, "What if we made a gaming laptop you could hold?" The Next 2 isn't just an upgrade; it’s a statement piece. With a screen size that rivals an iPad Mini and a battery large enough to jumpstart a Honda Civic (okay, slight exaggeration, but close), this is the handheld for the gamer who thinks "compromise" is a dirty word.
A Blast From the "Heavy" Past
Let’s take a nostalgic walk down memory lane. Remember the Sega Game Gear? Or better yet, the NEC TurboExpress? These were the "luxury" handhelds of the 90s. They laughed at the Game Boy’s puny black-and-green screen. They gave us color, backlit displays, and TV tuners, but they ate batteries like candy and weighed a ton.
The Ayaneo Next 2 channels that exact same "maximalist" energy. It reminds us of the Sega Nomad—a device that was essentially a home console (the Genesis) shoved into a portable shell. The Next 2 is doing the same thing for high-end PC gaming. It’s not trying to fit in your pocket; it’s trying to replace your desktop. It’s a love letter to the era when "portable" meant "technically movable if you have a sturdy backpack."
The Specs: Absolute Overkill
Here is where things get wild. The Next 2 is powered by AMD’s "Strix Halo" Ryzen AI Max+ 395. If you don't speak nerd, let me translate: This chip is a monster. It’s aiming to offer performance that rivals discrete graphics cards, meaning you aren't just playing Hades on this; you’re looking at running Cyberpunk 2077 with settings that would make a Steam Deck cry.
The Screen: A massive 9.06-inch OLED panel. For context, the original Switch is 6.2 inches. This is like holding a small TV.
The Resolution: 2400 x 1504. That’s a roughly 3:2 aspect ratio, which is a deep cut for retro PC fans who miss the taller screens of the 90s—perfect for emulation and productivity.
The Juice: A 115Wh battery. Most gaming laptops don't even have batteries this big because of airline regulations (the limit is usually 100Wh for carry-ons). Ayaneo is really pushing the envelope here.
How To Get One (The "Exclusive" Club)
Here is the tricky part. Unlike walking into a Best Buy to grab a ROG Ally, getting an Ayaneo is an adventure in itself.
The Indiegogo Shuffle: Ayaneo traditionally launches these beasts via Indiegogo campaigns. This means "Global" availability, but you are technically a "backer," not a standard customer.
The China-First Rule: Typically, these units ship to domestic users in China first, with international backers waiting a few weeks (or months) longer.
The Price Tag: They haven't dropped the price yet, but looking at the tech, expect this to cost as much as a used car. This is an enthusiast's toy, through and through.
QUICK HITS
Developer: Ayaneo (Founded 2020 by Arthur Zhang). Based in Shenzhen/Hong Kong.
Claim to Fame: They release new handhelds faster than most people buy shoes. They are known for "premium" builds—glass fronts, high-quality plastic, and Hall Effect joysticks (no drift!).
The "Trackpad" War: The Next 2 is one of the few non-Valve handhelds to feature dual trackpads, copying the Steam Deck's best feature for playing strategy games and navigating Windows.
Design Quirk: The logo on the back reportedly lights up. Because RGB improves performance, right?
Final Thoughts
The Ayaneo Next 2 is ridiculous, excessive, and probably incredibly expensive. And that is exactly why we love it. In a sea of "safe" 7-inch handhelds, Ayaneo is swinging for the fences.
So, what do you think? Are you ready to trade portability for raw power, or is a 9-inch handheld just too big to handle?
Stranger Things 5’s ‘Ghosts ‘n Goblins’ Glitch: A Nintendo Mistake Only the Hardcore Spotted
If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably spent the last week binging Stranger Things Season 5, dissecting every frame for lore clues and vibing with the heavy 1987 aesthetic. The Duffer Brothers have always been sticklers for period-accurate details—from the specific D&D manuals to the branding on a can of New Coke. But in the midst of the Hawkins apocalypse, one tiny, rectangular detail in Volume 1 has retro gamers hitting the pause button.
It involves a new face, a Nintendo Entertainment System, and one of the most punishing games ever made: Ghosts ‘n Goblins.
MINOR SPOILER AHEAD - SKIP AHEAD IF YOU DON’T WANT ANY SPOILERS
The Glitch in the Matrix
In Episode 3, we’re introduced to the room of Derek Turnbow (played by Jake Connelly), a space that is essentially a shrine to late-80s consumerism. He’s got the toys, the posters, and most importantly, he’s got an NES. We see him gripping the rectangular controller, eyes glued to the tube TV, battling the undead as Arthur in Ghosts ‘n Goblins.
It looks perfect... until you look at the TV screen.
Eagle-eyed fans (and let’s be honest, anyone who spent weekends renting this cart from Blockbuster) noticed that the footage playing on Derek’s TV isn't the NES version of Ghosts ‘n Goblins. It’s the Arcade version.
The giveaway? It’s all in the pixels and the borders. The NES port of Ghosts ‘n Goblins—while legendary—was a graphical downgrade from the coin-op original. The NES version has a distinct, slightly washed-out palette and specific sprite flickering limitations. The footage in the show, however, displays the crisp, vibrant sprites and the distinct black graphical border (tate mode formatting adapted for horizontal screens) that you would only see at your local arcade or on a modern emulator.
So, essentially, Derek is holding an NES controller, but his TV is broadcasting a signal from a high-end arcade PCB. Now that is some advanced Hawkins tech.
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A Timeline Win, A Graphical Loss
Here is the irony: The show actually nailed the timeline. Past seasons have occasionally slipped up with release dates (RIP to the Season 2 Dig Dug timeline error), but this time, the calendar checks out.
Stranger Things Season 5 kicks off in November 1987. The NES version of Ghosts ‘n Goblins hit North American shelves in November 1986. That means Derek playing this game in late '87 is historically flawless. He’s arguably a bit late to the party (maybe he was stuck on level 1 for a year?), but the cartridge belongs in that room.
The error was likely a post-production choice. Arcade footage simply looks "better" on camera—cleaner lines, brighter colors—making it pop more for the audience than the flickering 8-bit home console port would have. It’s a "Hollywood OS" moment, similar to how computer screens in movies never quite look like real Windows 95.
The Arthur Files
Quick stats on the game that broke a thousand controllers.
The Game: Ghosts ‘n Goblins (known as Makaimura in Japan).
NES Release: November 1986 (North America).
The Reputation: Widely considered one of the hardest games of all time. Two hits and you’re dead (armor off, then skeleton).
The Ultimate Troll: Beating the game once isn't enough. The game reveals the first run was "a trap devised by Satan" and forces you to replay the entire game on a harder difficulty to see the true ending.
The Port: While the NES version is iconic, it was actually programmed by Micronics, a third-party developer known for slightly janky ports, contributing to the game's sluggish framerate and stiff controls compared to the arcade original.
The Verdict
Does this ruin the immersion? hardly. In a show about psychic teenagers fighting a hive-mind from a different dimension, we can probably forgive a little graphical upgrade on a 13-inch CRT.
Plus, Derek has a full-sized Hang-On arcade cabinet in the corner of his room. If he’s rich enough for that, maybe he really does have a magical NES that plays arcade-perfect ports 20 years before the Virtual Console existed.
For the rest of us, it’s just a fun "Gotcha!" moment—a nod to the fact that while the prop department is perfect, sometimes the post-production team just wants the game to look good.
Next Step for You: Go fire up an emulator or Switch Online and try to beat Level 1 of Ghosts ‘n Goblins without using a save state. We dare you.
Metro City’s Pint-Sized Brawlers Are Back: Mighty Final Fight Forever Drops for Free This December
If you were a kid clutching an NES controller in the dying days of 1993, you probably remember the strange, wonderful anomaly that was Mighty Final Fight. While the SNES was busy showing off the "serious" arcade port, the humble 8-bit NES received a chibi-styled, RPG-lite reimagining that, frankly, had no business being as good as it was. It was adorable, it was punchy, and it had a killer leveling system. Now, over 30 years later, the Mad Gear Gang is getting a second serving of knuckle sandwiches—and this time, you don't have to go it alone.
Launching globally on December 23rd, Mighty Final Fight Forever is a massive, fan-made love letter to Capcom's cult classic. Developed by BNCR Games (Bouncer Games) and lead creator Daniel99j, this isn't just a ROM hack; it’s a full-blown sequel built from the ground up on the OpenBOR engine. Best of all? It is completely free.
The Return of the Chibi Kings
Mighty Final Fight Forever picks up four years after the original NES title. The timeline has shifted to 1997, but the vibe is pure nostalgic bliss. Mayor Mike Haggar, Cody, and Guy are back in their "super-deformed" glory to clean up Metro City from a new threat.
The standout feature here is the one thing the original 1993 cartridge sorely lacked: Two-Player Co-Op. The original NES game was strictly a single-player affair due to hardware limitations, a heartbreaking reality for siblings everywhere. Forever finally fixes this historical injustice, letting you and a buddy pile-drive pixelated thugs in tandem.
But the devs didn't stop at just adding a second player. The game features a completely new story, overhauled visuals that maintain that distinct 8-bit charm while adding modern fluidity, and a remixed soundtrack by composers RayN and Cosmo.
Technical Specs & Launch Details
This is a passion project through and through, meaning there are no paywalls, microtransactions, or region locks.
Platform: PC (via OpenBOR Engine)
Release Date: December 23, 2025
Price: Free (Freeware/Non-profit)
Region Exclusivity: None. Unlike the original 1993 release—which saw staggered launches across Japan (June), North America (July), and Europe (December)—Mighty Final Fight Forever is a simultaneous Global Digital Launch.
The game will be available for download directly from the Bouncer Games website and associated fan game communities like ChronoCrash. The team is also hosting a pre-release stream on launch day to showcase a full walkthrough and Q&A.
The Mighty Files
Developer: BNCR Games (Bouncer Games), led by Daniel99j.
Engine: OpenBOR (Beats of Rage), a popular engine for custom 2D beat 'em ups.
Key Features:
2-Player Mode: Finally, play with a friend!
Multiple Routes: Branching paths add replayability not found in the linear original.
Retro Mode: For those who want the experience to feel even more like 1993.
Arena Mode: Test your combat skills against waves of enemies.
Did You Know? The original Mighty Final Fight (1993) introduced an EXP leveling system where characters gained new moves as they defeated enemies—a mechanic this fan sequel pays homage to with its own expanded move sets.
Ready to Rumble?
Whether you're a veteran of the 8-bit wars or just love a good beat 'em up, this is the perfect way to spend your holiday break. It’s rare to see a fan project hit this level of polish, and even rarer to see one that "gets" the specific charm of the source material so perfectly.
Get your controllers ready and clear your hard drive space. Mighty Final Fight Forever hits the streets on December 23rd.
See you in Metro City.
We hope you tune back in for our next issue, where we'll dive deep into more retro gaming news!
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