Jason Compton

Talking points for Episode 257 include:

(sigh)

It's the history of shoot 'em ups with TWiR and @slopesgameroom.bsky.social. Then we ask whether 1996 changed computing history forever and explore handheld retro tech vs. the doomscrolling scourge. Plus news in classic Z80-based tech from the 80s and 90s on Episode 256!
youtu.be/acI72_99jFQ

The last 8-bit episode: not a misprint! We look at the innovative SCUMM adventure game engine, getting the video doc treatment shortly. We also report on hope for retro users of PowerPC Macs and ancient accounting packages, and sift through the 30 year legacy of Duke Nukem 3D!
youtu.be/9HjHy5m15eQ

A vast Atari archive has a new home and we hear from Atari chroniclers about the news. Game design pioneer Mike Singleton gets a day in the sun via Midwinter remake, and the history of Counter-Strike player-vs-player mayhem gets a fresh look. Episode 254 available now!
youtu.be/x0BrGNSIulI

Ron Martinez (Star Trek: The Promethean Prophecy, Hidden Agenda, Trek: TNG - The Transinium Challenge, Make Your Own Murder Party, etc.) returns for everything from Vladimir Nabokov to generative AI with Jason, Nick, and Dave V from @thisweekinretro.bsky.social .
retroadventurers.podbean.com/e/37

PicoIDE, the CD-ROM and HD replacement, is here and so is creator @polpo.org to tell us all about it! youtu.be/NcWE9F3F85c
Then it's preservation problems with Little Computer People and Alternate Reality: The City, and a discussion of the all-in-one TV/VCR combo on This Week in Retro 253!

PicoIDE - Open Source IDE/ATAPI Drive Emulator Emulates ATAPI CD-ROM and IDE hard drives with built-in CD audio output and optional WiFi front panel interface. Fully open source firmware and hardware.

@polpo.org joins us this week to talk optical media fragility, "cursed IDE controllers," & more, as ATAPI CD-ROM / IDE fixed hard drive replacement PicoIDE is ready for production.

The campaign launches today, see picoide.com for details, and watch this Saturday on This Week in Retro episode 253!

Latest episode of 260 Weeks Ago in Retro is up now, with a look back at TWiR's first-ever video episode from January 2021!

www.patreon.com/posts/260-we...

"Your resume says you think you excel at remaining focused and flexible despite adversity and distraction. Can you give us any examples?"
@thisweekinretro.bsky.social

It's what I deserve.

It will never be over.

Australia's rich history of technological innovation in the spotlight! youtu.be/Z6FQ9Auc9U8
Plus the history of the 1980s sunsets-and-grids vibe, Leader Board golf, and a celebration of the golden age of tech magazines from an Amiga Format hoard, in This Week in Retro 252!

Long live home arcade gaming! But can Basic Fun! give Arcade1Up extra life? Can we learn from Sega legend David Rosen's life and career? Is a bite-sized arcade cabinet worth owning? Plus the end of a major operating system, hope for old laptops and more in This Week in Retro 251 youtu.be/fCephpE3Ai0

Check the thread, someone out there should be able to figure this out. (Perhaps a Softside Adventure or similar?)

Innuendo-free retro reporting, presented without context other than to remind that This Week in Retro 251, featuring loads of throwback arcade news and the life of a Sega legend, arrives Saturday on YouTube and all podcast platforms.

We play the oldest and the newest-surviving variants of the original text adventure known simply as Zork. The 1977 edition Zork-285 and the 1990 (!) release of Mini-Zork are the featured games in Episode 36 of The Retro Adventurers.
retroadventurers.podbean.com/e/36/

#ScottAdams, the founder of #AdventureInternational, is alive and well and living in Wisconsin. #InteractiveFiction

It was a swing and a miss on my part which I could have avoided, will do better, but thank you.

Yes, this has been mentioned to me on Discord...
And YouTube...
And here...
I missed it. Fortunately I am on a racing game podcast and will have a chance to issue a correction.

Buckle up: It's milestone episode 250 and still a racing show.
youtu.be/U0feIbUdwkE
Geoff Crammond news including Stunt Car Racer revival, a trove of Sega cable TV exclusives, and news for users of ancient web browsers like WebTV and Dreamcast PlanetWeb. All this and more in the first TWiR of 2026!

Fact: Episodes with “Andrew Plotkin” in the title are our most popular at launch.
So: don’t miss “Andrew Plotkin & some others Chatisode” at the link below, and subscribe so you’re the first to get our upcoming Infidel episode, with Andrew Plotkin (& others)
retroadventurers.podbean.com/e/35/

All year long Duncan sifts through countless blurts, blunders, and bloopers trying to beat the deadline. Then comes the year-end reckoning.
youtu.be/68_Yg9lWm50
Enjoy this year's lowlights with Chris, Dave, Jason, Neil, and select guests, and we'll see you again in January for Episode 250!

Lots of guests!
Some hosts!
Visible Zorker news!
How Sierra / Lucasarts lulz were defeated in the marketplace!
And more!
Jason and Nick, joined by guests Robin Raymond, Tim Gilberts, Scott Adams, Andrew Plotkin, Dave "Velociraptor", Christian Neuhaus, and Iain Lee.
retroadventurers.podbean.com/e/35/

Bonus Chris(tmas) memories for our Patreon supporters, in a new episode of 260 Weeks Ago in Retro, a look back at Episode 20 from December 2020. Stories include DOScember, a discovered Dreamcast game preview, and the impending debacle surrounding the "Dizzy Twins."
www.patreon.com/posts/260-we...

It was a super-fruitful chatisode weekend! This is only the first half.

Finished episode will be with you in just a few days.

Inspired by an exchange in the year-end chatisode: as Don Draper admonished an underling too fixated on puns and wit, sometimes the humor gets in the way of the message.

We talk massive glossy gift catalogs, Commodore 64 Ultimates under the Christmas tree, and other holiday diversions with @visitthecave.bsky.social Neil and Aaron from @amigosretrogaming.bsky.social
youtu.be/dDXyrikyykc
A super-sized episode for what we hope is your super holiday experience!

YouTube video by Jason Compton Rheinbeck's Scheme by Clyde Scott Chase

Like the protagonist of this forgotten Christmastime tale from The Argosy magazine, I offer a conceptual gift in lieu of buying presents for all of you. A live read of Rheinbeck’s Scheme by Clyde Scott Chase.

youtu.be/EzNBT7OiGPQ

It's a matter of Life and Death as for maximum holiday cheer we are joined this week by "Doctor" Neil of The Retro Collective and "Former Solder Professional" Aaron of Amigos Retro Gaming. Episode 249 includes a discussion of a healthy work/life balance over the holidays. Coming Saturday!