iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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The Retro Adventurers @retroadventurers.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

It's our 50th episode! A lot of news in the latest edition of >OPEN MAILBOX. There's an overview of the peak of competition season, news on developments for Z-Machine developers and Å-Machine players, and, reverb Ramsberg. retroadventurers.podbean.com/e/50/

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Jason Compton @jasoncompton.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

In no way do I need additional copies of the Planetfall or Stationfall novels. Pure “when Infocom books are this cheap how can I not?”

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Trademark woes block retro racer comeback! The secrets of the PlayStation 2's security chip are uncovered, and excitement for fans of Sony's SMC-70, Amiga Unix, and Spectravideo 318. Watch episode 287 now on YouTube or listen on any podcast platform. youtu.be/L5SmQjBgpzE

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The Retro Adventurers @retroadventurers.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Infocom and Iron Curtain classic text adventures from the final years of the Cold War! With special guest Ana Meisel (ana.help), Nick and Jason take on two entertaining political-statement classics of the 1980s. retroadventurers.podbean.com/e/49/

retroadventurers.podbean.com

A Mind Forever Voyaging and PRESTAVBA | The Retro Adventurers

It's Infocom and Iron Curtain classic text adventures from the final years of the Cold War! With special guest Ana Meisel (ana.help), Nick and Jason take on two entertaining political-statement classi...

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

"It's everybody's game of strategy, knowledge, and fun!" Contemplate the massive Vintage Computer Festival Midwest then take on a hot upgrade for DOS computers. Envy those game boxes you see every week? Print your own! youtu.be/6xw-tbop1Wk Plus the latest on the Neo-Geo, new MiSTer cores & more!

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

It's 286 discourse for Episode 286! The team discuss the pros and cons of DOS gaming back when sound cards and joysticks were still considered luxuries. More coming this Saturday!

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The Retro Adventurers @retroadventurers.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

🚨Actual Atari 2600 text adventure submitted to this year's IFComp🚨: ifcomp.org/ballot/#entr...

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The Retro Adventurers @retroadventurers.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

One of the more subtle "nothing's changed in 42 years" aspects of A Mind Forever Voyaging: now, as then, you still need to give that "in Celsius" disclaimer to an American player: “Here are tomorrow’s high temperatures, in Celsius, for the major metros: [...]"

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Jason Compton @jasoncompton.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Tonight on WORT FM Radio Literature, Christian Neuhaus and April Brown on-air with me as we delve into the non-fiction prose of Edgar Allen Poe. (The guy had a lot of strong takes about interior decorating, macroeconomics, and notes-to-self.) 7:30 PM on 89.9 FM in Madison, wortfm.org worldwide.

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The Retro Adventurers @retroadventurers.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

So much text adventure news! So much reverb! The >OPEN MAILBOX team gets you caught up on the latest contests, preservation efforts, international reviews, and much more in our September installment. retroadventurers.podbean.com/e/48/

retroadventurers.podbean.com

OPEN MAILBOX September 2026 | The Retro Adventurers

Contest deadlines, international reviews, and some Ramsberg groveling lead our news coverage for text adventure enthusiasts this month. Tim, Jason, and Nick bring you the latest for one of the oldest ...

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

As CeX offers to take retro tech trading into the mainstream, there's going to be profit margins and taxes to consider, and the middle-aged men of This Week in Retro are all over these details for your weekend enjoyment.

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The Retro Adventurers @retroadventurers.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Finally escaping from Summer 2025! Pack your phrasebook & defend democracy: Infocom legend Brian Moriarty's early Adventure In the Fifth Dimension, then Invincible Island by Pete Cooke... inviting a little Derek & Clive discourse that avoids an Explicit flag. retroadventurers.podbean.com/e/47

retroadventurers.podbean.com

Invincible Island and Adventure in the Fifth Dimension | The Retro Adventurers

Pack your phrasebook and get ready to defend democracy as Ben and Jason take on a pair of quirky early 1980s adventures. For an appetizer, we order Infocom legend Brian Moriarty's early effort, a type...

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Amiga CEO Mike Battilana is our guest for questions about an AmigaOS settlement with Hyperion and licensing deals with Commodore. We also tackle two-player, split-screen Elite, a rich archive Atari ST software, 1970s computer records, new chapters for Worms and Quake, and more. youtu.be/R8Hq68k3gdc

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Follow proper parliamentary procedure as original Xbox games come to Windows 11 (w/caveats), learn about the Bit 79, a souped-up Nintendo Famicom clone, and watch Chris dutifully delve into the world of pay-to-unlock content in an Artworx classic. youtu.be/14HUHNWZs1Y

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The Retro Adventurers @retroadventurers.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Some very tight deadlines for a very old genre in this month's edition of >OPEN MAILBOX, where you GET TEXT ADVENTURE NEWS AND LISTEN TO IT. Contest voting, (scary) Visible Zorker updates, lost games and a lost development environment, and much more. retroadventurers.podbean.com/e/46/

retroadventurers.podbean.com

OPEN MAILBOX August 2026 | The Retro Adventurers

No rest for retro adventuring news this summer as Tim and Jason bring you lots of news: contest developments (don't delay, some deadlines are very very very soon!), Visible Zorker updates which aren't...

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

After nearly 25 years, we forgot some of the quirks of the original Microsoft Xbox, like that it wouldn't actually play a DVD movie out of the box. Xbox makes a return for modern gamers and other special features are unlocked after additional purchase in This Week in Retro 279, arriving Saturday!

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Tufty McTavish @tuftymctavish.com · 25/07/2026

🎧 The one that emphasises human written, human researched, human everything! 🚫🤖 😆 Meanwhile, @jasoncompton.bsky.social waits patiently for his new Speccy 😈😁 and learns about sleeping policeman in the 🇬🇧 corner of the 🌍😊 🎮 #VideoGames 🕹️ #RetroGaming #RetroComputing ⌨️ #Podcasts 📻

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

The Washington Post named Doom the top cultural event of its decade. With retro blogger @stonetoolsblog.bsky.social we ask: was the television game show just as important to culture as Doom? Is buying arcade cabs ever sensible? And what happened to the Web and the browser? youtu.be/vOceobwqx3s

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

High noon. Light guns at the chemist. Draw! Jason and Chris discuss a hotly contested story about NES nostalgia in the UK. Special guest Christopher Drum of Stone Tools watches politely (check out that to-do list, though) and will have more to say when the full episode hits on Saturday!

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Dudley of Yesterzine @yesterzine.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Bonus Dudley! The lovely @retroadventurers.bsky.social asked me to complete 2 random 1980s adventure games... In conversation with Jason Compton also of This Week in Retro, here's what happened. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vygo...

youtube.com

Gruds In Space and Steve Silver Adventure #1

YouTube video by The Retro Adventurers

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The Retro Adventurers @retroadventurers.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

"I don't want to suggest this is a more obviously American game than some others, but I will say you do solve one problem by shooting a tree." @yesterzine.bsky.social joins for Sirius Software's Gruds In Space and Spectrum exclusive Steve Silver #1. retroadventurers.podbean.com/e/45/

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Gigawatts of retro power: Get immersed in a Rave virtual arcade, Learn the daily grind of an RBMK nuclear reactor operator, And the hosts' check Retro Games Ltd.'s unusual video FAQ for followers of THEA1200. Plus everything from the IBM System/360 to Jaguar and PlayStation. youtu.be/eNj8a-8oOko

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

THEA1200 sparks THEDiscussion of THEFilesystem challenges! Retro Games Ltd. put out a helpful Q&A video recently. But does it raise more questions than it answers? Chris and Jason grapple with decades-old Fast File System limitations and more this Saturday!

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

New episode of 260 Weeks Ago in Retro out now for our supporters, a look back at Episode 42 of the show from June 2021! www.patreon.com/thisweekinre...

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Sony's pushed the physical media doomsday clock closer to midnight! Also: the life and career of Psion PLC founder and innovator David Potter, the many hazards of the modern online auction scene, a short-lived 3DO reboot, new uses for old RAM, and much more. youtu.be/7vcEHNCiemw

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

With Sony apparently accelerating the death of physical game media, what will the future of throwback-media nostalgia look like? Jason has one idea, involving a (hypothetical) very successful second date with (checks notes) Marguerite. Subscribe now and don't miss This Week in Retro 276 on Saturday!

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Sega's mission: make history easier to play, also publish more Sonic 1 and 2 carts?! Also: Pentium-friendly KolibriOS and an Amiga 1200 upgraded beyond belief. Plus the best real-world locations to simulate in-game, more Commodore Callback chat, and a special 40th birthday! youtu.be/KoFj-4bluaQ

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Is the pace of operating system upgrades increasing? Or are we just too old to conform? (You already know the answer.) Sega and Amiga features plus more operating system discourse, and more, when This Week in Retro 275 arrives Saturday!

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The Retro Adventurers @retroadventurers.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Plenty of contest results, a new Inform library (or is it?) and news so late-breaking we have to interrupt our news to bring other news! retroadventurers.podbean.com/e/44/

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

"What now lies ahead in the ULTIMA saga can only be pure speculation!" Can Lord British reclaim Ultima? Can Chris tell the difference between reality and sims? Will new IDEs for C64 Ultimate, ST, Amiga, Mac, and DOS uncork new apps and games? Plus Commodore phone takes and more! youtu.be/zEiSTyUyLaI

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

A look at the planned C64 Ultimate Game Engine (a dev system for the enhanced FPGA model of the Commodore 64) prompts the questions: will users accept C64 Ultimate-only titles? And how's that been going for the Spectrum Next (assuming that yours has shipped, that is)? All this and more Saturday!

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The Retro Adventurers @retroadventurers.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

At least they're polite about it.

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Tufty McTavish @tuftymctavish.com · 21/06/2026

🎧 The extra long one that talks retro history, including the Computer Literacy Project which “was so great, you’re still explaining computer buying 15 years later.” A spicy @jasoncompton.bsky.social at a terrible hour this week! 👏😆 🎮 #VideoGames 🕹️ #RetroGaming #RetroComputing ⌨️ #Podcasts 📻

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The Retro Adventurers @retroadventurers.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Laugh while you can, monkey-boy! Telarium/Trillium's sequel to Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and Adventure International's sequel to Buckaroo Banzai in the latest game episode of The Retro Adventurers. retroadventurers.podbean.com/e/43/

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

World-first reveal! Tony Smales (ex-Melbourne House) gives a tour of never-released pinball Arcade Wizzard for Commodore 64! Plus: definitive overview of the Sega Dreamcast, and home PC shopping in 1998. youtu.be/ThWzhOzD8BI and be sure to check @gamesthatwerent.com for more on Tony's attic disks!

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

To accommodate Melbourne (House) guest Tony Smales and the usual international crew, one of us got up extra-early. It may have impacted his patience with a condescending BBC computer buying guide. All this, an exclusive game reveal after decades in an attic, and more crabbiness coming Saturday!

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

This week's guest quietly built Vintage Computer Festival Midwest into the world's largest annual retro computing event. It's the end for the revived Checkmate Amiga case, surprising differences in teletext around the world, and a look at the "overrated?" Amiga 500 Batman Pack. youtu.be/ZPsifCcF-H4

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Jason Timmons of VCF Midwest and Chicago Classic Computing show-and-tell: a rare Quazon Quik-Link 300 home teletext terminal and last-minute product engineering. (Atari 400 catches a stray for good measure as well!) Just a sample of Saturday's latest news for the oldest tech!

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Welcoming back guest @iainlee.com after too long away, we revisit Nintendo's too-brief run of mini consoles, explore the surprises buried in Microsoft NetMeeting's 30th anniversary, and find out what made an octogenarian game dev settle unfinished business. Episode 271 out now! youtu.be/GSRXr9LRq9Q

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Strange Studies of Strange Stories @strangestudies.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

A space traveler wrestles with the need for human companionship... and LOSES! Join us as we discuss the pastoral sci-fi story Founding Father by Clifford D. Simak - new, FREE show!

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Just what does returning guest @iainlee.com think we've done to deserve this? Enjoy our modern radio show which you can also watch like television with a real-life media professional when This Week in Retro 271 arrives Saturday! thisweekinretro.com

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The Retro Adventurers @retroadventurers.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

>OPEN MAILBOX. GET LEAFLET. READ IT Classic text adventure report for June 2026 with game contests you can still play-and-judge in, a Visible Zorker update, news on several development environments, and new games. On all podcast platforms, YouTube, and at retroadventurers.podbean.com/e/42/ now.

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Exclusive hardware news caps a retro kit roundup this week: news of a MiSTer handheld from Heber plus PicoCPC, PicoIDE, and PicoGUS updates. Then we look closer at reimagined Atic Atac and Wolfenstein 3D, and explore wonderful, novel operating systems in the Virtual OS Museum. youtu.be/gf2piu17r0I

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Dave's on new hardware watch this week. (We told you he's fine.) Also, cat. See you Saturday!

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Tech hidden in plain sight! The brand-new Swap Arcade and the Minty Cyberdeck palmtop. Plus Australia's MicroBee, the retro-tech Eurovision entry of LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER, host milestones, 3D conversions of classic games, new POKEY hope for Atari and more! youtu.be/VupmbLBg3iY

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Something happens on Saturday's episode of This Week in Retro which is a first in the show's history! We also discuss the marital politics of arcade cabinet acquisition, the international politics of music, and the Australian politics of calling your computer "The Matilda"!

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The Retro Adventurers @retroadventurers.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Classic literature 🤝 text adventure 🤝 #smoochescollier

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Nick Brown @eviledwin.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

I’m always intrigued by the books @jasoncompton.bsky.social has behind him during @thisweekinretro.bsky.social. Compelling covers and interesting titles that hint at the tale within. Reminds me of buying Acorn Electron games in the 80s. No screenshots. Just a title and picture. Each game a mystery

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This Week in Retro @thisweekinretro.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

All aboard to the Hall of Fame! youtu.be/c9-hquIAfh0 Jo Cook of UK Amstrad Group helps take on a Sega myth and an Amiga delay, and to debate the merits of the latest Hall of Fame games at @thestrongmuseum.bsky.social (Put away your bagged milk before viewing, where applicable.)

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The Retro Adventurers @retroadventurers.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

We visit Infocom's surliest protagonist with guest Andrew Plotkin @eblong.com this time out, playing Michael Berlyn's Infidel as the main course. We also explore another Infocom parody: 1991's The Smirking Horror. retroadventurers.podbean.com/e/41/

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