RMP 050 — The State of Retro Gaming in 2026

Episode Notes* My personal newsletter with 2026 Experiment updatesApple News* Apple releases the new Apple Creator Studio subscription bundle (https://sixcolors.com/post/2026/01/hands-on-with-apple-creator-studio-a-bittersweet-bundle/)Linux/FOSS News* Linux Kernel 7.0 announced as the upcoming version number, dropping support for some legacy hardware (https://www.tomshardware.com/software/linux/linux-kernel-7-0-finally-abandons-intel-440bx-edac-driver-removal-marks-another-goodbye-to-the-legendary-motherboard-chipset)* Mesa 26.0 released bringing improved graphics support (https://docs.mesa3d.org/relnotes/26.0.0.html)* Open Gaming Collective formed to try and help unify the fragmented Linux gaming community (https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/01/open-gaming-collective-ogc-formed-to-push-linux-gaming-even-further/)Microsoft News* Microsoft aims to fix Windows 11 (https://www.theverge.com/tech/870045/microsoft-windows-11-issues-rebuilding-trust-notepad?view_token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6Iko1OUJXTUtYYXAiLCJwIjoiL3RlY2gvODcwMDQ1L21pY3Jvc29mdC13aW5kb3dzLTExLWlzc3Vlcy1yZWJ1aWxkaW5nLXRydXN0LW5vdGVwYWQiLCJleHAiOjE3NzAxMzgwNTgsImlhdCI6MTc2OTcwNjA2MH0.B1Q1pSxcyezAfV7ItxPQeEO1P7fpvF6Xse-V2lrWSTc&utm_medium=gift-link)* Microsoft pumping the brakes on AI in Windows? (https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/windows-11/microsoft-is-reevaluating-its-ai-efforts-on-windows-11-plans-to-reduce-copilot-integrations-and-evolve-recall)* Microsoft developing an Xbox cloud gaming tier that will be free with ads (https://www.theverge.com/report/791213/xbox-cloud-gaming-free-ad-supported-version)* Notepad.exe’s new markdown support allows for RCE vulnerability to be exploited (https://www.esecurityplanet.com/threats/windows-notepad-rce-flaw-exploits-markdown-files/)Other Tech News* Anthropic donates $1.5 million to the Python Software Foundation (https://discuss.python.org/t/anthropic-has-made-a-large-contribution-to-the-python-software-foundation-and-open-source-security/105694)* JMail.world set up to let you read Jeffrey Epstein’s emails* EpsteIn set up as LinkedIn clone to see who in your connections are in the files* Discord global age verification roll out (https://discord.com/press-releases/discord-launches-teen-by-default-settings-globally)* PS5 jailbroken at the hardware level (https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/264562-playstation-5/81092205)* Netflix dropping support for PS3 on March 2, 2026 (https://kotaku.com/netflix-remembers-it-never-shut-down-its-old-ps3-app-announces-it-is-doing-that-very-soon-2000665364#:~:text=Netflix%20Ending%20Support%20For%20PS3%20After%2015%20Years)Retro Gaming News* GOG announces plans for native Linux support for it’s store (https://www.xda-developers.com/gog-calls-linux-the-next-major-frontier-for-gaming-as-it-works-on-a-native-client/)* Metal Gear Solid Master Collection vol 2 announced, Guns of the Patriots finally freed from the PS3 (https://gameinformer.com/state-of-play/2026/02/12/metal-gear-solid-master-collection-vol-2-finally-frees-guns-of-the)Command Line Tool of the Month: WinUtil & MicroWin* https://github.com/ChrisTitusTech/winutil* WinUtil is a compilation of Windows tasks meant to streamline installs, debloat with tweaks, troubleshoot with config, and fix Windows updates.* MicroWin is a component of WinUtil that will create a custom, debloated bootable Windows 11 USB that creates a local account and bypasses the OOBE, online sign in, and system checks.Ways to Join the Community This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit retropunk.substack.com/subscribe