Emulation Console Update Bakes in Instant Free [Pirated] Game Downloads

The RGXX range of handheld games consoles are seen by many as the perfect way to dip an initial toe in the emulation waters. Manufactured by Anbernic in China, devices often arrive with a Micro SD card loaded with more games than can be reasonably played in a lifetime. Whether that will continue is unclear but with a new firmware update, retro games can be browsed on-screen, downloaded for free straight to devices, and then installed in seconds.

 To outsiders they may have appeared chaotic but for players in the early 1980s, jammed-to-capacity videogame arcades provided escape from the chaos of the outside world. A single coin in the slot and then total inner silence: 1UP.

Even for the privileged few who later installed a cocktail Galaxian in their own garage, the idea that an entire arcade could be squeezed inside a TV set was ridiculous. That almost every arcade game ever made would eventually make it onto a storage device smaller than a finger nail, in ‘arcade perfect’ quality? Nothing short of preposterous.

Impossible Breaks Free of the Shadows

For gamers immersed in today’s wildly popular emulation scene, that has been reality for some time. Tens of thousands of games, carefully sourced from ancient arcade machines and games consoles – the devices famously responsible for the former’s death – are playable on today’s computers, phones, and everything in between. Everything is possible, and today’s gamers always want more, and usually get it.

For the most invested emulation enthusiasts, crafting a custom gaming library supported by high-quality artwork and metadata can be more important than playing games.

For those without hundreds of spare hours, who simply want to play games, companies like Anbernic offer a range of handheld consoles compatible with most popular emulators.

Anbernic consoles are generally well-made and for the price they are capable devices. Buying direct from China can save a few bucks but for those disinterested in the thrill of whether orders will actually arrive, buying locally is remarkably easy.

A closer look at online listings usually indicates that thousands of games are preinstalled, which of course runs counter to the law in North America, Europe, and most places where these consoles are sold outside China.

Whether there are any plans to supply consoles without games in future is unknown, but a firmware update made available late last week effectively renders preinstallation obsolete.

First spotted by Retro Handhelds, the update to the stock OS enables RixelHK, a portal to a whole new world where games are selected from a Netflix-style menu and installed to the user’s console at the press of a button.

Users will obviously need a Wi-Fi capable console since the games are downloaded from the internet. Given the size of most retro games, that should take no longer than simply browsing to the page, however.

Giving Gamers What They Want

Hardcore emulator aficionados boasting 200GB+ curated collections with supporting artwork and meticulous metadata, may dismiss the new feature as unnecessary. Yet, make no mistake, they’ll still make time to give it a spin.

For the masses who can do without the aggravation of finding ROM sets or even learning what a ROM set actually is, a feature like this baked into a console by default is significant.

The image above is a still from what appears to be a promotional video on YouTube. Whether the video being in Chinese made a difference is unclear, but other videos uploaded to YouTube over the weekend were swiftly taken down.

No rightsholder names were attributed to the action, at least that we’re aware of. Instead, YouTube indicated violations of its community guidelines, which forbid instructional videos for activities the company deems illegal.

Competing For Time

In the knowledge that Anbernic consoles have been supplied with thousands of games for several years, some might argue that in general terms, not much has changed on the software front. Yet, as an emulator fan pointed out over the weekend, companies like Nintendo don’t just compete with other gaming companies; all are in constant competition for the precious time gamers make available for gaming.

In that light, it’s not difficult to imagine the draw of a relatively cheap device, no setup required, with an effectively infinite supply of games. Whether there will be any public response is unknown, but emulation always faces pressure at times when capability tests the limits of acceptability.

With a focus on current games, even some yet to be released, modern emulators have revitalized the scene. This excited a whole new generation and attracted much unwanted attention. While little can be done about the massive proliferation of retro game ROMs, when emulators like Yuzu made current Switch games easily playable for free on a PC, this dual software/hardware threat elicited a strong, ongoing response from Nintendo.

Innovation made emulation what it is today but pushing things too far is not without risk for those in the West, albeit limited risk for those responsible for exporting it there.

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