PicoIDE Has Arrived! - This Week In Retro 253

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We celebrate the launch of PicoIDE, the all-in-one replacement for ATAPI CD-ROM and IDE hard drives by welcoming creator Ian Scott (polpo) to the show! Ian personally guides us through the underpinnings of PicoIDE, available for crowdfunding order now. Then we transition to tricky challenges in software preservation through the lens of Little Computer People and Alternate Reality: The City, and wrap up with a discussion on the charms of VHS videotape and CRT display, including the design of the all-in-one TV/VCR combo. We then share your top picks for new tech documentaries before sharing our latest Community Question of the Week!

00:00 - Show Opening

02:52 - High Quality CD Emulation Is Here! The PicoIDE Story Link: https://picoide.com/ Additional link: https://www.crowdsupply.com/polpotronics/picoide

23:35 - Software Preservation Tough Truths Story Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/thisweekinretro/comments/1qhx9z1/is_this_the_only_game_you_cant_really_emulate/ Additional links: https://archive.org/details/apple_ii_library_4am https://www.hvsc.c64.org

46:21 - Housekeeping - News links found below

54:02 - Story Redacted Story Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/thisweekinretro/comments/1qiso5v/a_new_vhs_combo_tv_thats_perfect_for_retro_gaming/ Additional link: https://www.reddit.com/r/thisweekinretro/comments/1qesxv3/retrobox_are_bringing_back_the_vhs_combo_crt_with/

01:05:23 - Community Question of the Week

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This Week in Retro is a weekly roundup of the hottest stories from the world of retro gaming and computing, voted on by you, the listener! Hosted by Chris from 005 AGIMA, Jason from The Retro Adventurers and Dave. Edited by Duncan Styles.

News In Brief Links

Amigathon 2026: amigathon.com

EB Aussie Stores News: https://press-start.com.au/news/2026/01/22/a-small-number-of-aussie-eb-games-stores-are-closing-but-theres-no-reason-to-worry/

EB Games Shovels Money Overseas: https://www.channelnews.com.au/real-concerns-as-eb-games-shovels-millions-offshore-as-losses-mount-and-stores-close/

The Retro Hour Interviews Norman Cool (Fatboy Slim): https://youtu.be/1-UOBjJjGuM

Atari ST Mini: https://preview.redd.it/pmh955lbypeg1.png?width=1363&format=png&auto=webp&s=42a33326774858870fe81b32bb06127339c42adc

More Atari ST Mini: https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/retro-gaming/atari-st-enthusiast-announces-the-minist-with-fpga-misterynano-core-and-black-tkl-case-priced-at-around-usd400-each-but-the-initial-run-is-a-mere-five-units

New TWIR Viewer Posts Message: https://www.reddit.com/r/thisweekinretro/comments/1qk8xlo/greetings_from_an_avid_watcher_and_twir_fan/

IBM Mwave: https://youtu.be/v1RmAd9iwwA?si=hNymBS4IFxpJJK-g