CES 2026 is finally here, meaning an array of technological reveals, and if last year is anything to go by, that means a sprinkling of new retro gaming-focused goodies for us to discover.
CES 2026 starts on January 6th and ends on January 9th, with well-known gaming and peripheral companies attending.
To assist with your news consumption, we're curating a list of all the retor gaming related announcements here for you to easily consume.
8BITDO FlipPad
The race to build a great retro-gaming focused add-on for modern smartphones is on, and 8BITDO has revealed a USB-C focused controller called the FlipPad that adds phyiscal buttons to your device.
8BITDO is renowned for creating controllers, so it was only a matter of time before they created a portable travel controller for us gamers who love to emulate on our smartphones.
Video credit: 8BITDO
This device was shared on 8BitDo's X account with a short video, which appears to have the accessory fold onto the display titled "a flip-style gamepad", which if I had to guess allows for users to flip it off when wanting to access emulator or application settings that sit under it, just like the Delta Emulator, which is going to be the most popular app that this is paired with.
It comes in classic GAME BOY DMG colours, with start select buttons and 6 other buttons hidden around the gamepad to help with app/emulator settings, which will certainly come in handy.
The FlipPad will launch in "Summer 2026" and can be seen at CES 2026 at LVCC Central Hall, Booth #15641 should you be attending.
Gamesir Pocket Taco
Another smartphone-focused retro gaming accessory! I feel like this is going to be the trend this year.
This is the Gamesir Pocket Taco, a travel controller that wraps around the bottom half of your smartphone using a "clam-style design" and adds phyiscal buttons to your device via Bluetooth to help make retro emulation a more comfortable experience.
It's just 62g in weight, has an automatic on/off feature, a 600mah battery, and a charging slot underneath so you can charge and play, which the 8BITDO FlipPad cannot do.
The Pocket Taco is available to pre-order on their website for £28.99/$49.99 and will ship in March 2026.
ATARI x MyArcade GameStation Retro Series
MyArcade and ATARI have partnered on many products, and have attended CES many times. This year, they're promoting (for the second time) an upcoming line of retro products that expand on their previous ones, such as the Gamestation Go that we have reviewed in the past.
Thanks to YouTuber GenXGrownUp, we can get a closer look at a few upcoming products!
The first being the new Gamestation Retro Go, a handheld games console with 200 games built in, a new colour-way and slightly different controls in comparison to the original.
I recommend reading our full review of the originalrecommend to understand more about this product. This product will retail for approximately $199.
Second is the Gamestation Retro Pro, the home console version, which also has a new colour-way, comes pre-loaded with over 200 games, and it features new controllers too, instead of the arcade sticks that came with the original.
This is estimated to retail for $149.99 and comes with two wireless controllers and outputs in 1080p.
So you can see the trend with the new retro series, it comes with a new lick-up paint, updated controls and some new games. It's nothing revolutionary, but a welcome update to some already cool retro-focused products.
Next up is the Gamestation Retro Mega, a miniature tabletop arcade machine pre-loaded with a bunch of Bandai Namco and retro games, with new controls and mechanical joysticks and buttons. Estimated to retail for $299.99.
There's also a Gamestation Retro Arcade stick that will work with the Pro games console; this will retail for $69.99.
Thermaltake Retro-PC Series
Thermaltake, known for creating gaming PC acccesories are launching a new range of products focused on retro aesthetics.
The collection features two chassis and a new AIO liquid cooler, each with a touch of nostalgic retro design to please geeky PC gamers with taste.
The Retro 260TG features a retro-styled front that resembles the early days of home computing and accommodates Micro-ATX hidden-conncetor motherboards, up to nine 120mm fans and a 280mm radiator alongside a 6" LCD screen kit on the inside for displaying retro themes and pixel art.
The Retro 360TG is for those who want a bit more space and a slightly different look that focuses on "early 90s workstations". It fits up to twelve 120mm fans and up to 360mm radiators, with again, a 6" LCD screen kit.
Finally, the Retro AIO liquid cooler is available in 240mm and 360mm configurations, and the detachable pump head comes with a 3.6" LCD display that looks like a classic CRT TV that can display retro themes and pixel art. How cool!
ACEMAGIC Retro X5 Mini PC
The Retro X5 by ACEMAGIC is a mini PC designed for players who love the look and charm of the original Nintendo Entertainment System.
Inside is an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, AMD Radeon 890M integrated graphics, and an integrated AMD XDNA 2 NPU that provides up to 50 TOPS of compute power to support future experience enhancements.
According to ACEMAGIC, at the heart of the console is "RetroPlay Box" an all-in-one solution to simplify classic gaming, lowering the barrier for those interested in retro gaming. So to me, that sounds like a custom front-end that organises your retro games and emulators, perhaps?
In future software updates, RetroPlay Box will gradually introduce AI-assisted features to improve content recommendations, overall experience, and interaction, hopefully not infringing on any copyright when they do eventually roll this out.
Retro X5 supports expandable memory and storage, multiple display outputs, and high-speed connectivity. They want this to be a modern reinterpretation—preserving the emotional appeal of classic gaming while offering a more effortless, contemporary experience.
