This needs quite a bit of work doing to it and a really good clean, but I've already had a great deal of fun with the FM synthesis features on this excellent Yamaha PSS-780 keyboard released in 1989. #yamaha #fm #synth

My very first music keyboard was the Yamaha PSS-270 powered by FM synthesis released in 1986. I had a little look around online to relive that childhood nostalgia and found this example in original box and after collecting it and giving it a very light clean it's in absolutely amazing condition!

My latest project is in this case cleaning a classic Yamaha PortaSound PSS-390 music keyboard. It's in good condition and works perfectly, but needs a clean. The era of FM synthesis was a fun one and this reminds me so much of my childhood.

I still get a wonderful feeling playing GM, GS & XG MIDI files from the 90s and beyond. Knowing that the instrument sampled data is coming directly from the unit makes them feel alive. The displays help also! Featured here are the Roland Sound Canvas SC-55 Mark 2 and the Yamaha MU80.

Slowly rebuilding my PS3 collection... Sony had enormous success with the PS1 and PS2, had a sudden jolt of reality with the PS3 and got back on track with the PS4. And yet, the PS3 has some cracking titles that really shows what it is capable of when the hardware is mastered.

A few more pics of the mythical, lost for 25 years, BS2 GBA :)

Not sure how old these sealed brand new floppy disks are that a friend has found and given to me, but they reference a 286 PC 🤣 #retrocomputing

Broken Sword The Smoking Mirror Reforged has been announced for PC and console platforms, releasing in 2026. www.pixelrefresh.com/broken-sword... #retrogaming #retrocomputing #brokensword

My Dell Optiplex 3010 is now running Debian 13 replacing Windows. Slowly moving the majority of my hardware over to #Linux. This is my 4th. Intel Core i5-3470 16GB RAM RADEON 6400 4GB GPU 256GB SSD Also enjoying Two Point Campus on it, which runs fab!

This is great news for Linux. We may get some less than optimal results for those rooting for Linux to do well versus Windows, but hopefully it will inspire a new push for Linux in gaming and beyond! youtu.be/5O6tQYJSEMw?...

It's great that #Spotify now supports lossless audio, although capped to 24-bit 44KHz after an insane 4 and half years of waiting!!! 🤦 Maybe they can now announce Dolby Atmos spatial audio next and begin the 4 year wait for that too! 😉

Another day, another laptop refurbished. It's very therapeutic restoring tech & even a five year old laptop you can see the CPU thermal paste Incredibly dry so time for a refresh. After the cleaning & paste, fan now comes in much less & replaced Windows 11 with Debian 13 and it's been excellent!

Can we get to 800 backers before we shut it down on Sunday?? These big-boxes are going to be super rare! #indiegame #pixelart #UrbXWarriors 😅 www.kickstarter.com/projects/ton...

My MacBook Pro from ~2014 with Retina display is still very capable, but macOS for it is end of life... Linux Mint to the rescue and now on the just released Linux Mint 22.2 (Zara). Although Windows and macOS have their advantages, Linux Mint is proving a worthy OS, especially on older hardware.

Late pledges keep ticking up, but not long left for these now. Get ye collectable one-off big box while ye may :) #indiegame #bigbox #spectrumnext #PCGaming #linuxgaming #macosgaming RT🙌 www.kickstarter.com/projects/ton...

Playtesting Adventures, ZX Spectrum Next (KS3), Retro LANs & Neo Geo Ports – Game & Gadget Podcast #42 @tonywarriner.bsky.social and I discuss game development tours, UrbX Warriors playtesting & retro LAN parties with Windows XP machines. www.pixelrefresh.com/playtesting-...

New writer @daveswan.bsky.social for @pixelrefresh.bsky.social shares his career in pixel art, sprites & textures – from early arcade inspiration to creating graphics for games: - SEGA Manx TT - Wolverine: Adamantium Rage - ...and the Discworld series. www.pixelrefresh.com/wolverine-to...

Spotify lossless audio was announced in February 2021... We are still in 2025 over 4 years later waiting for its release 🫠

It's 2025 and still the 37 year old SEGA Mega Drive console sees new amazing releases. Earthion is a wonderful, jaw dropping, frantic & pleasing SHMUP that is accessible for newcomers to the genre and challenging for the experienced. Bring on the cartridge! store.steampowered.com/app/3597580/...

I have a great number of CRT TVs for retro gaming, but the Mister FPGA using scanlines while triggering HDR to boost the brightness is pretty darn impressive! CRT TVs have other benefits too, but this is effective on modern displays!

Legendary writer & game designer @steve-ince.bsky.social kindly shares 30 items from his ‘201 Things for Better Game Writing’ book exclusively for @pixelrefresh.bsky.social. www.pixelrefresh.com/30-things-fo...

Fun times testing out for a future Retro LAN. Went fairly smoothly, so looking forward to when a bunch of friends get together to relive some Windows XP memories... Think Quake 3 Arena, Unreal Tournament 99, Unreal Tournament 2004, Quake and more... Can't wait!

Today is #StopKillingGames day! If you live in the UK or the EU you have a chance to potentially make a difference to the future of game preservation just by signing a petition. Information here: www.stopkillinggames.com

You know when you've watched too many modern gaming graphics analysis videos when you sit in your garden one sunny afternoon and think to yourself, "The shadow resolution isn't half bad".

If I was going to buy a brand, this is the one for me...

Not long ago, I was given 7 PCs that would have otherwise gone to landfill. I have built 3x PCs now from the parts (Win98, 2x WinXP) for retro gaming. HP from 2009 here I'm going to upgrade to 16GB RAM and an intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 CPU so I can dabble building a retro gaming LAN server with Linux.

PIXEL REFRESH is now on Patreon... LOVE OF RETRO GAMING & MODERN TECH Since 2006, I have been working on my website adding over 1000 articles, videos, podcasts, soundtracks and much more. A few of you asked if there was a Patreon, so I have gone ahead and created one. patreon.com/Jameswoodcock

Yukkity yuk...

Make sure you check out UrbX Warriors - for the PC & Spectrum Next by @tonywarriner.bsky.social & @stoocambridge.bsky.social on @kickstarter.com with just 9 days to go! Our video interview here: youtu.be/Mlb3gJAl4hs?... Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com/projects/ton...

It's been ages but I finally posted a new YouTube video. Join me as I take an in-depth look at Edro and Leo's brand new MK1869 ISA sound card! This thing ticks off all the right boxes ✅ youtu.be/9bYEq0KIykg

This is wonderful insanity... When your ARM powered Acorn RISC PC can have a second 486 DX4 100MHz CPU and run Windows 95 in its own window. Retro computing is so exciting dabbling with these things it truly is!

#PicoGUS is now an ODE! I've just released firmware v3.0.0, which adds Panasonic CD-ROM drive emulation. Put some ISOs or BIN/CUE files on a USB stick, plug it into your PicoGUS, and you've got a virtual CD-ROM drive that works in DOS and Windows 9x and supports CD audio. github.com/polpo/picogu...

Just get @signal.org folks... www.pcmag.com/news/get-rea...

In RISC OS 4.39, I really want my green Acorn logo back! After using RISC OS 3.1 on my Acorn A3010 for so many years, using this newer version on the RISC PC 700 feels wrong without that lovely green iconic erm... Icon. #riscos #acorn #retrocomputing

Looking after my latest Acorn acquisition... The RISC PC 700 originally released in 1995, this one with plenty of installed extras for me to dabble with. As always, like to give retro tech a good clean, especially keyboards! Much better now. Fun times ahead! New to RISC PCs so tips welcome...

Here we go again...

Another World (Out of this World) is back working again on... #ScummVM! 20+ years after being removed. Generally the ScummVM focus was specifically on point and click adventure games, however in recent years this has evolved to cover a wider net of genres. scummvm.org/news/20250611/

Rosewater, a point and click adventure released last year is on sale 20% off now... I also interviewed the music composer of the game not long ago, worth a watch / listen... www.pixelrefresh.com/game-music-c...

Windows Aero is back 🤣 Well done Apple 👍

My Simon the Sorcerer collection for the Acorn Archimedes... - Floppy disk version (9 of them!) - CD-ROM talkie version The Acorn A3010 was the platform where I first discovered the delights of Simon the Sorcerer. www.pixelrefresh.com/simon-the-so...

Articles are never truly complete... My experience of the legendary Acorn Archimedes A3010 I wrote last year lacked the catalogue listing that inspired me to ask for it in Christmas 1994. With help, we found the catalogue and page! Enjoy the update... www.pixelrefresh.com/the-acorn-ar...

Visiting ZZAP! Live 2025 I recorded, edited and published 3 new videos. The event covers primarily Amiga, C64 but also includes a variety of other platforms. It was a fun day and it was great to be able to interview a few of the individuals there... Enjoy! www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Lemmings on the Acorn Archimedes A3010... Is this a better version than the Amiga?

Can't wait to clean and repair this lovely Acorn Electron / BBC Micro Data Recorder... I have a real soft spot for anything Acorn branded, so this will have a nice spot in my collection.

They don't make smartphone home screens like this any more! 😂 Reading my old mobile phone articles at www.pixelrefresh.com and the screenshots are fabulous, an amazing nostalgic window in time...

Enjoying Lemmings on the Acorn Archimedes A3010... youtube.com/shorts/gWxUa...

Visiting ZZAP! Live 2025 I recorded, edited and published 3 new videos. The event covers primarily Amiga, C64 but also includes a variety of other platforms. It was a fun day and it was great to be able to interview a few of the individuals there... Enjoy! www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

The demo for the new UrbX Warriors is out... This new title coming to Spectrum Next, Windows, macOS & Linux is a retro-style arcade game that launched on Kickstarter yesterday smashing its target in under an hour! You can find out more here: www.pixelrefresh.com/urbx-warrior...

Thanks to @tonywarriner.bsky.social & @stoocambridge.bsky.social who at ZAPP Live! 2025 in the UK invited me to discuss their new game UrbX Warriors. It's a brand new pixel art arcade adventure, which is launching on Kickstarter! I hope you enjoy my video! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlb3...

Thanks to @tonywarriner.bsky.social & @stoocambridge.bsky.social who at ZAPP Live! 2025 in the UK invited me to discuss their new game UrbX Warriors. It's a brand new pixel art arcade adventure, which is launching on Kickstarter! I hope you enjoy my video! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlb3...