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Ben Aronoff

HARDWARE & PRESERVATION CORRESPONDENT — STARESBACK.GG

Ben covers the hardware end of retro gaming: FPGA cores, real-cartridge dumping, capture setups, CRT vs scaler workflows, and the legal and physical preservation infrastructure that keeps old games playable. Background as a museum-adjacent technical archivist plus several years of MiSTer / Analogue Pocket benchmark testing. The point of the column is to make a hardware decision feel like a reasoned choice rather than an internet-forum personality test.

On the record

Contact: [email protected] · Site policies: about, legal · Library credits: attribution file.

POSTS — EDITED & FACT-CHECKED

Are Emulators Legal? The Honest Guide (2026)EDITED & FACT-CHECKED · 11 MIN READ · 2026-06-11The 10 Best Free NES Homebrew Games (Playable in Your Browser)EDITED & FACT-CHECKED · 12 MIN READ · 2026-06-11What Is Homebrew? How Hobbyists Keep Dead Consoles AliveEDITED & FACT-CHECKED · 10 MIN READ · 2026-06-11How to Play Retro Games Online — No Downloads, No Piracy (2026)EDITED & FACT-CHECKED · 10 MIN READ · 2026-06-11Cave Story: The Freeware Masterpiece That Changed Indie GamesEDITED & FACT-CHECKED · 10 MIN READ · 2026-06-11Retroid Pocket 5 vs Flip 2 vs Pocket 6 in 2026EDITED & FACT-CHECKED · 13 MIN READ · 2026-06-11Retroid Pocket in 2026: A Practical ComparisonEDITED & FACT-CHECKED · 10 MIN READ · 2026-06-11PS5 vs Xbox Series X in 2026: the blunt comparisonEDITED & FACT-CHECKED · 13 MIN READ · 2026-06-11RetroArch Netplay Setup 2026: Lag-Free BasicsEDITED & FACT-CHECKED · 7 MIN READ · 2026-06-11Video Game Preservation in 2026: Archives vs. ObsolescenceEDITED & FACT-CHECKED · 10 MIN READ · 2026-06-11