There’s something delightfully absurd about stuffing a 12-core processor with an AI accelerator into a box designed to look like it belongs in your parents’ living room circa 1987. But that’s exactly what Acemagic has done with the Retro X5, and after spending weeks tracking this product since its CES 2026 debut, I’m torn between calling it brilliant and calling it bonkers. It might be both.
The Retro X5 copies the NES outline. AYANEO’s AM02 borrowed the same aesthetic while keeping things tastefully abstract; Acemagic’s approach is more brazen: the beige-and-gray case, the boxy proportions, the lines where the cartridge slot would be, even a big red power button on the front. As Liliputing noted, it looks “almost exactly like an NES,” and that’s clearly the point. Acemagic is leaning into the nostalgia hard.
The Retro X5 runs an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU and Radeon 890M
Strix Point is AMD’s name for the Zen 5 family behind the flagship configuration’s processor. The HX 370 has 12 cores and 24 threads, with four high-performance Zen 5 cores handling heavy lifting and eight Zen 5c efficiency cores managing background tasks. The boost clock reaches 5.1 GHz. Early CES coverage from TweakTown and Liliputing listed Ryzen AI 400-series options (the 465 and the HX 470); Acemagic’s own spec page and the model that shipped use the HX 370.
The integrated Radeon 890M runs 16 RDNA 3.5 compute units at up to 2900 MHz. TweakTown’s CES coverage confirmed that the GPU is “powerful enough to run most games at 60 FPS at 1080p as well as emulate classic console and gaming hardware.” For retro emulation specifically, the Radeon 890M should handle everything from NES and SNES through PlayStation 2 and GameCube.
The Retro X5 supports up to 64GB of DDR5 SO-DIMM RAM across two slots and up to 4TB of M.2 2280 NVMe storage across two slots. The high-speed connectivity is generous for a box this size:
- USB4, WiFi 7, and Bluetooth 5.4
- Dual 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports
- Front panel: two USB Type-A ports, a USB Type-C connector, and a headphone jack
- Rear panel: HDMI, DisplayPort, and additional USB ports
Our mini PC comparison chart has the port counts for the rest of the class.
RetroPlay Box preloads the emulators; the AI features come later
The Retro X5 ships with Acemagic’s RetroPlay Box software, which Acemagic calls an all-in-one emulation frontend that removes much of the setup friction that typically comes with retro gaming on a PC. According to Acemagic’s official page, the software provides a dedicated interface with organized emulators so users can load their own ROMs and start playing with minimal configuration. If you’ve ever spent an afternoon wrestling with RetroArch configurations or tracking down BIOS files, the appeal of a pre-configured solution is obvious.
RetroPlay Box is also planned to tie into the Ryzen AI 9’s neural processing unit, which delivers up to 50 TOPS of AI compute performance. Acemagic has outlined plans for AI-powered game recommendations, automatic translation for games that were never officially localized for Western markets, and even in-game assistance features. Ubergizmo reported that these AI functions would run entirely locally on the NPU, avoiding the latency and privacy concerns that come with cloud-based processing.
Those AI features are promises, not shipping functionality. NotebookCheck’s coverage confirmed that the AI capabilities will be “continuously developed further” and rolled out in progressive updates. The base RetroPlay Box experience at launch will likely be a straightforward emulation frontend, which is perfectly fine on its own. Just don’t buy this expecting an AI-powered retro gaming butler on day one.
The hardware works as a full desktop, not just a gaming mini PC
You could run a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 with 64GB of DDR5 and NVMe storage as your daily driver for web development, photo editing, video production, or even local AI model inference. The dual 2.5G Ethernet ports make it a capable home server candidate, and the WiFi 7 support means wireless performance shouldn’t be a bottleneck.
Acemagic and TweakTown both noted that the Retro X5 supports both Windows 11 and Linux. That leaves room for a SteamOS install. Imagine a NES-shaped box on your entertainment center that boots directly into your Steam library. For a certain type of person (and I am absolutely that type of person), this is deeply appealing. The Radeon 890M can handle a surprising number of modern games at 1080p, and between native gaming, Steam Remote Play, and cloud gaming services, you’d have a versatile entertainment machine.
The compact dimensions help here too. At roughly 140 x 128 x 41 mm (about 5.5 x 5 x 1.6 inches), the Retro X5 is small enough to sit on a shelf next to actual vintage consoles without looking out of place.
Acemagic’s NES box joins a growing set of retro-styled mini PCs
AYANEO has been building retro-inspired mini PCs for a couple of years now, starting with the AM01 and the more NES-flavored AM02 that launched in 2024. AYANEO kept its designs more suggestive than literal, while Acemagic has gone for unmistakable console replication.
Beyond the NES-inspired Retro X5, Acemagic showed CES 2026 designs inspired by the original PlayStation 1 and Sega Dreamcast. The PlayStation variant even features two buttons on top: one for power and another dedicated to Microsoft’s Copilot service, which is an incongruous detail on a machine designed to look like a 1994 Sony console. These alternate designs share the same internal hardware and port selection as the Retro X5, differing primarily in their external shell.
There’s also a budget option. The Retro X3 uses an AMD Ryzen 7 H 255 processor with 8 cores, Radeon 780M integrated graphics, WiFi 6, and a similar NES-inspired design. It opened for pre-order in China at approximately $273 for a barebones configuration (no RAM or storage), and Acemagic’s store now lists a 16GB, 512GB X3 at $799, discounted to $549 when I checked in early September 2026. For buyers who want the aesthetic without the flagship price, the Retro X3 could be an interesting alternative, though the step down in GPU performance from Radeon 890M to 780M will matter for more demanding emulation targets.
The X5 lists at $1,159 and sold out on Acemagic’s store
The China launch came first: Liliputing’s update notes the Retro X5 went on sale there in February with the HX 370 model at $940 and up. Acemagic’s own store now lists the X5 with 32GB of DDR5 and a 1TB SSD at $1,159, and it showed as sold out when I checked in early September 2026. That is well above the $600 to $900 I guessed at launch; the X5 is priced like a flagship mini PC, not a novelty. If you want a retro-styled mini PC you can order today, the Retro X3 is in stock and AYANEO’s lineup remains the other option.
Independent reviews are still the missing piece. The Zen 5 processor, the Radeon 890M, an NPU capable of running local AI workloads, and a form factor that doubles as shelf art make for an unusual package, and at $1,159 the X5 competes with mini PCs that have review histories and cheaper high-end siblings in Acemagic’s own catalog.
For now, the Retro X5 is the mini PC I most want to see reviewed. If you want to see the look on guests’ faces when your NES boots into Windows 11, watch the store page for a restock. Just don’t hold your breath on the AI-powered game translation features.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the price of the Acemagic Retro X5?
Acemagic’s store lists the Retro X5 with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD at $1,159, and the China launch in February 2026 started at about $940. The cheaper Retro X3 lists at $799 and has sold for $549.
Has Acemagic announced a Retro X5 release date?
It went on sale in China in February 2026 and is now listed on Acemagic’s own store, where the X5 showed as sold out in early September 2026. The Retro X3 is in stock.
What are the Retro X5 specifications?
The flagship configuration runs a 12-core, 24-thread Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 that boosts to 5.1 GHz, with Radeon 890M graphics on 16 RDNA 3.5 compute units. Memory tops out at 64GB of DDR5 SO-DIMM, storage at 4TB across two M.2 2280 slots. USB4, WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and dual 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet cover connectivity.
Are mini PCs good for retro gaming?
The Radeon 890M should handle emulation from NES and SNES up through PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Getting emulators, ROMs, and BIOS files configured takes longer than any of those games need to run, which is the friction RetroPlay Box exists to remove.
