Store, Organize, and Work the Smart Way
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This week, Federico and John cover the highlights of macOS Sequoia, a good update that feels unfinished.
In the latest episode, we share our thoughts on the Nintendo Switch 2 rumors, Sony’s PS5 nostalgia-fest, and more handheld news. Plus, Federico explains how Astro Bot makes sense of the PS Portal, I share a look at the Anbernic RG40XXV retro handled, and we reach peak Joy-Con with Mobapad’s M6 HD.
Friday is Relay’s annual Podcastathon for St. Jude. They’re raising money during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and the Podcastathon is a fun 12-hour live streamed show from your favorite Relay hosts that begins at Noon Eastern on Friday, September 20th. If you haven’t donated, yet, you can do so here. It’s a great cause that we’d love MacStories readers to get behind. For more details be sure to see my post from August.
As you can imagine, our pals Stephen and Myke are a little busy getting ready for their big show at the end of the week. So, they did something very trusting and handed over this week’s Connected episode to Federico who invited me and Brendon, his co-hosts on NPC: Next Portable Console, to join him.
The episode was a blast, covering topics like:
Plus, for the Connected Pro segment, subscribers got to hear all about our weird super powers.
Thanks to Myke, Stephen, and Federico for having Brendon and me on Connected today, so we could put a temporary NPC spin on the show.
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
This week, Federico and John finish their tour of the apps they use for work and play to be productive.
On AppStories+, Federico has an iPad surprise for John.
This episode is sponsored by:
This week, Anbernic comes through with another retro handheld, PC makers announce new Windows handhelds, an iPhone case built for the Delta emulator, and Federico declares his love for a gaming pillow.
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
This week, Federico and I celebrate episode 400 by considering what the future will hold for apps 400 more episodes from now.
On AppStories+, Federico reveals why he’s using the third generation AirPods.
On NPC, Brendon, Federico, and I cover newly announced handhelds, a gaming pillow, and other news before covering how Federico is dual booting Windows and SteamOS on his ASUS ROG Ally X and an update on retro handhelds from Brendon and me.
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
This week, Federico and John rethink podcast apps, exploring why it’s such a tricking category to get right for the greatest number of users.
This week, Federico returns to join John and Brendon to recap the latest portable gaming news before Federico drops a massive GameCube surprise on his co-hosts.
Today, we’re expanding NPC: Next Portable Console to include video on YouTube. The reception to the show has been fantastic. NPC debuted in the top five on the Apple Podcasts Video Game chart and has been attracting more listeners every week as an audio-only podcast on YouTube. However, with videogames being such a popular category on YouTube, we knew we could do more for listeners by adding a proper video version of the show.
So beginning today, you can watch NPC on the MacStories YouTube channel:
Today’s episode was the perfect place to start with video. I don’t want to give away Federico’s surprises here, but he plotted a big reveal for months that he springs on Brendon and me in today’s episode. It’s a deep dive into the console modding community and a classic Federico reveal. As always, we highlight the latest portable gaming news, too.
If you haven’t tried NPC or checked out the MacStories YouTube channel yet, you can subscribe to NPC on YouTube or subscribe to the MacStories channel for access to all six of our podcasts and more. Of course, all of our shows are available as audio-only podcasts too.
Thanks to everyone who has listened to NPC and our other new shows these past few months. It means a lot to us. Our ongoing experiments with YouTube are a direct result of the enthusiasm for the shows and something we plan to do more of in the coming months.
Earlier this year, Neil Long of mobilegamer.biz published an inside look at Apple Arcade from game developers’ perspectives. The story reflected developers’ frustration stemming from their interactions with Apple, project cancelations, declining revenue, and more. The story didn’t paint a pretty picture.
This week, Long is back with a follow-up story that cites anonymous developer sources, claiming that developers have to wait months for payments, Apple is slow and unresponsive to support requests and other inquiries, and the Vision Pro struggles to run ‘complex’ games.
The list of problems cited is long and worth reading in full because it has led some of Long’s sources to conclude that they’re symptoms of a more fundamental problem:
…[J]ust like last time, most developers agreed that Apple sees games and game developers as a ‘necessary evil’, and that Arcade appears to be directionless and lacking in support from the rest of the tech giant.
“Arcade has no clear strategy and feels like a bolt-on to the Apple company ecosystem rather than like it is truly supported inside the company,” said one source. “Apple 100% does not understand gamers – they have little to no info on who plays their games that they can share with developers, or how they interact with games on the platform already.”
It’s important to take the complaints of unnamed sources with a grain of salt. However, it’s impossible to look at what’s going on with Arcade and App Store gaming in general – which Brendon and I discussed on NPC: Next Portable Console this week – and not conclude that Apple needs to shake up its approach to videogames.
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In the latest episode, Brendon and John go it alone without Federico with Powkiddy V10 follow-up, a report on Brendon’s first week with the Nothing CMF Phone 1 and a first look at the Ayn Odin2 Mini. Along the way, they also consider the less-than-stellar sales of AAA games on the iPhone, Analogue’s spendy aluminum Pocket, and the Xreal Beam Pro, before veering into a philosophical discussion of gaming on phones versus dedicated devices, comparing notes on their Miyoo Mini A30 setup experiences, and mulling over whether to start modding handhelds.
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
This week, Federico and John run down the highlights of the iOS and iPadOS 18 public betas that were released today.
On AppStories+, Federico and John compare earbud notes, covering recent models from Sennheiser, Technics, and Beats.
It was a busy news week in the world of portable gaming hardware, plus Federico’s quest for cable perfection continues, a return of the Steam Deck, and a look at mobile phone gaming, controllers, and more.
