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.
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
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.
All of MacStories’ podcasts are now available on our YouTube channel. Currently, Comfort Zone is the only show that includes video, but now you can also listen to our audio-only shows via YouTube. Here are links to each show:
Each podcast is available in YouTube’s app, YouTube Music, and the YouTube website. Audio-only shows include episode art in place of a video and access to show notes just like in a dedicated podcast app. Plus, you can add your favorite shows to the ‘Your Podcasts’ section of your YouTube Library so you never miss an episode.
You may have heard Federico or me talk about our plans to expand MacStories’ presence on YouTube before. Adding the audio-only podcasts to MacStories’ YouTube channel is another step in that direction, but there’s still more to come. The channel has grown quickly since we launched it alongside Comfort Zone, and with the addition of our five other podcasts, it has become a one-stop destination for our entire lineup of shows and their back catalogs. Subscribe today to enjoy your favorite shows and to keep on top of everything to come.
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
This week, Federico and I share tips on iPadOS, macOS, RSS, cross-platform file transfers, and more.
For episode 3 of NPC, we cover the latest news about the Ayn Odin2 Mini, ONEXPLAYER X1 Mini, Asus ROG Ally X, the Anbernic RG Cube, and more, John finally received his transparent blue Anbernic RG35XXSP, Brendon got a surprise in the mail, and Federico shares his first impressions of the Powkiddy RGB30.
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
This week, Federico takes us on his journey to build the world’s best eGPU, and we take a first look at the Anbernic RG35XXSP, a foldable retro handheld that two out of the three of us have received.
This week, Federico and John recap WWDC week with more on their early testing of the iOS and iPadOS 18 betas and an in-depth conversation about why they are disappointed with Apple’s decision to train its large language models on the Open Web.
Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
This week on NPC: Next Portable Console, Federico, Brendon and I introduce NPC, compare handheld gaming origin stories, and share our current setups before Federico springs a surprise on us.
This week on AppStories, Federico and I introduce Comfort Zone and NPC: Next Portable Console, two new MacStories podcasts, and share our wishes for watchOS and tvOS updates.
