On this special edition of NPC, Federico, John, and Brendon react to Nintendo’s video announcement about the Switch 2, dig through every detail of the video for clues, and consider how things are likely to play out in the coming months.

Nintendo Switch 2 Announcement Reactions

• Nintendo Switch 2 – First Look Trailer
• Nintendo Switch 2 Experience
• Nintendo Switch 2 has finally been announced, releasing 2025
• GameCube Keyboard Controller
• GameCube Accessories

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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In the first NPC episode of 2025, Brendon and John recap their CES experience with Federico, highlighting AMD’s new Z2 chips, the SteamOS-powered Legion Go S, and more. Together, they explore the technologies and trends poised to define the next generation of portable consoles.

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Links and Show Notes

Unpacking CES 2025

• More from Brendon and John on the MacStories YouTube channel
• AMD Announces the Z2 Chip
• The new AMD Z2 chips are nice, ok, and weird
• Other Devices
• Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) brings AMD Strix Halo to tablets
• Up close with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 FE, an incredibly compact flagship video card
• Thunderbolt 5 and ASUS’s new XG Mobile eGPU
• ASUS just announced the world’s first Thunderbolt 5 eGPU — the 2025 XG Mobile
• SteamOS News
• GeForce NOW CES 2025 Steam Deck and Mixed-Reality Devices
• Lenovo Legion Go S pre-orders are happening now at Best Buy Polygon
• SteamOS expands beyond Steam Deck
• Lenovo Legion Tab
• Lenovo’s new Legion Tab is an 8.8 inch Android gaming tablet for $500 and up
• GameSir X2S Controller
• Nitro Blaze 11
• Hands-on with the Nitro Blaze 11, Acer’s massive new PC gaming handheld

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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To close out 2024, Federico, John, and Brendon present the first-ever HOTYs: the 2024 Handhelds of the Year awards, celebrating the best handheld gaming devices, custom firmware, and, of course, the Handheld of the Year.

Links and Show Notes

The 2024 Handhelds of the Year Awards

• Best Handheld under 4"
• Winner: Anbernic RG35XXSP
• Runners-Up:
• Anbernic RG Cube
• AYANEO Pocket Micro
• TrimUI Brick
• Also Mentioned:
• Anbernic RG28XXH and RG49XXV
• Best Handheld Between 4 and 7"
• Winner: Any Odin 2
• Runners-Up:
• Ayn Odin Mini
• Retroid Pocket 5
• Best 7" or Larger Handheld
• Winner: Steam Deck OLED
• Runners-Up:
• Legion Go
• Asus ROG Ally X
• Best Custom Firmware
• Winner: MuOS
• Runners-Up:
• Spruce
• MinUI
• Best Overall Handheld for Retro Gaming
• Winner: The Smartphone
• Runners-Up:
• Anbernic RG35XXSP
• TrimUI Brick
• Ayn Odin 2
• Best Overall Handheld for Modern Games
• Winner: Steam Deck
• Runners-Up
• Ayn Odin 2
• Handheld of the Year
• Winner: Ayn Odin 2

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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As the year comes to a close, handheld makers haven’t slowed down. We have new devices in hand and on the horizon, plus Legion Go S and Switch 2 rumors, Brendon’s first impressions of the TrimUI Brick, Federico’s latest NDI streaming experiments, new AR glasses and more.

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Links and Show Notes

The MacStories DS Skins for Delta

• Celebrate the MacStories Selects App of the Year with the MacStories DS Skins for Delta
• Available for $3.00 on the new MacStories Store

Follow-Up

• Jason Snell gets a Miyoo Mini+
• Upgrade+ segment
• Based on Brendon’s recommendation
• The Two Best Entry-Level Handhelds Are On Sale
• Anbernic RG35XXSP hardware updates
• Pokémon Emerald Legacy
• Video
• Update: Pokémon Emerald Legacy Out Now

The Latest Portable Gaming News

• Android XR
• Sony, Lynx, And Xreal Are Building Android XR Devices Too
• Android XR is Google’s new operating system for headsets and smart glasses
• Android XR and Project Moohan hands-on Gemini is the killer app
• Hands-On With Samsung’s Android XR Headset, Shipping In 2025
• Anbernic Hour: Anbernic RG34XX
• Anbernic is Just Making a Game Boy Advance
• No Tweaks Necessary
• Miyoo Flip Watch
• Demo video
• A trailer
• First Miyoo Flip Reviews (Sort Of) Pop Up On Youtube
• Lenovo Legion Go S leak shows renders of the cheaper handheld gaming PC
• Blurry shots of purportedly leaked Switch 2 Joy-Con

Topics

• TrimUI Brick: Brendon’s First Impressions
• No Tweaks Necessary
• My Simple TrimUI Brick Setup (MinUI Guide)
• Available from AliExpress and Amazon
• Federico Levels Up His NDI Setup
• Old device: Kiloview N40
• New device: Kiloview N60
• Vxio
• A Comprehensive Guide to Gaming on the Apple Vision Pro
• The XREAL One AR glasses
• On Amazon
• Satechi Mobile XR Hub

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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Tencent and Intel announce a huge handheld, Sony is taking its time, reviewers share early hands-on testing of the Ayn Odin Portal, the Miyoo Mini Flip is spotted across the Internet, Samsung files an intriguing portable gaming patent, and a new eGPU is on the way. Plus, Brendon revisits the Anbernic RG35XXSP, Federico has a mini-surprise, and John and Federico share their first impressions of the Retroid Pocket 5.

Links and Show Notes

The Latest Portable Gaming News

• An NPC reader poll
• Which will be first a Steam Deck console or Xbox handheld
• Mastodon: Steam Deck Console first (57% to 43%)
• Threads: An Xbox handheld will be first (73% to 27%)
• Tencent and Intel Announce the Sunday Dragon 3D One
• News about Sony’s upcoming handheld from Bloomberg
• Ayn Odin Portal first impressions are out
• Retro Game Corps - First Impressions
• The Miyoo Flip Returns
• Surfaced images of the carrying case, final hardware, and packaging
• 11 Anbernic Handhelds in 2024
• Samsung Patents Foldable Gaming Handheld Design
• AOOSTAR AG02 EGPU Dock with OCulink/USB4 Port，Built-in Huntkey 500W Power Supply

Topics

• Brendon Revisits the Anbernic RG35XXSP
  • Anbernic RG35XXSP
  • Anbernic RG351P
  • Into the Aether - GBA episode
• Federico’s Surprise
  • White Steam Deck
• Retroid Pocket 5 First Impressions
  • Retroid Pocket 5

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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For the latest episode, Brendon explains the cronut, the AYANEO 3 Windows handheld has been announced, we consider Anbernic burnout, Federico shares his PS5 Pro first impressions, we speculate about Microsoft’s handheld future, and on the heels of Brendon’s trip to France, we have thoughts on traveling with handhelds and downsizing our handheld setups.

Links and Show Notes

Is the Cronut from New York?

• Cronut

The Latest Portable Gaming News

• Hori’s officially licensed Steam controller is coming to the US
• Imagine if Valve made a Steam Deck controller
• tomtoc Carrying Case for Hori Nintendo Switch Split Pad Compact
• The story of the Nintendo Switch in 15 slides VentureBeat
• The story of the Nintendo Switch in 15 slides VentureBeat
• AYANEO 3 handheld gaming PC will be available with RDNA 3.5 graphics and OLED display options - Liliputing
• The Anbernic RG406H Looks Like a Stretched RG Cube
• Nvidia’s new app replacement for GeForce Experience is now out of beta - The Verge
• Microsoft’s Gaming Chief Is Still Open to Acquisitions After Activision Deal - Bloomberg
• Steam Deck OLED: Limited Edition White - Launching Worldwide Next Week
• The Miyoo Flip Has Appeared Again
• Also mentioned:
• Federico got a Sony PS5 Pro
• Hori Splitpad Pro Compact
• Beelink SER8

A Travel Handheld

• AYN Odin2 Mini
• Any Odin handheld could be your only handheld console
• Waterfield CitySlicker for Steam Deck
• GPD Win4 2024
• Retroid Pocket 5 vs AYN Odin 2 Mini: is $129 too much more? from Adin Walls
• Beelink GPU Docking Station

Games Mentioned

• Dragon Age: The Veilguard
• Cool Bird! (feat. Dragon Age: The Veilguard
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
• Mario & Luigi Brothership
• Dragon Quest III HD–2D Remake
• Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past
• Dragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed King

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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This week, we have lots of smartphone gaming news, console mods, a first peek at the future of Windows handheld gaming, and more. Plus, John shares his first impressions of the Ayaneo Pocket Micro, while Brendon digs into OG hardware with the Nintendo DSi and Sony PSP.

Links and Show Notes

The Latest Portable Gaming News

• iOS Gaming News:
• Pokémon TCG Pocket
• Nintendo Music
• Console Mods:
• PS4 turned into a handheld
• Xbox handheld
• Other Handheld News:
• Anbernic RG ARC XX rumors
• Ayn Odin Portal Indiegogo campaign launched
• Ayaneo EVO and Pocket DMG delayed by a few weeks but the Pocket Micro shipped.
• Next-Gen Windows Handhelds:
• AMD’s Ryzen Z2 chips could bring Strix Point graphics to handhelds in 2025 (Updated)
• OneXFly F1 Pro Unveiled with 144Hz OLED, Ryzen Power, and ‘Zero Drift’ Sticks
• Smartphone gaming
• Asus ROG Phone 9 is coming on November 19 (gaming smartphone with Snapdragon 8 Elite) - Liliputing
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor featuring Oryon CPU cores and next-gen Adreno graphics
• 8BitDo Ultimate Mobile Gaming Controller
• Apple rumored to be working on new App Store-like app dedicated to games
• Netflix is laying off gaming staff

New Handhelds

• John covers the Ayaneo Pocket Micro 
• Brendon has a new matte black Nintendo DSi and modded Sony PSP
• DSi Guide to modding the DSi
• Also mentioned:
• Kit & Krysta YouTube channel
• PXPlay app
• Other games mentioned:
• Soma Bringer
• Brave Story: New Traveler
• Call of Duty Black Ops 6

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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This week, Federico and John carry on without Brendon and profess their love of all things OLED. Plus, Federico shares a shopping confession, Anbernic is back to its bi-weekly ways, we explore inventive controllers and answer a listener question about the Ayn Odin 2, before Federico tells the origin story of his Wii, which he modded to offload his game library to his collection of handhelds.

Links and Show Notes

The Latest Portable Gaming News

• Ayn announces Odin Portal
• MuOS Banana is out
• Brendon’s installation guide
• Federico’s Confession
• Ayn Odin Mini
• Hypatia texture pack for Wind Waker
• Budget Controller
• A less powerful RG Cube
• ANBERNIC’s Upcoming Leaked Handheld Could Feature Two Displays
• Pocket Play: An new iPhone controller coming soon to Kickstarter
• GameSir Taratuala Pro
• GameSir reveal trailer
• Techno Pocket Go
• A keyboard with a PC in it
• Alarmo
• Xbox will let you stream any game from your library
• Open Source Cartridge Reader
• CDRDAO
• How to dump your PSX Games (for Mac)

Credits

• Show Art: Brendon Bigley
• Music: Will LaPorte

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This week, Federico, Brendon, and John cover the latest in Nintendo emulation, a mysterious Nintendo device appears at the FCC, John has a Switch surprise, Microsoft reveals its best-looking controller yet, and Federico mods his Legion Go.

Links and Show Notes

Intro

• Federico’s new white microphone arm:
• TONOR Microphone Boom Arm
• G-STORY 15.6" Inch IPS 4k 60Hz Portable Monitor Gaming Display Integrated with PS5
• G-STORY 15.6 inch Portable Monitor | Xbox Series S

The Latest Portable Gaming News

• Wii U on Android with Cemu
• Beta on GitHub
• Retro Game Corp. and Nintendo
• Ryuninx Shut Down
• What’s this new mystery Nintendo device?
• N64 Operator from Epilogue
• GB Operator by Epilogue
• Save the Hero cartridge reader
• EmuDeck Cloud Sync
• M-Con Controller
• M-Con update
• Retro Game Corps first look
• Switch Lite DIY OLED kit
• Nintendo Switch Lite: Hyrule Edition
• Retro Remake Super 5 OLED Kits
• REDMAGIC gaming tablet
• Ghost Cipher Special Edition Series Xbox Controller
• Balatro Makes a Pile of Cash
• On Apple Arcade
• On App Store
• Leak suggests Legion Go Lite will be out soon

Topics

• Federico’s Legion Go SSD Mod
  • Legion Go

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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This week, our thoughts on 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, a look at the Anbernic RG40XXV retro handled, and we reach peak Joy-Con with Mobapad’s M6 HD.

Links and Show Notes

Federico’s Espresso Machine

• DeLonghi EC9355M La Specialista Prestigio Espresso Machine

The Latest Portable Gaming News

• Switch 2 Rumors
• The Switch 2 may have leaked already
• Nintendo Switch 2: Everything we know about the coming release
• Rumor: Chinese Leak Reveals Alleged Nintendo Switch 2 Production Photos and Detailed Specs
• Also mentioned:
• Hori Split-Pad Compact Switch Controller
• Mobapad M6 HD Joycons Nintendo Switch Controller Pro
• Sony 30th Anniversary PS5
• Connected, Episode 519 ‘I Got the RGB Going On’
• Celebrating 30 years of PlayStation with a nostalgic look
• Also mentioned:
• Who is the PS5 Pro Actually For?
• FREKVENS speaker
• Retroid Pocket 5 and Mini Update
• AMD confirms Z2 Extreme chip, aims to boost PC gaming handheld battery life by over 300%
• HTC announces the Vive Focus Vision with color passthrough and an eye on gaming
• Who killed TouchArcade?
• Also mentioned:
• Blink
• PlayStation Portal
• Astro Bot
• Also mentioned:
• PlayStation Remote Play app gets renamed to chiaki-ng (chiaki-next-generation)
• Chiaki-ng
• Nintendo Wii Mini
• PlayStation TV was a baffling idea and I deeply love mine
• Anbernic RG40XXV
• Retro Game Corps. Review
• On Amazon
• Mobapad M6 HD Joycons Nintendo Switch Controller Pro
• Games Mentioned
• Final Fantasy: Rebirth
• Astro Bot
• UFO 50

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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