NPC: Next Portable Console

Brick Gang Feb 25, 2025

On the latest NPC, ASUS gaming phones, Retroid’s big surprise, and more Nintendo emulation drama, plus 8BitDo tries to solve the iPhone vertical controller problem, Federico weighs in on the Any Odin2 Portal, and the whole gang has nothing but love for the TrimUI Brick.

Links and Show Notes

Follow-Up

The Latest Portable Gaming News

8BitDo Micro Clip

8BitDo Micro controller

Link to Clip

Federico’s First Impressions of the Ayn Odin2 Portal

Ayn Odin2 Portal

TrimUI Brick

The gang shares their love for the Brick

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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SteamOS on Windows with Bazzite Feb 11, 2025

This week, Brendon, Federico, and John consider how the Switch 2 will impact the wider handheld market, recap the specs and benchmarks for the Legion Go S and 2, and cover new devices coming from Anbernic and AYANEO. Then, Brendon shares his experience running Bazzite on the ASUS ROG Ally X.

Links and Show Notes

The Latest Portable Gaming News

What handheld PCs should do to fight the Nintendo Switch 2

Everyone is Underestimating Mouse Mode

Running Bazzite on the ASUS ROG Ally X

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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Peas, a Rubber Band, and an iPad Jan 28, 2025

It’s a packed episode with a post Switch 2 reveal vibe check and more on iPhone game controller innovation, plus John’s early impressions of the Ayn Odin2 Portal, Brendon’s review of the Miyoo Flip, and Federico’s long 2DS/3DS emulation journey.

Links and Show Notes

iPhone Controller Innovation

MCON’s Kickstarter Campaign
8BitDo’s Micro Controller Clip
GamSir’s Unnamed Combo Controller and Battery Prototype

More on Wavelengths and MacStories

The Bitmo Lab GAMEBABY

Ayn Odin2 Portal

Miyoo Flip

Federico’s 3DS Journey

Microsoft Surface 2 Duo
Steam Deck

iPad Pro 4
Lenovo Legion Y700 (2024 model), available only from China

Note: Brendon mentioned that it const $300, but that’s the 2023 model
Example of graphics quality

Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 3, which will be available worldwide soon
Nintendo 2DS

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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Nintendo Switch 2: Reactions and First Theories Jan 16, 2025

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

GameCube Accessories

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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Unpacking CES 2025 Jan 14, 2025

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

Lenovo Legion Tab

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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Federico and John:

MacStories.net

Brendon:

Wavelengths.online

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The 2024 Handhelds of the Year Awards Dec 31, 2024

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:

Also Mentioned:

Anbernic RG28XXH and RG49XXV

Best Handheld Between 4 and 7"

Winner: Any Odin 2
Runners-Up:

Best 7" or Larger Handheld

Winner: Steam Deck OLED
Runners-Up:

Best Custom Firmware

Winner: MuOS
Runners-Up:

Spruce
MinUI

Best Overall Handheld for Retro Gaming

Winner: The Smartphone
Runners-Up:

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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Worst Cable, Favorite Handheld Dec 17, 2024

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.

Sponsored By:

Pika – Sign up today to start telling your story and use code NPC20 for 20% off your first year of Pika Pro.

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

The Latest Portable Gaming News

Miyoo Flip Watch

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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Putting the 'P' in Portable Dec 03, 2024

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
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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A Handheld in Paris Nov 19, 2024

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

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

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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Dream Devices Nov 05, 2024

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:

Console Mods:

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:

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:

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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Still Kickin' at the Videogame Store Oct 22, 2024

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

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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A Little SSD Cage Oct 08, 2024

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:

The Latest Portable Gaming News

Wii U on Android with Cemu

Ryuninx Shut Down
What’s this new mystery Nintendo device?
N64 Operator from Epilogue

M-Con Controller

Switch Lite DIY OLED kit

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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Switch 2 Ways Sep 24, 2024

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

Sony 30th Anniversary PS5

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

Anbernic RG40XXV

Mobapad M6 HD Joycons Nintendo Switch Controller Pro
Games Mentioned

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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Pillow Talk Sep 10, 2024

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.

The Latest Portable Gaming News

The new Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box 8K amps up the immersive entertainment experience

Editor’s Note: Pricing details were released after NPC was recorded

CMF by Nothing Phone 1/MakerWorld Contest

Also mentioned

Gaming Pillows

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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My Dogs Are My Gaming Pillow Aug 27, 2024

This week, Brendon, Federico, and John 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 John.

Links and Show Notes

The Latest Portable Gaming News

Zotac Zone

Also: Hands-on with the ZOTAC ZONE at Gamescom

Retroid Pocket Mini teaser trailer

Also: Adin Walls, The Future of Retro Gaming

ANBERNIC Secretly Reveals New RG40XX V With “Ultra-Narrow Bezel”

Also: Anbernic RG40XXV In-Depth Review, Retro Game Corps

Valve confirms it’ll support the ROG Ally with its Steam Deck operating system

Let this tiny bean bag chair for your lap hold your heavy handhelds

Gaming Pillow
Also: Viture Pro Mobile Dock

Also: Miitomo

Dual Booting Windows and SteamOS on the ASUS Ally X

A Retro Handheld Check-In

Games Mentioned

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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GameCube To Go Aug 13, 2024

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.

Links and Show Notes

The Latest Portable Gaming News

Ticci’s Surprises

Into the Aether VII: The Nintendo GameCube
Hacking the Wii

GingerOfMods

The Emulation Angle

RG Cube
Ayn Odin 2
Managing Saves

Dolphin for Desktop

DS Emulation

Ashida Wii

Best Built

Twelve South AirFly Pro for Bluetooth headphones
Games Mentioned

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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A Pizza and a Vita Jul 30, 2024

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.

Links and Show Notes

Follow-Up

The Latest Portable Gaming News

New Limited Edition Aluminium Analogue Pockets Drop With A Premium Price

The Xreal Beam Pro has good ideas about AR — but not enough juice
Nothing CMF Phone 1 First Impressions

Nothing’s CMF Phone 1 is proof that gadgets can still be fun
Retroid Pocket 4 Pro
Ayn Odin 2
GameSir Galileo G8
Into the Aether: The Sega Dreamcast
Front Ends

Also mentioned

Boox Palma

New Gear

Modding

Games Mentioned

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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I Found This Cable Via a Google Ad Jul 16, 2024

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.

Links and Show Notes

News

The GB Operator Is Adding Game Boy Camera Support

Also Discussed:

Save the Hero Builders cartridge reader

Portgate

The first Thunderbolt 5 cables are here, but there’s barely anything to plug in

Federico’s 10m USB 4 Fiber Cable

Federico Dips Back into the Steam Deck

Mobile Phone Gaming

Netflix Gaming

Local and Cloud Streaming

Controllers

Retro Game Corps Review

Sean Fletcher’s Delta skins
Game Mode and Game Porting Toolkit 2

Games Mentioned

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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The Google Play Store Around Your Neck Jul 01, 2024

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.

Links and Show Notes

The Latest Portable Gaming News

Ayn Odin2 Mini

🎙️ The Ayn Odin 2 with John Voorhees

ONEXPLAYER X1 Mini

The OneXPlayer X1 Mini is the most feature-packed handheld gaming PC yet

AUS ROG Ally X

Anbernic RG Cube

FUN + POWER = RG Cube Review

Nintendo Switch Lite Hyrule Edition

Where to Preorder Nintendo Switch Lite: Hyrule Edition

Anbernic RG35XXSP Follow-Up

The Anbernic RG35XXSP | A Review
Anbernic RG35XX SP: An Almost Beginner’s Guide
Another MuOS Install Guide
Anbernic RG28XX
A Capacitive Touch OLED Screen Replacement For The Game Boy Color!
SakuraRetroModding
An Anbernic RG35XXSP and Gamboy Advance SP meet in a bar in New York

Brendon’s First Impressions of the Lenovo Legion Go

Federico’s Powkiddy RGB30 Purchase

Games Mentioned

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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A Lovable Guy From Las Vegas Jun 17, 2024

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.

Links and Show Notes

Building the World’s Best eGPU

The ADT-UT3G only board that uses the new ASM2464PD controller, but it doesn’t support power delivery.

EGPU Thunderbolt vs USB4 (ADT Link UT3G). Tutorial and Synthetic and Gaming Benchmarks in 8 Games Starfield Baldurs Gate
FiiO DK3S Cooling fan with Stand
JSAUX RGB Docking Station
Also mentioned:

The Anbernic RG35XX SP: First Look

Anbernic RG35XX SP

Federico and Brendon have silver
John ordered transparent blue, and it’s stuck in New Jersey
Replacement OSes covered:

Anbernic RG35XX SP: An Almost Beginner’s Guide
RG35XX SP Button Mod Makes A Huge Difference

Also:

Games Mentioned

Odds and Ends

Clicks Keyboard
Save the Hero Builders open-source cartridge reader
GB Operator
Delta iOS emulator
PlayStation DualSense Edge

Credits

Show Art: Brendon Bigley Music: Will LaPorte

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We Are All Vita People Jun 03, 2024

This week Federico, John, and Brendon introduce NPC, compare handheld gaming origin stories, and share their current setups before Federico springs a surprise on the others.

Links and Show Notes

About the Hosts

Federico Viticci