Nintendo has spent most of its time in the past twenty years differentiating itself from the competition — the GameCube was really the last Nintendo console that went up against other consoles in a meaningful way. Based on the success of the Switch, the Switch 2 feels like a moment where they feel so wildly secure in their position that they’re going to try and eat Sony and Microsoft’s lunch if they can manage it... and maybe try to take on the PC and Steam while they're at it.
Does Nintendo have the chops to come back from the "we just make wacky toys for kids" zone and truly go head to head — and succeed — against the current gaming landscape? Who knows!
Kit & Krysta on Nintendo's PR Crisis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMibVyYvSYU
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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8T
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And more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths
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0:00 - The last time Nintendo tried to compete
2:32 - Why Nintendo SHOULD Be Confident
9:07 - Why This Could Be Wii U-level Hubris
20:14 - Subscribe if you want!
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Usually when a company has literally millions of eyes on it at once, they want people to walk away with a positive impression — that usually means talking about the good and omitting the bad. So while Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct was largely great, it’s the stuff they didn’t talk about that’s starting to come to light and bring a harsh wave of reality to their usual world of whimsy. Here are fifteen things Nintendo didn't tell us about the Switch 2 during the initial reveal.
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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8T
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078
Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3r
And more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths
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Chapters:
0:00 - What Nintendo didn't say
0:34 - The Price and sticker shock
4:26 - How do we use mouse mode comfortably?
6:44 - The new Pro Controller is better than I thought
8:08 - Game Share works on Switch 1
8:52 - File sizes are huge
10:36 - Switch 2 is 10x as powerful as Switch 1
11:58 - Hall Effect sticks confirmed
13:20 - Not all Switch 1 games will work
15:38 - Japan is getting a cheaper Switch 2
16:36 - The preorder requirements are wild
18:56 - The UI is largely unchanged
19:07 - Battery life is "worse"
19:55 - Game Key Cards vs physical games
21:18 - Most USB-C webcams will work
22:06 - Some games will get free Switch 2 upgrades
22:41 - Bye bye, thanks for dropping by!
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I've already played a bunch of great 2025 games so far, and it's only February. I think we all knew this was going to be a big year — hello GTA6!! — but I wasn't anticipating being so blown away so early on. Here's a video about some standout games I've played so far that released within the past two months — NOT including Civilization VII which I completely forgot to mention, even though I like it!!Stimulation Clicker: https://stimulationclicker.com/---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendonBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---Chapters:0:00 - 2025 is already wild1:05 - Warriors: Abyss5:23 - Tyrant's Realm7:07 - FlyKnight7:51 - Ruffy and the Riverside10:21 - Tokyo Xtreme Racer11:51 - Keep Driving13:32 - Avowed18:41 - Stimulation Clicker19:26 - Upcoming Games---⏆
The PSP is having a bit of a renaissance in 2025, and as someone who never owned one growing up I’ve spent the past month or so researching literally every way I could think of when it comes to experiencing that incredible library. Many links:Where I got my PSP 3000: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheGamingArchivePPSSPP: https://www.ppsspp.org/Slystral’s Discord hangout: https://discord.com/invite/retrohandheldsPSP Go Battery Shell 3D Model: https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-psp-go-battery-expansion-rear-shell-196836PSP Go USB-C adapter: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807533841049.htmlAyn Odin Shop: https://www.ayntec.com/Retroid Pocket Shop: https://www.goretroid.com/collections/retro-game-systemPSP Hack Guides and Resources: https://www.pspunk.com/How to Hack the Vita: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b16gsrPV5b0---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendonBlog: https://wavelengths.online
The Nintendo Switch 2 announcement is being received with a lot of middling reactions — even the people who are excited about it seem kind of bored. I'm here to tell you that Mouse Mode is the real deal, dear listeners.
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The long-awated Miyoo Flip is finally out in the wild, and after years of it being my most-anticipated handheld, I'm walking away from this experience feeling like it needs some more time in the oven. The usual software suspects pop up here and there, but a few key and strange hardware decisions also hold this back from being a device I can confidently recommend. --- Feel free to follow me elsewhere! Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.online Mastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendon Blog: https://wavelengths.online
--- Chapters:
0:00 - The Short Version
1:05 - The Long Version
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I went to Las Vegas for CES 2025 to figure out if this will really end up being "the year of the handheld" and while my answer was less conclusive than I was expecting, I did walk away excited about the puzzle pieces and how they'll eventually fit together.
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It's January of 2025 which means it's a perfect time to look back at the best games of 2024*.
* In my opinion, obviously! Games are art, and while ranking art is inherently silly it's great to reflect on how it impacted you individually. Objectivity is a myth! These lists are as subjective as it gets, baby. --- Feel free to follow me elsewhere! Threads: https://www.threads.net/@brendonbigley Mastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendon Blog: https://wavelengths.online Backloggd: https://www.backloggd.com/u/brendonbigley ---
Chapters:
0:00 - Welcome to Wavelengths 50
1:59 - 50 through 41
11:15 - 40 through 31
20:30 - 30 through 21
36:27 - 20 through 11
50:42 - The Top 10 Games of 2024
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The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is out for iOS and Android, and now that I've played it I'm here to answer what everyone in the boardroom of The Pokémon Company was probably asking themselves: Is it the next Pokémon GO? Does it have a shot at captivating the world in the same way? Does it say anything at all about the future of the franchise? Sure! --- Feel free to follow me elsewhere! Threads: https://www.threads.net/@brendonbigley Mastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendon Blog: https://wavelengths.online --- Chapters: 0:00 - Where did this thing come from? 6:26 - Is the Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket Good? 9:16 - How Battling Works 12:21 - One Million Currencies 14:08 - The Future of The Pokemon Company --- ⏆
I've become a big Dragon Quest fan over the past few years, having played huge swaths of a whole bunch of them, and having finished a couple as well. Unfortunately, Dragon Quest X eludes everyone outside of Japan and has since its release on the Wii in 2012. Finally, thanks to the collective efforts of a bunch of very generous people online, you can play Dragon Quest X in English with the help of a few tools. Today's episode of Wavelengths is all about using your sickness-infused boredom to figure out how to play Dragon Quest X AND Dragon Quest X Offline. Was it worth the effort? Come along and find out, won't you? Important links: Adventurer's Abbey for DQX: https://dqxabbey.com/pages/getting_started.html NexusMods for DQX Offline: https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonquestxoffline/mods/2?tab=files --- Feel free to follow me elsewhere! Threads: https://www.threads.net/@brendonbigley Mastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendon Blog: https://wavelengths.online
--- Chapters: 0:00 - You Should Play Dragon Quest 4:40 - Dragon Quest X is the Missing Link 11:05 - How to Play Dragon Quest X (The MMO) 18:19 - The Dragon Quest X Offline English Mod 24:26 - Bye!--- ⏆
Shin-Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is a new, deeply chill game that is one part Boku no Natsuyasumi and one part Humungous Entertainment game. It launched this week on Nintendo Switch and Steam, and I played it primarily on the Steam Deck. I don't talk about performance at all in the video so I'll just say it here: It runs just fine on the Deck. No issues at all! Also worth mentioning that I received code for this game from the publisher, but hopefully you know me well enough to know that wouldn't influence my review of the game at all. --- Feel free to follow me elsewhere! Threads: https://www.threads.net/@brendonbigley Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/brendonbigley.bsky.social Mastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendon Blog: https://wavelengths.online --- Chapters: 0:00 - The Boku No Natsuyasumi Connection 4:13 - It’s Shiro and the Coal Town Review Time 11:39 - Getting Earnest on Main 14:59 - Thanks for Watching 😘 —- ⏆
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom manages to feel like a classic Zelda game, but the main methods of interacting with the environment are completely new. With a loosely open-ended structure, free reign to explore Hyrule at your heart's content, and an unbelievable number of quality side quests, it feels like a miracle the game was made in the first place — much like Tears of the Kingdom before it. --- Feel free to follow me elsewhere! Threads: https://www.threads.net/@brendonbigley Mastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendon Blog: https://wavelengths.online
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Chapters: 0:00 - They announced this in JUNE 2:25 - It's Zelda's World, We're Just Playing It 4:58 - All About Echoes (of Wisdom) 11:25 - Another Link Between Worlds 17:32 - Let's Talk About That Combat 20:56 - The Slumber Dojo, Side Quests, and Doing Everything 24:22 - The Game is a Miracle
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Nintendo released an alarm clock yesterday called Alarmo, proving yet again that they're a chaotic company who completely disregards every logical move and instead focuses on what they think is the most fun idea they can bring to life. This has its pros and cons, obviously, as for every Wii you get a Wii U, but on the whole it keeps things delightfully weird.
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Chapters: 0:00 - Nintendo is Unpredictable 3:14 - What is Alarmo? 4:22 - My Experience With Alarmo So Far 9:16 - Nintendo's History of Chaos 12:21 - The Switch 2 is a Grill, Actually 14:20 - Why Nintendo Always Wins 18:26 - Subscribe, baby.
UFO 50 is the new game by Mossmouth and a group of six all-timer indie developers who worked for around a decade on making fifty fully-fledged games that collectively are a huge homage to the 80s. It is a masterpiece. Also: I've never done a review like this before! As I mention at the top, I have another in the works but I just needed to get my thoughts out about this thing, so I hope you like it. Let me know if you're interested in more. --- Feel free to follow me elsewhere! Threads: https://www.threads.net/@brendonbigley Mastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendon Blog: https://wavelengths.online
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--- Chapters: 0:00 - Welcome to the Wavelengths review of UFO 50 2:32 - The Gateway to the NES 7:02 - UFO 50, Barbuta, and Lessons Learned 17:16 - Into the Aether 22:40 - Camouflage, Mooncat, and Takeaways 27:25 - How to Play UFO 50 30:35 - Masterpiece Status --- ⏆
Apparently there are some leaked renders of the Nintendo Switch 2 floating around online today, and I have a few gut-reactions to the specs and feature's we've seen. Leak: https://www.reddit.com/r/GamingLeaksAndRumours/comments/1fjp352/photos_of_switch_2_factory_prototypes_have_leaked/ More thoughts: https://wavelengths.online/posts/the-switch-2-may-have-leaked-already ---
Chapters:
0:00 - Grains of Salt hours activated
1:35 - Why two USB-C ports?
3:24 - 12GB of RAM / PS4 Comparison
6:17 - A microphone! lmao!
7:39 - BIG boy!! ⏆
Sony announced the PS5 Pro earlier this week, and it had me asking a lot of questions about how it fits into the overall PlayStation strategy. Mark Cerny used his "big three" to talk about the device, so I implemented my own "big three" to talk about why I think the Pro might not be the thing Sony should be focusing on releasing right now. I also forgot to mention it doesn't have a disc drive!! --- Feel free to follow me elsewhere! Threads: https://www.threads.net/@brendonbigley Mastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendon Blog: https://wavelengths.online --- Chapters: 0:00 - Speedrunning the PS5 Pro Announcement 2:32 - Compulsion: Who is this thing for? 9:07 - Context: Why this is a weird thing to release right now 20:45 - Legacy: The real issue is the games 24:03 - Wrapping up --- ⏆
The Nintendo Switch 2 is rumored to be getting announced as soon as this month, which means this is my final shot at throwing a bunch of predictions and wishes at the wall before we learn more form Nintendo themselves. This is a longer one because as much as I love the Switch, there is SO much I would love to see changed in the next iteration.
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Chapters: 0:00 - Nintendo Switch 2 Prediction Time 1:39 - What will the name be? 12:35 - Will the Switch 2 be backwards compatible? 15:34 - Performance Improvements 22:25 - Bring themes back! Make it fun! 27:23 - Please fix the eShop 33:37 - Ergonomics and so much about the Joy-Cons 40:25 - Thank you SO much for listening! --- ⏆
Xbox was pretty publicly working on a third member of the Xbox Series family for a few years called "Keystone" which would have been a streaming-only set top box for games played through Game Pass and xCloud. The device never materialized, and I wanted to look at why they were building it in the first place, why I was so personally interested in one, and why it never saw the light of day despite being accidentally shown publicly by Phil Spencer. And who knows, maybe it'll show up one day anyway!
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--- Chapters: 0:00 - What was Project Keystone? 1:58 - An aside about the PlayStation TV 3:07 - Game streaming is good now?? 7:26 - How Keystone fit in the Xbox lineup 9:08 - Why Keystone never released 10:52 - The Point: Making the medium cheaper 13:23 - Subscribe if you haven't! --- ⏆
Nintendo has announced that Animal Crossing Pocket Camp will be shut down in November and replaced with an offline, paid version with no in-app purchases. Doesn't that sound like what it should have been all along?
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Chapters:
0:00 - The Shutdown
0:35 - Animal Crossing Sicko Activated
3:18 - Why Pocket Camp Didn't Work (For Me!!)
5:41 - The New Shiny Pocket Camp
9:21 - The Two Open Questions
Almost immediately after writing and posting my review of the Ayn Odin 2, I knew I wanted to also create some kind of extended conversation about how much I love the thing. I’d heard John Voorhees of MacStories rave about it on MacStories Unwind towards the end of 2023, and as a big fan of his work I knew he’d be the right person to chat with.
We obviously talk a whole bunch about the Odin 2, but we also dig into some alternatives, what it’s like to use the iPhone as a gaming handheld, the benefits of Android, trying to get games running on the Apple Vision Pro, and a bunch more.
You can check it out here, and subscribe to get future episodes!
Links Discussed (And Some Not Discussed):
A quick aside: I’m still not sure what I want to do with the Wavelengths feed, but you can expect occasional conversations about games and tech and news to pop up every once in a while.
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