Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
NPC: Next Portable Console
This week, Federico and John go it alone without Brendon to cover Game Pass on ARM, an avalanche of AYANEO announcements, and why the TrimUI Brick Pro has shot up their most-anticipated handheld list for 2026.
On NPC XL, Federico shows off the Ayn Odin 3 and reports the results of his efforts to brute force his way to what he’s using like a Steam Deck mini.
Comfort Zone
Chris has a Creator Studio, Matt has a less official Creator Studio, and the whole gang shows off their Minecraft houses.
On Cozy Zone, we tier list iPads. Chris has never been more in his element than in this one!
MacStories Unwind
This week, John escapes the big freeze and the Club comes home to MacStories – plus, TV picks and Brendon Bigley drops in to say “hi” and share a pick.
NPC, Episode 65, ‘A Bigger Brick and AYANEO Overload’ Show Notes
The Latest Portable Gaming News
Xbox app is now available on ARM-based Windows 11 PCs
AYANEO Pocket S Mini is a smaller handheld Android game console with Snapdragon G3x Gen 2
AYANEO unveils KONKR FIT handheld gaming PC with Ryzen AI 9 HX 470
AYANEO Unveils Details on the Pocket Vert
TRIMUI Brick Pro Coming Soon
TRIMUI Officially Teases The “Brick Pro” Handheld
REDMAGIC 11 Air is a slim gaming phone with active cooling fan and massive 7000mAh battery
Asus hits pause on smartphone business with no new Zenfone or ROG Phone models planned for 2026
Chinese modders end console wars with a PS5, Xbox Series S, and Switch 2 combo console
NPC XL
Ayn Odin 3
Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined
Subscribe to NPC XL
NPC XL is a weekly members-only version of NPC with extra content, available exclusively through our new Patreon for $5/month. Each week on NPC XL, Federico, Brendon, and John record a special segment or deep dive about a particular topic that is released alongside the “regular” NPC episodes. You can subscribe here.
Comfort Zone, Episode 85, ‘What is This, 1995?’ Show Notes
Main Topics
Apple Creator Studio
Aqua Voice
Framous
DevCleaner
balenaEtcher
Sparkle
Ghostty
Zed
Other Things Discussed
Hand Mirror 4 is cute!
The Secrets of the Apple Creator Studio
Niléane’s Minecraft House 1
Niléane’s Minecraft House 2
Niléane’s Minecraft House 3
Niléane’s Minecraft House 4
Niléane’s Minecraft House 5
Niléane’s Minecraft House 6
Matt’s Minecraft House 1
Matt’s Minecraft House 2
Matt’s Minecraft House 3
Matt’s Minecraft House 4
Matt’s Minecraft House 5
Matt’s Minecraft House 6
Cozy Zone
For even more from the Comfort Zone crew, you can subscribe to Cozy Zone. Cozy Zone is a weekly bonus episode of Comfort Zone where Matt, Niléane, and Chris invite listeners to join them in the Cozy Zone where they’ll cover extra topics, invent wilder challenges and games, and share all their great (and not so great) takes on tech. You can subscribe to Cozy Zone for $5 per month here or $50 per year here.
MacStories Unwind, ‘Florida or Freeze, the Club Comes Home, and Idris Elba on Rails’ Show Notes
Club MacStories is Now on MacStories.net
Welcome to the New, Unified MacStories and Club MacStories
The New Club MacStories: Re-Subscribing to Your RSS Feeds and What’s Coming Next
Picks
Federico’s Pick:
High Potential
John’s Pick:
Hijack on Apple TV
Brendon Bigley’s Impromptu Pick
Culinary Class Wars on Netflix
Unwind Deal
🌊 The Lighthouse is just $4.99 in the TV app.
Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe star in this acclaimed psychological horror from the director of The Witch.
Affiliate link: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-lighthouse/umc.cmc.2gh13feg8tcy7lr2fzv2q09b7?at=1001l3bhP&ct=unwind_deal
MacStories Unwind+
We deliver MacStories Unwind+ to Club MacStories subscribers ad-free with high bitrate audio every week. To learn more about the benefits of a Club MacStories subscription, visit our Plans page.
MacStories launched its first podcast in 2017 with AppStories. Since then, the lineup has expanded to include a family of weekly shows that also includes MacStories Unwind, Magic Rays of Light, Comfort Zone, NPC: Next Portable Console, and First, Last, Everything that collectively, cover a broad range of the modern media world from Apple’s streaming service and videogame hardware to apps for a growing audience that appreciates our thoughtful, in-depth approach to media.
If you’re interested in advertising on our shows, you can learn more here or by contacting our Managing Editor, John Voorhees.