Podcast Rewind: Handheld Gaming Truths, Just a Little Formula 1, and a Hulu Hack

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, a quick tour of Nintendo’s latest Direct, more details emerge about the Virtual Boy Switch 2 accessory, the Steam Machine and other hardware is delayed, Anbernic goes out on a limb, AYANEO steps on a rake, and the Odin 2 rides off into the sunset.

On NPC XL, Federico is choosing between Switch 2 controllers, and Brendon receives an unexpected gift.

Comfort Zone

Matt wants to do an AI check-in, Chris serves a master class on getting started with 3D printing, and Niléane is away, so the dads talk a little Formula 1… just a little.

On Cozy Zone, Chris gets a brand glow up!

MacStories Unwind

This week, Super Bowl traditions, Federico’s very hungry plumber, some High Potential follow-up, and the latest season of Shrinking.

Google Releases YouTube App for Apple Vision Pro

By Devon Dundee

Today, Google released the official YouTube app for visionOS. The app allows users to sign in to view their subscriptions, watch later queues, and playlists, and it supports native playback of regular videos, shorts, and spatial formats including 3D, 180-degree, and 360-degree. On the M5 Vision Pro, the app supports playback of 8K videos as well.

The Vision Pro launched two years ago without an official way to watch YouTube. Third-party options like Tubular Pro and the now-defunct Juno filled the gap well, and users have always been able to watch YouTube in a browser on visionOS. (Apple even made improvements to web video playback in visionOS 2 to make using sites like YouTube and Netflix more seamless.) But the lack of a native app from Google has been seen as a mark against visionOS up to this point.

Whether you’re a Vision Pro user who spends a lot of time watching YouTube or just someone who wants to see the platform thrive, having an official solution is a win. One of the device’s most compelling use cases is watching video, and now, there’s a great way to do so directly from Google. It’s always seemed inevitable to me that YouTube would come to the platform at some point, and as visionOS continues its slow burn toward maturity while awaiting hardware that can run it with more mass market appeal, it’s good to have YouTube onboard.

Now, it’s Netflix’s turn.

Podcast Rewind: Weird Nintendo Nostalgia, Reviving Old Tech, and Parking in Rome

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Federico, Brendon, and John tackle a load of weird news from playing Game Boy games on e-readers and ordering pizza from a Wii in 2026 to the upcoming Virtual Boy Switch 2 accessory.

On NPC XL, the guys chat about whether we’re approaching the endgame for handheld consoles and wonder why no one has made much of a move to adapt their handhelds for the living room.

Comfort Zone

Matt wants to talk about his (quick) notes, Niléane brings 3(!) topics, and everyone brings old(?) tech back from the dead.

On Cozy Zone, we tier listed Star Wars. All of it. Yes, even that one. If there was ever a time to give Cozy Zone a shot, it’s now.

MacStories Unwind

This week, John survived a bomb cyclone, Federico explains the fine art of parking in Rome, and John rounds out the episode with a reality TV show from Korea along with an Unwind deal you’ll find in the show notes.

The Joy of App Discovery

By Devon Dundee

It’s no secret that by many accounts, app development is at a turning point. Between the rise of web apps, government-enforced App Store policy changes in territories around the world, and the growing role of AI in many coding workflows, it feels like we’re living in the moment just between “before” and “after,” and soon,...

Podcast Rewind: An AYANEO Avalanche, Minecraft Houses, and Brendon Crashes Unwind

By Devon Dundee

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.

Immersive Dog Show Series ‘Top Dogs’ Premieres on Apple Vision Pro

By Devon Dundee

Pet lovers, rejoice! After debuting immersive series and specials on subjects ranging from nature and travel to music and sports on the Vision Pro over the past couple of years, Apple is now inviting viewers into the world of competitive dog showing with Top Dogs. Available now, the two-part docuseries offers a one-of-a-kind perspective on Crufts, the world’s biggest dog show, following competitors and their owners as they give their all in hopes of winning the coveted Best in Show trophy.

Let me tell you: having had a chance to see the docuseries, these are some very good dogs. Throughout the roughly 30 minutes of video, I got the chance to see tons of adorable and prim canines, some from breeds I’d never heard of before. Crufts attracts nearly 20,000 competitors each year, so there were plenty of great dogs to meet. It’s worth watching the show just for the shots of the cute pups alone.

But Top Dogs is about more than just making new canine friends. The series offers a great overview of the dog show itself, including some behind-the-scenes footage of the lower-level competitions I wasn’t familiar with from my casual viewings of dog shows in the past. The series also employs the best use of graphics I’ve seen so far in Apple Immersive Video, explaining the dog show’s various rounds with expansive 3D charts. It includes an excellent opening title sequence, too, something I didn’t realize I was missing in these immersive series up until now.

Podcast Rewind: Building Personalized Software, Steam Machine Pricing Rumors, Matt Podcasts Solo, and Ted Danson

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John complete their tour of holiday projects with a look at the tools both of them built with the help of Claude Code, Codex, and other tools.

On AppStories+, John pushes Claude Code by building a Safari web extension that integrates with Notion.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, rumors swirl about the Steam Machine’s pricing, AYANEO pauses to collect itself, and GameSir’s Pocket Taco goes live – plus, the lack of foldable phone controllers and our first videogames.

On NPC XL, Federico, John, and Brendon share what they do when they’re not obsessing over handheld consoles.

Comfort Zone

Matt’s on his own for this one, as Chris and Niléane managed to both get sick at the same time. Fear not; we get to rant and rave about the latest “Xbox”!

On Cozy Zone, we roast each other’s backpacks. One’s all black, one’s full of color, and the other is just a mess.

MacStories Unwind

This week, John shrugs off a once-in-a-decade winter storm and watches a great movie, while Federico has a returning comedy series to share.

Podcast Rewind: Holiday Break Projects, CES Gaming Announcements, MagSafe Accessories, and Clawdbot

By Devon Dundee

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John are back from their holiday break, which included so many hardware and automation projects that this is part one of a two-part episode regarding Federico’s networked music automation setup and John’s new research tool.

On AppStories+, Federico shares his foldable phone experiments.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, a whirlwind tour of the handheld news from CES 2026, Switch 2 grips, AR glasses, new chips from AMD, the OneXSugar Wallet, and more.

On NPC XL, John got his MCON controller, Federico’s still waiting for his, and Brendon checks in after more than a month with his.

Comfort Zone

Niléane battles the modern era of smart mice, Chris has a new way of keeping up with everything everywhere all at once, and the whole gang battles it out with the best dang MagSafe accessories you’ve ever seen.

On this week’s Cozy Zone, we roast listeners’ home screens again! This one has, bar none, the weirdest home screen we’ve ever seen, and we might be cursed now.

MacStories Unwind

This week, Federico unpacks Clawdbot, a Claude-based personal assistant, and recommends an Apple TV movie, while John revisits an old favorite on the Nintendo Switch.

Apple Unveils Apple Creator Studio App Suite

By Devon Dundee

Source: Apple.

Today, Apple announced Apple Creator Studio, a suite of creativity apps for the Mac and iPad combined with premium content and features for productivity apps across the company’s platforms. This collection of apps, which includes the debut of Pixelmator Pro for iPad, offers tools for creative professionals, aspiring artists, students, and others working across a wide variety of fields, including music, video, and graphic design.

The bundle includes a number of apps:

Final Cut Pro for Mac and iPad (video editing)
Logic Pro for Mac and iPad (music creation)
Pixelmator Pro for Mac and iPad (photo editing and graphic design)
Motion for Mac (video effects)
Compressor for Mac (video encoding)
MainStage for Mac (music performance)

It also features a new Content Hub with premium graphics and photos for Apple’s iWork suite – Pages for word processing, Keynote for presentations, and Numbers for spreadsheets – as well as exclusive templates, themes, and AI features. The company says these features will also come to its Freeform canvas app soon.

Apple Creator Studio will be available on Wednesday, January 28, for $12.99/month or $129/year with a one-month free trial. Students and teachers can subscribe at a discounted rate of $2.99/month or $29.99/year, and three months of Apple Creator Studio will come free with the purchase of a new Mac or iPad. The subscription also includes Family Sharing, allowing users to share the apps and features with up to five family members.

With this offering, Apple is combining several disparate offerings for creatives into a single package that looks quite compelling. Because many of these apps are also available individually – some of them for free – there are a lot of details to get into regarding what’s new, what’s included, and what’s available elsewhere. Let’s get into it.