In 2022, I walked into the Oakbrook Mall Apple Store toting a 2007 Intel-based iMac and other miscellaneous gear that had no trade-in value. We were about to leave Illinois for North Carolina, and I wanted to recycle as much of my old computer hardware as possible. The person who helped me had just one...
The MacBook Neo Takes on Retro Gaming→
I love when my interests collide, and today, thanks to Russ Crandall, that’s exactly what happened. You see, Crandall runs Retro Game Corps, a YouTube channel covering the world of videogame emulation, handheld consoles, mini PCs, and more. It’s an excellent channel that we’ve covered multiple times on NPC: Next Portable Console, and yesterday, Crandall made a video exploring the MacBook Neo’s emulation capabilities.
It turns out that the Neo pulls its weight with more than productivity apps. It’s also does quite well with game emulation, some Steam titles, and streaming, with a couple of caveats.
Seeing is believing when it comes to emulation, so it’s worth seeing how your favorite systems fare before diving into emulation on the Neo yourself, but I was surprised to see how well the Neo did even on systems as recent as the Nintendo Switch 1. Beyond the GameCube, it’s hit or miss what will run well, but older systems like NES, Game Boy, GBA, SNES, PS1, PSP, 3DS, PS2, Dreamcast, and Saturn games all ran well and in most cases at upscaled resolutions and with shaders applied.
Probably the biggest limitation Crandall ran into is when he tried running games from more recent systems on external storage over the Neo’s USB-C 2 port, while using the USB-C 3 port for a capture card. Games from more recent systems are larger, so for anyone who wants to stream their gameplay, the Neo’s 256GB or optional 512GB internal storage could be a limitation.
That said, I was pleased to see how well the MacBook Neo handled emulation. Paired with lighter-weight Steam games, streaming on services like GeForce NOW, thanks to the Neo’s Wi-Fi 6E, and the App Store’s own catalog of native games, the Neo offers a lot of options for your downtime too.
Deals Worth Checking Out Before Amazon’s Big Spring Sale Ends
Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is wrapping up tomorrow, but there is still time to take advantage of some great deals. There are deals across every category, but the smart home and headphones dominate this year’s sale, including some favorites from the MacStories Setups page such as the Aqara Hub G5 Pro outdoor camera that I reviewed last year.
Other great smart home gear on sale includes:
- the Aqara Smart Lock U100;
- the original Philips Hue Bridge;
- a 2-pack of Philips Hue Smart LED A21 Bulbs;
- TP-Link’s Deco 7 Pro WiFi 7 Mesh System, which won’t last long in the U.S. thanks to a government ban;
- the Nuki Smart Lock, a stylish HomeKit smart lock that was only available in Europe until recently; and
- the legendary meross Smart Garage Door Opener that adds HomeKit support to garage doors that don’t support it natively.
Headphones, especially Beats, are well-represented, too:
- Beats Studio Buds+, Solo 4, and Studio Pro are all available at substantial discounts;
- AirPods Pro 3 are on sale for the first time; and
- Sonos’ Ace wireless over-ear headphones, which don’t go on sale often are discounted too.
Finally, I wanted to highlight a few other gadgets and accessories I love that are on sale:
- the Insta360 Link 2C 4K webcam, which I’ve been testing for about a month;
- Anker’s tiny new GaN 45W charger, which lets you know how much juice it’s delivering, is discounted;
- MOFT’s versatile Magnetic Wallet Stand for the iPhone 12-17; and
- the WITHINGS Body Smart Scale.
That’s it for another Amazon sale season. For hand-picked deals throughout the year, be sure to follow MacStories Deals on Bluesky or Mastodon.
An Orchestra Without a Conductor, Apple’s AI Dilemma
FedericoThis week on AppStories, Federico and John draw from their experiences using AI agents to imagine the sort of agent Apple could build with tight hardware and software integration if it had a LLM to orchestrate the pieces already in place.
On AppStories+, John asks where artificial intelligence falls on the spectrum of historical technology milestones.
Also available on YouTube here.
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AppStories Episode 478 - An Orchestra Without a Conductor, Apple’s AI Dilemma
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35:24
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- Vitally – Your Copilot for AI-Powered Customer Success. Get a free pair of AirPods Pro when you book a qualified meeting.
Lista: To-Do Lists
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This Week on MacStories Podcasts
This week on MacStories podcasts: AppStories This week on AppStories, Federico shares his experiences with foldable Android phones and what Apple might do for its first foldable hardware and its software. On AppStories+, Federico shares his experience using Samsung DeX. Listen on: Apple Podcasts Overcast Pocket Casts Castro Spotify YouTube NPC: Next Portable Console This...
Previously, On MacStories
Apple Discontinues the Mac Pro ETA Prime Answers the Question: What if the MacBook Neo Had Thermo-Electric Cooling? MacStories Setups: Refining and Simplifying Apple Overhauls App Store Connect Apple Announces Apple Business, a New Platform for Device Management and Ads on Maps Apple Schedules WWDC 2026 for June 8–12 Along with a Special Event at...
Creating a Personalized Reader Profile
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Brrr
Brrr is a new push notification service and app from Simon Støvring that in the few short weeks I’ve used it has become the default way I send myself automation notifications. It’s so simple, useful, and reasonably priced at $0.99/month or $9.99/year that I’ll forgive you if you just go grab it and start using...