Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:
Comfort Zone
Matt has a mouse that looks like a zebra, Niléane quotes some cool new stuff in the Mastodon world, and everyone pitches their dream app. (One of them may already exist!)
On Cozy Zone, the gang roasts their very lovely listeners’ desk setups.
NPC: Next Portable Console
This week in a special early release of NPC, the guys dig into Valve’s announcement of the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Stream Controller, a trio of SteamOS devices poised to make a big splash in 2026.
On NPC XL, Federico, John, and Brendon cover the Steam Frame but are mostly excited about it means for Windows gaming on ARM.
MacStories Unwind
This week, John shares how he plans weekend activities with Instagram and Apple Maps, Federico tests dictation apps, and both share their first impressions of the new Apple TV show Pluribus.
Magic Rays of Light
Sigmund and Devon highlight Apple Original documentary Come See Me in the Good Light and return to Palm Beach for the second season of Palm Royale. Then, they discuss changes coming to profiles in tvOS 26.2.
Comfort Zone, Episode 75, ‘Klack to the Extreme’ Show Notes
Main Topics
Other Stuff We Talked About
- Nintendo Store iOS app (and Android too)
- BALL x PIT
- The Gulf livery mouse
- Pulsar web app
- Mouse fluidity consistency
- Mice get super light
- Keycron M6
- Razer Basilisk V3 Pro
- Best-o-Masto
- lire RSS
- Hush
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.
NPC, Episode 57, ‘SteamOS Goes Wide: From a Cube to the Frame’ Show Notes
Valve’s Announcements
- Valve’s Announcement of the Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and Steam Controller
- More on the New Hardware
- The Steam Machine is the Future | Wavelengths
- Valve enters the console wars
- Our first look at the Steam Machine, Valve’s ambitious new game console
- Valve is welcoming Android games into Steam
- Valve rejoins the VR hardware wars with standalone Steam Frame
- Steam Deck minus the screen Valve announces new Steam Machine, Controller hardware
- Cary Colomb on X
NPC XL
- FEX-Emu – A fast linux usermode x86 and x86-64 emulator
- Hands-On: Valve Steam Frame Virtual Reality Headset!
- Valve thinks Arm has ‘potential’ for SteamOS handhelds, laptops, and more
- Hands-on with Valve’s new Steam Frame headset — Arm-powered, mixed-mode device uses Fex translation layer for traditional x86 games
- Chris Person on Bluesky
- Valve’s new VR streaming trick won’t just work with its own headset
- The Steam Frame is a surprising new twist on VR
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.
MacStories Unwind, ‘Workflows and TV: Weekend Excursions, Dictation Apps, and Pluribus’ Show Notes
John’s Weekend Excursion Workflow
- Instagram + Apple Maps Guides and the beta Places You’ve Been feature
Federico’s Dictation App Experiments
Joint Pick
Unwind Deal
- Dunkirk is just $7.99 in the TV app
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.
Magic Rays of Light, Episode 189, ‘Come See Me in the Good Light and the Return of Palm Royale’ Show Notes
Pre-Roll
- Apple and ISSEY MIYAKE Introduce a Limited-Edition iPhone Pocket
- The Forgotten iPod Sock | 512 Pixels
Highlights
- Come See Me in the Good Light
- Q&A Come See Me in the Good Light | Andrea Gibson | Ryan White | Megan Falley
- Palm Royale
Profile Changes in tvOS 26.2
- tvOS 26.2 Lets You Create Apple TV Profiles Without an Account, Adds Dedicated Kids Mode | MacRumors
Apple TV News
Apple Original News
Releases
Extras
- Pluribus — Another Take with Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn
- Fitness+ Artist Spotlight: Taylor Swift
Up Next
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.
