Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico records entirely on his iPad Pro using the new local capture feature in iPadOS 26. He and John discuss how this system feature changes remote podcasting, their experiences and experiments with macOS Tahoe and the new Spotlight, and why both have returned to Apple’s Reminders app – thanks in part to Apple Intelligence and AI automation workflows. Also covered this week: AirPods get better recording quality in the latest beta, MCP integrations with native apps, and early thoughts on Workout Buddy in watchOS 26.

On AppStories+, Federico explores Perplexity’s system-level integrations and publishes from Notes, while John explores a new Focus mode combination thanks to iOS 26.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, John and Brendon cover Hori webcam woes, a creative new Game Boy Camera app for iOS, and dbrand’s Killswitch case troubles for the Switch 2. They also dig into the ambitious but flawed MagicX DS-style handheld, Brendon’s ongoing Tokyo Pro Controller hunt, and more.

On NPC XL, John wishes he’d tried NextUI for the TrimUI Brick sooner, Brendon reports from Tokyo on what everyone’s playing on the subway, and Federico finally solves the puzzle of unifying his work and gaming into one seamless desk setup.

AppStories, Episode 443, ‘Our OS 26 Experiments: iPad Podcasting, Reminders, and More’ Show Notes

Experimenting Across the New OSes

• Related Stories:
  • Initial Notes on iPadOS 26’s Local Capture Mode
  • From the Creators of Shortcuts, Sky Extends AI Integration and Automation to Your Entire Mac

AppStories+ Post-Show

• What Siri Isn’t: Perplexity’s Voice Assistant and the Potential of LLMs Integrated with iOS - MacStories
• Publishing from Apple Notes to WordPress

NPC, Episode 39, ‘You’re Holding It Wrong: Dbrand and the Joy-Con Gap’ Show Notes

The Latest Portable Gaming News

• The Nintendo Switch 2 webcam compatibility mystery is solved and updates are on the way
• Using the Game Boy Camera as a Switch 2 webcam
• The Delta emulator creator made a Game Boy Camera-style app for your iPhone The Verge
  • (Not Boring) Camera
  • BitCam
• Dbrand admits it had a ‘spectacularly terrible response’ to Killswitch Joy-Con grip detachment complaints
• MagicX Targets DS Emulation with Zero 40 Specs Reveal
• The Legion Go S Z1E (SteamOS) is Excellent
• Mario Kart World Review: ALMOST the Best Mario Kart - Wavelengths

NPC XL

• TrimUI Brick
• TrimUI Brick
• NextUI
• Metroid Fusion

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 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, and NPC: Next Portable Console 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.