Wavelengths with Brendon Bigley

Valve announced three products this week: A new controller, a new VR headset, and a new gaming console. This week's episode of Wavelengths is all about the interplay between these three devices and the thing that not only literally links them all together, but makes Valve's decade-long push towards making the PC gaming experience more approachable even work in the first place. ---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---⏆

Hello and welcome back to Wavelengths! This week my guest is Stephen Hilger — my co-host on Into the Aether, a great artist and writer, and creator of the YouTube channel Memory Card Manuscript. I brought Stephen on to discuss a question sent in by a listener about the current hyper-polarization of video game discourse, from how to navigate algorithm-led spaces to not letting the media consume define your authentic being.It's a far-reaching conversation, and I hope it's as interesting, thought provoking, and engaging for you as it was for me. Find Stephen on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/stephenhilger.bsky.socialAnd YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@memorycardmanuscript---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---⏆

Welcome back to the show, folks. I recorded this one early as I'll be traveling to see family for most of the week, so apologies for not including any Animal Crossing news here! The short version: I'm excited about it! What I did talk about was suddenly being inundated with three handhelds at once: The Miyoo Mini Flip, the MCON, and the AYN Thor. All three are hotly anticipated devices I had planned on reviewing separately, but now all three are in an attention-feud with one another. I talk a little bit about what all three devices represent and how I'm thinking about them going into my review process.

Welcome back to the show! Unfortunately Xbox can't stop dominating the news cycle, so I dug a bit into their next, priecier console and apparently-strategic lack of exclusive games. Afterwards I felt like I needed to dig back into my feeling about Pokemon Legends Z-A having played a lot more since giving some first impressions last week.Xbox's 30 Percent Mandate: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-23/microsoft-pushes-xbox-studios-to-hit-higher-profit-marginsPost Games: https://pod.link/1815131711---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---Chapters:0:00 - Welcome back to Wavelengths1:05 - Zero Days Since Last Talked About Xbox19:55 - Nintendo Switch 2 Games29:05 - Even More About Pokemon Legends Z-A---⏆

Welcome back to the show! This week I can't NOT talk about Xbox again — sorry!! But also I gush about Ball x Pit and dig into my (very) early impressions of Pokemon Legends Z-A before talking through the huge Pokemon roadmap leak that hit the internet earlier this week. Pokemon Leaks: https://twistedvoxel.com/pokemon-leak-reveals-upcoming-games-through-2030-canceled-titles-beta-builds/---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---Chapters:0:00 - Welcome back to Wavelengths4:15 - Ball x Pit Good12:21 - ROG Xbox Ally Reviews are out26:06 - Pokemon All the Way Down48:45 - Listener Questions!---⏆

Nintendo is making movies, theme parks, and aligning their games with other multimedia experiences in a way that screams Corporate Synergy Opportunities™ — the kind that board members go absolutely gaga over.On today's episode of Wavelengths, I tackle that along with some updates about Xbox and my experience playing the Resident Evil Requiem demo at New York Comic Con!

Welcome back to the show! With some time away, I've been doing a lot of thinking about where Sony and Microsoft are at these days... as usual. I think in particular, Xbox as a brand feels like it's on a slow descent into a confused existence and I wanted to unpack that as best as I could.---Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---Chapters:0:00 - Welcome back to Wavelengths0:45 - Hades II is good13:38 - Where’s PlayStation At Right Now26:20 - Is Xbox over at this point?39:47 - Listener questions!---⏆

Hello and welcome back to Wavelengths! Switching it up yet again this week as I solo-host an extremely low key episode of the show from the lounge chair in the corner of my home office. This week I'm talking about my experience having wrapped up Silksong, catching up with Borderlands 4's performance issues, having a slight change of heart about Game Keycards on the Switch 2, and answering your questions!Join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/wavelengths---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Chapters:0:00 - Welcome back to Wavelengths!10:15 - Even More Thoughts About Silksong24:46 - Borderlands 4 Performance Woes34:46 - Stray Nintendo Direct Thoughts40:29 - Final Fantasy VII Game Keycard45:20 - Yakuza Kiwami 3 Leaks48:29 - Audience Questions---⏆

This week I'm talking to Chase Allhart, host of two great video game podcasts in the form of Video Game Podtimism and dotzip! Obviously Silksong is in the air, and the amount of discourse surrounding this one game is off the charts, so we dig into that in a big way before talking about making video game podcasts and, ultimately, Kingdom Hearts IV.—Support Wavelengths: ⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/wavelengths⁠⁠⁠⁠—The News and More:007 First Light State of Play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwRpK8eoLLENomura on Kingdom Hearts IV: https://www.ign.com/articles/tetsuya-nomura-offers-promising-update-on-final-fantasy-7-remake-part-3-and-kingdom-hearts-4—Chapters:0:00 - Welcome to Wavelengths!1:57 - The Dreaded Silksong Discourse56:17 - 007 First Light1:07:48 - MGS 3 Delta1:27:09 - Video Game Podtimism1:31:54 - Kingdom Hearts IV—⏆

This week I'm talking to Matt Horton, host of Can't Let it Go, In Sequence, and Flow State about the rumors of four upcoming video game consoles... three of which are the PlayStation 6 somehow. This was a great conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!—Support Wavelengths: ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/wavelengths⁠⁠⁠—The News and More:Flow State: https://www.youtube.com/@flowstatecritPlayStation 6 Rumors: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/sony-is-reportedly-planning-a-nintendo-switch-style-playstation-6-portable/Valve Fremont Rumors: https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/pc-gaming/valve-preps-mysterious-fremont-steamos-device-powered-by-amd-ryzen-processor-potential-steam-box-may-sport-a-hawk-point-cpu-with-zen-4-and-rdna-3-graphics—Chapters:0:00 - Welcome to Wavelengths0:54 - The PlayStation 631:45 - Valve Fremont48:52 - iPhone Season1:01:29 - Flow State and Creating Online

This week I'm talking to Percia Verlin, fashion creator and podcaster... she's also my wife. Percia asked me for some vertical iPhone game recommendations, so I brought her on the show to walk through them and have a chat about her gaming history.—Support Wavelengths: ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/wavelengths⁠⁠⁠—The News and More:Percia on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@percishNintendo Refusing Switch 2 Dev Kits: https://wavelengths.online/posts/nintendo-still-refusing-to-ship-switch-2-dev-kitsThe List of Vertical Mobile Games: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1prrIzIL14vifqpLAjtaVGGn2N0B2kBMA6eH1lHD5Y2s/edit?usp=sharing—Chapters:0:00 - Borat Voice My Wife17:26 - What's Percia Playing?40:10 - Switch 2 Dev Kits55:10 - Vertical Mobile Games—⏆

This week I'm switching things up a little bit, starting with some news about Hollow Knight Silksong and Gamescom before launching into a chat with AJ Fillari!We chat about podcasting, their show DotZip, our podcast network, and building up the critical muscle. It's a good one!—Support Wavelengths: ⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/wavelengths⁠⁠⁠—The News and More:AJ on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ajfillari.bsky.socialdotzip: https://dotzip.online/Kirby Air Riders: https://www.polygon.com/nintendo-direct-august-2025-kirby-air-riders-switch-2/ Silksong Event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XGeJwsUP9cJason Schrier on Silksong: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-08-21/why-silksong-team-cherry-s-sequel-to-hollow-knight-took-so-long-to-makeLast of Us Online Directors' New Game: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/director-of-scrapped-the-last-of-us-online-says-his-new-us-japan-studio-is-making-a-cinematic-multiplayer-title/AYN Thor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEzXQkmSWuY—Chapters:0:00 - Welcome back to Wavelengths!1:00 - Hollow Knight Silksong and Gamescom23:20 - The Worst Garbage Online40:21 - AJ's Podcasting Journey1:20:14 - On Media Crit1:48:02 - More News!1:58:32 - Kirby Air Riders—⏆

This week I had a chat with Tori Dominguez Peek — cohost of the wonderful video game podcast Press Start — about being a theater kid, what makes a good video game adaptation, and how we're feeling abotu the Switch 2 a few months in.—Support Wavelengths: ⁠⁠patreon.com/wavelengths⁠⁠—The News and More:Zach Cregger on his Resident Evil reboot: ⁠https://variety.com/2025/film/news/weapons-director-zach-cregger-resident-evil-movie-1236485983/⁠ Press Start: ⁠https://pod.link/1589865240⁠—Chapters:0:00 - Welcome back to Wavelengths!3:00 - Weapons and Video Game Adaptations22:40 - 1000xResist and Masquerade45:30 - Press Start51:18 - Switch 2 and Pokémon—⏆

This week on Wavelengths I'm talking to Emily Price, a great writer over at Unwinnable and also a PhD candidate in medieval literature! We chat about a whole bevy of things including the word "mid," Dragon Age, and where games are at as a medium in culture.—Support Wavelengths: ⁠patreon.com/wavelengths⁠—The News and More:Emily on games being mainstream: https://unwinnable.com/2025/07/30/videogames-are-mainstream-what-will-make-them-feel-like-it/Emily on “mid”: https://unwinnable.com/2025/01/31/mid/Let’s Smash Bro: https://johnpaulbrammer.substack.com/p/lets-smash-broBlue Prince at SGDQ: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cirrfl1yQ2cNintendo Indie World (8/7/25): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTv0HmKoUqwNintendo raised prices on everything except the Switch 2: https://thisweekinvideogames.com/news/nintendo-switch-console-accessory-price-increases-august-2025/ —Chapters:0:00 - Welcome back to Wavelengths!36:10 - Video games and the mainstream—⏆

Hello and welcome to Wavelengths! It’s a new video game podcast where I’ll spend every week talking to a guest from in or around the games industry to chat about the news we find the most interesting.This week’s episode features a conversation with Chris Plante about his new show Post Games and how he got into games media in the first place before diving into a bigger question about what the video game industry looks like in a world without console exclusives.It’s a fun chat, and I hope you dig it!—Support Post Games: patreon.com/postgames Support Wavelengths: patreon.com/wavelengths—The News and More:Mario Paint added to Switch Online SNES LibraryLord of the Rings: Tales of the Shire is tanking criticallyThe Itch.io Payment Processing Saga ContinuesSony is looking for a Senior Director for Multiplatform + Account ManagementLife After the Big Three with Chris PlanteOne free month of Post Games!!⁠Metroid Fusion: The Fear of Never Being Good Enough—Chapters:0:00 - Welcome to Wavelengths!2:53 - The Life and Times of Chris Plante49:45 - What Happens When Exclusives Disappear?—⏆

It felt right to put together a Mario Kart World Review while in Japan. Considering the huge weight this one game has on its shoulders as both the sequel to one of the best games ever made AND the only exclusive first-party launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, there’s a lot to discuss about every tiny facet of its huge changes. One thing I want everyone to remember about Mario Kart World: We’ll be playing it for years, and this is the worst it will ever be.---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://mastodon.social/@brendonbigleyBlog: https://wavelengths.online

Nintendo has spent most of its time in the past twenty years differentiating itself from the competition — the GameCube was really the last Nintendo console that went up against other consoles in a meaningful way. Based on the success of the Switch, the Switch 2 feels like a moment where they feel so wildly secure in their position that they’re going to try and eat Sony and Microsoft’s lunch if they can manage it... and maybe try to take on the PC and Steam while they're at it.Does Nintendo have the chops to come back from the "we just make wacky toys for kids" zone and truly go head to head — and succeed — against the current gaming landscape? Who knows!Kit & Krysta on Nintendo's PR Crisis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMibVyYvSYU---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendonBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---0:00 - The last time Nintendo tried to compete2:32 - Why Nintendo SHOULD Be Confident9:07 - Why This Could Be Wii U-level Hubris20:14 - Subscribe if you want!---⏆

Usually when a company has literally millions of eyes on it at once, they want people to walk away with a positive impression — that usually means talking about the good and omitting the bad. So while Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct was largely great, it’s the stuff they didn’t talk about that’s starting to come to light and bring a harsh wave of reality to their usual world of whimsy. Here are fifteen things Nintendo didn't tell us about the Switch 2 during the initial reveal.---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendonBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---Chapters:0:00 - What Nintendo didn't say0:34 - The Price and sticker shock4:26 - How do we use mouse mode comfortably?6:44 - The new Pro Controller is better than I thought8:08 - Game Share works on Switch 18:52 - File sizes are huge10:36 - Switch 2 is 10x as powerful as Switch 111:58 - Hall Effect sticks confirmed13:20 - Not all Switch 1 games will work15:38 - Japan is getting a cheaper Switch 216:36 - The preorder requirements are wild18:56 - The UI is largely unchanged19:07 - Battery life is "worse"19:55 - Game Key Cards vs physical games21:18 - Most USB-C webcams will work22:06 - Some games will get free Switch 2 upgrades22:41 - Bye bye, thanks for dropping by!---⏆

I've already played a bunch of great 2025 games so far, and it's only February. I think we all knew this was going to be a big year — hello GTA6!! — but I wasn't anticipating being so blown away so early on. Here's a video about some standout games I've played so far that released within the past two months — NOT including Civilization VII which I completely forgot to mention, even though I like it!!Stimulation Clicker: https://stimulationclicker.com/---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendonBlog: https://wavelengths.online---Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Hmt3yHTovQmEcqzhZdl8TApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wavelengths-with-brendon-bigley/id1677660078Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/x6p7ni3rAnd more: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/itswavelengths---Chapters:0:00 - 2025 is already wild1:05 - Warriors: Abyss5:23 - Tyrant's Realm7:07 - FlyKnight7:51 - Ruffy and the Riverside10:21 - Tokyo Xtreme Racer11:51 - Keep Driving13:32 - Avowed18:41 - Stimulation Clicker19:26 - Upcoming Games---⏆

The PSP is having a bit of a renaissance in 2025, and as someone who never owned one growing up I’ve spent the past month or so researching literally every way I could think of when it comes to experiencing that incredible library. Many links:Where I got my PSP 3000: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheGamingArchivePPSSPP: https://www.ppsspp.org/Slystral’s Discord hangout: https://discord.com/invite/retrohandheldsPSP Go Battery Shell 3D Model: https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-psp-go-battery-expansion-rear-shell-196836PSP Go USB-C adapter: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807533841049.htmlAyn Odin Shop: https://www.ayntec.com/Retroid Pocket Shop: https://www.goretroid.com/collections/retro-game-systemPSP Hack Guides and Resources: https://www.pspunk.com/How to Hack the Vita: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b16gsrPV5b0---Feel free to follow me elsewhere!Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.onlineMastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendonBlog: https://wavelengths.online