CES 2025 Showed Me the Future of Handheld Gaming

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

The Nintendo Switch 2 announcement is being received with a lot of middling reactions — even the people who are excited about it seem kind of bored. I'm here to tell you that Mouse Mode is the real deal, dear listeners. --- Feel free to follow me elsewhere! Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.online Mastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendon Blog: https://wavelengths.online --- ⏆

The long-awated Miyoo Flip is finally out in the wild, and after years of it being my most-anticipated handheld, I'm walking away from this experience feeling like it needs some more time in the oven. The usual software suspects pop up here and there, but a few key and strange hardware decisions also hold this back from being a device I can confidently recommend. --- Feel free to follow me elsewhere! Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.online Mastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendon Blog: https://wavelengths.online --- Chapters: 0:00 - The Short Version 1:05 - The Long Version --- ⏆

I went to Las Vegas for CES 2025 to figure out if this will really end up being "the year of the handheld" and while my answer was less conclusive than I was expecting, I did walk away excited about the puzzle pieces and how they'll eventually fit together. --- Feel free to follow me elsewhere! Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/bb.wavelengths.online Mastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendon Blog: https://wavelengths.online --- ⏆

It's January of 2025 which means it's a perfect time to look back at the best games of 2024*. * In my opinion, obviously! Games are art, and while ranking art is inherently silly it's great to reflect on how it impacted you individually. Objectivity is a myth! These lists are as subjective as it gets, baby. --- Feel free to follow me elsewhere! Threads: https://www.threads.net/@brendonbigley Mastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendon Blog: https://wavelengths.online Backloggd: https://www.backloggd.com/u/brendonbigley --- Chapters: 0:00 - Welcome to Wavelengths 50 1:59 - 50 through 41 11:15 - 40 through 31 20:30 - 30 through 21 36:27 - 20 through 11 50:42 - The Top 10 Games of 2024 --- ⏆

The Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is out for iOS and Android, and now that I've played it I'm here to answer what everyone in the boardroom of The Pokémon Company was probably asking themselves: Is it the next Pokémon GO? Does it have a shot at captivating the world in the same way? Does it say anything at all about the future of the franchise? Sure! --- Feel free to follow me elsewhere! Threads: https://www.threads.net/@brendonbigley Mastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendon Blog: https://wavelengths.online --- Chapters: 0:00 - Where did this thing come from? 6:26 - Is the Pokemon Trading Card Game Pocket Good? 9:16 - How Battling Works 12:21 - One Million Currencies 14:08 - The Future of The Pokemon Company --- ⏆

I've become a big Dragon Quest fan over the past few years, having played huge swaths of a whole bunch of them, and having finished a couple as well. Unfortunately, Dragon Quest X eludes everyone outside of Japan and has since its release on the Wii in 2012. Finally, thanks to the collective efforts of a bunch of very generous people online, you can play Dragon Quest X in English with the help of a few tools. Today's episode of Wavelengths is all about using your sickness-infused boredom to figure out how to play Dragon Quest X AND Dragon Quest X Offline. Was it worth the effort? Come along and find out, won't you? Important links: Adventurer's Abbey for DQX: https://dqxabbey.com/pages/getting_started.html NexusMods for DQX Offline: https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonquestxoffline/mods/2?tab=files --- Feel free to follow me elsewhere! Threads: https://www.threads.net/@brendonbigley Mastodon: https://idlethumbs.social/@brendon Blog: https://wavelengths.online --- Chapters: 0:00 - You Should Play Dragon Quest 4:40 - Dragon Quest X is the Missing Link 11:05 - How to Play Dragon Quest X (The MMO) 18:19 - The Dragon Quest X Offline English Mod 24:26 - Bye!--- ⏆