Wavelengths with Brendon Bigley

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

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 --- ⏆