We Can Be Better
There’s so much ‘bad faith’ argument and activity in the world right now. So few political leaders actually doing any leading. Most just doing a lot of protecting and avoiding. It’s bollocks. But this week it’s been great to see Cannon-Brookes and Twiggy Forrest get behind an
Death Stranding aka The Postman 2
This week we talk about why Seamus has quit Facebook (but not exactly deleted it), how Nic is preparing to automate his new home, and the Disney+ 4:3 ratio
On Quitting Facebook
This week I decided enough was enough. The mental gymnastics around why I *must* stay on Facebook came to an end. I’m not exactly deleting Facebook, but I am done using it as a place to offer up my attention as a commodity. Instead, I will use it as
From Icecrown to Icewind
This week Seamus and Nic talk about Shay's trip to BlizzCon 2019 - the games and the politics - before looking into retro RPGs on the Switch, the new Airpods
Back from BlizzCon
Last week I was at BlizzCon in the USA, so we skipped an issue of the newsletter. It was my first time at the event and as a long-time fan and writer about all things Blizzard games (makers of Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, and Hearthstone) it
Critical mass hysteria
Nothing digital succeeds anymore without a big enough snowball to propel it forward. It’s kind of obvious. But it underpins everything today, and a lot of this week’s stories. From Microsoft’s game streaming service Mixer wooing another big Twitch streamer to change platforms, to TikTok deepening its
Ten keys to annoying Seamus
Nic and Seamus talk Pixel 4, Sonos Move, and the whole "Is Marvel cinema?" conundrum, plus Disney, err, Plus. Seamus also has a big problem with big gaming
From Space Daks to Afterlife Pranks
Great seeing a bunch of you at PAX Australia last weekend! It was my first time with the family and it changed my perspective in amazing ways. The kids loved it on the ‘life changing’ end of the scale. I felt like they really felt more validated in their love
A gift for esports: do you have what it takes?
A special panel recorded live at PAX Australia 2019! Featuring a trio of amazing industry experts to explore the topic of shifting gears from just playing to
The PAX Australia edition
Nic and Seamus catch up face-to-face at PAX Australia 2019 live in Melbourne to talk about the show, what they saw, what they did, what panels they were
My lovely car limiter proves why cruise control sucks
I got a new car recently. By recently I mean a year ago. I like cars, but I'm not a 'car person'. I do my research ahead of time, but then I pretty much make
Newsletter with a hint of podcast
Quick one this week! I’m at PAX Aus! If you’re here please say hello! I’m hosting a panel for young folks and families on how to pursue esports in ways that don’t throw the rest of your life away (Sat, 11.00am), and also appearing on
Byteside: The Podcast!
Join Nic Healey and Seamus Byrne (yes, that's me) for the new Byteside podcast. We chat tech, games and culture, staying out of the weeds of the weekly news
Transformers turn 35
In a bit of a tangent, Seamus chats with Jason Murray about the state of Transformers toys these days and how things have evolved over their 35 year history.
The Goose That Honked The World
PAX Australia has really carved out a special place in the local event landscape. I’ve never missed one, and, for me, it shows the best of what the local games community can be. Not just videogames, the event is about boardgames and card games and RPGs and, yes, lots
Bot Fight: Activate!
It felt like a quiet week in tech news on the surface. But that’s mostly because global politics had a very loud one. There’s actually been a lot of interesting stuff going on. And here’s your weekly newsletter to catch up on it all! A lot of
Digital Brian Blessed
Through the calendar year there’s a few different times of year when it’s ‘new thing’ season. Right now it’s phones. Samsung landed a little while ago, Apple lands this week, and Google lands in October. We’re also getting lots of other new things soon too. Apple
Descent Into Avernus: the spoiler-free review
Dungeons & Dragons latest adventure, Descent Into Avernus, is a bargain with the devils you should sign up for. No blood required.
Less Gravity, More Personality
Let’s skip the iPhone launch chat. You’ve heard about that everywhere, I’m sure. I’m planning a special edition to round up the state of phones at the moment very soon. Seems a good time off the back of iPhones and the new Android 10 launch. Cameras
It's Tim Cook's Apple now
Steve and Jony have left the building.
