Best Spec Network Podcasts (2025)

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Nintendo Shack 381 - A DK Bananza 2:24:38

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12h ago2:24:38

2:24:38

On this week’s episode, Delvin is back from his caribbean vacation and the Shack crew talks all about the Donkey Kong Bananza direct, including information revealed about the game and their opinions on it all. They also discuss news about Switch 2 game patches as well as headlines from industry talking heads about third party Switch sales. As alway…

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Nintendo Switch 2 - DF Hardware Review - A Satisfying Upgrade... But Display Issues Are Problematic 2:04:44

1d ago2:04:44

2:04:44

It's here - the biggest and most comprehensive Digital Foundry hardware test we've ever done. Across two hours of #content, Oliver Mackenzie, John Linneman and Rich Leadbetter share their data, tests, opinions and impressions of the entire Switch 2 package ranging from hardware analysis, display options, power consumption and efficiency, loading ti…

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Truth, lies, and the Trump Phone 1:46:35

3d ago1:46:35

1:46:35

Starting a wireless carrier is easier than you might think. So is building a half-decent Android phone! But doing all the things Trump Mobile promises, at the price and on the schedule it says, seems awfully close to impossible. While Nilay's out, David and Jake chat with The Verge's Dominic Preston about what we know about Trump Mobile and the T1 …

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Great Reviews and Terrible Tacos - Sharpening Substitute Questions with Counterfactuals 23:28

6d ago23:28

23:28

This episode delves into the use of substitute questions—simpler queries we use to answer more complex ones—and the crucial concept of cohesion between these substitutes and our true objectives. You'll learn how to leverage counterfactual thinking to scrutinize your assumptions and enhance the effectiveness of your decisions. Discover two powerful …

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Life with the Nintendo Switch 2 1:19:41

6d ago1:19:41

1:19:41

It's a small miracle that a bunch of us managed to get our heads out of Mario Kart World long enough to make a show about the Switch 2. But that's what we did! First, we chat with The Verge's Andrew Webster about his review, and why it feels like the Switch 2 is both everything we wanted and somehow still a little underwhelming. (Or at least just..…

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DF Direct Weekly #218: MindsEye Launch Disaster, Next-Gen PS Handheld Specs, Switch 2 Sells 3.5m! 1:46:56

8d ago1:46:56

1:46:56

The catastrophic launch of MindsEye dominates the Direct this week - but how does the game actually look and run on PS5 Pro and PC? We'll have a more detailed review soon, but there's good and bad with this one. Meanwhile, legit-looking specs emerge for the next-gen PlayStation handheld, Switch 2 sells through 3.5m units in four days and Rich spend…

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Nintendo Shack 380 - The Week After 1:44:34

8d ago1:44:34

1:44:34

This week Donnie & Rebecca chat about a week with Nintendo Switch 2. The two take a deep dive into Mario Kart World. Rebecca follows up on Welcome Tour and game chat while Donnie continues with more Breath of the Wild and Under Par Golf Architect. This week in the news the duo covers the latest update for Splatoon 3 and upcoming spinoff, Splatoon R…

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Switch, Xbox, and the portable future of games 2:03:13

10d ago2:03:13

2:03:13

There's a lot of news this week, so today's episode turned into a whole bunch of lightning rounds. Nilay, David, and The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes talk through all the vibes and news at WWDC, and why F1 seemed to outshine everything else. We also talk about the Switch 2 launch, and the news this week that Microsoft and Asus are building Xbox handhel…

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Why Maintenance Matters Now - Construal Level Theory, Marshmallows, and Hyperbolic Discounting 22:57

11d ago22:57

22:57

This episode explores why maintenance tasks, despite their fundamental importance, are often neglected or deprioritised in our daily lives and professional work. It delves into the psychological biases that make consistent maintenance challenging, such as hyperbolic discounting, where immediate gratification is valued over future gains, and the con…

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ElevateAEC 2025 Preview: Growth, Innovation, and Networking Opportunities in San Antonio 35:08

12d ago35:08

35:08

ElevateAEC 2025 Preview: Growth, Innovation, and Networking Opportunities in San Antonio “Proximity is a place of power. If you are a design firm leader or design firm owner and you’re trying to take your firm to the next level, sometimes it means you need to get around other people that have actually already done it.” Randy Wilburn Episode Summary…

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DF Direct Special: Xbox Showcase Reaction - Xbox Ally Handhelds, Final Fantasy 16 Tested + More! 1:19:54

13d ago1:19:54

1:19:54

The summer gaming events continue with the arrival of the Xbox Showcase. Microsoft has had a stellar 2025 and has delivered some exceptional events over the last few years - but this one doesn't quite make the grade. Rich, John and Oliver talk Ally handhelds, the pick of the games shown, the 2026 teases and we have capture and analysis of the "shad…

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Liquid Glass, Spotlight, and the rest of WWDC 2025 2:05:57

13d ago2:05:57

2:05:57

Apple spent 90 minutes talking about the future of its software, and we're pretty sure only said the word "Siri" once. Nilay and David are joined by The Verge's Victoria Song and Allison Johnson, both of whom were with Nilay at the keynote, to talk about all the news of the day. They talk about the Liquid Glass design language, and why Apple decide…

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DF Direct Weekly #217: Summer Game Fest/State Of Play! Black Myth Wukong Xbox! PS5 VRR fixed! 2:09:29

15d ago2:09:29

2:09:29

Join Rich, Alex and John for their thoughts on two of the major summer events: Sony's State of Play and Geoff's Summer Game Fest. The team share their thoughts on the biggest games of the shows, before moving onto other matters: Rich is happy to see that Sony has fixed the VRR stuttering problem with PlayStation consoles, Alex discusses the team's …

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Nintendo Shack 378 - Nintendo Switch 2 2:46:30

15d ago2:46:30

2:46:30

The Nintendo Shack crew celebrates their first few days with the Switch 2 by sharing their personal experiences with launch day and the games they’ve played so far, such as Mario Kart World, Breath of the Wild NS2 Edition, Welcome Tour, and more. They discuss some of the latest announcements from Summer Game Fest showcases that will be releasing on…

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Previewing Apple's 2025 WWDC 1:38:03

17d ago1:38:03

1:38:03

Developer conference season is almost over, but we've got one show left to see: Apple's WWDC begins on Monday. Nilay, David, and Joanna Stern spend time going through both what they expect to see at the show, and why this year's WWDC might feel a bit different than in years past. Apple is in a tricky place with regulators, developers, and users ali…

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Follow This Principle - Establish Your Baselines 8:00

19d ago8:00

8:00

This episode introduces a profound yet simple principle: knowing your baselines. This concept is crucial for effectively detecting and measuring change in your life and career. Uncover the fundamental idea that to recognise when something has changed, you must first understand what things were like before the change occurred. Often, people haven't …

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One company's quest for the perfect charger 1:09:31

21d ago1:09:31

1:09:31

We've talked many times on The Vergecast about the dream of the perfect charger. We call it The God Cable, and imagine it would charge everything, at full optimized speed, no matter what you plug in. Well, one company tried to make it – sort of. TwelveSouth founder Andrew Green joins the show to talk about how his company developed its newest produ…

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DF Direct Weekly #216: Switch 2 Retail Units Leak, Xbox 'Sidelines' Handheld, F1 25 Path Tracing! 1:56:29

22d ago1:56:29

1:56:29

The pre-launch anticipation for Nintendo Switch 2 ratchets up a level as retail units leak ahead of time, revealing the system's boot procedure, a preview of the front end and... not much more. The DF team react to those leaks, reflect on the Switch 2 journey that brought us to this launch and share some initial plans for coverage. Meanwhile, accor…

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Nintendo Shack 377 - Good Night Sweet Prince 1:56:30

22d ago1:56:30

1:56:30

On the very last episode before the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, Donnie, Delvin, and Rebecca reminisce about the Switch 1 and how far the Nintendo Shack Podcast has come during its 10-year run. They discuss news about Switch 2 consoles in the wild and other tidbits about what is to come. They also acknowledge the 10th anniversary of the Splatoo…

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Can a redesign save Apple's software? 1:38:31

24d ago1:38:31

1:38:31

It's a slowish news week ahead of some very busy news weeks, so of course Nilay and David start the show with a long discussion about party speakers. Eventually, they get into the news, beginning with some of the huge Apple redesigns planned for WWDC in June. For the first time in a long time, the stakes for Apple's software teams feel really high.…

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Inside the Meta monopoly trial 1:23:42

28d ago1:23:42

1:23:42

After more than a month of testimony, the Meta antirust trial is beginning to slow down. The Google search remedies trial, meanwhile, is about to heat up again, with closing arguments coming soon. The Verge’s Lauren Feiner has been in the DC courthouse for all of it, and has finally emerged to tell us about what she’s seen, and learned, from two al…

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DF Direct Weekly #215: Switch 2 Cyberpunk 2077 Preview, RX AMD 9060 XT Reveal, FSR Redstone! 1:51:51

28d ago1:51:51

1:51:51

Another packed Direct sees Tom, Rich and Oliver pore over 37 minutes of Cyberpunk 2077 Switch 2 footage, stacking it up against Series S and PS4 with intriguing results. AMD's announcement for the RX 9060 XT promises to be everything RTX 5060 isn't, while the team mull over Mario Kart World developer disclosures! Oliver gets Doom: The Dark Ages' PC…

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Nintendo Shack 376 - Switch 2 Time Capsule 2:21:30

29d ago2:21:30

2:21:30

This week, Rebecca is back to chat with Donnie and Delvin about the latest news regarding the Nintendo Switch 2. Headlines include news about game chat enforcement, rumors about a Hotel Dusk revival, NSO games and classic icons, developer updates about Mario Kart World and Hyrule Warriors Age of Imprisonment, and more. As always, they answer listen…

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OpenAI and Jony Ive's AI super-gadget 1:53:50

1M ago1:53:50

1:53:50

Bad news if you don't care about AI: this week was absolutely chock-full of AI news. First, Nilay, David, and The Verge's Alex Heath talk about the news that OpenAI and Jony Ive are teaming up to build... something. A gadget, for sure, maybe lots of gadgets. We don't know much, but we have a lot of thoughts, and a lot of questions. After that, the …

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Advice on Advice - Taking Everything with a Grain of Salt 13:54

1M ago13:54

13:54

This episode explores the complex landscape of receiving advice in your career, particularly during uncertain times. It offers insights on how to critically evaluate feedback and external information, prepare for potential negative outcomes outside of your control, and adapt your focus to thrive in a changing industry. Explore why the vast amount o…

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The Razr Ultra proves flip phones are almost ready 1:12:51

1M ago1:12:51

1:12:51

Kids these days, you know? They love the '90s, they want everything to be colorful and bold and bouncy, and they really, truly love Snapchat. And the tech world is listening. On this episode, The Verge's Allison Johnson joins to talk about her review of the new Razr Ultra, the new-look Android 16, and why she thinks we're getting ever closer to a t…

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DF Direct Weekly #214: No Switch 2 Launch Reviews? Next-Gen Xbox Using ARM + The "Forced RT" Debate! 1:59:36

1M ago1:59:36

1:59:36

In this week's Direct, Rich, John and Alex discuss the strongly rumoured plans for NO Switch 2 launch reviews, along with apparent news that the next-gen Xbox will use ARM-based Snapdragon processors. Rich tests out our in-development VRR capture/analysis tools with Days Gone Remastered, measures the ongoing PS5 VRR stutter effect while Alex shares…

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Nintendo Shack 374 - TECH SPECS 1:46:47

1M ago1:46:47

1:46:47

On this week’s episode, Donnie & Delvin discuss Tetris Forever & Doom the Dark Ages, recent Switch 2 tech specifications, the next Mario movie, what those free Switch 2 upgrades mean for us, favorite Switch 1 games and more! PSVG Everything in one link: ⁠psvg.taplink.ws

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HBO's no good very bad rebrand 1:57:21

1M ago1:57:21

1:57:21

Names are hard — but they don't have to be this hard. Nilay, David, and The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes start the show with some personal news, before digging into the monumentally silly thinking behind Warner Bros. Discovery re-re-naming its streaming service HBO Max. After that, and some more streaming news, we turn our attention to the gadget news …

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Career Advice for Surviving AI Outsourcing 13:09

1M ago13:09

13:09

This episode addresses the fear surrounding industry changes, such as AI and potential outsourcing, and offers actionable advice for engineers, managers, and leaders to navigate these challenges. You'll learn why shifting your focus from just developing skills to embracing ownership and responsibility is crucial for long-term career resilience and …

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A buggy Sonos mystery 1:27:06

1M ago1:27:06

1:27:06

The Verge's Will Poor recently came home from vacation and discovered he had an insect problem. More specifically, his Sonos speaker had an insect problem. Will brings us the story of what really happened there, and what he discovered about how the animal kingdom — and the electronics world — works. After that, The Verge's Andru Marino tells us abo…

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DF Direct Weekly #213: Switch 2 Processor Analysed, GTA 6 'Gameplay', RTX 5060 Controversy 1:45:30

1M ago1:45:30

1:45:30

Switch 2 mysteries are finally resolved as two independent analyses confirm an 8nm processor... with a twist. Meanwhile, Rich, Alex and Oliver debate the meaning of 'gameplay' with regards to Grand Theft Auto 6, Trailer 2 while the team compares notes on the Asus ROG Ally 2, Xbox Project Kennan leaks. Oliver stacks up Switch 2 Final Fantasy 7 Remak…