Console Shock Podcast

Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Digital gaming, physical media, backwards compatibility and retro football games all feature in another packed episode of Console Shock. Trev and Stu debate where the industry is heading, whether physical games still have a future, Microsoft’s latest Xbox developments, and why some classic games are still worth revisiting decades later. 💿 Is physical gaming really dead? – Sony’s all-digital future, the reality of declining disc sales, and whether there’s any way back.

🃏 Game Key Cards on PlayStation? – Could Nintendo’s approach be the ideal compromise between physical ownership and digital convenience?

🟢 Xbox’s backwards compatibility gets even better – Microsoft’s original Xbox emulation on PC, Project Helix, and what it means for the future of the Xbox ecosystem.

📥 Day One patches, DLC & digital ownership – Have modern gaming practices gone too far, or are some complaints overblown?

⚽ Pro Evolution Soccer 6 lives on – The world of community mods, recreating classic seasons, and why PES still has a loyal following.

🏆 The greatest retro football games – International Superstar Soccer, Pro Evo, Sensible Soccer and which classics deserve a modern revival.

🕹️ Do retro classics always hold up? – Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Banjo-Kazooie, Super Mario 64 and revisiting gaming favourites with fresh eyes.

🎙️ Plus plenty more gaming chat – Industry predictions, nostalgic memories, opinions, laughs and the usual Console Shock tangents. Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about different episodes of the Star Trek franchise! :

https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro Music – Title Theme – Pinball Dreams (1992) – Commodore Amiga – Composer(s): Olof Gustafsson Outro Music – Loading Theme – Desert Strike (1993) – Commodore Amiga – Composer(s): Jason A. S. Whitely

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! The gaming landscape is changing rapidly, and this show’s discussion explores why. Trev and Stu break down the newly announced Steam Machine, debating whether its premium price is justified and what it means for the future of PC gaming in the living room. They also tackle Sony’s controversial move away from physical media, discussing what a digital-only future means for game ownership, preservation, and the next generation of consoles. In this episode:

🎮 Is the Steam Machine worth its £879 starting price, or are DIY SteamOS PCs the better option?

💻 Why SteamOS could kick-start a new generation of affordable “console PCs” from manufacturers like Asus and Lenovo.

🛠️ Can building your own SteamOS-powered gaming box deliver better performance and value than Valve’s official hardware?

🔄 The hidden advantages of PC gaming, from cheaper games and free online play to backwards compatibility and upgradeability. 💿 Sony’s decision to phase out physical PlayStation games—and what it means for collectors, ownership, and game preservation.

📦 Are code-in-a-box releases the future, and does physical media still have a place in modern gaming?

🔮 How Project Helix, SteamOS, and rising console prices could reshape the future of PlayStation, Xbox, and PC gaming.

🎯 Why Nintendo may be the last traditional console maker standing as PlayStation and Xbox move closer to becoming PC-like platforms.

⚽ Plus, a quick chat about the FIFA World Cup, fan culture, and why football supporters can sometimes set the perfect example. Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about different episodes of the Star Trek franchise! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Join us as we take a road trip through gaming’s past and future. From Ridge Racer nostalgia and portable racing classics to soaring hardware prices and the possibility of £1,000 consoles, Trev and Stu examine the challenges and opportunities facing the gaming industry.

🏎️ Why modern racing games can feel more like open-world RPGs, and whether the genre has lost sight of pure arcade fun.

🚗 A look back at Ridge Racer 7, the cancelled Ridge Racer 8 for Switch, and why Namco should bring the series back.

🎮 Hidden gems on PSP – Sega Rally, Gran Turismo, and the surprisingly strong library of portable racing games.

📈 Rising console prices and the impact of chip shortages, AI demand, manufacturing costs, and why hardware isn’t getting cheaper.

💷 Predictions for PS6, the next Xbox, and whether £1,000 consoles could become the norm.

📊 The peak of console gaming? – Looking back at the PS2, Wii, Xbox 360 and PS4 eras to see if console sales have already hit their high-water mark.

📱 How devices like the Switch, Steam Deck and future PlayStation handhelds could reshape the market.

🖥️ The rise of console PCs – Could SteamOS systems and PC-based gaming devices become the budget-friendly alternative to traditional consoles? Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about different episodes of the Star Trek franchise! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Title Theme – Pinball Dreams (1992) – Commodore Amiga – Composer(s): Olof Gustafsson

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Gaming hardware used to get cheaper as it aged, but those days seem to be over. This week, Trev and Stu discuss Valve’s surprise Steam Deck price hike, debate whether gaming is becoming more expensive, and explore how changing buying habits could shape the future of consoles and PC gaming.

🔥 Valve shocks gamers with major Steam Deck OLED price increases.

🎮 Does the Steam Deck still offer good value, or have rivals overtaken it?

💻 Comparing the Steam Deck against the Lenovo Legion Go S and ROG Ally.

📈 Why modern consoles and handhelds are getting more expensive instead of cheaper.

🕹️ A look back at the PS2, Nintendo 64 and the era of dramatic hardware price cuts.

💷 Is gaming really more expensive today, or are we getting more value from longer-lasting hardware?

⚙️ Budget PCs, second-hand components and why more players may be moving away from traditional consoles.

🚀 Predictions for the Steam Machine, PS6 and the future cost of gaming hardware.

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about different episodes of the Star Trek franchise! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Title Theme – Pinball Dreams (1992) – Commodore Amiga – Composer(s): Olof Gustafsson

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! This week we switch things up with a listener Q&A-style episode, tackling a range of topics like the ever-blurring line between PCs and consoles, and debating whether devices like Steam Deck, SteamOS, and Microsoft’s rumoured “Project Helix” represent the future of gaming. Along the way, we revisit the biggest console generation leaps of all time — from the jump to 3D on the PS1 and N64, to the HD revolution of the Xbox 360 era — before diving deep into modern graphics tech like DLSS, FSR, and frame generation.

🎙️ In this episode:

🖥️ PC vs console convergence – Why SteamOS has pushed Microsoft and others toward more console-like PC gaming experiences

🎮 Project Helix speculation – Will Microsoft’s future Xbox hardware behave more like a console, a PC, or something in between?

💾 The old days of PC gaming – Remembering when installing a PC game could feel like a technical qualification

🕹️ Biggest console generation leap – Why the jump from 16-bit systems to PS1, Saturn, and N64 still feels unmatched

🌍 Mario 64 & open worlds – How Nintendo’s 3D platformer changed the way games were designed forever

🎬 Metal Gear Solid & cinematic gaming – The moment games started to feel like interactive movies

📺 The HD gaming revolution – Why the Xbox 360 and PS3 era transformed online gaming and visual clarity

⚡ DLSS, FSR & upscaling explained – Breaking down how modern games fake higher resolutions for better performance

🧠 Frame generation debate – Smooth visuals vs controller responsiveness, and where the tech works best

💻 Steam Deck & emulator experiments – Using modern PC features to breathe new life into retro and PS3-era games Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about different episodes of the Star Trek franchise! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Title Theme – Pinball Dreams (1992) – Commodore Amiga – Composer(s): Olof Gustafsson

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! It’s another trip to the world of Xbox, as we’re joined by special guest Lee from the EternalLee HD YouTube channel—a prolific Xbox 360 collector who knows the system inside out. Together, we dive into CEX chaos, physical media quirks, and the golden era of the 360, from reprinted covers to rare oddities. It’s a proper enthusiast’s look at what made the generation so special—and so challenging to collect for! 🎙️ In this episode:

💿 CEX cover drama – Why “cover reprinted” games just don’t cut it for collectors (and shouldn’t cost the same)

📦 The CEX lottery – Ordering multiple copies, building one perfect version, and returning the rest—chaotic, but once very real

🚚 Postage problems – How CEX’s store-to-store fulfilment model leads to inconsistent shipping costs and customer confusion

📖 Death of the manual – The slow fade from full booklets to flimsy inserts… to nothing at all by the end of the 360 generation

🗂️ Building the ultimate 360 database – A community-built database documenting every detail of Xbox 360 physical releases, from barcodes to inlays

🎮 All-time greats – Fallout: New Vegas takes centre stage, alongside heavy hitters like Modern Warfare 2 and Red Dead Redemption

🔥 Hidden gems & variety – From Blur and Split/Second to Enslaved, celebrating the sheer range of the 360 library

🎤 Weird & wonderful moments – Rare titles like Handball 16, industry stories, and even a surreal Lips performance tale to round things off Check out Lee’s YouTube channel here:‪@EternalLeeHD‬ Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about different episodes of the Star Trek franchise! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Not quite March—but close enough… so it’s Marchintosh time! Or maybe Appril? Either way, Trev and Stu return to the annual YouTube tradition of diving into Apple tech. This year, we’re spotlighting the machine that redefined portable computing for decades to come: the iconic Titanium PowerBook G4—the blueprint for modern laptops. Apologies for the audio issues in this episode—there’s some glitchiness on Trev’s side from the original recording.

🎙️ In this episode:

🤖 DLSS 5 & AI visuals – Is NVIDIA heading toward a future of AI-generated, “yassified” game assets?

🍏 Mac portable evolution – The journey of Apple laptops leading up to 2001

💻 Design legacy – How the Titanium G4 stacks up against modern laptops

🚀 Ahead of its time – Why it was such a leap in both performance and industrial design

🇬🇧 First impressions – Trev’s memories of encountering the Titanium G4 in early-2000s UK, when Macs were still a rarity

🎨 Design contrast – The sleek, pro titanium look vs the playful “jellybean” iMac era 🧠 Best of both worlds

– Why it’s still a perfect machine for classic Mac OS and early Mac OS X software Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! At GDC 2026, Microsoft gave us our first taste of Project Helix, the next-generation Xbox. It looks set to be an extremely powerful, PC-like console — but what does that actually mean in the living room? Will we be staring at a Windows desktop with a controller in hand on the sofa? Trev and Stu speculate…

🎮 Stu is blown away to discover there are actually three games in the Wave Race series!

🛠️ Grand Theft Auto IV is getting incredible mods, and Stu gives them a try.

🟢 Project Helix: Can Microsoft finally unite Xbox and PC gaming?

💻 Helix can play PC games — but what does that really mean? Can you install Steam on it?

🔒 Could Microsoft lock Helix down, with Game Pass as the only route to PC titles?

⚙️ Will Helix be a better Steam Machine than the Steam Machine?

🎧 Our thoughts on Sony (allegedly) stepping back from the PC market.

❓ Is a PS6 worth buying just for exclusives when Helix could offer so much variety? Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about everything Star Trek! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! On this week’s shockcast it’s all about rediscovering classics, fan-made passion projects, and the chaos of retro tech. We dive into free arena shooters, questionable dial-up online experiences, modern throwbacks to 90s racers, and surprisingly great movie-to-game adaptations. There’s plenty of CRT-era nostalgia, exciting preservation breakthroughs, and one painful battle with outdated PC gaming services thrown in for good measure.

🟣 Rayman Reborn? Trev discovers Rayman Redemption, the fan-made remake of the PS1 classic — but is it actually better than the official 30th Anniversary effort?

🔫 Arena Shooter Resurrection – The legendary Unreal Tournament 2004 is now free, and Stu wastes no time jumping back into the frag-fest. Does it still slap?

📞 Dial-Up Dreamcast – Online console gaming on a 33k modem… revolutionary at the time, but was it secretly a laggy nightmare?

🚗 Sideways in the 90s – Old School Rally powerslides onto the scene as a modern tribute to the golden era of rally games. Pure nostalgia or style over substance? 👻 Busting Still Feels Good – Revisiting Ghostbusters: The Video Game and its remaster — one of the greatest movie-to-game adaptations ever?

📺 Chunky Scanline Memories – Those thick black CRT lines from the 90s… did we all see them, or is nostalgia playing tricks on us?

🕹️ N64 Recomp Revolution – Trev explores the magic of N64 decompilation projects, including Banjo-Kazooie and Mario Kart 64 — preservation at its finest.

🖥️ Legacy of GFWL – Stu goes toe-to-toe with Games for Windows Live to resurrect the original PC port of Gears of War. Victory or technical heartbreak? Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! PC gaming handhelds have evolved fast since Valve shook things up by revealing the Steam Deck in 2021—but what should a true second-generation Valve handheld look like? Trev and Stu break down what would actually make a Steam Deck 2 a meaningful upgrade, drawing on features from newer PC handhelds and asking which ones Valve should steal, refine, or ignore entirely. In this episode:

💻 We kick things off with EA FC 26 somehow running on a 12-year-old laptop

📱 Valve nailed the original form factor—but is it time for a higher-resolution display?

⚡ Modern handhelds are pushing higher TDPs for extra performance—should Valve move beyond the 15-watt limit?

🔧 A more modular design, including easily user-replaceable SSDs, for better long-term upgrades

🚀 Is a 5× performance jump over the original Steam Deck the bare minimum expectation?

🔋 Bigger batteries for longer, truly untethered gaming sessions

🕹️ Hall-effect joysticks to finally put stick drift in the bin

🧱 A next-gen dock with Switch-style performance boosts when docked

🎮 If that’s still not enough power… is it time for external GPU support? Whether you’re all-in on Valve’s handheld future or just curious where PC portables are heading next, this one’s for you. Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! We’re back for 2026! After a festive break, the crew return to kick off the new year with a big look back at 2025 and an even bigger look ahead to what gaming has in store for us next. From bargain-bin hauls to future tech, predictions, and surprises — it’s our first deep dive into gaming in 2026.

🛒 We unpack our Steam Winter Sale pick-ups

⭐ Our favourite games of 2025

🔧 Trev puts Lossless Scaling on the Steam Deck through its paces

🔮 What’s coming in 2026?

🎮 Are next-gen consoles about to be revealed?

💷 Will the Steam Machine price make us cheer… or choke? Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! A little late to the party, but Trev and Stu finally celebrate the 20th birthday of the greatest Xbox of all time—the Xbox 360! Released in November 2005, the 360 pioneered a host of features that would become industry-standard: built-in online play, DLC, achievements, robust multimedia support, wireless controllers, a full digital marketplace, and much more. In this episode:

🎮 How Xbox 360 changed the industry: From achievements to digital distribution, the features that set the template for modern consoles.

💸 Speculation on the upcoming Steam Machine’s potential high price

🌀 Stu’s thoughts on Metroid Prime 4

🛠️ Reacting to the early reveals of Xbox 360 hardware and launch-window games

🕹️ Why the Xbox 360 wireless controller was (and still is) legendary

🔴 The Red Ring of Death — and how Xbox survived one of gaming’s biggest hardware crises

🕺 Did the Kinect spark the decline of the Xbox brand?

📀 Surprisingly solid backward compatibility with the OG Xbox

⬇️ How digital downloads revived short, 2D-style games via Xbox Live Arcade

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Valve drops a surprise wave of new hardware announcements, leaving a completely unprepared Trev and Stu to unravel the chaos and excitement rippling through the SteamOS/PC gaming world!

🎮 GTA VI delayed again — but is that actually good news?

🧪 Stu experiments with Bazzite on an Intel NUC PC.

💻 The Valve SteamCast (Steam Machine) is finally revealed!

⚔️ Steam Machine vs. Current-Gen Consoles — how do the specs stack up?

🛋️ Can the Steam Machine finally deliver true sofa-friendly PC gaming?

🕹️ A sequel to the Steam Controller appears! — but will it be practical?

🥽 Valve announces a new VR headset — can it take on the Meta Quest?

💸 What will all this new Valve hardware cost? Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! This Week on the Podcast: As a self-confessed handheld gaming fan, Trev is seriously excited about the rumoured PlayStation 6 handheld, codenamed “Canis”. Will it really deliver a full-fat next-gen PS6 experience in portable form — or will there be too many compromises to make you ditch your Steam Deck or ROG Ally?

🟩 Xbox Game Pass Price Hike — We unpack the latest changes, what they mean for subscribers, and whether the value still holds up.

📰 BREAKING NEWS! — Retro Games Ltd announce the full-size A1200, a dream come true for Amiga fans everywhere.

🎮 PS6 Handheld Deep Dive:

🔍 Will it truly play all PS6 games, or will it top out at PS4/PS5 level content?

🧩 How will PS5 compatibility work — every title, or only ‘handheld-patched’ releases?

⚙️ Could upcoming FSR and frame-generation tech make it the first no-compromise handheld?

💸 What sort of price tag might we see for Sony’s next portable?

💽 And how could disc-based PS6 games be supported on a handheld system? Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Trevor and Stuart talk about the first 100 days of Nintendo Switch 2

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! With the recent Valve leaks, Trev and Stu dive deep into what a potential “Steam Station” could look like in 2025. Can Valve really deliver a device that beats the PS5 on performance and price? Or should they roll out a whole lineup of consoles to cover every type of gamer? Here’s hoping Gabe’s got something big up his sleeve…

🎮 This episode includes:

🔫 Stu takes on Gears of War Remastered on PC!

💾 Wrestling with Games for Windows Live relics on modern setups.

🍄 Hot takes on The Last of Us Part I for PS5.

🕹️ Why picking Easy Mode is absolutely fine (and often the smarter choice).

💻 The Valve “Fremont” specs leak — what could a Steam Deck Pro / Steam Station mean for gamers?

🚀 Triple-A gaming on today’s Steam Deck, and why a beefed-up Valve console could be the ultimate option.

⚡ Does a Valve console need to exceed PS5 performance to stand out in 2025?

📺 How a streamlined, TV-only, screenless incarnation of the current Steam Deck could be the perfect entry-level machine.

🧩 Why Valve should release a suite of consoles to cover every price–performance tier. Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! 🎙️ The Mega Drive is a legendary console we’ve revisited in many ways throughout the history of the show—but what’s it actually like to buy one and start a collection today? Are the games easy to track down, is there a best controller to seek out, and should you even bother with the Mega CD or 32X? Trev and Stu are here to guide you on your Sega journey!

🔹 In this episode:

🎮 Stu tries out Sega Rally Anniversary Edition on PC

🖥️ Which model Mega Drive should you go for?

🕹️ The obscure hardware variants like the Nomad and Multi-Mega

⚡ Why 50Hz vs 60Hz matters

🎯 The controllers you should hunt down

🔫 What’s the deal with light guns on the Mega Drive?

💾 Flash carts – play ROM files on real hardware

➕ Mega CD & 32X – worthwhile add-ons or pointless indulgences?

📀 Game collecting – where to buy and what’s a fair price Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! We’ve hit a milestone — episode 150! And to celebrate, we’re welcoming back retro magazine collecting (and now magazine writing) legend Paul Monaghan for his long-awaited return! What’s he been up to over the last few years? How did he become a contributor to two of the UK’s top retro mags? And yes… what does he think of 90s boy band Let Loose? Strap in for a nostalgic deep dive into magazines, music, and memories from the golden era of gaming and pop culture.

🗂️ In This Episode:

🖥️ Paul’s latest work with Amiga Addict and Pixel Addict

💰 Thoughts on Perifractic’s purchase of Commodore

📚 A look back at the vibrant UK comic scene of the 80s & 90s

📡 Remember when Sky TV cost a fortune in the 90s?

🕹️ Reflecting on premium 90s gaming mags like Maximum

🧾 The high price of PC gaming in the mid-90s

🚀 Beyond gaming mags: Star Trek, NME, and more cultural touchstones

🧢 GamesMaster – the mag that outlived the TV show by decades!

📰 Our personal favourite gaming mags of all time

🖨️ Bonus nostalgia: the long-forgotten UK computing mag PC Plus! Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! It’s been a turbulent few weeks for Xbox. From announcing major job cuts to dropping hints about Windows playing a bigger role in the platform’s future, the brand finds itself at its most uncertain crossroads yet. What lies ahead for Xbox? Trev and Stu dive into the speculation… Topics covered:

🕹️ A look back at Microsoft’s early years in gaming

📉 Xbox’s historic struggles against its biggest rivals

🔀 Could a 3DO-style open hardware approach for Windows-based Xbox consoles actually work?

🖥️ Does SteamOS offer a blueprint for how Windows could handle console gaming? 🎮 How console-like could a future Windows experience truly be?

🛍️ Would a Windows Xbox play nicely with third-party stores like Steam?

🧰 Could it deliver a hassle-free, plug-and-play experience for console gamers? 💸 Pricing pressures — can Microsoft keep a PC-based Xbox in line with traditional console pricing?

😬 If a Windows Xbox can run everything a PC can… should Sony be worried? Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Stu’s got his hands on the Nintendo Switch 2 and gives us his honest review — no over-the-top YouTube theatrics here! Plus, the long-rumoured Microsoft x ASUS collaboration is finally official: meet the Xbox ROG Ally, a new handheld console. But will this be the Steam Deck killer, or is the real story the custom gaming-optimised Windows OS it runs? Here’s what we’re covering:

🎮 How does the Switch 2 launch compare to the original Switch?

🏁 First impressions of Mario Kart World

💡 Did the Switch 2 really need groundbreaking innovation?

🔄 How do Switch 1 games perform on the Switch 2?

🎛️ External controller support: Switch 2 vs Steam Deck

🆚 Where the Steam Deck still outperforms Windows-based handhelds

🖥️ The most exciting part of the Xbox Ally: a gaming-optimised Windows OS

⚙️ How will the new custom Xbox Windows handle launchers, UI quirks, and game libraries?

❓ Is Xbox Ally’s branding confusing? Does the average gamer think it’s a portable Xbox console, not a Windows handheld?

📊 Gaming-optimised Windows vs SteamOS performance speculation

🕹️ Will Xbox Windows support all generations of Xbox titles? Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Trev’s finally done it — he’s bought a PS5! The big question is: why now? Is a PS5 still worth it in 2025? Can it coexist peacefully with a Steam Deck, or is a showdown inevitable? We dive into all that and more in this week’s episode.

Also in the mix: 🎮 Stu shares his thoughts on Deliver At All Costs for PC.

🆕 First impressions of the PS5 — what stands out, what falls short, and what surprised.

📺 Trev gets hands-on with PS5 YouTube streaming. ⚔️ First impressions of Space Marine 2 — and a nostalgic look back at the original.

💾 Can the Steam Deck keep up with today’s heavy-hitting games?

🕹️ Would the Steam Deck make a good PS Portal alternative?

🎲 PS Plus Premium vs Xbox Game Pass — which service comes out on top?

❌🎮 And is the Xbox still worth it now that its exclusives are creeping onto PS5? Hit play and join the conversation. Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! In the latest instalment of our “Saving the System” series, we turn our attention to our all-time favourite gaming platform — the legendary Commodore Amiga. Its fate was sealed the moment Commodore collapsed, but can Trev and Stu breathe new life into this classic machine? Join us as we dive into what could have been, what went wrong, and what should have been possible. This episode includes:

🎮 Thoughts on Oblivion Remastered

🖥️ Could the Amiga 1000 launch have been handled better?

✨ Why the Amiga 500 was pure perfection

📀 Should Commodore have canned the CDTV and CD32 to focus on CD-ROM add-ons?

⏳ Did the Amiga 1200 arrive too late?

⚙️ Why the 68020 CPU was already showing its age in 1992

🚀 How the unreleased AAA chipset might have kept the Amiga competitive

🔮 Imagining what successors to the A1200 and A4000 could have looked like Fire up your Workbench disks — it’s time to rewrite history. Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! We’ve been speculating for months, but now the Nintendo Switch 2 has been fully revealed! We break down the announcements, react to the hardware, and ask the big questions — is this the upgrade we were waiting for?

🕹️ Did Nintendo nail it or miss the mark? We talk expectations, surprises, and what we’re still hoping to see.

💰 £75 for Mario Kart World — are you kidding?! Is this the new normal for premium Nintendo titles, or just a launch shocker? 🛒 Whatever happened to pre-order deposits? Back in the day, a fiver held your spot. What changed?

🧠 Smart move or safe play? We debate whether building on the original Switch design was the right call. 🔍 A deep dive into the tech specs New hardware features, chipset, display — we’re getting into the weeds.

🚀 A true generational leap? Where does Switch 2 stand compared to the original — and the competition?

📺 Can it really do 1080p handheld and 4K docked? We discuss frame rates, resolution promises, and real-world expectations.

💻 Switch vs PC handhelds Steam Deck, ROG Ally — how does Nintendo’s offering stack up?

🎮 OG Switch games on Switch 2 What kind of backward compatibility are we looking at?

🕹️ Switch 2 launch lineup thoughts Our reactions to the confirmed games — what’s hot, what’s not?

🟪 GameCube emulation is here! Yep, it’s official — GameCube classics are coming to Switch Online. Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! 🎉 #marchintosh is here! 🎉 Trev and Stu join in the annual YouTube tradition of Marchintosh, dedicating an episode to all things Apple Mac in March! This year, we’re flipping through a couple of Macworld UK back issues from 2004 and 2005, reminiscing about an era when Apple was transforming into the tech giant we know today. Join us as we dive into:

🎮 Stu’s new obsession: Robocop: Rogue City

🎞️ Were 80s and 90s movie-licensed video games actually better than we remember?

📖 Was Macworld UK just a reprint of the US edition?

🎂 Trev’s 20th anniversary as a Mac user!

🖥️ The long-forgotten Apple eMac desktop. 💡 Apple’s simple pro vs. consumer product matrix in 2004.

🎮 The never-ending saga of gaming (or lack thereof) on Mac.

🎵 A look back at iPods and the entire iPod family. 🖥️ Remember when buying Mac OS X meant getting a massive box?

🏬 Where did Brits buy Macs before Apple Stores? A look at Mac retailers in the UK.

⏳ How mid-2000s Apple computers still hold up today. And more! Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Nvidia has just unveiled its latest generation of RTX graphics cards, and the prices are absolutely eye-watering. But is it really worth dropping thousands on a gaming PC when a £350 second-hand PS5 could deliver a great gaming experience? Let’s dive into the debate! 🎙️ In this episode: 🕰️ Looking back & ahead – We reflect on the podcast’s journey and where it’s headed. 💰 GPU sticker shock! – Are the astronomical prices of modern graphics cards justifiable? 🎮 Console vs. PC – Is a £350 pre-owned PS5 better value than a high-end gaming rig? 🖼️ Upscaling & frame-gen – Have these technologies narrowed the image quality gap between PCs and consoles? 🚀 The PS5 Pro conundrum – Is the PS5 Pro a true alternative to a high-end gaming setup? 🕹️ A blast from the past – How gaming PCs like the Commodore Amiga stacked up against their console rivals. 💾 PC gaming on a budget – Do cheap digital games offset the high cost of hardware? 🎛️ Handheld revolution? – Are low-end gaming PCs, like those from Valve & ASUS, the real value champions? What do you think? Team PC or Team Console? Let’s discuss! Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Are console generation leaps becoming less significant? Back in the day, each new system felt like a revolution—but have we reached a point where improvements are harder to notice? Has graphical fidelity gotten so good that new technologies struggle to stand out?

Trev and Stu look back at console generations from the 90s to today, breaking down whether the leaps were truly bigger in the past or if we’re just seeing things differently.

🎮 Stu’s been streaming Call of Duty on our channel

🐵 Trev’s revisiting Donkey Kong Country Returns on the 3DS—was the 3D effect actually worthwhile?

🌊 Wind Waker on Wii U—a timeless classic or just a glow-up?

📀 The massive shift from 8/16-bit to 32-bit 3D—was this the biggest leap in gaming history?

🕹️ Stu breaks down his four distinct eras of console gaming

⏳ When do console generations truly begin and end?

🧐 Is there anything on PS5/Xbox Series that last-gen couldn’t do? 💡 Do most gamers even care about ray tracing?

⌛ Why are console generations lasting longer than ever? Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! The Nintendo Switch 2 was officially unveiled just days after our last show, and now Trev and Stu finally get to dive in! What did we make of the slightly unusual trailer, and what does the future hold? Will the original Switch finally see a price drop when the new model launches? Tune in to find out!

• Trev visits ‘CEX Prime’ on Rathbone Place.
• Reminiscing about video game shopping in the 90s, including Woolworths!
• Stu shares his thoughts on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
• Cheap controllers from Amazon, are they any good?
• Have Nintendo played it safe with no major gimmicks for the Switch 2?
• How innovative will Mario Kart 9 be?
• Will 128gb or 256gb be the minimum storage on the Switch 2?
• What tricks will the Switch 2 use to make games look good on 4k screens?
• £350 or £400, what price will Nintendo go for?
• Can the OG Switch beat the PS2 for the console sales record?

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Trev and Stu are finally back together after the Christmas break, with a whole bunch of new retro/modern gaming ramblings. This time around we dive into Bazzite, a SteamOS-like operating system that can turn Windows machines into Steam Decks, as well as looking into some of the PC gaming handheld news to come out of CES 2025. We also speculate what we might see in the upcoming Switch 2 reveal. This was recorded before the actual reveal a few days later!

• General overview of Bazzite, and why you might want to use it.
• The pain of using Windows with a controller on a gaming handheld.
• Trev’s experience of using Bazzite on the Lenovo Legion Go.
• The future of SteamOS and gaming PCs in the living room.
• Where will the Switch 2 fall in terms of graphical performance?
• How the OG Switch launched into a very different climate vs the Switch 2.
• Will the Switch 2 launch at £350 or £399?
• How will backwards compatibility look on the Switch 2?

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Special Stage Theme – Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) – Sega Mega Drive – Composer(s): Brad Buxer, Bobby Brooks, Darryl Ross, Geoff Grace, Doug Grigsby III, Cirocco Jones, Sega Sound Team

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Trev and Al celebrate the 30th birthday of the PlayStation with a discussion on its chaotic origins, its astonishing rise and how it became the all conquering gaming giant that it is today!

• The PlayStation starting life as a Super NES add-on
• Nintendo’s betrayal, and the creation of the PS1 console as an act of Sony revenge!
• Ridge Racer, Wipeout and their impact on the PS1 launch.
• What did the early 32-Bit systems (Jaguar, 3DO, 32X etc…) offer before Sony joined the race?
• CD-ROMs and how they kept the PS1 ahead of the N64.
• The quirky reason why PS1 graphics looked ‘wobbly’.
• How do PS1 games hold up on a modern TV?
• Which region had the best PS1 game box design?

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Attract Mode Theme – Ridge Racer Revolution (1995) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo, Nobuhide Isayama

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Are physical releases dying? With the PS5 Pro going fully digital by default, is the industry finally moving away from physical media for good? What does that mean for the mountains of games sitting on our shelves? Trev and Stu tackle all of these questions and more, as we debate the pro’s and cons of a disc-less future.

• Stu is still addicted to Call of Duty!
• Trev dives back into the Ratchet & Clank series.
• PS3 on the Steam Deck vs an actual PS3.
• Did the PS2 do mascot platformers better than the GameCube?
• Is streaming a good solution for backwards compatibility?
• How movies and TV shows maintain forwards compatibility.
• Is it reasonable to expect every old game to work on every new console?
• Are official remasters and small official emulated game collections as good as it will ever get?
• Current-era games, and how they could be handled by future consoles.
• Is piracy the only way to preserve old games?

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Collision Chaos (Present) Stage Theme – Sonic CD (1993) – Sega Mega CD – Composer(s): Masafumi Ogata

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Following on from our “Saving Saturn” episode a while back, we decided to give the Dreamcast the ‘saving’ treatment for the 25th anniversary of its UK launch! In reality the DC died a premature death, but can we try to turn the dials of history and give it a better life? Featuring our recurring guest, Al!

• Al dives into the world of Amiga emulation!
• DVD and the Dreamcast, was it ever feasible?
• The Mega CD/32X/Saturn era poisoning the SEGA well.
• No decent football (soccer) games limiting its appeal to sports fans.
• Too much focus on short-burst arcade style experiences?
• Publishers and developers who were MIA on the Dreamcast.
• Was the online capability too ahead of its time to be practical?
• Millions of marketing pounds spent on football club sponsorship, money that could be better spent elsewhere.

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – GO GO ! Sega Rally (Attract sequence/menu theme) – Sega Rally 2 (1998/1999) – Arcade/Sega Dreamcast – Composer(s): Tatsuhiko Fuyuno, Susumu Isa, Tetsuya Yamamoto, Jun Senoue, Kenji Eno, Hideki Naganuma, Tomonori Sawada

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! The Sony PlayStation 5 Pro has finally been revealed, with the main talking point being its eye-watering £700 price-tag. Do the upgrades that come with it make it worth the extra cost, or should you just save the cash for a PS6? We discuss!

• Stu is still addicted to Call of Duty!
• Trev has another go at PS3 emulation on Steam Deck, is it any better?
• What motivated Sony to release the PS4 Pro back 2016?
• Why aren’t current gen consoles becoming cheaper over time like previous ones?
• Do the ‘Pro’ upgrades justify a purchase over the standard PS5?
• No disc drive included, and issues with digital only devices.
• Is £800 for an OG PS5 with PSVR2 a better deal than a PS5 Pro?
• Are there parallels with the PS3’s original controversial pricing, and other expensive consoles of the past?
• Will the PS6 have even more models in varying form factors and price points at launch?

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Egg Carrier: A Song That Keeps Us on the Move (Egg Carrier Theme) – Sonic Adventure (1998) – Sega Dreamcast – Composer(s): Fumie Kumatani, Kenichi Tokoi

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Incredibly, we are already halfway through the lifespan of the 9th generation of consoles.

This means it’s the perfect time to cast our minds to the future, and speculate on what the 10th gen (Gen X) may hold in store. Will Playstation still dominate, can Xbox make a comeback? Will we see even more PC gaming handhelds?

– Stu’s new found addiction to Call Of Duty online multiplayer.

– How does the video game version of football compare to the real thing?

– Trev’s adventures in learning a new language.

– Why dont consoles get cheaper as they age anymore?

– Have console sales maxed out?

– Will Microsoft still make a dedicated box to connect to your TV?

– Do Sony need to evolve or should they keep iterating on their winning formula?

– Could Valve create a more powerful consolized version of the Steam Deck?

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Hill Top Zone Act 1 – Sonic 2 HD – PC – Composer(s): Toni Leys (Original Mega Drive Version – Masato Nakamura)

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! The Sony PSP was a groundbreaking handheld console that set a new standard for portable gaming devices. Compared to its contemporaries, such as the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance, it featured powerful processing capabilities, allowing it to handle 3D graphics that were comparable to the PlayStation 2, a remarkable feat for a portable device at the time.

Al joins us as we discuss how impressed we were upon first encountering it, and how its home console level experience inspired current era handhelds like the Switch and Steam Deck.

– Stu has started game streaming on our YouTube channel!

– Utter Nintendo dominance of the handheld landscape in the early 00s.

– A hint at the future of handheld gaming in pre-PSP consoles such as the Nokia N-Gage and Game Park GP32

– Stu recounts his Regent Street Gizmondo experience!

– Trev getting his mind blown playing Wipeout Pure on an import PSP in 2004.

– The revelation of the PSP providing close to a PS2 gaming experience in the palm of your hand.

– UMDs, the PSPs achilles heel?

– Legendary PSP games like Ridge Racer, God of War, Tekken, GTA, MGS Portable Ops, and more….

– Was the PSP useful as a music or movie player? Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Attack The Barbarian (Boss battle theme) – Streets of Rage (1991) – Sega Mega Drive – Composer(s): Yuzo Koshiro

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast!

The demise of GAME stores has been slow but almost inevitable, and with their ever diminishing list of products they sell can they survive another 10 years? Trev and Stu discuss!

– A very British opening to the pod with a discussion about the weather!

– Do ODE solutions on retro consoles make physical game collections irrelevant?

– Modern accessibility of old games vs old movies.

– Is it morally wrong to physically modify retro consoles?

– Retro gaming elitism and the ‘correct’ way to play a retro console.

– GAME retail living on borrowed time and how CEX really is a better option when buying from a store.

– Is Microsoft risking losing customer ‘mindshare’ to their rivals with their increasing focus on xCloud and Game Pass?

– Some speculations on the rumoured Xbox handheld. Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – We Are Apple (Leading The Way) – Apple Marketing (1984) – Composer(s): Unknown

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! A little late to the party, but Trev and Stu are finally celebrating a very significant birthday, the Macintosh is 40!

We talk about the legacy of one of the most important computers in the history of the industry, including where it all started and what makes it great! –

Trev is tackling Metal Gear Solid 2 for the umpteenth time, this time for realsies! – Where Mac fandom started for Trev in 2005.

– The state of the Mac in 1984 vs 2005 vs 2024.

– Using a vintage Mac today.

– Are the classic all-in-one 80s Macs actually worth owning?

– How the Macintosh II started the Mac on the path its on today.

– The PowerBook 100, where laptop design was codified. – How the Macintosh line became bloated in the early 90s.

– MacOS, how it evolved and why its better than Windows.

– Trev starting out on the Macintosh platform with the iBook G4 in 2005.

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro segment: “1984” Apple Television commercial – Directed by Ridley Scott – Produced by Chiat/Day & Fairbanks Films – Released in January 1984 – Used here under Fair Use guidelines Intro/Outro Music – We Are Apple (Leading The Way) – Apple Marketing (1984) – Composer(s): Unknown

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! More adventures with Stu on his retro PC gaming odyssey!

This time we focus on the Windows XP era, a point in time when a single PC could natively run a game from the DOS, Win 9x, and late 00s eras. Where do you start when you have access to everything from the mid 90s all the way to the Xbox 360 generation?

– The joys of picking up cheap physical copies of early-mid 00s PC games!

– The story of the first PC Trev owned, featuring the legendary AMD Duron CPU. – What Mac gaming was like during the late PowerPC era.

– How physical PC games started to decline, and the rise of digital downloads during the XP era.

– Some thoughts on Windows Vista, does it have any value for retro PC gaming? – Trev has finally finished Red Dead Redemption 2.

– Red Dead v GTA, which is better! Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – passport.mid – Windows 3.1 (1992) – IBM PC & Compatibles – Composer(s): George Stone

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! No it’s not RedLetterMedia, it’s Console Shock!

This time, Trev and Stu explore the boulevard of broken console dreams as we try to figure out which of the 90s failed systems are actually not bad. Are there any redeeming features to the likes of the CDi and CDTV, and can the Saturn triumph against the Dreamcast?

– Stu describes the tragic death of a retro gaming PC.

– Trev (who is English) controversially describes the Scotland national football team as “alright”.

– Are AAA games limiting their audience by being too complex?

– Jaguar, the Atari swan song.

– Why the 3DO is the best of the pre-PS1 32Bit era.

– CDi vs CDTV, which is better.

– Turbografx-16, not really a failure.

– Handhelds and was the Game Gear really a failure?

– Saturn vs Dreamcast, the Sega shootout!

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Desert Stage Replay Theme – Sega Rally (1995) – Sega Saturn – Composer(s): Takenobu Mitsuyoshi & Naofumi Hataya

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Kickstart 02 is coming this summer, and we have the force behind the operation Ravi Abbott on the show to give us some background on this year’s biggest UK Amiga expo!

– Trev and Stu experience some podcast recording pains!

– What topics end up being popular on a retro gaming podcast?

– Ravi gives us an update on the amazing Amiga Addict magazine.

– How difficult it is to produce a monthly print niche magazine in the age of digital. – Amiga events in the 90s and 00s and how Ravi got into organising Amiga expo’s. – Organising the first Kickstart Amiga convention last year.

– What incredible Amiga goodness can we expect from Kickstart 02? – ….and all the great non-Amiga stuff that will be featured.

– All the info on how to grab tickets and the after-show party! Get more info and buy tickets to the Kickstart Amiga Expo here : https://www.amigashow.com

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Loading Theme – Desert Strike (1993) – Commodore Amiga – Composer(s): Jason A. S. Whitely

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu,

its the Console Shockcast! With rumours of a PS5 Pro model doing the rounds, Trev and Al ponder if there is any value in mid-gen refresh hardware.

We also look back on earlier attempts at ‘Pro’ style console upgrades, something Sega really ran with on the Mega Drive to their detriment.

Has there even been a truly successful ‘Pro’ system or upgrade?

– 4K TVs pushed the development of the Xbox One X/PS4 Pro, is there anything similar creating the demand for Pro systems now?

– Has the cross-gen era of simultaneous PS4/5 and Xbone/Series X releases harmed the newer systems?

– What benefits would we get from a PS5 Pro?

– How big is the market for the Pro consoles?

– Are there fewer new video game IP’s these days?

– ‘Pro’ style upgrades on retro systems, such as the N64 expansion pak, and Sega Mega CD/32X add-ons.

– Was the NEC PC Engine CD add-on the only real must have console ‘Pro” upgrade? Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Mii Channel Theme – Nintendo Wii (2006) – Composer(s): Kazumi Totaka

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! This week, Trev and Stu try to leap (in a quantum way) into the minds of Sega’s decision-makers during the Saturn era.

We try to work out what we could have done differently to change the fate of the 32-bit machine, and give it a fighting chance against the mighty PlayStation!

Could we create a timeline where the Saturn was actually a worldwide success? Listen on to find out….

– Can you complete Starfield (AKA “Spacerim”) without building anything?

– Were Nintendo justified shutting down the Yuzu Switch emulator?

– The Saturns high launch price instantly putting Saturn on the back foot.

– Abstract marketing and adverts failing to showcase the system.

– Improving the Saturns launch game lineup. – Did the lack of Sonic on the Saturn really harm its potential?

– The legendary programming difficulty of the Saturn.

– The failure of the Mega CD and 32X systems killing consumer confidence in Sega hardware.

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Quantum Leap Theme (Season 5 Version) – TV Series – Composer(s): Mike Post

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast!

Following on from our previous show about the current state of home video and Blu-ray collecting, we look back at how things were when we were growing up. Remember being excited to rent a video from your local rental shop? Or waiting a year before a movie would even show up on VHS after its theatrical run? We do!

• We cover some of the recent low-key YouTube drama surrounding our friend ReviewTechUSA.
• The slow decline of AVGN.
• The situation with Xbox going multi-platform, what does the future hold?
• Films that were modestly successful at the box office but were huge on VHS.
• Exploring our parents VHS movie collections, discovering new movies.
• Watching dodgy bootleg copies of the latest movies in Ireland!
• Being excited to rent movies, and even pre-ordering rentals.
• The marketing push for a movie lasting much longer in the 90s.
• The huge gaps in time between theatrical releases to VHS rental releases and finally buy to own.
• Laserdisc, did you know anyone that had one?
• The crazy prices of Laserdiscs in the 90s.

Intro/Outro Music – Downtown Times Square (Scene 2-1 theme) – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989) – Arcade – Composer(s): Mutsuhiko Izumi, Miki Higashino

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes

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5:30 / 1:05:48

Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! We chart the further adventures of Stu’s new found love of PC gaming,

before taking a deep dive into the world of physical movie collecting on Blu-ray’s, both retro 1080p and 4K. Is it still fun? Is it even worth it when you can just stream a movie? Will it even be an option in the future? Listen on to hear our thoughts!

– Stu is now a full-time PC gamer!??

– Its ok to play games on easy mode when you’re old 🙂

– How awesome is Steam Remote Play?

– 4K Blu-ray discs vs. 4K streaming.

– Why 4K Blu-ray has struggled.

– 1080p Blu-ray’s looking amazing on a 4K TV.

– The joys of picking up super cheap Blu-ray’s in CEX.

– Advantages of owning physical copies of movies.

– That special feeling of picking a movie to watch from a pile of discs. Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Butch Cassidy and Sunset Riders (Train Stage 1, Mega Drive version) – Sunset Riders (1992) – Sega Mega Drive – Composer(s): H.Inoue (Mega Drive version), Motoaki Furukawa (Original Arcade)

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Stu is back from holiday a changed man! A Steam Deck skeptic in 2022, he now loves the thing. What changed for Stu in that time and what made him a fan of the handheld from Valve? Find out in our latest Shockcast!

– PC gaming in the 90s.

– Gaming on PC becoming more accessible in the 2010s.

– Stu selling his original Steam Deck and now buying another!

– Seamlessly jumping between desktop and Steam Deck with Cyberpunk 2077.

– MSI’s entry into the handheld gaming PC space with the Claw.

– Windows jankiness being the achilles heel for gaming PC handhelds.

– Are physical copies of games really just becoming unlock keys for the digital version?

– Some thoughts on the current state of physical movies on disc.

– Is Microsofts push for digital harming their retail store presence and mind share?

Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Muda Kingdom – Super Mario Land (1989) – Nintendo Game Boy – Composer(s): Hirokazu Tanaka

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! An early Christmas present for our listeners as we round off 2023 with a chat about everyones favourite blurry screened wonder, the Sega Game Gear! With Stu on holiday, Console Shock charter member Al returns to fill the void as we go on a handheld odyssey!

– A little recap on Console Shocks origins.

– Al’s thoughts on No Man Sky

– Pyron’s amazing Mega Drive homebrew, including Sunset Riders Arcade Edition

– The Game Gear being a portable Master System

– Was the Game Gear too expensive, and other negative factors.

– The Game Gear Sonic ports, and home console to GG ports in general.

– The underrated Game Gear TV tuner!

– Repairs and maintaining Game Gears.

– Modern era Game Gear console mods. Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! : https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Aqua Planet Zone – Sonic Chaos (1993) – Sega Game Gear/Sega Master System – Composer(s): Kojiro Mikusa & Masayuki Nagao

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Al is back with us again!

The Console Shock charter member has returned to join us as we talk the latest on PC gaming handhelds, cloud gaming, and the imminent GTA 6 trailer!

– Does Nova Scotia have pubs?

– Steam Deck OLED, a worthy upgrade from the OG?

– Lenovo Legion Go hands on thoughts!

– Al taking his first steps in the world of the Playstation Triple!

– GTA V is so old now you can run it on an emulator.

– The joys of the Steam Decks TDP settings for extended battery life.

– Gaming via cloud streaming on xCloud, is it a viable alternative now?

– Is Modern Warfare III crap?

– Our hopes and expectations for GTA 6. Check out Trev and Al’s other podcast where they reminisce about a different episode of Star Trek every month! :

https://longrangesensors.com/episodes Intro/Outro Music – Welcome to Los Santos – Grand Theft Auto V (2013) – Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 – Composer(s): Oh No (Michael Woodrow Jackson)

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Switch fans have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to FIFA, but has that changed with FC 24? Trev got his hands on a copy and tells all! We also look at some of the recent news from Playstation land, including the PS5 not so slim… – FC 24 on Switch, no longer a legacy edition. – The PS5 “Slim”, is it an upgrade in any way? – Console digital storefronts and their crazy pricing vs physical copies. – PS5 Pro rumours, do we really need a mid-gen refresh? – Talking of ‘Pro’ consoles, should there be an Xbox Series X Pro (AKA the Xbox Series XL)? – The fallout and future of the Microsoft/Activision merger. Intro/Outro Music – Overworld – New Super Mario Bros U (2012) – Nintendo Wii U – Composer(s): Shiho Fujii, Mahito Yokota

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! With the rumours of the Switch 2 getting stronger and stronger, we share our opinions on what the final form of the mythical console should take.

This alongside our usual verbal download of gaming thoughts and feelings spanning anything old or new! – Stu gives us an update on his retro PC gaming adventure.

– The weird era of still-mostly offline, and physical retail games in PC gaming in the late 00s and early 10s.

– The problems with releasing older PC games on modern online storefronts like Steam.

– Sega releasing games from their Arcade history, but only within a new game!

– Why do Sega stop at 1995 when it comes re-releasing their old stuff?

– Are early 32bit era games too janky to enjoy in modern times?

– Some quick thoughts on F-Zero 99

– Will the Switch 2 really be in the Series S ballpark in graphical power?

Intro/Outro Music – Taking to the Air – Terminator (1993) – Sega Mega CD – Composer(s): Tommy Tallarico

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! We have developer RozzBozzy as a guest on the latest Shockcast, who is currently creating a tribute to the classic Virtua Racing style of 90s polygonal arcade racer, SP Grand Prix!

Discover what motivated RozzBozzy to create SP Grand Prix, along with his other projects and much much more!

– How the Unity tool got RozzBozzy into the world of video game development.

– That awesome low-polygon look, how do you achieve this with modern tools?

– What platforms could SP Grand Prix appear on?

– The process of getting a game on a platform such as Steam.

– That perfect SEGA blue skies arcade racing aesthetic!

– RozzBozzy’s other projects including Re-Xevious and Re-Enduro.

– OutRun 2 being the last classic arcade racer. – Other potential dream game projects RozzBozzy would like to tackle. Intro/Outro Music – Pounding Pavement – Daytona USA (1994) – Saturn – Composer(s): Takenobu Mitsuyoshi

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Friend of the show and all round retro gaming legend Dan Wood joins us again to talk about a certain computer platform that we have all expressed a fondness for over the years. Nope, it’s not the Sinclair QL, it is the Commodore Amiga!

Specifically what is happening in the Amiga scene in 2023. We chat about some of the weird and wonderful goings on in the world of Amiga this year!

– The Xbox 360 is pushing 20 years old? Nooooo way!

– Some thoughts on the Evercade handheld.

– Has the A500 mini started gathering dust on owners shelves?

– How the Antstream service is bringing Amiga classics back to life.

– Amiga events returning to the UK!

– Why Amiga games have a wider appeal than their 8bit C64 or Spectrum counterparts.

– The PiStorm providing a cheap and powerful Amiga accelerator option.

– Replacing the guts of an Amiga with a Raspberrypi, is that cheating?

– The big question, has Stu finally bought an Amiga? Intro/Outro Music – Haircut (Brutus ‘The Barber’ Beefcake Theme) – WWF/WWE (1988) – Composer(s): Jim Johnston

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Trev finally has his hands on the ASUS ROG Ally, and it’s a great portable PC gaming solution. The question on everyones lips is how does it stack up to the Steam Deck? Should you ditch the SD or can they live together in peace? Listen on and find out! – Garish lighting on gaming PC’s, what’s the point? – How the Steam Deck and ASUS Ally fulfil different PC gaming niches. – SteamOS vs. Windows, which is a better fit for a handheld. – Navigating Windows with a joystick, how clunky is it? – Docking the SD and Ally to a TV, as easy as a Nintendo Switch? – Where the ASUS Ally fills the gaps the Steam Deck cant touch. – Using power draw profiles to get more battery life from the SD and Ally. – The extra processing grunt of the ASUS Ally and PS3 emulation. Intro/Outro Music – Face With Courage (Stage 3 Theme) – Sunset Riders (1991) – Arcade – Composer(s): Motoaki Furukawa

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Trev and Stu chat about some of the recently revealed tech products from Apple and Sony, the Vision Pro and Project Q. Are they worth buying? We also look into what a Nintendo Switch successor should look like, and Stu’s adventures with his new (well actually old) Dell retro PC laptop! – Stu resurrecting a dusty old laptop found in storage! – Modding 2000’s era Pro Evo football games. – The perils of second hand PC games, serial keys and janky authorisation steps. – Do Macs have less games now than in the 90s? – Does Project Q turn the PS5 into a Wii U? – Why bother with Project Q when you can use a mobile phone to stream. – Nintendo’s track record with following up successful consoles. – Is sticking with the current Switch is holding back third party support? – How powerful should the Switch 2 be? – Who is the Vision Pro really for? – What would it take for the Vision Pro to go mainstream?

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! After several hints on previous shows that Stu was about to plunge into PC gaming, he has finally pulled the trigger!

We explore some of Stu’s early experiences with his new set up, as well as some of the future joys (and irritations!) he has yet to discover.

– Trev has pre-ordered the Asus ROG Ally, some more thoughts on the new Steam Deck killer!

– Can the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally co-exist?

– Stu has his new gaming PC! What were his initial impressions?

– Getting back into strategy games after years ignoring them.

– The myriad of PC game store apps and launchers.

– Issues with installing old games from DVDs on modern PCs.

– Windows adding a layer of jank to the PC gaming experience.

– What Stu might be up against if he dives into the world of PC retro emulation.

– The awesome pcgamingwiki website. Intro/Outro Music – Butch Cassidy And The Sunset Riders (Stage 2 and 7 Them) – Sunset Riders (1991) – Arcade – Composer(s): Motoaki Furukawa

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast!

The Atari Lynx launched in 1989 and was a pioneer in handheld gaming. It was the first ever colour portable and had specs that could rival the ‘big’ home consoles of the time. Unfortunately it struggled against the Gameboy and even the Game Gear, but could it have done better?

Trev and Stu share their thoughts on the mighty Atari machine, and more….. – Playing Halo MCC on the PC, and how it’s improved since its original launch on the XBone.

– More updates on the latest ‘Steam Deck killer’ Asus ROG Ally

– Epyx and the origins of the Lynx.

– The incredible 16 bit graphics hardware on the Lynx.

– Lynx strengths in its arcade ports.

– The ups and downs of the Lynx game library.

– Was it price, battery life, lack of portability? What killed the Lynx?

– Comparing the Lynx 1 and the Lynx 2 – Was the Lynx doomed from the start? Intro/Outro Music – Meteor – Starfox (1993) – Super Nintendo – Composer(s): Hajime Hirasawa

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Great Podcast Trev and Stu talk about retro and Modern Video games

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! As kids we used to drool over the console/computer bundle packs we would see on shop shelves or in magazine ads.

What you got in a particular bundle could help determine which side of the video game war you ended up on.

How important were bundles back in the day, and which ones do we remember the most?

– DKOldies and “not for resale” bundle copies of games in shops.

– Is everyone who could be intro retro gaming already involved in the hobby? – Anniversaries of consoles from the 2010’s making us feel old!

– The arcade machine experience in the UK, seasides and chippies!

– Was the Street Fighter 2 or Super Mario World bundle the system seller for the SNES in the UK.

– The 1990 TMNT bundle giving the NES a foothold in the UK market.

– The importance of the PS1 ‘Demo 1’ disc in PlayStation bundles.

– Sega Saturn bundles, or the lack of them!

– Customised bundle packaging art vs. a sticker on the generic console box.

Intro/Outro Music – Lightning Strikes (Stage 1) – Raiden III (2005) – Arcade, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 – Composer(s): Go Sato, Yuji Takemitsu, Yuka Sakamoto, Akira Sato

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Recently there’s been trend of retro gaming YouTubers talking about the “The Retro Problem”, initially started by RGT85. UK gaming magazine legend Jaz Rignall wasn’t impressed with the thumbnails of grumpy people sitting in front of game collections and voiced such disdain on his Twitter. Is there a “retro problem”?

Is it something worth talking about, or a storm in a teacup?

Trev and Stu deep dive into the points made by RGT85 in the latest Shockcast.

– Some thoughts on DKOldies and the controversy surrounding them.

– Stu talks about Atomic Heart.

– Gatekeeping within the retro gaming community. The real retro problem?

– Nostalgia for old games and consoles becoming a thing in the late 90s.

– Game Boy comes to the Nintendo Switch Online service! –

Stu gets his hands on a Mega Everdrive X7!

– A slight segue into the dying days of the Mega Drive and its two Premier Manager games from 1995 and 96. Intro/Outro Music – Act 1-1 and 2-2 Theme – Ultraverse Prime (1994) – Sega CD – Composer(s): Tim Follin, Geoff Follin

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! After a lengthy Xmas and new year break from the Shockcast, Trev and Stu are back with more video game ramblings! We start with a round up of various gaming related stuff on both our minds before shifting the focus to VR. Is it a fad that has run its course or will it ever become mainstream? Let’s discuss! – Thoughts on the GoldenEye 007 re-release. – Have fifth generation graphics aged badly? – Facebook retro gaming group fanboyism! – Thoughts on the classic Konami run and gun Sunset Riders! – Dead Space remake and shader compilation stutter. – Steam Deck and other handheld gaming PCs that have appeared on the scene. – Was PSVR actually successful? – How does VR need to evolve to become ubiquitous. – The headaches (sometimes literal) that come with VR in its current state. – Is the PSVR2 too expensive? – BONUS: Trev doesn’t like Ready Player One. Intro/Outro Music – Stage 1 Theme – Sunset Riders (1991) – Arcade/Sega Mega Drive/Super Nintendo – Composer(s): Motoaki Furukawa

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Retro consoles are still fun to play to this day, but getting them working in an optimal way these days can be a challenge. Those optical drives with them moving parts can also be a ticking time bomb to failure. How can you overcome these issues? We talk about how you get a PS1 boosted with quality of life upgrades to make it a joy to use in 2023 and beyond! – Have waypoints made modern games worse? – Isn’t the PlayStation 3 the best way to play PS1 these days? – Connecting a PS1 to a TV, what are the options. – The MemCard PRO, the only PS1 memory card you’ll ever need. – The XStation ODE, a flashcart-like device for the PS1. – HDMI solutions, are they worth it if you have RGB SCART? – 50hz/60hz switching on a PAL PS1. – Alternate controllers for the PS1. Intro/Outro Music – Canada – Wipeout 2097 (1996/1997) – Sony Playstation/Sega Saturn/PC DOS – Composer(s): CoLD SToRAGE

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! “Did you ever hear the tragedy of Sega Dreamcast The Great?”

There are several myths floating around retro gaming discourse on what ultimately buried the DC.

We take a look at each of them and provide some of our own thoughts. Was there any way the Dreamcast could have had a successful run in the 6th generation, or was it doomed from the start?

– Did the Dreamcast need a DVD drive to succeed?

– Too many short arcade style experiences vs. longer story based games available elsewhere?

– The lack of support from EA.

– How the PS1’s continued success affected the Dreamcast. – Releasing early into the 6th gen causing technological disadvantages. – Piracy being rampant on the Dreamcast. – The console buying public being wary of SEGA products due to previous failures. Intro/Outro Music – Cairodrome – Wipeout (1995/1996) – Sony Playstation/Sega Saturn/PC DOS – Composer(s): CoLD SToRAGE

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! No main topic on this edition of the Shockcast,

Trev and Stu run through a whole bunch of topics on their minds covering retro and modern gaming alike!

– Remember getting your National Insurance Number issued?

– Why dont we go to any of the retro gaming expos and events?

– Some further thoughts on the recent retro video game community YT drama.

– Has there been a lack of AAA games this year?

– Are modern video games better value for money then retro ones?

– CEX stores and and retro game collecting.

– Is the Xbox Series X really holding back game devs?

– Will there be pro versions of the current gen consoles? Intro/Outro Music – On Your Way (Menu Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! We were there when the Switch launched, and we even discussed its future at length when the initial reveal landed. It has been an incredible success, one of Nintendos most successful ever, but what does that mean in the context of the wider video game world? Did the arms race of powerful hybrid handheld competitors materialise? Let’s discuss!

– Some thoughts on the Lady Decade copyright issues.

– …and additional thoughts on YouTube drama generally.

– How the Switch made triple A gaming on the go viable, while the Vita failed there. – Earlier examples of taking home console gaming on the road.

– Cloud streaming services, are they any good?

– The PSP being the first handheld that could truly match its home console contemporaries.

– Did the Switch lead to the development of Steam Deck and other handheld PC gaming systems?

– Will Microsoft or Sony launch their own handhelds? – When can we expect a Switch 2 and a next gen Steam Deck? Intro/Outro Music – Turn The Page (Tutorial Theme) – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Hiroshi Okubo

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This week Trev and All talk about the big world of gameboy mods

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! It’s an unusual situation where a console gets a price increase nearly two years into its lifecycle, but how will this affect the PlayStation 5 in the long run?

Our hosts contemplate this along with our usual mix of video game topics old and new!

– Will the PS5/Xbox Series get a price drop anytime soon?

– The huge price advantage the PS1 had over the N64 in 1997.

– Some thoughts on The Last Of Us Part 1.

– Will the price increase damage the PlayStation brand?

– The history of Sony cutting the price of PlayStation consoles just as their rivals launch.

– What could a next-gen Nintendo Switch be like?

– Dad humour, YouTube drama and ReviewTechUSA. Intro/Outro Music – Hyrule Castle Courtyard – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) – Nintendo 64 – Composer(s): Koji Kondo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! We covered the Steam Deck last year upon its announcement, but now Trev and Stu finally have one in their sweaty mitts! Is it truly the Nintendo Switch destroyer some were billing it as, or is it more of a Virtual Boy? We are joined by Al who doesn’t have a Deck, but has plenty of questions about them. So, if you’re thinking of diving into the Steam Deck, this episode is here to help! – What made it difficult for devs to make handheld versions of games pre-Deck? – How the Nintendo Switch laid the groundwork for the Steam Deck. – Trev and Stu’s personal experiences with the Deck. – Thoughts on SteamOS v Windows. – The joy of playing full-fat AAA games on a handheld. – Keyboard and mouse focused games on the Deck, how well do they work? – Going beyond the Steam store on the Deck. – Emulation, how is it on the Deck? Intro/Outro Music – Speed King – OutRunners (1993) – Arcade – Composer(s): Takayuki Nakamura, Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Hiroshi Kawaguchi

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! We are living in a golden age of Amiga upgrades; with a myriad of accelerators you can jack into your Miggy to take it to computational heights we could never have imagined!

Which should you go for though? To help out, Amiga aficionado Dan Wood joins us on the show and we take a look at the best options for your needs.

– Boosting your Amiga in the 90s, what was it like?

– The advantages that upgrading your Amiga can give you.

– Are accelerators from the 90s still worth using?

– Why don’t classic Macs have modern accelerators?

– How Dan left the Amiga platform, and later got back into it. –

CD32 upgrades, de-consolize the system! – Modern Amiga accelerator options, both cheap and expensive.

– How powerful do you need your Amiga to be for WHDLoad?

Intro/Outro Music – Fire Level – Captain Planet and the Planeteers (1991) – Commodore Amiga – Composer(s): Anthony Crowther, Ben Daglish

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! One of our all-time YouTube heroes joins us on the Shockcast, none other than Joe from Game Sack!

Joe produces amazing long form episodes covering retro (and a lot of modern) gaming, and we chat to him about producing the Game Sack show and well as a ton of thoughts and banter on retro gaming in general.

– How Joe got Icheb from Star Trek Voyager on the show.

– What abandoned game series does Joe want to return?

– Thoughts on the recently announced Mega Drive 2 Mini.

– Does Joe actually like the CD32/Amiga?

– Behind the scenes on the awesome YouTuber parody episode!

– Quirky european only consoles like the GX4000 and the Comodore 64GS

– How long does it take to make an episode of Game Sack?

– Joes ‘desert island console’ choice! Intro/Outro Music

– Desert Land (Forest Track Theme) – Sega Rally Championship (1995) – Arcade/Sega Saturn – Composer(s): Takenobu Mitsuyoshi

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! It’s the 100th episode of Console Shock!!! We are joined by fellow Console Shock charter member Al, as we tackle a subject worthy of an anniversary like this, our Top 3 video games of all time! We don’t want to spoil the countdown too much with the episode notes here, so dive in, listen on, and feel free to add your own Top 3 in the comments. Oh and a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the Shockcast over the years. Here’s to the next 100! Intro/Outro Music – Soul on Desert (Desert Course Theme) – Sega Rally 2 (1998) – Arcade/Sega Dreamcast/PC – Composer(s): Jun Senoue

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Ravi joins us again on the Shockcast to give us more insight into the awesome new Amiga magazine Amiga Addict! Learn about some of the behind the scenes work that goes into the production of the mag, as well as how it became the first Amiga magazine to hit the high street shelves in over 20 years! – A year on, how is Amiga Addict doing? – Pixel Addict, the new multi-format sister mag to Addict! – The editorial process at Amiga Addict. – Ravi’s thoughts on the A500 Mini. – How Amiga Addict landed in WH Smiths! – The resurgence of the Amiga in popular culture in recent years. Intro/Outro Music – Harmony (Band Land Theme) – Rayman (1995) – Sony PlayStation/Sega Saturn/DOS PC – Composer(s): Rémi Gazel

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast!

Being from the UK, we probably had a different introduction and experience with the Mario series during its 8-bit and 16-bit eras then our American and Japanese friends.

Did the early games really register over here while we had our heads buried in microcomputers? Listen on to find out! – A slightly random warm-up chat about the Northern Ireland national football team! – EA dropping the FIFA name and license, does it matter?

– Some thoughts on the first Gears of War. –

Our earliest introductions to the Mario character via store kioks, the cartoon and a sticker album!

– Finally experiencing the Mario series for the first time via the Game Boy and Super Mario Land.

– The UK ‘Golden Age’ of Mario games with a flurry of releases from 1989 -1995. – Playing the original Super Mario Bros on NES during the consoles mid-90s twilight years.

– The incredible Super Mario 64 and the lasting impact it had.

– How the series progressed in the 2000s with games that hit the Gamecube, DS and Wii. Intro/Outro Music – Underground – Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (1995) – Super Nintendo – Composer(s): Koji Kondo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! As we move through the video game console generations, the conversation around video game preservation is becoming more and more important.

Should video game creators and publishers make more of an effort to make their old games available on the latest hardware?

Should backwards compatibility covering multiple previous systems be demanded? Al joins us as we contemplate all of the above and more!

– The importance of collecting original copies to preserve video game history. – Modern day one patches potentially rendering physical discs useless in the future. – How can we recreate unique arcade experiences like light gun games at home? – Replicating the CRT experience, is it worth it?

– Are modern video game retro compilation releases doing enough? – Should original versions of games remain available when a remake is released?

– Do we need modern consoles to support and play the physical media of older systems? – Could the previous and current gen Xbox and PlayStation systems be the most forward compatible ever?

*Apologies for the slightly janky audio on this episode, our streaming software was having an off day!* Intro/Outro Music – Hiding (Kage-Maru Stage Theme) – Virtua Fighter 3tb (1997/1998) – Arcade / Sega Dreamcast – Composer(s): Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Fumio Ito, Hidenori Syoji

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! In this weeks shockcast,

we focus on a genre that has its roots in the earliest days of video gaming. It went on to become quite a niche and specialist area enjoyed by hardcore players especially in Japan.

Well, we aren’t that hardcore, but we do love shmups, so we talk some of our experiences and favourites in this awesomely rich corner of video gaming.

– The Switch Mario Kart expansion and not liking SNES Mario Kart. – Some thoughts on the awesome Dead Space series.

– Is the new updated PlayStation Plus subscription service worth it?

– The SHMUP golden age of the late 80s to the late 90s.

– SHMUP forefathers like Space Invaders, Asteroids, Galaga, and Xevious.

– Konami SHMUPS like the Gradius and Parodius series.

– Pseudo-3D SHMUPS like Xevious 3D+, Raystorm, and R-Type Delta.

– PC Engine, Saturn or PS1, what is the best SHMUP console?

– SHMUPS on the PS2 and how the genre faded from the mainstream.

Intro/Outro Music – Blue Spheres Special Stage Theme – Sonic 3 (1994) – Sega Mega Drive – Composer(s): Yoshiaki Kashima

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! We’ve been collecting video games for a long time, but how have things changed over the years.

Are we inside a collecting bubble that will burst? Should you aim for full console library sets or just focus on games that actually interest you? This week we contemplate the video game collecting past and future, and give some of our experiences on this fun and sometimes complex aspect of retro gaming.

– How we started with video game collecting.

– Our biggest collecting regrets.

– What drives us to collect.

– Aiming for a complete console library set, is it worth it?

– Buying retro from CEX.

– What areas are we looking to focus on with our collecting.

– Is the collecting “bubble” a myth?

– Will Xbox One/PS4 games be collectible when the Day One patches for them aren’t available? Intro/Outro Music – NiGHTS Pinball Table Theme – Sonic Adventure (1998) – Sega Dreamcast – Composer(s): Jun Senoue, Kenichi Tokoi, Fumie Kumatani

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Al is with us again as we take a journey through Nintendo in the early 00s.

The GameCube struggled against the Xbox and PS2 in the sixth generation, but is remembered fondly for its strong lineup of titles.

Join us as we chat about the console that saw Nintendo take the bold leap into the world of optical storage media, and proved that handles really work on consoles! – Stu gives us another update on his Super Macintosh Odyssey!

– The GameCube’s 2002 UK launch, and its competitive pricing.

– The awesome £99 2003 GameCube Mario Kart Double Dash/Zelda collection bundle! – GameCube’s launch titles and other early software.

– Getting a GC set up on a modern HDTV.

Using the Swiss homebrew software and SD cards to run games on a stock GC.

– Do 6th gen control schemes make them difficult to play now? – Luigi’s Mansion and its 2018 3DS port.

Intro/Outro Music – Delfino Plaza – Super Mario Sunshine (2002) – Nintendo GameCube – Composer(s): Koji Kondo, Shinobu Tanaka

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! With the news of Nintendo shutting down the eShop for the Wii U and 3DS in 2023, we decided to chime in with our thoughts on the issue. Is it just us retro gamers that are bothered, or do digital store closures affect us all? Also Stu finally decides to take the plunge into vintage Mac gaming! – Stu buys an Apple PowerBook G4 Titanium! – Some of the issues Stu is running into with the PBG4. – Thoughts on the Wii U and Wii U collecting in general. – Nintendo’s decision to close the eShop. – The problems facing video game companies with “future proofing” their digital stores. – Is the general gaming public really bothered when digital stores close? – The issues with game preservation when official digital stores close. – Is it realistic to expect video game companies to keep these digital stores open forever? Intro/Outro Music – Training Theme – Starwing (1993) – Super Nintendo – Composer(s): Hajime Hirasawa

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! We are joined once again by Console Shock OG Al,

as we talk about the diverse and sometimes controversial topic that is emulators! Starting from our early experiences in the late 90s with DOS PCs,

we go all the way to modern solutions like RetroArch and much more in-between..

– A quick chat about Microsoft buying Activision, and the impact that will have. – Early DOS based emulators like Nesticle and Genecyst.

– The wonder of having an entire console library at your fingertips!

– Emulators being our introduction to 60hz versions of games.

– Using a keyboard to play old games before gamepads became easy to configure. – The legal issues surrounding emulation.

– The slightly patchy official emulation and backwards compatibility solutions. – Enhancing the graphics on old games with emulators.

– FPGA based devices like the Analogue Pocket. Intro/Outro Music – Hang Glider Theme – Pilotwings 64 (1996) – Nintendo 64 – Composer(s): Dan Hess

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! In November 2021, Microsoft celebrated the 20th birthday of the Xbox! The console launched in March 2002 in the UK, and as we are currently sat between the US and UK launch dates, we thought now is a good time for us to commemorate the birthday. What impact did the Xbox have on our gaming lives? Check out the show to find out! – Our experiences with the OG Xbox in its heyday. – Halo, did we actually like it when it launched? – OG Xbox Live and how it worked out for us in the UK. – The Xbox 360 and how it helped Xbox live massivley expand. – How Xbox fared in Japan. – The Kinect, and how great it was for fitness stuff! – Xbox One, and its disastrous “TV, TV, TV!” unveiling in 2013. – The XB1 vs PS4 8th gen war. – Xbox Series consoles, Xbox Game Pass and the future! Intro/Outro Music – Loading Screen Theme – Grand Theft Auto V (2013) – Xbox 360/PS3 – Composer(s): Tangerine Dream, Woody Jackson, The Alchemist, Oh No

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast!

Console Shock has finally got it hands on a modded Xbox 360 console, and this episode we take a look at all the effort that goes into getting it set up nicely.

Want to experience OG Xbox in glorious HDMI, or play some delisted XBLA games?

Maybe you missed out on the Xbox Indie games store.

Check out the show, and see what you can do with a modded 360!

– What exactly is a modded Xbox 360?

– Why you might prefer to get one pre-modded.

– The fairly tedious process Trev went through to get a large library of titles onto the system. – Playing long delisted XBLA games.

– Xbox Live Indie Games.

– Going beyond the 500GB hard drives of retail units.

– How does it compare to a modded PS3? Intro/Outro Music

– Kokiri Forest Theme – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time (1998) – Nintendo 64 – Composer(s): Koji Kondo

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! This time around theres no focus on a specific topic, we just go nuts talking about whatever is on our minds gaming and tech wise!

We touch upon a ton of stuff, from MiSTers, the downfall of PES, gaming room set ups, and even a quick overview of NeXT Computer and how that affected the development of the Macintosh. T

his and even more…… – Whats happened to Pro Evolution Soccer?

– Will OG editions of consoles ever be PS1 sized again?

– Stu thoughts on the MiSTer.

– The simple joys of mid-00s plasma screen TVs.

– The difficulty of setting up a home-cinema in a normal sized apartment.

– A brief history of the NeXTcube and NeXT Computer. – …and following on from that, how the Mac progressed in the late 80s to the early 00s. Intro/Outro Music – The Ride – Ridge Racer Type 4 (1998) – Sony Playstation – Composer(s): Kohta Takahashi

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! On this episode we welcome a super special guest,

Nick from the amazing PandaMonium Saturn Reviews channel! Nick produces incredible video deep dives that cover the production of legendary (and not so legendary) Sega Saturn games.

These include interviews from the devs who worked on them, and the challenges and triumphs they experienced working with the Saturn hardware.

We chat to Nick about how he got started with his channel and a lot more! – How Nick got into the Saturn.

– Will Nick achieve his goal of reviewing the entire Saturn library?

– Virtua Racing Saturn, we bloody love it!

– Saturn collecting, and the insane prices on some of the games.

– How Nick finds obscure late 90’s Saturn info sources.

– Nick’s TV news reporting background.

– The process of finding the original developers for Saturn games.

– The combination of issues that led to the downfall of Saturn.

Check out the PandaMonium Saturn Reviews channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/scarper42 Intro/Outro Music – National Park Speedway Theme – Daytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition (1996) – Sega Saturn – Composer(s): Jun Senoue, Richard Jacques, Kenichi Tokoi, Tomonori Sawada

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! Its another Atari ST focused show, and we cant talk about this venerable home computer without our favourite ST Youtuber,

Marc AKA The Joy of Sticks! The Atari ST got a ton of arcade ports in its time, with very mixed results. Some of these were our only way to play a lot of 80s and 90s arcade classics, so we look at some of our personal faves, including those that werent too accurate but we still loved them!

– The hardware issues that limited the scope of Atari ST arcade ports.

– Final Fight ST, why we love it.

– Did publishers use screenshots to trick us into buying their shoddy ports? – Golden Axe, good enough to rival the Mega Drive version.

– Double Dragon, a terrible port but fond memories for many of us ST fans!

– Sega Super Hang-On, one of the best ST arcade ports.

– Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles : The Coin-op, another low quality yet enjoyable arcade translation. – …and many more ports! Check out The Joy of Sticks channel here: https://www.youtube.com/c/thejoyofsticks Intro/Outro Music – Desert Replay Theme – Sega Rally (1995) – Sega Saturn – Composer(s): Takenobu Mitsuyoshi *Apologies for the slightly glitchy video occurring at a couple of points, will try to catch these before upload next time. Thankfully the audio isn’t affected.

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! The Commodore Amiga is a legendary computer platform, and Trev and Stu make no secret about it being their favourite of all time.

With the release of numerous mini system remakes in recent years we have pondered on past shockcasts if the Amiga would ever get the same treatment. Well it turns out, it has!

We talk about The A500 Mini, what it means for us as Amiga fans and for the Amiga computing community as a whole, including:

– Our thoughts on `The C64 Mini/Maxi`.

– Who will the A500 Mini appeal to?

– The announced games included.

– Does it hit that pricing sweet spot.

– Potential accessories for the A500 Mini.

– Will there be an A500 Maxi?

– Would a full size A1200 recreation fare better then an A500 one? – Can it replace a real Amiga? Intro/Outro Music – Deejay Stage Theme – Super Street Fighter II Turbo (1994) – 3DO – Composer(s): Isao Abe, Syun Nishigaki

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For some, the news of the Switch OLED was a disappointment, but with the dust barely settled Valve threw down their own solution to high spec handheld gaming, the Steam Deck! It could be seen as the realisation of everything we hoped for (and then some) with the rumoured Switch Pro, but will it be a success?

Trev and Stu take a look at the device and untangle the announcement, along with everything else we know about it so far.

– Are we buying a Steam Deck?

– Will it challenge the Nintendo Switch?

– SD Card storage, will it be good enough to run games reliably?

– The advantages of cheap Steam games vs the pricey Nintendo Switch versions.

– Are the specs good enough for high quality PC gaming?

– The potential for the Steam Deck to be a handheld emulation beast. – Installing Windows, what would be the advantages?

– Will the Steam Deck spark an explosion in PC gaming handhelds from other manufacturers. Intro/Outro Music – No Chance In Hell – Vince McMahon’s Entrance Theme – WWF (1999) – Composer(s): Jim Johnston

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast!

Its another Shockcast and its another awesome guest, as we welcome Matt from the Sharopolis YouTube channel!

Matt does amazing Digital Foundry-esque deep dives into retro gaming, showing us what makes them tick and how devs used all manner of tricks and hacks to squeeze every last drop of power from outdated hardware.

We chat about some of those stunning accomplishments achieved on classic systems, as well as:

– How Matt got into retro game technical deep dives.

– Which system had the biggest technical leap from its earliest games to the final ones?

– Using modern emulators to break down how classic games work.

– Original hardware vs modern recreations.

– What is the most impressive game to come out late in a consoles life?

– Games that were just too much for the hardware they released on.

– The games that pushed the older systems to the limits.

– What is Matt’s favourite console enhancement chip?

Check out the Sharopolis channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/sharop

Intro/Outro Music – Out to Lunch/Thunder – WCW Thunder Theme – TBS Television (1998) – Composer(s): Steve Everitt

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! In a bumper episode, once again we are joined by fellow gaming podcaster, the awesome Paul AKA Maximum Power Up!

We do like a chinwag about retro gaming magazines on the shockcast, but Pauls magazine coverage on his show has become legendary. We talk with Paul about the world of retro gaming magazines and the people that created them.

– Paul’s tips on where to grab retro magazine bargains!

– Do the writer/editors of the retro mags collect them?

– The humble origins of Paul’s mammoth collection.

– Sampler issues, how rare are they?

– How do the old magazines compare to their modern equivalents that are still published?

– Pauls work on the new magazine Amiga Addict.

– Reading mags on a device vs print.

– When did the gaming print magazine market start to dry up?

– The explosion of new magazines that cover retro platforms.

Intro/Outro Music – Jeffry – Virtua Fighter (1994) – Sega Saturn – Composer(s): Akiko Hashimoto, Kazuhiko Kouchi, Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Takayuki Nakamura

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast!

The Retro Shed is a unique gaming channel on YT in that it is hosted by a father and son duo! Add to that the fact that it is literally presented in a shed filled with gaming goodies makes it even more awesome! Barry and his son Josh join the shockcast to chat about everything gaming including:

– Where did the idea of a father and son gaming show start?

– How the shed itself came to be!

– What are Josh’s thoughts on retro games.

– Barry’s favourite generational gaming leap.

– Is Goldeneye on the N64 too janky now?

– Are retro games harder then modern games?

– Thoughts on the new Xbox/Playstation consoles.

– What are Barry and Josh’s favourite systems? Check out The Retro Shed channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheRetroShed Intro/Outro Music – Arms Black Market (stage 1) – Virtua Cop (1994) – Arcade/Sega Saturn – Composer(s): Kentaro Koyama (Arcade), Tatsuya Kozaki (Saturn)

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast!

On this Shockcast we welcome another fellow YouTuber, Mike AKA Retro Gamer Boy!

Being a bunch of 90s SEGA fanboys, the conversation takes on a distinctively Sega Mega Drive themed flavour.

We chat to Mike about what its like to collect Mega Drive in the UK, as well as some of our memories and general thoughts on SEGA’s legendary machine. All this and even more nuggets:

– Mike’s background and how he got going on YouTube.

– What makes the 16Bit era so iconic to gamers?

– How Mike started collecting for the Mega Drive.

– How Mike managed to grab the mythical Lakers vs the Celtics.

– The new Retro-Bit wireless Mega Drive pads vs OG pads.

– Mega Drive 1 vs Mega Drive 2, which design do we prefer?

– Selling your collection for beer? Collecting regrets!

– Types of boxes, counterfeit carts, bad capacitors, demo discs and other MD collecting tidbits!

Intro/Outro Music – A Shooting Star – Gradius II (1988) – Arcade/PC Engine – Composer(s): Shinji Tasaka, Motoaki Furukawa, Kenichi Matsubara, Seiichi Fukami

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast!

With the release of the next-gen consoles, there has been some debate on the backwards compatibility features of the PS5. Some people were hoping to be able to play everything all the way back to the PS1, others are quite happy with the ability to just play PS4 games on it. Sony have said that back compat is a feature many people ask for, but few use. Does Xbox do it better? We jump in with our own thoughts on playing old games on new systems!

– Stu finally gets an Xbox Series X!

– A look at the history of backwards compatibility in consoles.

– Our thoughts on Sony’s backwards compatibility stance.

– Sony IE’s CEO Jim Ryan’s comments on old games.

– How Xbox does back compat vs PlayStation.

– The developer mode back compat “hack” on the Xbox Series consoles.

– Is the OG PS3 the greatest back compat console ever made?

Intro/Outro Music – Mean Streets – WCW Monday Night Nitro Theme – WCW (1995) – Composer(s): Jonathan Elias

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast!

On this episode we welcome Scott from The Retro Shack Youtube channel! Scott’s channel focuses on vintage computing and features videos about mods, add-ons, repairs and upgrades for such hardware legends as the C64, BBC Micro and the ZX Spectrum.

We chat to Scott about his channel and get his thoughts on retro gaming and computing in general.

– As a relatively new channel, how did Scott get started?

– What triggered The Retro Shack’s rise in popularity?

– Scott’s retro setup at home.

– What we love about the systems that lag behind their rivals in specs, like the Atari ST and ZX Spectrum.

– We reminisce about the legendary Telegames in Leicester, and its epic range of games for sale.

– What machine is on Scott’s wishlist to add to his collection, and how is the collection going?

– Thoughts on flash carts and modern ways of using old machines. – The MSX! What the hell is this thing?

Scott’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheRetroShack​

Intro/Outro Music – Title Screen Theme – Tomb Raider (1996) – Playstation/Saturn/PC CD (1996) – Composer(s): Nathan McCreeSHOW LESS

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Retro and current gen gaming chat, with Trev and Stu, its the Console Shockcast! The PS5 and Xbox Series consoles have been out for a few months now, and we talk about the pro and cons of each system along with the difficulties in actually getting one!

We even cover the debacle that is Google Stadia, and what contributed to its failure and what might have helped it gain some success.

Also on the show:

– Lockdown haircutting issues!

– Playing Cyberpunk 2077 on the Nintendo Switch, wtf?

– Remember OnLive, the original game streaming service from 2010?

– Xbox Game Pass, our thoughts on the “Netflix of gaming”.

– If you have an Xbox One X/PS4 Pro, is the jump to next gen worth it? – Are console launch lineups underwhelming these days?

– Advantages of the XBSX/PS5 vs last gen Intro/Outro Music – Ghost Town Triumph – Hangman Adam Page entrance theme – AEW (2019) – Composer(s): Vincent Pedulla

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