Close to the Metal Ep. 24: What can you do about a bad console-to-PC port?

The PC is by far the most powerful platform for modern gaming, but its technical greatness is often held back by poor console-to-PC ports.

Matthew S. Smith     December 6, 2016

Between the Streams: ‘Rogue One’ takes over Twitter, ‘Mummy’ teaser, Netflix untethered

This week: The month of Rogue One, Tom Cruise's The Mummy teaser, Netflix's new offline adventure, new Star Trek Discovery casting, and much more.

Ryan Waniata     December 5, 2016

Trends with Benefits: Netflix lets you watch offline, Apple plans to map with drones

Netflix will finally allow users to download shows to watch offline, but there's a catch. On this week's podcast, we'll be diving into that.

Greg Nibler     December 2, 2016

Close to the Metal Ep. 23: You should buy a monitor this holiday season

The holiday shopping season means hot sales, and this year there's a particular category of hardware the stands out. Monitors.

Matthew S. Smith     November 29, 2016

Close to the Metal Ep. 22: Apple MacBook Pro live review

Apple's MacBook Pro has finally received an update, but it's expensive. Is it worth the upgrade? We go in-depth on this week's Close to the Metal podcast.

Matthew S. Smith     November 28, 2016

Between the Streams: ‘Fantastic Beasts,’ ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ the best movie theater ever

Topics this week include Fantastic Beasts, Beauty and the Beast's new trailer, Thanksgiving day movie picks, Westworld season 2, and much more!

Ryan Waniata     November 28, 2016

Trends with Benefits: The Facebook fake news fallout and what to look for on Black Friday

In the aftermath of last week's election, Facebook is being skewered for allowing fake news to bubble up into user's feeds. In fact, over the last 3 months, more fake news was shared than real news.

Greg Nibler     November 18, 2016

Close to the Metal Ep. 21: Whoa, 2-in-1s are suddenly good

The 2-in-1 PC is a category that's received a lot of attention from manufacturers, but consumers seem wary. These devices tend to be expensive, and the benefits aren't obvious - but a new wave of excellent 2-in-1s may win you over.

Matthew S. Smith     November 15, 2016

Between the Streams: ‘Arrival’ blows minds, ‘Curb’ Returns, ‘Valerian’ goes ‘Fifth Element’

This week: Arrival touches down, Star Wars Rogue One international trailer debuts, Pacific Rim sequel gets a name, Valerian goes Fifth Element, and more.

Ryan Waniata     November 14, 2016

Trends with Benefits: Google Daydream VR challenges Samsung, also Snapchat Sunglasses?

On this week's podcast we compare the top mobile VR headsets, Google Daydream View and Samsung Gear VR. Snapchat also wants a place on your face, they're hoping the convenience of Snapchat Sunglasses will get more users on Snapchat.

Greg Nibler     November 11, 2016

Close to the Metal Ep. 20: What do you get from a $10 gaming mouse?

Gaming mice are know to be expensive, yet the Amazon.com best-selling list is dominated by super-cheap, $10 gaming mice. Are they worth considering?

Matthew S. Smith     November 8, 2016

Between the Streams: Epic ‘Doctor Strange’ ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ rolls, ‘Wonder Woman’ trailer

This week: Why Doctor Strange has us stoked about Marvel's third phase, an epic Wonder Woman trailer, fantastic box office bounty, and so much more.

Ryan Waniata     November 7, 2016

Trends with Benefits: The Google Project Tango revolution, Uber gets an upgrade

This summer Pokemon Go brought augmented reality to the masses, at least for a couple of months. Now Google's Project Tango aims to take AR to the next level, but are we ready for that? Also, Uber wants you yo Snapchat about your ride.

Greg Nibler     November 7, 2016

Close to the Metal Ep. 19: The new MacBook Pro is revealed, but is it fast?

Apple has revealed all the details of the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch and 15-inch, including what's inside. How do they stack up against Windows PCs?

Matthew S. Smith     November 7, 2016

Between the Streams: Deadpool 2 shakeup, young Lando Calrissian, best horror movies

This week: The best horror flicks of all time, Deadpool 2's director shake-up, J.J. Abrams' God Particle, young Lando, and much more.

Ryan Waniata     October 28, 2016

Trends with Benefits: New Apple MacBooks, Microsoft unveils the Surface Studio

Huge announcements from both Apple and Microsoft steal the show this week. The Surface Studio PC is simply stunning and the new MacBook Pro with Touchbar shows Apple is totally practical. But how do they stack up against the competition?

Greg Nibler     November 1, 2016

Close to the Metal Ep. 18: GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti live review

Nvidia's GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti are the company's new budget video cards, with prices as low as $110. Can you use these cards as an upgrade to your existing desktop?

Matthew S. Smith     June 15, 2018

Between the Streams: ‘Logan’ gets deep, ‘Guardians’ stays light, ‘Black Mirror’ returns

This week: a poignant new trailer for Hugh Jackman's Logan, a lighthearted trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, and Black Mirror's return.

Ryan Waniata     October 24, 2016

Trends with Benefits: First look at the Nintendo Switch and Tesla goes all-in with autopilot

Nintendo's mysterious NX hybrid console is now officially being called the Switch, and we got a first look at it today. Will this be a success, or is the NES Classic going to be Nintendo's real winner?

Greg Nibler     June 15, 2018

Close to the Metal Ep. 17: Can you really live with just one USB port?

Some of the best new laptops have just one or two USB Type-C ports. Can you really get by with one port, and if so, how?

Matthew S. Smith     October 20, 2016

Between the Streams: ‘Rogue One’ analysis, a messy ‘Accountant,’ Roger Corman returns

This week, we'll cover the latest Star Wars Rogue One trailer, tell you if The Accountant is worth a look, and go into a mess of other news.

Ryan Waniata     October 17, 2016

Trends with Benefits: Note 7 owners get paid to stick with Samsung, Sony ships PlayStation VR

Owners of the recalled Note 7 apparently aren't choosing another Samsung device to replace their potentially explosive phablet. Will cash giveaways to stick with Samsung keep people loyal?

Greg Nibler     June 15, 2018

Close to the Metal Ep. 16: WD Blue SSD live review, and how fast should your SSD be?

In this week's episode we discuss Western Digital's first solid state drive, then dive into the surprisingly deep and complex market for solid state drives.

Matthew S. Smith     October 13, 2016

Between the Streams: Logan’s last stand, ‘Iron Fist’ teaser, ‘Justice League’ sizzler

Today we'll be discussing the latest from Marvel and Netflix's epic superhero series, young Han Solo news, Wolverine 3 developments, and so much more!

Ryan Waniata     May 7, 2021

Trends with Benefits: Oculus Touch, self-lacing shoes, Google runs your life

The Oculus Touch catches the Rift up with HTC’s Vive, Google’s hardware explosion is going to conquer your home, Nike is making sci-fi real, and soon we’ll all be chatting in VR.

Greg Nibler     June 15, 2018

Close to the Metal Ep. 15: 7th-Gen Intel Core and holiday laptops

Intel's 7th-gen Core processors are now appearing in laptops available online and in stores. How important is it to get the latest processor?

Matthew S. Smith     October 6, 2016

Trends with Benefits: VR does Vegas, Musk eyes Mars, Samsung is blowing up

Samsung washing machines explode too, Vegas wants you to place bets on VR, SpaceX has big plans for Mars, Retro Gaming returns to Portland, and we can’t wait for aerial burritos.

Greg Nibler     April 2, 2021

Close to the Metal Ep. 14: GTX 1060 review, and what’s up with video card prices?

We took a close look at a high-end GTX 1060 from Zotac. Though its performance was great, the price was hard to tolerate, given its increase over MSRP.

Matthew S. Smith     September 28, 2016

Between the Streams: ‘Magnificent Seven,’ ‘Passengers’ trailer, and Magnum P.I. junior?

This week: Magnificent Seven, Hillary Clinton's stint on Between Two Ferns, a Luke Cage preview, our thoughts on the Passengers trailer, and so much more.

Ryan Waniata     September 26, 2016

Trends with Benefits: Controlling trolls, Yahoo’s pwned, Apple wants a car company

Hackers hit Yahoo, Apple eyes McLaren and Lit Motors, Alex apps proliferate, Google fights trolls with Conversation AI, what’s next for Nintendo’s NX?

Greg Nibler     June 15, 2018

Close to the Metal Ep. 13: Does MacOS Sierra prove Apple doesn’t care about the Mac?

Apple's newest version of Mac OS X - sorry, MacOS - offers a few interesting new features, including Siri. But is it enough to restore faith in Mac fanatics?

Matthew S. Smith     September 21, 2016

Between the Streams podcast: ‘Man of Steel 2,’ ‘Snowden’ vs. ‘Blair Witch,’ Emmy predictions

This week: Man of Steel 2 is on, Snowden and Blair Witch hit theaters, Emmy predictions for Sunday's ceremony, and much more.

Ryan Waniata     September 26, 2016

Trends with Benefits: Driverless Ubers, VR horseback rides, drones vs. eagles

Uber just replaced drivers with people, Samsung and Apple are each having their own phone meltdowns, VR horses are the embarrassing future, and eagles will absolutely destroy your drone.

Greg Nibler     June 15, 2018

Close to the Metal Ep. 12: Should you give the gift of VR for the holidays?

Virtual reality isn't cheap, but that might make it the perfect gift for your favorite geek -- or not. So, should you buy, or wait until 2017?

Matthew S. Smith     May 7, 2021