Chill games for a chill weekend

Nov 10, 2024 08:00 PM - 1 month ago 41693

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 60, your guideline to the champion and Verge-iest worldly successful the world. (If you’re caller here, welcome, it’s a batch of gaming worldly this week, and besides you tin publication each the aged editions astatine the Installer homepage.)

This week, I’ve been… doomscrolling astir the election, if I’m honest. But let’s not talk astir that. I’ve besides been reference astir shipwrecks and in-flight magazines and baseball bat influencers, making a bunch of lists successful Listy, dusting disconnected my Bluesky relationship arsenic Threads becomes progressively worse, logging a astonishing number of hours successful VR pinch Batman: Arkham Shadow, playing pinch tasks and notes successful the Craft beta, seeing if I tin switch Gmail pinch Thunderbird for Android, and trying really, really difficult to person myself I don’t request a caller Mac Mini.

I besides person for you a mates of caller games to play this weekend, immoderate nosy worldly to watch, a nifty caller measurement for Mac users to return notes, and more. And I person immoderate ideas for everyone looking for a spot to put each their articles, newsletters, and different online stuff.

Oh, housekeeping note: Installer’s disconnected adjacent week. We person immoderate readying meetings going on, and also, honestly, this is 1 of the driest times of the twelvemonth erstwhile it comes to caller stuff. I’ll beryllium backmost pinch a large rumor successful 2 weeks up of Thanksgiving, and past we person immoderate nosy plans done the remainder of the year.

All right, it’s a batch of games this week. Which feels right. Let’s go.

(As always, the champion portion of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you comfortableness watching this week? What person you been playing / reference / downloading / baking that everyone other should cognize about, too? Tell maine everything: [email protected]. And if you cognize personification other who mightiness bask Installer, show them to subscribe here.)

Installer

/ A play newsletter by David Pierce designed to show you everything you request to download, watch, read, perceive to, and research that fits successful The Verge’s universe.

The Drop

Mario & Luigi: Brothership. It feels for illustration we get a nosy caller Mario crippled for illustration each 2 weeks these days. And I’m not complaining! I’m into the teamwork-y vibe of this 1 — and the magnitude of axenic unadulterated exploring it asks you to do.
Game Changers. The first 2 episodes of this caller Discovery bid show the communicative of 2 of my favourite things successful gaming: Nintendo and Madden. There are besides episodes coming astir Call of Duty, Scrabble, and different iconic games. The nostalgia is done the tile pinch this one.
Raycast Notes. Raycast has go 1 of my most-used Mac apps: it’s a launcher, a clipboard manager, a model reorder-er, and a cardinal different things. Its built-in notes app conscionable sewage a large upgrade — it’s arsenic elemental arsenic opening a matter record but overmuch much powerful.
Guild Builds. The striking New York Times tech workers created a beautiful nosy group of games you tin play alternatively of Wordle this week. Match Strike is hilarious and fun, arsenic is Scabby’s Fair Contract Builder. Who knew you could build a bully crippled that’s besides a sick pain against your boss?
Heretic. I’ve been excited for this movie ever since I read Andrew Webster’s review, which confirmed that Hugh Grant tin beryllium arsenic terrifying arsenic he is charming. Plus, a bad feline you tin picture arsenic “a theological statement bro?” I’m in.
The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D. This CPU is power-hungry and expensive, but Tom Warren called it the champion gaming CPU connected the market, and that is nary mini feat. If you’re building a gaming PC this vacation season, this is wherever to start.
Stardew Valley 1.6.9. I person heard from a lot of folks who retreated into Stardew Valley this week arsenic a reprieve from the existent world. The newest update adds caller items, the expertise to retrieve things you’ve dropped successful water, and tons of different useful and delightful changes.
Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson. Look, I’m not proud of the truth that I’m fascinated by adjacent week’s Tyson / Paul fight. Is it moreover a existent fight? Is it each a bit? Who knows! But time off it to Netflix to beverage it for each its worth; I stake you $10 this bid will beryllium much nosy and melodramatic than the conflict itself.
Here. By astir accounts, this movie is bad. But head Robert Zemeckis did immoderate fascinating and AI-forward activity to de-age Tom Hanks and Robin Wright successful bid to make the movie work, and I’ve enjoyed the measurement each 3 person talked astir the process. This feels for illustration a movie we’ll retrieve successful the communicative of AI filmmaking.
Google Vids. The transportation for Vids — “what if making a video were arsenic easy arsenic making a Google Doc?” — is simply a really clever one. And now, months aft Google first announced the app, you tin springiness it a whirl. Send maine each the weird worldly you make!

Group project

Last week, a batch of you reached retired saying you were bummed to spot that Omnivore, a really awesome app for reference articles, newsletters, and different stuff, was shutting down. I was bummed, too! I’ve recommended Omnivore to a batch of group and really liked the app. (PSA, by the way: if you’re still utilizing Omnivore, you only person a fewer much weeks to get your worldly out.)

Now, a bunch of america are stuck trying to fig retired wherever to go. So I asked you each to stock what you request astir successful an app for illustration this — and tons of you did! Thanks, arsenic always, to everyone who reached retired pinch thoughts and recommendations. I deliberation I person a beautiful bully consciousness of what we’re each looking for, truthful fto maine effort and urge a fewer things.

If each you request is simply a spot to prevention articles and publication them later, you person tons of options. Readwise Reader is the astir powerful (and the only 1 that besides does RSS and newsletters), but it’s besides $8 a month. Matter is simply a beautiful app but is mostly Apple-only. Instapaper is simply a awesome action and useful crossed fundamentally each platforms — it’s astir apt the 1 I’d urge to astir people. Pocket is solid, too, but I conscionable don’t for illustration the interface.
If you want thing a small much unfastened and versatile, I’d spell pinch an RSS tool. I usage Feedbin, which I love. Feedly and NewsBlur are besides bully for this benignant of thing. All 3 springiness you an email reside you tin usage to subscribe to newsletters and a measurement to manually prevention a page to your reader.
If you’re trying to build much of a database of worldly that you tin hunt done later, I’d commencement pinch a bookmarking tool. Raindrop is my go-to, but if you’re an Apple user, there’s besides GoodLinks and Anybox and Plinky. You tin besides usage an app for illustration Obsidian, pinch its web clipper, to move webpages into matter files.
If you want thing that will genuinely past forever, the champion move is to big thing yourself. A fewer of you recommended apps for illustration Wallabag, Linkwarden, and Linkding, and if you’re consenting to do the work, this is the astir durable action by far. There are immoderate folks moving connected ways to self-host Omnivore, too, truthful support an oculus connected that.

The champion reply for astir people, I think, is to usage an RSS scholar for illustration Feedbin to compile each your incoming worldly and past a read-later app for illustration Instapaper to spell done your reference list. Readwise Reader is the closest point I’ve recovered to Omnivore’s all-in-one capability, and it’s decidedly the 1 I’d urge to group looking for a one-to-one replacement, but you’ll salary beautiful handsomely for it. Maybe Omnivore was excessively bully to beryllium existent this full time.

Screen share

I’ve been listening to Brian McCullough talk for a really long time. I deliberation I first encountered his activity connected the Internet History Podcast, which is for illustration a wealth trove of early Silicon Valley stories. He besides hosts the Techmeme Ride Home podcast, which is an awesome measurement to get regular tech news. And much recently, I’ve been listening to his newest show, RAD! 80s90s History. (I mightiness moreover beryllium connected that show successful a fewer weeks… enactment tuned.) And successful summation to each that, McCullough is simply a wide partner astatine the Ride Home Fund, investing successful tech companies. Busy guy, that Brian.

I asked Brian to stock his homescreen to spot if we mightiness study really he manages it all. Here it is, positive immoderate info connected the apps he uses and why:

The phone: An iPhone 16 Pro. For the first clip successful my life of utilizing iPhones, I person a lawsuit connected it, because my boy dropped my erstwhile 1 doubly and shattered the beforehand and backmost glass. I wouldn’t person upgraded this twelvemonth isolated from for that. So, instruction learned. Kids.

The wallpaper: The wallpaper is simply a image I took immoderate nighttime connected Prospect Park West years ago. The lockscreen is evidently an aged iPod interface, my favourite type of the iPod. I bought it from immoderate postulation of wallpapers astir a twelvemonth ago. Can’t retrieve wherever from, though.

The apps: Phone, Fantastical, Apple Maps, Settings, Slack, Microsoft Word, Shopify, Citi Bike, Audible, Microsoft OneNote, Carrot Weather, Amazon, Jersey Mike’s, Wallet, Tovala, Threads, X, York, Claude, Messages, Overcast, Safari, Superhuman.

I’m reasonably basal pinch the apps, arsenic you tin see. Apps to get news from, for illustration Threads and Twitter. Slack for work. Superhuman for email.

I’ve wholly moved complete to Claude successful the past fewer months acknowledgment to Alex Kantrowitz evangelizing it to maine constantly. So overmuch truthful that I’ve canceled my OpenAI subscription. Tovala is simply a smart oven / repast scheme institution that I’ve been utilizing religiously since the pandemic. Basically my luncheon each azygous time is simply a Tovala meal. Jersey Mike’s yet came to Park Slope and truthful that’s besides a repast go-to. I usage Citi Bike erstwhile aliases doubly a day.

The app that says “York” is interesting. That’s my subway extremity for my agency successful Dumbo. This random dude made this point that you tin get astatine Nextstop.nyc. Basically, it gives you real-time train times for immoderate subway stops you usage each the time, and past you put an icon for that connected your phone. IT. IS. AMAZING. It is insane that, 20 years into my surviving successful NYC, it took this agelong for personification to do this right. “I’m astir to time off the office, erstwhile is the adjacent train? Should I time off now aliases hold 5 minutes?” Amazing.

I besides asked Brian to stock a fewer things he’s into correct now. Here’s what he sent back:

My kids and I are playing tons of Tiny Glade. “Relaxing” crippled that tin besides beryllium ace analyzable and blase if you put successful the time. It’s for illustration Minecraft successful that way, but pinch a benignant of romanticist feel.
The book I’m obsessed pinch correct now is Rick Atkinson’s The British Are Coming. I’ve publication Rick’s different books astir the US Army successful World War II, but he has a caller bid astir the American Army successful the Revolutionary War. It’s astonishing and elaborate for illustration each of Rick’s books, but afloat of worldly I didn’t know. Like, the conflict of Lexington and Concord: oh, Paul Revere, the British spell and effort to unopen down a weapons depot and the minutemen return potshots astatine them? Oh no. WAY much bloody than that. Like hundreds of group died connected some sides. Savage fighting. Very absorbing stuff. I’m almost to the Battle of Brooklyn and can’t wait.
I rewatched Miller’s Crossing a fewer nights ago, and deity damn if that movie isn’t the astir underrated and underseen of the full Coen filmography.
I’m looking guardant to the adjacent book successful Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series, which is coming adjacent month: Wind and Truth. Even though the erstwhile book successful the bid was beautiful boring.

Crowdsourced

Here’s what the Installer organization is into this week. I want to cognize what you’re into correct now arsenic well! Email [email protected] aliases connection maine connected Signal — @davidpierce.11 — pinch your recommendations for thing and everything, and we’ll characteristic immoderate of our favorites present each week. For moreover much awesome recommendations, cheque retired the replies to this station connected Threads.

“Superfan. A beautiful app to support tabs connected ongoing sports events and matches.” – Karan

“I’ve been utilizing this little-known news app called Adarga Panoptic. Has this absorbing return connected the news wherever it’s provided done the lens of a person’s position alternatively than conscionable headlines. Content is simply a spot limited, but pinch immoderate added customization options, this could beryllium a really cool measurement to spot the news differently.” – Alen

“Scribe Notes. It’s for illustration Whisper Memos but has much features. Sort of for illustration Cleft but cheaper. I’ve been utilizing it for a fewer weeks now and I emotion it. Helps maine get my scrambled thoughts and to-dos retired of my caput and into a spot wherever I tin make consciousness of them all.” – David

“Check retired the Mobapad M6 HD for the Nintendo Switch! It’s a Joy-Con replacement that has ergonomic grips, Hall effect joysticks, and gyro and HD rumble. It fundamentally has each characteristic of the Joy-Cons, but they’re really comfy to hold. The buttons are a small clicky, and the recreation lawsuit is almost arsenic bulky arsenic my Steam Deck, but it’s decidedly the astir comfortable and feature-packed Joy-Con replacement I’ve found. I picked 1 up connected a caller travel to Hong Kong, and it wholly changed my Switch playing experience.” – Kevin

“I’ve been keeping an oculus connected an app called Openvibe. It’s capable to aggregate your Threads, Bluesky, and Mastodon (and Nostr, too, if you’re into that benignant of thing) feeds into a azygous provender you tin scroll. The location provender algorithm is deed aliases miss, but the trending provender is great, particularly because it’s not thing Mastodon aliases Bluesky person natively. Also, it lets you cross-post to each 4 networks for free!” – Drake

“Winter is looming, truthful I sewage myself a Zwift Ride smart motorcycle for days erstwhile moving extracurricular conscionable isn’t a awesome idea. Great hardware. The app feels older than it is, but the gamification kinda works. More nosy than staring astatine the wall!” – Robert

“With *gestures astir wildly* going on, I’m pouring little of my clip into societal media and much into a individual blog utilizing a awesome work called Pika. It’s dormant elemental to group up and I emotion really barebones it is.” – Kaleb

“Started collecting sports cards, chiefly NFL. It’s not thing I’ve thought astir since I was 14, but it has been a nosy distraction. These are 2 awesome YouTube channels to get into: Market Movers and Sports Card Investor. And getting successful connected “breaks” connected Whatnot, wherever you bargain into a unrecorded container opening, is immoderate nosy entertainment.” – Travis

“I’ve been reference Richard II, which feels of a portion pinch the moment, and owed to which I discovered really overmuch much analyzable sideloading a Gutenberg ebook to a Kindle is than it should be. The correct format wasn’t the 1 branded for Kindles!” – Jeanne

“I’ve been playing a batch of Maestro lately connected my Quest 2. It’s specified an astonishing and immersive experience. If you ever wanted to consciousness for illustration an orchestra conductor, this is arsenic adjacent arsenic you tin get (unless you’re an existent orchestra conductor, successful which case, congrats, specified a cool job!).” – Gonzalo

Signing off

So I person this Apple Watch. It’s fine, I for illustration it, whatever, but I’d alternatively deterioration different watch. So I went down a YouTube rabbit hole: tin you move an Apple Watch into a standalone, pocketable instrumentality that useful moreover erstwhile it’s not connected your wrist? Turns out, you can! There are a batch of bully ideas retired there, but I’m fundamentally conscionable pursuing the ideas successful this video from Jose Briones. (I’m besides intrigued by the TinyPod, but that 1 doesn’t seem to beryllium very good.) I’m turning my Watch into fundamentally a teeny-tiny iPod and backup communications instrumentality that I transportation astir for illustration a pouch watch. It’s silly, but it’s fun. And it works!

See you successful 2 weeks!