Dave Podnar

AwesomeCast 794: Xbox Discs Go Digital, Gamescom’s AI Problem, $100K Keyboards & Retro Tech

September 2nd, 2026  |  1 hr 3 mins

ai in video games, brütal legend, cable management, chachisays video game minute, commodore 64, cyberpunk, dave podnar, dolly parton, donkey kong country, double fine, exoplanets, game preservation, gamescom 2026, generative ai, katie dudas, lego advent calendar 2026, luxury keyboards, mechanical keyboards, nancy grace roman space telescope, nasa, nintendo eshop, nintendo switch, nintendo switch sale, peter cullen, physical media, physical video games, pittsburgh podcast, pro football hall of fame, retro computing, retro gaming, roku city, sorg, sorgstock, tech news, technology podcast, tim curry, usb-c cables, virtual races, xbox, xbox discs to digital

Xbox is finding a new way to bridge physical and digital gaming, Gamescom 2026 has restarted the debate over generative AI in game development, and somehow we’ve found a keyboard that costs around $100,000.

Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar discuss Xbox’s Discs to Digital program and what it could mean for used games, delisted titles and game preservation. ChachiSays looks at AI use in Gamescom titles and the continuing decline of physical game sales. Katie explores Roku City’s tributes to Dolly Parton, Tim Curry and Peter Cullen, while Dave dives into the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

Plus: LEGO Advent Calendars arrive early, Brütal Legend honors Tim Curry with 666 minutes of free gaming, the bizarre Donkey Kong Country CGI cartoon returns to our lives, the Nintendo Switch bargain bin gets weird, Katie labels a slow USB-C charger, Dave finds luxury keyboards with unbelievable prices, and a Cyberpunk-themed Commodore 64 sends us back into retro-computing memories.

Hosted by Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar.

Just Pro Wrestling News: Penta Gets Roman Reigns, OTM Destroys The Usos & Dragon Lee Earns Gold Shot

September 1st, 2026  |  1 min 55 secs

pittsburgh, podcast

Just Pro Wrestling News: Will Ospreay Wins AEW Gold, New Level Debuts & Mercedes Moné Makes History

August 31st, 2026  |  2 mins 6 secs

pittsburgh, podcast

Just Pro Wrestling News: Moxley vs. McGuinness Set, WWE Settlement Moves Forward & TNA Makes History

August 27th, 2026  |  1 min 53 secs

pittsburgh, podcast

Just Pro Wrestling News: NXT Heatwave Shakeup, AEW All In Week Hits Glasgow & WWE Leaves ABEMA | JPWN 8/26/26

August 26th, 2026  |  2 mins

pittsburgh, podcast

AwesomeCast 793: Apple M6 Macs, Grogu & RC Racing

August 25th, 2026  |  1 hr 3 mins

3d printing, airport gaming, apple, apple m6, artificial intelligence, bathroom finder app, cloudrc, dave podnar, disney nfl, dolly parton, dungeon crawler carl, field museum chicago, gameway, grogu, gta 6, gta vi, hasbro pulse, hot wheels, katie dudas, kingdom hearts 4, kingdom hearts disney plus, linus torvalds, linux, linux 35th anniversary, local ai, m6 chip, mac mini, mac studio, mattel game studios, michael sorg, minecraft, nature calls app, pittsburgh international airport, pittsburgh podcast, pittsburgh steelers, pittsburgh technology, plastic fun time, pokemon, pokemon fossil museum, racing simulator, rc cars, rc racing, rockstar games, sorg, star wars, technology podcast, thunderbolt 5, transformers, transformers minecraft, ultimate grogu, unix, uno

Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar are back with a packed AwesomeCast covering the latest intersections of technology, gaming, gadgets, and geek culture.
The show opens with a remembrance of Dolly Parton and her extraordinary charitable legacy before diving into RC cars controlled through full-size racing simulators and Apple’s updated Mac mini and Mac Studio hardware. Dave explains the M6 chip, Thunderbolt 5 clustering, and why running AI locally could become increasingly attractive for businesses and creators.
Chachi takes us inside Chicago’s Pokémon Fossil Museum exhibit and delivers gaming news on Kingdom Hearts 4, Mattel Game Studios, and the latest GTA VI leaks. Katie opens a box full of 3D-printed Dungeon Crawler Carl collectibles, while the crew celebrates 35 years of Linux.
Plus: Transformers invades Minecraft, Hasbro creates a $600 interactive Grogu, the Nature Calls restroom finder launches, Pittsburgh International Airport gets a gaming lounge, and Disney characters are being paired with NFL teams.
Get geeky. Get awesome.

AwesomeCast 792: Apple’s Camera AirPods and an AI Tamagotchi?

August 19th, 2026  |  59 mins 26 secs

ai pocket pet, ai tamagotchi, air traffic controllers, airpods camera, alltrails hidden tracks, apple airpods, apple visual intelligence, boston dynamics robot dog, creator monetization, dungeon crawler carl, faa gamers, factory automation, five nights at freddy’s, freddy fazbear’s pizza, gadget podcast, google street view game, hello kitty godzilla, hop earth, hyundai ev factory, hyundai metaplant, kevlar, mcdonald’s happy meal, pittsburgh tech podcast, roblox safety, snes demake, stephanie kwolek, super mario bros wonder, sweekar, tamagotchi, tech news, technology podcast, tiktok privacy, tiktok voice calls, youtube analytics, youtube views

Could Apple be preparing AirPods with tiny cameras? Can an AI-powered Tamagotchi grow up, develop a personality, and remind you to take a break?

Sorg, Katie Dudas, and Dave Podnar explore those questions in AwesomeCast 792. The crew examines the Sweekar AI pocket pet, a possible Apple AirPods camera leak, and TikTok’s new voice-calling concerns.

Also discussed:

• Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meal collectibles

• Hop Earth’s Google Street View driving game

• Stephanie L. Kwolek and the discovery of Kevlar

• Roblox safety litigation and a real Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza

• The FAA recruiting gamers as air traffic controllers

• AllTrails Hidden Tracks

• A Super Mario Bros. Wonder SNES demake

• Autonomous sleds and robot dogs inside Hyundai’s EV factory

• YouTube’s new approach to public view counts

• Turning Dungeon Crawler Carl fandom into a subscription business

Support the show and unlock bonus AwesomeCast content at https://www.patreon.com/awesomecast.