GameSir X2s, Ancipital character, icons for Classifier and Super Monsters Ate My Condo, and Canabalt in the background.

Published stuff

I had fun for this week’s Stuff column, transforming an iPad Pro and a GameSir X2s controller into a terrifying hybrid: I turned my massive iPad Pro into a handheld games console – and it’s every bit as weird as it sounds. Hey, Apple! If you want someone to lead your gaming efforts, you know who to call!

I also wrote Everything we know about the Lego and Nintendo Super Mario Kart collaboration, which could have been one line of copy, but needed to be at least 300 words. Hence unleashing the prediction parrot. And I added Canabalt to my best browser games feature.

Meanwhile, for TapSmart, I wrote about how to use your iPhone to help you declutter. We’ve also just released issue 297 of sister mag Swipe. If you’d like to support our indie iPhone writing, please consider downloading the app and checking out the free trial.

Upcoming stuff

I used to be a regular in Retro Gamer’s pages, but haven’t written for that publication in a long time. Mostly, that’s because it started to become increasingly tough to find people to talk to. (My main interest was – and remains – telling the stories of how games came to be.)

That’s now an itch I want to scratch again, and I’ve identified a few gaps in the magazine’s now extensive making-ofs library. Two articles have been approved, and one dev has agreed to an interview. I’m hoping the other will too, although they’ve so far connected with me on socials but not responded to messages. Fingers crossed!

Other stuff

Almost all my pictures are now on the wall, including my Oli Frey prints and framed Sinclair hardware. I quite like how I dealt with those. While I get the appeal of Grid frames, I like the notion I could take my Sinclairs down, plug them in, and actually use them again. Not that I likely ever will. (See also: my Wire EMI LPs that are the last things to yet go back up on the wall.)

Another slice of happy: Super Monsters Ate My Condo is returning to mobile. Whatever gripes I might have about Apple Arcade, I’m really glad to see a handful of old titles making their way back. Here’s hoping a few more titles lurking on my downgraded iPad Air get a second lease of life on the App Store.

Finally, it’s fantastic to see Digital Eclipse cover the story of Jeff Minter and Llamasoft in its latest release. Jeff’s Metagalactic Llamas Battle at the Edge of Time is seared into my memory as one of the earliest games I played. And I’ve long been a fan, from the VIC-20 days, through Llamatron on the ST, Tempest 2000 on the Jag, and Jeff’s unfortunately unrewarding time on mobile, to the present day. Here’s hoping his unique and compelling mix of arcade games and psychedelia finds favour with a wide range of modern-day gamers.