The WAN Show - Linus Looks Different Today! - Jan 1, 2016

The WAN Show of January 1, 2016 runs as a year opening edition with Linus taking a solo hosting role, while Luke and Taran join later for the discussion. The episode begins with playful banter about Linus looking different and sets the stage for a broad tech round-up hampered by a casual, informal vibe typical of WAN Show. The crew teases CES coverage with Linus mentioning Kingston HyperX and hints at VR headset news potentially from Asus and Gigabyte, forecasting a busy wave of hardware reveals. The first major topic centers on Apple facing a lawsuit over iOS 9 performance on older iPhones, with the iPhone 4 specifically cited as a laggy example, while the broader debate focuses on the perceived punitive nature of software updates on aging devices. In parallel, the show covers a Chinese anti-terrorism law that could compel technology companies to hand over encryption keys, triggering a debate about privacy and state security, and the panel discusses the potential global implications for users and manufacturers. The Total Biscuit vs Valve discussion follows, with TB’s critique directed at Valve’s handling of the Steam network issue and customer support, including a detailed breakdown of the 2015 Steam caching outages and the subsequent public communications, which are judged as poor PR. TP-Link’s rumored Nephos smartphone initiative is analyzed, including market share context and the challenges of branding a router company into mobile devices, with skepticism about market saturation and differentiation in the smartphone space. The New York City public Wi‑Fi project is evaluated, noting the ambitious plan to install thousands of hubs with high-speed service and advertising integration, while concerns about promised speeds and suburban coverage surface. Google’s passwordless approach is explored, describing the concept of using a phone to approve logins, push notifications, and a possible future where passwords become a fallback rather than the primary authentication method. The VR segment of the show argues that gaming PCs may need to be dramatically more powerful to sustain high-quality VR experiences, with discussion of NVIDIA Gameworks VR and VR SLI and the tensions between optimizing for performance versus platform openness. Ashley Madison’s user growth after the 2015 data breach is discussed with commentary on perception versus reality of new member claims, while a more personal aside touches on security and privacy implications in real-world services. Rise of the Tomb Raider receives a tentative early 2016 release date update from multiple sources, fueling conversation about marketing timelines and historical context for the franchise. The show includes several live sponsor segments, with Squarespace and FreshBooks highlighted for their offerings and code incentives. In addition, the crew reviews preliminary Steam statistics for 2015 best sellers, a CES-related Twitter blitz, and a report on an experimental CPU featuring integrated optical logic that promises efficiency gains. The episode closes with reflections on Xbox controller stock issues, the continuing relevance of black-and-white TV in the UK, and broader observations about the technology landscape heading into 2016, including corporate acquisitions and industry consolidation. Throughout, the WAN Show maintains its characteristic blend of analysis, humor, and audience interaction, inviting viewers to stay tuned for extensive CES coverage and ongoing coverage of the year’s most impactful tech topics.

Topics · technology · gaming · hardware · security · VR · telecom · cloud