| Cult of Mac

This is how you maximize space and fill it with sound and light [Setups]

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This excellent use of space is brought to you by a standing desk, a mounted ultra-wide display and MacBook Pro, and inventive wall storage.
This excellent use of space is brought to you by a standing desk, a mounted ultra-wide display and MacBook Pro, and inventive wall storage.
Photo: BeatKnicker@Reddit.com

Not everyone has a huge desk with ample room for their computer setup and loads of associated gear. But with a few smart moves, anyone can make the most of a small desk in a cramped space.

Today’s featured setup is a good example. It takes advantage of a standing desk, displays mounted on arms and ample wall-mounted storage to maximize limited space.

And the audio gear and lighting don’t disappoint, either.

Super-clean MacBook Air rig shrugs off all distractions [Setups]

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Solid cable management helps keep this MacBook Air setup clean.
Solid cable management helps keep this MacBook Air setup clean.
Photo: kevohreal@reddit.com

Some of the best computer setups look a little boring at a glance. But that’s just because they include only essential gear and they keep it well lit and free of cable (and other) clutter.

Today’s featured M1 MacBook Air setup is a good example. And that’s not to say it’s plain or overly simple. You can see that in  the well-thought-out gear list below, which features 19 items.

PC gamer converts to all-Mac rig plus PS5 and gaming handhelds [Setups]

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Plenty of oohs and ahhh were uttered over this setup on social media.
Plenty of oohs and ahhh were uttered over this setup on social media.
Photo: SoyRamza@Reddit.com

We’ve seen a fair number of PC gamers converting to one or more of the new Macs lately, including some who let go of their main gaming machines entirely.

Today’s featured setup fits that bill. It belongs to a UI designer who ditched a gaming PC and got himself a Mac Studio and Studio Display to go with his work-provided MacBook Pro.

But he kept a few gaming devices around, along with a suite of Elgato AV streaming gear and a new Sonos Ray Soundbar used, strangely enough, as a wireless desktop speaker.

Nintendo ditches yet another of its mobile games

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Nintendo ditches Dragalia Lost
The game will get its last campaign update in July.
Image: Nintendo

Nintendo today confirmed plans to shut down Dragalia Lost, the free-to-play action RPG built exclusively for mobile devices. The game will get its final campaign update in July before service ceases sometime later.

Dragalia Lost joins a growing list of mobile games that Nintendo has given up on. The Japanese firm closed down Dr. Mario World last year, and threw in the towel on Miitomo and Pokémon Rumble Rush before that.

Nintendo revamps Switch Online app to make it a little more useful

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Switch Online app update 2.0.0
You can now see which of your friends are online.
Image: Nintendo

Nintendo on Sunday rolled out a somewhat significant update to its Switch Online app that makes it a lot less rubbish than it was before. The version 2.0.0 release brings a refreshed design and the ability to see which friends are online.

Switch Online, which is required if you want to use voice chat inside some Nintendo Switch games, is still nowhere near as useful as its counterparts for PlayStation and Xbox. But it is at least better than it was.

Before and after: Out with (some of) the old, in with (the best of) the new [Setups]

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In the after photo, a new LG 4K monitor replaces the Cinema Display.
In the after photo, a new LG 4K monitor replaces the Cinema Display, among other key changes.
Photo: jonyoungmusic@Reddit.com

When you spend a third or more of your waking hours all but chained to a computer setup, you might as well make it a pleasant place to spend time. That’s what most of Cult of Mac‘s Setups coverage is all about, really — glorifying both the high-tech performance and the stylish comfort that ease your enslavement to whatever it is you do with tech.

Today’s 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro-based featured setup shows a “before and after” transition. Musician and Salesforce consultant Jon Young said a revamp of his wife’s “nicer and more spacious” work area inspired his changes. “Mine just has more gadgets lol,” he said.

Awesome silicone skin makes Apple TV look like a retro console

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Elago T4 Apple TV skin
Get yours for under $30.
Photo: Elago

Apple TV’s slim and subtle design means that it looks incredibly clean no matter where you keep it, but my goodness, isn’t it boring? Transform and protect yours with this awesome T4 silicone skin from Elago.

Priced at under $22 while it’s on sale, the skin makes your Apple TV look like a classic Super Nintendo Entertainment System. And you can get a Siri Remote skin inspired by a SNES controller to go with it.

Ghostly white M1 Mac mini centers a ‘sacrilegious’ sound machine [Setups]

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Everything is white, even the M1 Mac mini. But how did that happen? Apple doesn't make it in white.
Everything is white, even the M1 Mac mini. But how did that happen? Apple doesn't make it in white.
Photo: Clifferent_Enough@Reddit.com

If you look up “11.11” in the Slang Dictionary, it says, “If it’s 11:11, make a wish! Some people believe 11:11 is a magic number or lucky time of day, good for making a wish … or reaching cosmic enlightenment.” Well, if something’s enlightened, or at least en-whitened, it’s today’s Mac mini-based setup.

It’s all there in black and white, really, with “11.11” writ large on the dual displays — probably via the Fliqlo screensaver, though it could be a clock app — and Nintendo gaming consoles aplenty.

Play this surprisingly smooth Super Mario 64 port for iOS and Apple TV

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Super Mario 64 on Apple TV
One of the best Mario games, not on Apple TV ... but for how long?
Photo: Nintendo

Nintendo classic Super Mario 64 is now playable on iOS and Apple TV thanks to a very unofficial port. A video shows the game — which is packed with a bunch of cheats — running pretty flawlessly at a smooth 60 frames per second.

You can download the game and try it out for yourself. However, getting it up and running requires Xcode and some trickery. If interested, you might want to jump on it soon before Nintendo wipes it off the planet.

This retro racer is as close as we got to Mario Kart on the original Mac — and you can play it

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Emora Kart Mario Kart clone for Macintosh
Gaming has come a long way since 1994. (Thank goodness.)
GIF: Matt Sephton

Even back in the early ’90s, Mario Kart was one of the hottest games you could get to scratch that crazy kart-racing itch. Super Mario Kart became an instant success after it debuted in 1992 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. So, naturally, other game developers tried to replicate it on other platforms.

Emora Kart, launched in 1994, is the closest we got on Macintosh.

Later distributed with a 2002 copy of MacLife magazine in Japan, Emora Kart looked pretty fun — even in black and white — and it’s obvious where it got its inspiration. You can play this retro racer now in your browser (or download an original copy for free).