Episode 42 - World Switching, the Zwift Light Show, Cloud Gaming and Rehabbing with a Broken Neck

Simon, Shane and Nathan are back with a packed episode, which kicks off with the Zwifcasters unanimously agreeing “it’s time” for Zwift to enable world switching. Zwift creator Jon Mayfield concurs, telling the podcast that be believes critical mass has now arrived as numbers on the platform grow ever larger. The trio move on to discuss the Tour Down Under, where a duathlon race in the Zwft pop-up drew massive numbers. . . and was rated by Shane as the blue riband event – a sign of things to come perhaps as Zwift Run develops? Graphics card giant NVidia announced its Cloud Gaming feature at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas – Simon takes a look at what this might mean for Zwift along with tech expert Mike Hanney, inventor of the Zwiftaliser tool. They conclude that whist the impact on Zwifters may not be immediate, cloud gaming could be a huge development for gaming. Zwift is often used as a rehab tool, but for Dereck Bowen, it’s been a life saver. Dereck tells Simon how an ill-advised leap into a snowdrift cost him a broken neck – and how the platform has kept him sane as he recovers. There’s a fascinating discussion around Jon Mayfield’s “weekend project” – a system that links Zwift to wi-fi controlled lighting – changing the ambience in your Zwift room to match the game. The Zwiftcasters discuss the perennial problem of fliers in group rides with a thoughtful contribution from veteran Zwifter and ride leader Christian Wiedemann. And this episode rounds up with a discussion about cheese! We hope you enjoy listening or watching.