Episode Summary
Executive Summary: The WAN Show covers CES tech news, with extended discussion of NVIDIA’s RTX 3090 Ti/RTX 3050, Intel’s ARC GPUs and 12900KS, Wi‑Fi 6 Release 2, HDMI naming confusion, and several flashy CES concepts like color-changing cars and phones. The episode also dives into Floatplane and LTT merch/product updates, product development philosophy, and a long merch-message segment on education, VR, Linux, and tech buying advice.
Main Topics: CES 2022 tech announcements and show-floor quality (Priority: 5/5): The hosts note CES feels sparse and less exciting than in prior years, but still produces major tech headlines and a few visually interesting concepts. They contrast the current show with earlier CES trips where content 'just happened' more often. NVIDIA GPU news and the 'Ti' pronunciation debate (Priority: 5/5): NVIDIA’s RTX 3090 Ti and RTX 3050 are discussed in detail, including specs, pricing rumors, and the hosts’ frustration that NVIDIA now insists on pronouncing the suffix as 'Ti' rather than 'tee-eye' in the traditional titanium sense. Intel’s renewed competitiveness (Priority: 5/5): Intel’s ARC Alchemist GPUs, 12900KS CPU, and non-K Alder Lake SKUs are framed as signs that Intel is actively fighting back, which benefits consumers through higher performance and more supply in the market. Wi‑Fi 6 Release 2 and standards naming chaos (Priority: 4/5): The hosts explain Wi‑Fi 6 Release 2 as an incremental enhancement for Wi‑Fi 6/6E with power-saving and multi-user improvements, then broaden into criticism of confusing industry naming practices like HDMI 2.1/2.1a and USB branding. Floatplane, LTT merch, and product development (Priority: 4/5): Luke outlines new Floatplane features such as exclusive tagging and upcoming subchannels, while both hosts discuss merch launches including WAN pants, upcoming hoodies, socks, backpacks, and the long development cycle behind them. Merch-message Q&A and practical advice (Priority: 4/5): A lengthy audience Q&A covers education curricula, VR hardware, 8K video delivery, Linux usability, sensor/security products, work apparel, AV receivers, and product support/policies, often tying back to creator workflows and real-world constraints. Color-changing concept tech and CES novelty items (Priority: 3/5): The show highlights a color-changing BMW concept using e-paper and a phone whose body changes color in sunlight, which the hosts see as among the most genuinely interesting visual demos at CES.
Key Arguments: NVIDIA’s RTX 3090 Ti is under-emphasized because it reuses the same GA102 die as other scarce GPUs, so availability may remain poor despite a flashy spec sheet. The RTX 3050 matters more for actual gamers because a $249-ish modern GPU could help normalize the market and push older low-end cards down in price. Intel is finally acting like a serious competitor again, and competition is beneficial because it forces both Intel and AMD to ship better products sooner. Wi‑Fi 6 Release 2 is an incremental but meaningful update, especially for power savings and better handling of many connected devices. Industry naming conventions are getting worse: HDMI and Wi‑Fi branding changes make products harder to compare and can mislead consumers. Floatplane’s value lies not just in subscriptions but in internal tooling, streaming infrastructure, merch-message systems, and better creator workflows. LTT’s apparel strategy is constrained by quality control and supply chains, so many products take a long time because they are developed from scratch rather than rebranded blanks. Education should be more focused and student-specific, because many school-taught topics are valuable background but not broadly useful in adult life. VR is close to being mainstream-ready, but current headsets still have enough comfort/visual/latency issues that the next generation matters more than incremental software gains.
Data Points: NVIDIA CES presentation time for RTX 3090 Ti: 25 seconds - Hosts note NVIDIA only briefly discussed the card in a 48.5-minute presentation. NVIDIA presentation length: 48.5 minutes - Used to contrast the tiny amount of time spent on the RTX 3090 Ti. RTX 3090 Ti memory: 24 GB GDDR6X at 21 Gbps - Listed among the card’s known/speculated characteristics. RTX 3090 Ti power: 450 W - Power requirement discussed for the flagship GPU. RTX 3090 Ti MSRP: $1,699 USD - Rumored launch price discussed on-air. RTX 3050 MSRP: $249 USD - Presented as the important affordable GPU option for mainstream gamers. RTX 3050 availability: January 27 - Expected date mentioned for the card’s release. Intel ARC GPU rollout: 50 designs expected in Q1 - Intel is shipping ARC to OEMs and expects broad adoption early in the year. Intel DaVinci Resolve acceleration: 40% faster export - Intel’s example of ARC working with integrated graphics for video export. Intel Core i9-12900KS single-core boost: 5.5 GHz - New special SKU described as a binned 12900K variant. Intel Core i9-12900KS all-core boost: over 5 GHz - Described as an out-of-the-box performance-focused SKU. Wi‑Fi 6 Release 2 bands: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz - The new release applies across all supported Wi‑Fi 6 bands. Floatplane creator addition: Garbage Time / dank pods - Luke announces the new creator joining the platform. LTT backpack price expectation: $250-$300 USD - Linus estimates the backpack will land in this range. LTT screwdriver estimate: around $70 USD - Linus gives a non-committal estimate for the standard edition. Merch water bottle capacity: 64 oz (likely) - Discussion of the upcoming larger water bottle, with Linus caveating he might be off by a bit. Supply chain issue example: McDonald's Japan small fries - Mentioned as a regional port/supplier issue related to Vancouver shipping delays.
Pivotal Quotes: "Why so shy, NVIDIA?" — Linus: A recurring joke after noting NVIDIA spent only 25 seconds on the RTX 3090 Ti during its CES presentation. "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday." — Twitch chat: Used in the discussion of why performance crowns matter for marketing even if they don’t directly define most buyers’ decisions. "I don't make the rules, okay? That's how it's pronounced." — Linus: His insistence that NVIDIA’s 'Ti' should be pronounced like titanium, not as the company now prefers.
Implications: The episode signals a market shifting toward real competition, better mainstream GPUs, and more consumer-friendly hardware pressure, while also showing how branding confusion and supply-chain constraints still frustrate buyers. For viewers, the practical takeaway is to watch for value products, not just flagship hype.
About The Wan Show
Every week Linus and Luke discuss the most current happenings in the technology universe.