2025 has been a massive year for gaming hardware. Not only have we had entirely new ways to play in the form of the Nintendo Switch 2 and the Asus ROG Xbox Ally handhelds, but some of our favorite brands have also put out some of their most accomplished products to date.
The 8BitDo Ultimate 2, for example, is a fantastic update to one of the best Nintendo Switch controllers. But elsewhere in the gamepad market, the likes of Razer and Nacon have shone with the Razer Raiju V3 Pro and Revolution X Unlimited, respectively. Plenty of great fighting game gear was released, too, including the 8BitDo Arcade Controller and Corsair Novablade Pro.
Nintendo Switch 2
Is the Nintendo Switch 2 the most ambitious console the Kyoto-based gaming giant has ever put out? Definitely not. But it is a dramatic refinement of the home console vision Nintendo has had since 2012 and the Wii U’s hybrid handheld nature. The Switch 2 isn’t some marvelous Wii-esque upheaval of the gaming industry as we know it, but did it really need to be?
The original Switch was a fantastic little console that was unfortunately greatly held back by its lacking specs. Eight years on, the Switch 2 arrives with some much-needed modernities. Support for 4K resolution, refresh rates of up to 120Hz, HDR, and VRR support are all things PlayStation and Xbox gamers have enjoyed for years, and it’s great to finally have things like this on a Nintendo platform. Or better late than never, at the very least.
The hardware is stronger overall, with much-improved visual capabilities, load times, and performance. Third-party ports like Star Wars Outlaws and Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition shine on Switch 2. Plus, various Nintendo Switch 2 Edition titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Kirby and the Forgotten Land are absolutely definitive on the new hardware.
Cap it all off with a strong year one first-party lineup – including heavy hitters like Donkey Kong Bananza, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and Mario Kart World, and the Switch 2 is comfortably set up for long-term success. Now bring on Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave and whatever’s next for Mario’s 3D outings.
Rhys Wood, Hardware Editor
PlayStation Portal
Yes, not actually a 2025 gaming hardware release, but given the transformational firmware update that the PlayStation Portal received earlier this year, it really does feel like a brand-new product.
Now that cloud streaming is possible directly from the PlayStation catalogue on the Portal, I don’t even have to switch on my PS5 to use the handheld and can quickly swap between games without having to download anything. Mostly, this has opened me up to a bunch of games that I’d otherwise have missed. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Ball x Pit, and Baby Steps all had Game Trials via PS Plus, and thanks to cloud streaming, I could load them up and get playing in mere seconds.
I initially held off buying the PlayStation Portal, mostly due to some skepticism on my part about how viable game streaming could really be when compared to a proper handheld console like a Steam Deck. As the price came down, however, I picked up a PS Portal for cheap at the start of 2025, and since then, I’ve never looked back.
Comfort is a huge deciding factor for me when evaluating a handheld gaming product. I suffered through years of aches and pains while playing the Nintendo Switch, and I certainly wouldn’t describe the follow-up as being much better when played in handheld mode. The PS Portal is different in that it’s essentially a DualSense controller split in half, with a screen fused in the middle of it. This means holding it feels just like holding a great PS5 controller, and I’ve barely been able to put it down since unboxing it.
Moving forward, the PS Portal is likely to stay a vital part of my gaming setup. I can sit on the couch and chip away at games in short play sessions, and even take them on the go when I’m on work trips. Hopefully, more updates will further unlock the PS Portal’s potential, but for now, it’s the cheapest way to play games portably, at hundreds of dollars less than a Switch 2, Steam Deck, or Asus ROG Xbox Ally.
Jake Green, Evergreen Editor
Corsair Platform:4
A company has finally realized that not everyone with a taste for high-end gaming gear lives in a mansion.
After years of struggling to find a quality gaming desk that could fit in my tiny home office, Corsair has answered my prayers this year with the Platform:4. It’s the ultimate upgrade for a more compact setup with a relatively small 47 x 30 inch / 120 x 76 cm desk surface but no shortage of premium features to enjoy.
It has a built-in storage cubby that I’ve already managed to fill with gamer nick-nacks like my trusty KontrolFreek thumbstick caps and even its own USB ports for charging your phone. I’ve never been a fan of monitor arms due to their tendency to wobble, but the solid modular T-channel rail system and monitor arm of the Platform:4 are not only easy to adjust but also impressively robust.
The materials are top-notch across the board, too. This is an expensive desk, sure, but you really feel it with a thick wooden surface (or laminate, if you go for the black version) and durable metal legs that should last for years to come. With a world of modular accessories designed to do everything from extending the length of the desk to adding handy mounting boards for hanging headphones or controllers, you can freely customize it to your needs if they change in the future, too.
Dashiell Wood, Gaming Editor
SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite is simply the best gaming headset I have ever tested; it really is that clear and far ahead of its competition.
I thought wireless gaming headsets had peaked with the brand’s Nova Pro Wireless from a few years ago, but the Elite takes everything that made the Pro Wireless the gold standard and covers it in a platinum and diamond lacquer, creating a gaming companion for the ages.
Featuring a host of world firsts inside a gaming headset, the Elite successfully delivers on its hardware and spec promises to those looking for a proper audiophile level of quality to their gaming audio. From carbon fiber drivers stretched over brass rings, to slick and premium metal structure, and supreme build quality down to each button and dial – not to mention world-beating certified Hi-Res audio that is blistering in any media, it does it all. Oh, and it’s topped off by plentiful connectivity options and long-lasting battery life, too.
If you’re looking to go big on a gaming audio companion, the Elite is the one to go for and is now the gold standard of gaming headsets in my view.
Rob Dwiar, Managing Editor
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