But what is XDefiant? And is it worth your time? Let’s cover the basics.

What is it?

XDefiant is a free-to-play, first-person arena shooter. Online matches are fast-paced, and the action is frantic. You can play across a range of maps, fire an expanding arsenal of weapons, and compete over several different game modes.

You can choose to play as one of five factions who all have their own unique perks, skills and abilities. The Libertads are revolutionary fighters and medical wizards, while the Phantoms are an elite group of weaponsmiths with great fire power. You can choose to play as the stealthy Echelon factions, the fire loving Cleaners, or cyber attack specialists DedSec.

Wait, is it basically Warzone?

Sort of yes, but with some key differences. Firstly, it’s completely free, but another USP for XDefiant comes in how it is monetized. There are no pay-to-win mechanics in the game. There is gameplay impacting content available to purchase, however this can also be unlocked through challenges.

A number of maps are taken from existing Ubisoft IP. This includes Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, The Division, Far Cry and DedSec. While unconfirmed, we are hoping that more maps from the Ubisoft back catalogue will be rolled out as time goes on.

How can I play?

If you own a console, you’re pretty much ready to go. XDefiant is currently available to play on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows and Amazon Luna. Sadly, Nintendo Switch owners will have to go without.

That’s good news for console collectors – especially since we’re also expecting Nintendo Switch 2 to arrive this year as well.

We can make some educated guesses as to what improvements the PS5 Pro will bring. Better graphics, 8K capabilities and much greater resolutions, to name just a few potential improvements.

The PS5 Prowill give a good polish to titles such as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and God of War Ragnarok, but there’s a forthcoming title that will demand much greater console power. That would be Grand Theft Auto VI.

Grand Theft Auto VI may be the most hyped video game of all time. It’s already been 11 years since Grand Theft Auto V lured us into its world of criminality, and became one of the most successful games of all time. With its sequel set to drop in late 2025, gamers will want the best possible console to play it on.

Price City

Sony knows this. With a landmark title like Grand Theft Auto VI, Sony will want to bill the PS5 Pro as the console you need to fully immerse yourself in the world of Vice City. Given how Sony were disappointed with its latest quarter sales figures for the PS5, it makes sense that Sony will be keen to piggyback on Grand Theft Auto VI‘s success with a brand new console.

But what does this mean for the customer? Games consoles aren’t cheap. The PS5 remains roughly the same price today as it did on its 2020 launch. Chip shortages have meant that players have only been able to reliably access the PS5 for a couple of years. This is quite the short life-cycle for a games console that was the best on the market not even four years ago. Should gamers be expected to give Sony more of their money so soon, just to play a new title? As someone who has only recently bought a PS5, that would leave a slight sour taste in my mouth.

It could also be argued that the PS5 Pro is coming far too soon. Developers are still yet to truly stretch the limits of the PS5’s capabilities, and there’s still many titles that need to be optimised for the PS5. Waiting a few years could allow developers to truly push (and exhaust) the power of the PS5, and all the games that come with it. That would include Grand Theft Auto VI.

It’s safe to assume that Grand Theft Auto VI won’t be a PS5 Pro exclusive. There is no world where Sony alienates its current gamer base in the pursuit of greater console sales. But should gamers be expected to shell out yet more money to play their favourite games in the best way possible? My answer would have to be no.

• PS5 Slim vs old PS5: what’s the difference?

A lot of our issues with the original handheld have been addressed with the recently released Steam Deck OLED. This replaced the first Steam Deck‘s solid but unspectacular LCD display with an awesome HDR OLED panel. It also squeezes a bit more battery life out of the machine. And while there are now several rival handheld gaming PCs that are more powerful than the Deck, such as the Asus ROG Ally and the Lenovo Legion Go, Valve’s console-like marriage of hardware and software means it remains our preferred platform for taking our PC library on the go.

Deck verified

If you’ve just picked up either an original Steam Deck or the new OLED-toting model, you’re probably wondering where to start. The Steam store is intimidatingly vast, with a catalogue that spans many eras of gaming. Many of those games run beautifully on Steam Deck. Some, though, work only after you’ve tweaked them according to community advice. There are also still quite a few games that simply don’t function at all on Valve’s handheld. That’s just something you have to accept with the Steam Deck, and we’re here to give you a helping hand. 

We can confirm that every game in this list performs brilliantly on the Steam Deck, and often without changing any of the settings. We’ve included a mix of indie and more AAA fare, and you’ll also find a number of games that we think best show off the Steam Deck OLED’s supremely bright HDR display. 

We update this list regularly with games old and new that we’ve particularly enjoyed on the Steam Deck, but here are our top picks at the end of 2023.

1. Rogue Legacy 2

This fantastic roguelite’s one-more-go nature makes it the perfect fit for Steam Deck. Steam Deck is the only platform on which you can play it natively on a handheld. Making your way through Rogue Legacy 2’s colourful hand-drawn dungeons is hard as nails. But death is a good thing in a game like this, allowing you to accumulate cash that can be used to upgrade your base and classes. Just be careful if you’re sneaking in a few runs before bed; it’s amazing how quickly 2am rolls around. 

Click here to purchase Rogue Legacy 2 on Steam

2. Tunic

Think top-down Zeldas of old, but Link is a little fox, and you have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Tunic. It was one of 2022’s best indie games. As the titular Tunic (who also wears a tunic) you explore a mysterious fantasy world, slowly uncovering more of the map and learning how to progress by collecting pieces of an in-game instruction manual. It’s a brilliant, unapologetically old-school adventure that expects you to put the work in. While we’re not totally in love with the tricky combat, you can make yourself invincible if a particular boss is proving to be insurmountable. Tunic will probably come to the Switch eventually. But right now the Steam Deck is the best way to play it handheld.   

Click here to purchase Tunic on Steam

3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

When The Witcher 3 was ported to Switch it was lauded as something of a technological miracle, albeit one that involved more than a few performance sacrifices. The best thing we can say about diving into Geralt’s 100+ hour adventure on the Steam Deck is that you’re really not giving up that much at all, with the game running well at decent settings. This is the RPG epic you know and love, but now you can play it on the toilet.

4. Vampire Survivors

The Steam Deck makes it possible to play graphically stunning AAA titles wherever you are. Vampire Survivors is categorically not one of those games, but it is one of the most addictive games we’ve played this year. It’s absolutely perfect on a handheld platform. Vampire Survivors is a graphically rudimentary time survival game. You move around a small map attempting to slay an increasingly overwhelming onslaught of monsters before they slay you. Each run allows you to unlock better characters, items and gear. So eventually you’ll be able to last the whole 30-minute gauntlet. Trust us: it’s brilliant – cheap as chips and the perfect game to pick up when you have a spare five minutes. 

Click here to purchase Vampire Survivors on Steam

5. Portal 2

Valve’s own timeless puzzling masterpiece performs, as you would expect, extremely well on Steam Deck. It runs at an unshakeable 60fps on pretty much its highest settings. If you’ve been looking for a reason to revisit the Aperture Science Enrichment Center, then doing so on its maker’s hardware is a no-brainer. If you’ve never played either Portal game, start with the also magnificent first one, which is also Deck-verified. 

Click here to purchase Portal 2 on Steam

6. Elden Ring

FromSoftware’s 100-hour epic was our current game of the year for 2022. And although we think its biggest moments deserve to be experienced on the biggest screen possible, it’s also really well suited to handheld play, especially when you’re just farming for runes in the open world and levelling up your character. Elden Ring has had well-documented performance issue on all the platforms it’s available for. But actually it runs surprisingly well on Steam Deck, which is pretty incredible to behold. Expect it to guzzle away at the battery life, though. 

Click here to purchase Elden Ring on Steam Deck

7. Disco Elysium: The Final Cut

The dialogue-heavy nature of ZA/UM’s landmark RPG means it has always felt like the kind of game you want to play in bed, face right up close. But the long-awaited Switch port’s performance wasn’t up to much, sadly. Enter the Steam Deck, which for our money is the best way to experience Revachol’s murder mystery. This is thanks to myriad control options and the largely rock solid framerate that Nintendo’s machine couldn’t deliver.

Click here to purchase Disco Elysium: The Final Cut on Steam

8. Half-Life 2

Probably the most famous Valve title of them all, and one that has aged surprisingly well, Half-Life 2 is another must-have for your Steam Deck library. The legendary FPS paved the way for so many shooters that would follow it. Its influence can still be seen today. The game performs flawlessly on Steam Deck while taking advantage of the platform’s various control options. Who knows, if Valve sees enough people playing it again we might even get Half-Life 3 one day. Don’t go holding that breath, though.

Click here to purchase Half-Life 2 on Steam

9. God of War

God of War is one of many AAA games that you’d be forgiven for thinking would struggle on the Steam Deck, but the PS4 classic runs like a dream at very decent settings. It is a joy to revisit in handheld form. And with the sequel (hopefully) not too far away, now is the ideal time to reacquaint yourself with Kratos’ unique approach to parenting. 

Click here to purchase God of War on Steam

10. Aperture Desk Job

Clocking in at less than an hour, this one is more of a tech demo than a proper game. But it’s also the only game specifically designed to make use of the Steam Deck’s extensive feature set. Set in the same universe as the Portal games, Valve’s typically amusing short puts you in the shoes of a new starter at Aperture Science, where an initially mundane first day on the job quickly takes a rather violent turn. Aperture Desk Job makes use of every button, sensor and hardware quirk the Steam Deck has to offer. And as it’s absolutely free, you really have no excuse not to give it a shot. 

Click here to download Aperture Desk Job on Steam

11. Hades

The winner of our game of the year award back in 2020 really hasn’t aged a day, and hacking and slashing your way out of the Underworld with Zagreus’ all-powerful arsenal seemingly never stops being fun. If you’ve already sunk tens of hours into this masterful roguelike dungeon crawler on PC, rest assured that taking it on the go makes the game feel brand new. Haven’t played Hades yet? The Steam Deck is as good a platform to fix that on as any. 

Click here to purchase Hades on Steam

12. Hollow Knight

We’re still waiting for Hollow Knight: Silksong, the much-anticipated (to put it lightly) sequel to Team Cherry’s gorgeous Metroidvania masterpiece, but luckily the original plays like a dream on the Steam Deck and, like a lot of the games in this list, feels like it was designed for handheld play. As you explore the meticulously detailed insect kingdom in which Hollow Knight takes place you’re going to die. A lot. But as with any deliberately difficult game, success feels all the sweeter when does come, and the ability to take this one everywhere with you makes gradual progress more realistic.

Click here to purchase Hollow Knight on Steam

13. Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered

The second formerly PlayStation-exclusive game to appear in this list is, like God of War, one we expected to crumple the Steam Deck’s innards like a piece of paper. And while the long-awaited PC remaster of the still great Marvel’s Spider-Man does make the Deck’s fans roar and can zap its battery totally dead in well under two hours, it performs astonishingly well on the handheld PC. You’re pretty much getting the same near enough rock solid 30fps performance as the original PS4 game on the default medium settings (using the Deck’s built-in FPS-limiter is advised here), and although desktop and PS5 players can get nicer visuals and superior frame-rates, there’s something truly amazing about swinging through Manhattan while you’re sat on the toilet. And New York looks fantastic on the smaller display. We’re seriously considering a full Deck replay – while sat near a plug socket of course.

Click here to purchase Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered on Steam

14. Fable Anniversary

We’re going to be waiting a very long time for the rebooted Fable entry on Xbox Series X|S, but if you wanted to remind yourself about why a return to the iconic Xbox RPG series has been in demand for so long, the remastered original is a Steam Deck gem. The handheld handles the 2014 game effortlessly, and the 7in display helps to disguise any muddy textures. Fable has definitely aged, its grand ideas handled much better by RPGs that came after it, but this is still a charming and very funny adventure. We hope the new game, whenever it does arrive, remembers its roots.

Click here to purchase Fable Anniversary on Steam

15. Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course

Studio MDHR’s hard-as-nails 2D platformer may cause you to throw that sought-after Steam Deck straight out of the nearest window, but it’s a risk worth considering to play the game in handheld form, where you can chip away at the challenging boss battles whenever you have a free five minutes. The game’s retro cartoon visuals are as stunning to behold now as they were when the game first came out in 2017, and really pop on the Steam Deck’s display. This year’s The Delicious Last Course DLC adds a new island and new foes, but its most significant contribution to the the Cuphead experience is Ms. Chalice, a new playable character whose alternative moveset and additional health point arguably make both the base game and the new levels a bit more forgiving. A bit.

Click here to purchase Cuphead – The Delicious Last Course on Steam

16. No Man’s Sky

“The universe in the palm of your hands” sounds hyperbolic, but that’s what you’re getting with No Man’s Sky on Steam Deck, every one of its near infinite procedurally generated planets explorable on the handheld. And the game runs incredibly well considering the dizzying scale, even if you’ll probably want to dial down the settings a bit when the screen gets really busy. No Man’s Sky‘s deliberately directionless spacefaring isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time, but if you do enjoy the game, you owe it to yourself to try it on the Deck.

Click here to purchase No Man’s Sky on Steam

17. Valheim

While Valheim is currently in early access, over 300,000 Steam users have already rated it ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’. And who are we to argue with that many people? This exploration and survival co-op is set in a procedurally-generated Scandinavian world where you must craft, build and fight your way out of a Viking inspired purgatory. It’s a great co-op title, and will scratch that post-God of War Ragnarök itch for Viking glory.

Click here to purchase Valheim on Steam

18. Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Moon Studios’ masterpiece of a Metroidvania remains one of the very best first-party Xbox games, but it arguably suits handheld play even more, and if you have a Steam Deck OLED it’s simply a must-play given that Ori and the Will of the Wisps is the ultimate showcase for its HDR display. The varied and vibrant areas that Ori visits on their adventure absolutely pop on the 7.4in OLED panel, and you really feel the benefit of the 90Hz refresh rate during the frantic escape sequences that are some of the best moments of the game. Will of the Wisps is often bundled with its also brilliant predecessor, Ori and the Blind Forest, in Steam sales, and both games are absolutely worth playing through in their entirety on either Deck. 

Click here to purchase Ori and the Will of the Wisps on Steam

19. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion 

The prequel to Final Fantasy VII was originally a PSP exclusive, but as that system is no longer with us, the Steam Deck is the ideal handheld home for its HD remaster, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion. As it was developed with portable play in mind, the game’s bite-sized side missions make more sense on a device like the Steam Deck than they do on a console and the TV, and the game runs brilliantly on Valve’s machine. Crisis Core follows the story of Zack Fair, a SOLDIER operative whose fate already tied him to Cloud Strife in the original Final Fantasy VII, but if you played the remake you’ll know that Zack is going to be play an even bigger role in this modern re-telling of the legendary RPG’s story. With the sequel to Final Fantasy VII Remake due to land in early 2024, now is the time to get caught up on Crisis Core if you haven’t already. 

Click here to purchase Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion on Steam

20. Dave the Diver 

Perhaps 2023’s biggest word-of-mouth Steam success story, Dave the Diver is a Steam Deck no-brainer, no matter what version of the system you own (trust us, we’ve played hours of the thing on both). Quite literally dipping into the titular diver/waiter/shotgun-wielding action hero’s many underwater adventures is a delight on the Deck, with the core diving/restaurant loop suiting handheld play perfectly. If you’ve yet to experience the joys of Dave the Diver you can read all about it here, but let’s just say that in an average play session you can expect to be serving picky food critics a rare plate of shark-infused sushi one minute, and battling live sharks the next. After you’ve finished running an errand for a mermaid and checking in on your social media profile, of course. All in a day’s work for Dave. 

Click here to purchase Dave the Diver on Steam

21. Diablo IV 

The latest entry in Blizzard’s enduringly popular always-online RPG series was a pain to get running on the Steam Deck at launch, but now you can buy the game directly from Steam it gets our wholehearted recommendation. Merrily grinding your way through Diablo IV’s deliciously grim world and slaying the many monsters it throws your way is even more fun when you’re half-watching the football as you collect loot, and its painterly gothic aesthetic looks particularly spectacular on the Steam Deck OLED. Whether you’re playing solo or with friends, there’s nothing like being able to play Diablo from the comfort of your bed. 

Click here to purchase Diablo IV on Steam

22. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart 

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is not only still one of the very best PS5 games, but it also remains one of the most technically impressive games on the system. You’d think, then, that squeezing all that shiny intergalactic action onto the Steam Deck would prove too much for it to handle, but that’s surprisingly not the case. Sure, the game doesn’t run quite as smoothly, but you can still get solid performance on mostly medium settings, and the generally short, sweet and stress-free levels translate really well to handheld play. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is also a very colourful game, so it’s naturally a treat for the eyes if you’re playing on the Steam Deck OLED. 

Click here to purchase Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on Steam

23. Marvel’s Midnight Suns

A superhero game in which you have to wait your turn to punch someone into oblivion doesn’t sound much fun, but Marvel’s Midnight Suns is not only one of the most enjoyable tactics RPGs we’ve played, but one of the best games to carry the Marvel licence in years, thanks to its winning blend of tense card-based tactical battles, and downtime that lets you go fishing or share a picnic with Tony Stark. It’s also a dream Steam Deck game, whether you’re in combat or growing your bonds with the various spandex-clad heroes in your team, and while the game had some performance teething pains on Valve’s console at launch, these days it runs really well. 

Click here to purchase Marvel’s Midnight Suns on Steam

24. Octopath Traveller II

Sprawling RPGs that demand more than 100 hours of your time to experience in their totality are slightly less intimidating affairs on a handheld, where you can slowly chip away at them whenever you have a few free minutes, and wherever you happen to be. 

Octopath Traveller II is definitely one of those RPGs, with eight different playable characters, each with their own story to tell and destiny to pursue. It’s also one of the best games of its type for a very long time, thanks to a winning blend of deep but accessible turn-based combat, stunning HD-2D graphics (which look particularly nice on an OLED display) and some seriously good music to boot. Octopath Traveller II is available on just about anything, but as it’s best enjoyed under a duvet with the lights dimmed, the Steam Deck gets our vote. 

Click here to purchase Octopath Traveller II on Steam

25. Persona 5 Royal 

Previously, we would have said that the Switch OLED is the best place to play Persona 5 Royal on an OLED, because while the Steam Deck could run the game better, those inky blacks and reds just need to be admired on the superior screen tech. Now there’s an OLED Steam Deck you get the best of both worlds, and you’re giving yourself the best chance of actually finishing Atlus’ enormous all-time great RPG if you can play it on the go. By now you surely know the deal with Persona 5, but if it’s somehow passed you by, the game is part supernatural dungeon-crawling RPG, part teen drama social sim, where you play as a high school student who’s able to infiltrate palaces that are manifestations of the twisted unconscious desires of the various corrupt adults you encounter on your adventure. Provided you’re up to date with your studies, of course.

Click here to purchase Persona 5 Royal on Steam

• Now read: Playdate review – the little yellow handheld that’s all about fun

After all, if you’ve invested in other gear, such as getting one of the best gaming headsets or best gaming monitors, why wouldn’t you also spend big on the chair you’re going to spend all your playtime sitting on?

There’s no shortage of fancy thrones that promise perfect posture, no matter your size, but not all of ’em are worth splashing the cash. To weed out the ones that are, we’ve put the biggest names to the test below.

What is the best gaming chair?

We think the Secretlab Titan Evo (buy now) is the best gaming chair you can buy. Yes, it’s expensive, but gaming in this chair is like sitting on a cloud and cocooned from the world. It’s available in three upholstery options and comes with an impressive five-year warranty.

Other gaming chair recommendations

The best gaming chairs you can buy today:

1. Secretlab Titan Evo

Secretlab is a well-respected name in gaming chair technology, with this flagship product showcasing just how comfortable a piece of nerd-furniture can be. It’s available in three upholstery options: Neo hybrid leatherette, SoftWeave fabric or the eye-wateringly expensive Napa leather.

Whichever one you choose, it feels incredibly comfy thanks to built-in back support, 4D armrests and a comfortable base for your hard-gaming jacksy. The lumbar support can be adjusted up and down as well as outwards, so you’re sure of the right fit for your spine. There’s also an exceptional magnetic head cushion that can be attached at several heights.

An ideal alternative to awkward straps, the head cushion is the highlight of a well-designed chair. Elsewhere, a full-recline mode is ideal when that 8hr gaming session catches up with you but you’re too frazzled to go to bed, while the materials used throughout are durable and robust. There’s no memory foam but Secretlab uses cold-cure foam to ensure it’s moderately firm and provides even weight distribution and pressure relief.

It’s a pricey investment, but the Titan Evo does come with a five-year warranty so it’s sure to last you a long time – no matter how much time you spend getting killed in it.

2. Vertagear SL5800

Few rivals can compete with Vertagear’s premium gaming throne for customisation, thanks to not one but two optional LED lighting kits. One can add a Fast and Furious-style under-glow to the wheels, while the other replaces the headrest cutouts with RGB illumination. You can even customise the logos with your own (for an added fee, of course).

It’s not just a head-turner, though: the SL5800 also has your back in mind, with a fixed lumbar support that adjusts to the shape of your back. If you’re disciplined enough to stick to an upright seating position, it’ll leave you feeling more refreshed after a play session.

Just keep in mind this isn’t a one-size-fits-all chair, and the lack of adjustment might be a negative. But for making an impression on your Twitch stream, nothing else comes close.

• Read more: Vertagear SL5800 review

3. BraZen Phantom Elite

A relatively inexpensive option, the BraZen Phantom Elite still offers plenty of options. Highly adjustable, it has adjustable armrests, nylon casters, neck and lumbar support cushions, and a mechanism for tilt and height tweaks.

It might not look as smart as some others, and the faux-leather isn’t likely to be the most durable, but it still works well. While the company logo is a bit excessive, a choice of highlight colour options helps here and the quilted foam padding feels great.

Just plan ahead, as the assembly is awkward compared to some rivals.

4. Secretlab Omega 2020

A more affordable option from Secretlab, the Omega offers many of the key features of the Titan Evo. That includes height settings, 4D armrests, and a series of recline and rockback options. It also uses cold-cured foam to provide support, but alongside that are memory-foam lumbar and head pillows. Newer models don’t come with those additions so it’s a nice bonus.

This is a genuinely comfortable experience, even if its adjustability isn’t quite on par with the Titan Evo. It’s possible to upgrade to SoftWeave fabric or Napa leather too, for a price.

5. Corsair T2 Road Warrior

Designed with long sessions in mind, the Corsair T2 Road Warrior offers a wide seat and tall back ideally suited to those players who want plenty of room. Perforated cushioning means it stays cool for hours, while its textured armrests with 4D movement feel good. The lumbar support is protected by microfibres so it’s nice and durable yet doesn’t look all uncool and clinical.

There’s a subtle gaming aesthetic that doesn’t steal too much focus, while Rollerblade-style wheels ensure you can glide around in style too – but maybe not on a deep-pile carpet.

6. Noblechairs Epic Real Leather

This gorgeously designed effort doubles up as a professional chair for the office, just in case you sometimes have to do actual work. It’s made from leather with cold foam upholstery, giving you the ideal combo of classiness, durability and breathability.

It keeps its shape over extended periods of time while also spreading the load, so you’ll always feel comfy and supported, while 4D armrests and tilt options plus an adjustable backrest and seat height all ensure the right fit for your body.

This is the ideal chair for those avoiding the typical gamer aesthetic.

Looking for something a little more understated for your home office? Try Stuff’s guide to the best office chairs.

How to buy the best gaming chair

When buying a gaming chair, there are several important factors to consider to ensure that you select a chair that provides comfort, support, and enhances your gaming experience. You’re going to be spending a lot (and we mean a lot) of time in your gaming chair, so it’s important that you pick one that complements your body and gaming habits.

If you’re reading this, then you already understand that you must take your time to research and (if possible) test different options to find the best gaming chair for your needs. Here are some key considerations to keep in mind when making a decision:

The most important aspect of a gaming chair is ergonomics and comfort. We’ve only included gaming chairs that are ergonomically designed to support your body’s natural posture. You’ll want a chair that has adjustable features such as lumbar support, headrest, armrests, and height to accommodate different body types and preferences.

A good gaming chair should have multiple adjustment options, with the ability to adjust the height, recline angle, and armrest positions to find the most comfortable setup for your gaming needs. This is really important for maintaining good posture during long gaming sessions.

It goes without saying that you should opt for a chair with thick padding that provides adequate cushioning for your back, neck, and behind.

You may also prefer breathable materials such as mesh or fabric, as these help prevent overheating during extended use. These are more difficult to clean, however, with leather and faux leather easier to wipe down.

When choosing a gaming chair, you’ll need to ensure it can accommodate your body size and weight comfortably, so check the weight capacity rating to ensure you’re not putting excessive strain on the chair’s structure.

Finally, this may seem like a basic point but is often overlooked – check that the chair fits in your space before making a purchase. If you need to move the chair around often or have limited space, make sure to get a chair with smooth-rolling caster wheels for easy mobility.

Sony’s terms and conditions pitted PS5 gamers against those using a PC. But it wasn’t more of a battle, rather a culling of PC gamers from around 177 countries on Steam. But what exactly happened? Here’s the brief story on how Sony almost destroyed one of its best most recent IPs in a single weekend.

Let’s (hell) dive into it

In case you’ve been living a harmonious life away from the internet over the past few weeks, we’ll fill you in on the world of Helldivers 2. Helldivers 2 is the online co-op shooter that pits gun totin’ democracy spreaders against the enemies threatening to eradicate their way of life. Have the people you’re fighting against actually done anything wrong? No, but democracy must be spread by the barrel of a gun.

Helldivers 2 is a very tongue in cheek satire on global imperialism, and takes more than a little inspiration from Starship Troopers. And it’s very, very good. It’s so good that hundreds of thousands of players have flocked to the game since its release in February. But recently, there’s been an exodus. Not by gamer fatigue or lack of interest. Rather, it’s down to Sony’s corporate interest.

Sony owns the Helldivers IP, and as such has a pretty big say in how the game develops. As such, Sony wanted gamers to sign up for its PSN service, but did it in a strange way.

On 3 May, Sony announced that PC gamers would need to link their PSN accounts to their Steam profile to continue playing the game they’d already paid real life human money for. Sure, it’s a further collecting of data of Sony’s part, but it’s not that bad, right? From EA to Bethesda, many companies require you to create an account to play its game. The only snag in this scenario, is that the PSN network is not currently available in many parts of the world. As such, Steam removed purchase of the game from 177 countries.

Once this action came into effect, a (hell)storm came with it. Over 211,000 negative reviews were left on the Helldivers 2 Steam page. Message boards were flooded with one-time Helldivers 2 players from Japan, Algeria, Jordan and the Isle of Man. Refunds were offered, but by that time trust had been lost with the gamers who had already plunged hundreds of hours into one of Sony’s most recent victories.

Why?

You might ask why Sony would shoot themselves in the foot over this. But when it comes to multibillion dollar corporations, the answer’s usually pretty easy. This misguided decision was made in the pursuit of, you guessed it, money. As PC Gamer reported, over half of Helldivers 2 players in the US play the game on PC. That’s a lot of people and, most importantly to Sony, a lot of people it can sign up to the PSN service.

How Sony fixed it (sort of)

What Sony perhaps underestimated was the fan backlash. After a long weekend of review bombing and justified gripe, on 6 May, Sony announced it was scrapping its Helldivers 2 plans. In a Tweet, Sony outlined how it had “heard [fan] feedback” and that it “will not be moving forward” with its update.

This is undoubtedly a win for Helldivers 2 players, who have since began operation clean up to reverse negative reviews. But still, it’s a change that should not have happened in the first place.

On 7 May, Shuntaro Furukawa, President of Nintendo, made a statement. On Twitter/X, the official Nintendo account casually dropped a bombshell, stating: “We will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year. It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015.” Furukawa went on to say that “[Nintendo] will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation.”

It’s safe to say that Ninty fans across the world are rejoicing at this news, and for good reason. By our estimation, “the latter half of 2024” could point to a Christmas release. So too, might the PS5 Pro. There are strong rumours to suggest that Sony are aiming for a Q4 2024 release for the PS5 Pro, conveniently several months before the planned 2025 release of Grand Theft Auto VI. This will pit console against console in a war for our hard earned Christmas bonus.

But while we’re eagerly awaiting the PS5 Pro and Nintendo Switch 2, where is the Xbox 2.0 in this conversation?

Identity crisis

We have a rough idea of what the PS5 Pro and Nintendo Switch 2 will offer, but news has been light on an upgraded Xbox. We’ve had a few reported leaks, including news of a redesigned, discless Xbox Series X and a new controller setup. We also might be getting a white Xbox later this year. But compared to its console counterparts, the enthusiasm for a new Xbox console isn’t quite there in the same way.

Why is that? Well, it’s hard to deny that Xbox is suffering something of an identity crisis. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that a number of its former-Xbox exclusive titles would be going to PS5 and the Nintendo Switch. This included Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, the medieval adventure game Pentiment, and Grounded. Then, there was the Xbox streaming device debacle. Rumours surrounding an dedicated streaming console for the Xbox had been doing the rounds for a few years, only further fuelled by Head of Xbox Phil Spencer himself in a much discussed 2022 Tweet. Now, it seems like the Xbox dongle dream is dead.

With so much uncertainty around Microsoft’s future plans, it’s hard for me to get excited about a future Xbox. Sony has its many flaws, but the company’s sheer, unwavering greed reassures me that its exclusives will never be available elsewhere. The same is true for Nintendo, who would rather put a mafia hit on Mario than have him appear on a different gaming platform. To me, Xbox is a more fickle beast, one that I can’t quite trust with me money.

But I’m a fickle beast. Last year, I bought myself a PS5 after months of temptation. Since then, my Nintendo Switch has been gathering dust, put to one side like Andy from Toy Story. I’ve ploughed an unholy amount of hours into classics such as God of War and The Last of Us 2, to more recent titles Dave the Diver and Helldivers 2. But while I’ve been battling mushroom zombies and Nordic gods, Mario and Luigi have been made redundant. However, that might all change with the Nintendo Switch 2.

Same Switch, but different

We’ve already mused about what we’d like to see in a next-gen Nintendo console. And in more recent developments, a Switch successor has been confirmed by Nintendo itself. In a Tweet posted on 7 May 2024, Nintendo President Furukawa stated that the company will “make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year”, in relation to “the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024.”

This is indeed exciting news. But for me, I’ll only upgrade if it offers something drastic. You see, when it comes to consoles, I’m usually not too tempted by upgrades. I likely won’t upgrade my existing PS5 to the PS5 Pro, whenever it’s officially released. I often find pro upgrades unnecessary at best, company cash grabs at worst. In that, unless a console offers a radically new gaming experience, it won’t be getting the contents of my wallet. But Nintendo are in a fortunate position, arguably a much better one than Sony and its forthcoming PS5 Pro.

For me, the Switch 2 needs to compete power-wise with the PS5, without losing what makes the OG Switch unique. And signs point to that happening. Rumours suggest the Switch 2 will utilise Nvidia’s DLSS upscaling technology. This is almost like a gaming hack, and uses AI to magic additional frames to improve image quality. This could, in theory, transform 45-50FPS images into 120-120FPS. While that’s all under the hood stuff, I was happy to learn that the Switch 2 is rumoured to support existing Joy-Cons and 1080p.

In my eyes, Sony have a much harder job in convincing its players to go Pro. To me, the PS5 Pro needs to offer something far beyond a nice graphics update and upgraded loading times, and I’m not sure it can. Sony has the unenviable task of improving what is already the most powerful console on the market. For Nintendo, I believe its mission is simpler. Give us more power. If the Nintendo Switch 2 achieves that, it’ll be the radical new gaming experience I yearn for.

On 7 May 2024, Nintendo President Furukawa Tweeted “we will make an announcement about the successor to Nintendo Switch within this fiscal year. It will have been over nine years since we announced the existence of Nintendo Switch back in March 2015.”

We’re trying not to get too excited about that, though. In the same Tweet, Furukawa went on to say that “we will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation.”

I recently wrote about the things I want from a Switch successor. I want more power, a more interesting UI, and more robust online features. We’re now well into the 4K gaming era with Xbox and PlayStation, and of course I want to see how good Link and Mario’s latest adventures could look with a higher resolution makeover. 

But here’s the thing: the Nintendo Switch is without doubt my favourite console of all time. From the moment I unboxed the original model on launch day, heard that now iconic Joy-Con “click” for the first time, and saw The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the World running on a handheld device,  I was head over heels for the thing. I then spent the next month or two of ordinarily painfully tedious train commutes losing myself in a watercolour open-world Hyrule, popping the Switch into its dock in the evenings so I could take on the Divine Beasts on the big screen. Nearly seven years and several hardware refreshes later, the Switch still gets more of my attention than both my Xbox Series X and my PS5.

Press continue

I naturally put well over 100 hours into Tears of the Kingdom last year. I also played and loved Pikmin 4, a series that had never really clicked with me previously. While Baldur’s Gate 3 deservedly claimed the RPG crown for most people in 2023, if I’m honest about it, it was the Switch remake of SNES classic Super Mario RPG that I personally had the most fun with. I had tons of enjoyment revisiting the original Red Dead Redemption (a rock solid Switch port) on a portable device. And as for Super Mario Bros. Wonder, well, you can read what I thought about that game here. 

The more I think about it, the more I think I’m pretty happy to have another year of Switch. Part of that is due to the fear of change. The next Nintendo console is very likely to be a sensible iteration on the current one, rather than a grand reinvention. But I’m wary of Nintendo messing with a winning formula so as to make sure that potential upgraders can see there’s a clear difference. Will we lose the Joy-Cons? What if the Switch 2 isn’t fully backwards-compatible with the Switch? What if the messaging reaches Wii U levels of confusion and nobody buys one? Perhaps worst of all…what if it’s just not the same? 

What if it’s just not the same? 

These are, obviously, pretty silly things to be worried about. Besides, another Wii U situation feels particularly unlikely, given how much Nintendo has gotten right this generation. Technology moves on, consoles are succeeded by more capable successors, and Nintendo isn’t going to stop making Mario and Zelda games any time soon. But most of what I’m unhappy about with the current Switch is on paper, rather than in practise.

When I’m playing the upcoming Splatoon 3 DLC on that wonderfully vibrant OLED display (something it sounds like I might have to surrender on at least the first-gen version of the Switch 2), I doubt I’ll particularly care that it’s only only 720p. Just like I didn’t care with all the other Nintendo Switch exclusives I’ve enjoyed over the years. And as much as I love the Steam Deck OLED, I still often find myself gravitating towards my Switch for a lot of indie games as it’s lighter and the battery lasts for longer. There are no guarantees that either of those things will remain true on the next console. 

One more life

Perhaps I’ll feel differently as 2024 rolls on. There’s no getting away from the fact that Nintendo’s current release calendar is looking pretty lightweight at present (even if there’s no game I’m more excited to play this year than Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, a remaster of a GameCube classic that I missed back in 2004). And I’ll admit, it would be nice to play more third-party games on a Nintendo console without fearing that it will buckle under their weight. Nobody wants another Batman: Arkham Knight fiasco. 

But to say Nintendo struck gold with the Switch is understating it. That instant handheld-to-TV magic trick still gets me every single time. Even after all these years, I’ve been able to play more brilliant games on the Switch than any Nintendo system before it. And yet there are still plenty of unplayed games in my backlog, formerly Xbox exclusive gems like Pentiment are bolstering the 2024 slate, and no doubt Nintendo has at least a couple more software-related surprises up its sleeve come the summer and beyond. A swansong year as good as the one we thought the console just had is looking like a tall order, but if Nintendo can pull a Metroid Prime 4 and a Wind Waker HD port out of its Cappy, then the Switch really will go out in style. 

As tech lovers we’re conditioned to always be thinking about the next big thing, and when the time comes I will of course be hurriedly pre-ordering the next Nintendo console. But right now no other gadget brings me as much consistent joy as the Switch, so why wish it away?

We’re trying to subdue our excitement somewhat. In the same Tweet, Furukawa went on to say that “we will be holding a Nintendo Direct this June regarding the Nintendo Switch software lineup for the latter half of 2024, but please be aware that there will be no mention of the Nintendo Switch successor during that presentation.”

Still, this is the news we’ve been waiting to hear. Rumours have been swirling around since last summer and have only intensified in the months since, with the general consensus being that the Switch 2 – which will almost certainly not be what Nintendo calls it – is pretty likely to arrive at some point in 2024. 

We know very little about Nintendo’s lineup for this year beyond the summer, and right now you could argue that the biggest game on the horizon is Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, a remaster of a 20-year-old GameCube game. When the release calendar starts to fill up with re-releases, you can safely predict that new hardware is being prepared, and with most smartphones now packing more power than Nintendo’s machine, it really is time. 

Without any concrete information about the Switch 2, we can only really speculate about what it might look like based on the industry whisperings, but we are very capable of saying what we want Nintendo to do with its next-gen console. You know, just in case someone important might be reading. 

Here’s everything we do (and don’t want) from the hopefully imminent follow-up to the Nintendo Switch. 

1. A similar form factor

The Nintendo Switch launched in 2017, and the seamlessness of its hybrid functionality still impresses us on a daily basis. Being able to slide the handheld device into a dock and have your game appear on the TV, and vice versa, in just a few seconds, is still a bit magical, while the freedom to take your library of Mario and Zelda bangers anywhere you want is the reason a lot of gamers still prefer the Switch to any other platform. 

It would be a massive shame, then, if Nintendo decided to abandon this concept entirely for a new innovation. Fortunately, the likes of VGC and Eurogamer have been told by sources that another hybrid console that can dock to your TV is what we’re likely getting. The detachable Joy-Cons are another great feature of the Switch. It gives you even more ways to play while keeping the spirit of the Wii alive with their motion control functionality. But for all we know Nintendo might decide that a solid unit, like the Switch Lite, is its vision for the future, and that would be disappointing – especially if you like playing games in tabletop mode. We hope that Nintendo adopts an ‘if it ain’t broke…’ mentality with the Switch 2. 

2. Backwards compatibility

For a lot of people, this is the big one. Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa reportedly told the company’s shareholders that it wanted customers to be able to ‘smoothly transition’ to its next console using their Nintendo Accounts, which an optimist would read as confirmation that the Switch’s library will be backwards compatible with the Switch 2. But we still don’t know that for sure. 

Nintendo’s track record makes for fairly positive reading, given that the Wii U was backwards compatible with the Wii before it, the 3DS with the DS, and the original DS with the Game Boy Advance. Provided Nintendo sticks with cartridges and the internal architecture the Switch 2 uses is compatible with the original games, it makes sense that both your physical Switch games and any purchased using your Nintendo Account would be playable on new hardware too. But until it’s a guarantee, Switch owners anticipating the arrival of a successor might be starting to think twice about buying new games now. 

3. More power

It’s fair to say that developers have wrung every last drop of power from the humble Nvidia Tegra X1 chipset that the current Switch uses. Despite it being on the back foot from day one, we’ve seen some stunning games on Nintendo’s console, and we’d wager that the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4 were as easy on the eye as any of last year’s PS5 and Xbox Series X offerings. As they (probably) say, it’s not about how many pixels you have, but how you use them. And let’s not forget that, despite all the odds, you can play The Witcher 3 on a Nintendo Switch. It’s a miracle of a machine. 

It would be nice, though, if the Switch 2 had a bit more power in the tank. There have been too many stories about bad Switch ports in the last few years (shockingly Batman: Arkham Knight isn’t much fun when it looks like soup), and the handheld market is a lot more competitive than it was when the hybrid console first launched. You only have to spend an hour or two with a Steam Deck in your hands to start daydreaming about a Nintendo handheld that could handle the likes of Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elden Ring, even if it meant spending a bit more time at a plug socket. And playing the next 3D Mario game in 4K at 60fps on the TV would be pretty good, too. 

4. An OLED display 

We loved the original Nintendo Switch, but once the OLED model arrived it was consigned to a draw that it hasn’t since left. Once you’ve experienced the inky blacks and eye-poppingly vibrant colours made possible by OLED tech it’s really hard to go back to LCD, and frankly we don’t want to when the Switch 2 arrives. The Steam Deck OLED has only reinforced this, and with OLED set to eventually become the default display for Valve’s handheld PC, it would make it even harder to swallow an LCD-only Switch successor. 

We could imagine a world in which Nintendo unveils two variants of its next-gen console, with a pricier OLED option for those willing to pay a premium for the superior display tech. But returning to LCD full stop would be a backwards step at a time when OLED is becoming the norm. 

5. Even more retro games

Nintendo has never been shy in asking its customers to repurchase games they already own for new hardware, but with Nintendo Switch Online the strategy appears to have shifted towards a subscription model. With a Nintendo Switch + Expansion Pack membership you can access a growing library of retro Nintendo games spanning from the NES to the N64, and last year the company started adding Game Boy and Game Boy Advance titles to boot. 

We’ve really enjoyed revisiting the likes of 1080° Snowboarding and Metroid Fusion in the last 12 months, but the drip feed of new games can be frustrating. If Nintendo is to continue with Nintendo Switch Online in its current guise for the Switch 2, we’d like to see these libraries expand more quickly, and perhaps it’s time for GameCube games, too? Nintendo fans are definitely having a better time of it than PS5 owners hoping to play classic PlayStation games on PS Plus – a benefit Sony appears to have forgotten about entirely – but there are plenty of gems still missing on NSO. 

6. A more interesting UI 

Before the Switch, Nintendo’s consoles were known for their personality. The Wii Shop Channel music is legendary, while the Mii Plaza was a more fun take on the Metaverse than anything Zuckerberg and co have served up. The Switch, as brilliant as it is, is kind of boring in comparison. Nearly seven years from launch we still have just two themes to choose from: black and white. The 3DS had a wide range of game-specific downloadable themes complete with sound effects and music. It’s bizarre that Nintendo has never opted to do something similar with the Switch, especially given how many custom Joy-Con sets there have been. 

The Switch’s UI is undeniably clean and easy to navigate, putting your games at the forefront of the experience. But with the Switch 2 we hope it can find a happy medium; similarly uncluttered, but with a bit more personality injected. 

7. A more robust online gaming service

Nintendo took a long time to get its head around online gaming, and with the Switch it’s done a lot of catching up. Games like Splatoon 3 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe have large and very active online communities, and both continue to be well supported. But online gaming on the Switch still asks people to jump through too many hoops. There remains no in-game voice chat functionality, with Nintendo instead opting for a solution that involves you connecting to its smartphone app. While it’s easy enough to do once you know how, it’s also needlessly complicated. 

And there seems to be little chance of the Japanese giant allowing an official Discord app to appear in the eShop any time soon. We know that the Call of Duty series will be coming to the Switch in the not-so distant future, and when that happens, Nintendo really needs to make it easier for gamers to communicate with their friends during a game. 

8. More entertainment apps 

The lack of a Netflix app on Switch has been a running joke since it first launched, and it still hasn’t shown up. You could argue that Nintendo keeping the Switch focused on games has been one of the platform’s great strengths, but being able to take a break from shrine-hunting in Tears of the Kingdom to watch a few episodes of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off on the train would be nice, especially as the Switch’s display is likely bigger than your phone’s. 

Nintendo might not want to make the Switch 2 a portable entertainment center, but if it did, it could entice an even larger audience.

Nobody likes waiting, but a delayed Switch 2 done well is much better than a rushed product filled with bugs. We already know what we want to see with the Nintendo Switch 2, but Nintendo must also be quite conscious of not making the same mistakes it did with the Wii successor, the Wii U. Mistakes were made when it came to the Wii U. It had some underrated games, but the console failed to make quite the same impact as the Nintendo Wii. Gamers couldn’t quite grasp this clunky console, and developers were reluctant to release fresh titles on it. When it came to competing with the PlayStation and Xbox, the Wii U never stood a chance.

Nintendo Switch 2: future titles

Given how Nintendo wouldn’t want to repeat the past, a delay is probably a wise move. What a delay means for existing Nintendo Switch owners though is a little more concerning. Nintendo would want its biggest titles kept for a Switch 2 release. If the Nintendo Switch 2 is being pushed back until Q1 2025, we likely wouldn’t expect a new Metroid or Pokémon title for at least a year.

As news of the delay broke, Nintendo shares fell nearly 6%. But stock prices aren’t the concern of mere gamers, who ultimately want to know if the Nintendo Switch 2 will be worth the wait. Wii U aside, Nintendo have a proven track record in building on their past successes. We’ve had all manner of Game Boy additions that repeatedly helped to innovate handheld gaming. And besides, with the Nintendo Switch still shifting plenty of units, Nintendo can afford to sit on their hands with this one.