It’s been a massive year for gaming hardware, with so many fantastic, innovative pieces of tech launching in 2024. For the lucky Australians, it was finally time to experience the Steam Deck, and there was also plenty of other new gaming handhelds to experience, and possibly fall in love with.
Beyond these, we had an array of solid laptops and desktops to review, as well as a raft of nifty controllers, headsets, earbuds, and more. In the pack, there were some major standouts – and so, for the first time, GamesHub is ending the year with a gaming hardware shoutout.
Here’s all the best gaming tech we reviewed this year, and why we liked it so much.
Table of Contents
Steam Deck OLED
The Steam Deck OLED absolutely changed my gaming habits this year – and I couldn’t be happier. While I’ve tested a bunch of handheld gaming consoles, this one has become a clear winner in my mind, for a multitude of factors. First, there’s the battery. If you’re playing a smaller-scale game like Dave the Diver or any number of indies, you’ll usually get around 4-5 hours of battery life, which is miles ahead of most other handheld devices. Then, there’s the OLED screen. It’s crispy, bright, big, and wonderful.
Read: Steam Deck OLED review – An Australian perspective
Perhaps my favourite feature of all is quick resume. If you don’t mind the device chewing a bit of power in standby mode, you can have it waiting and ready to go whenever you’d like to game. I absolutely love that I can leave the console on charge, decide on a whim to play games, and seconds later, I’m booting up a new (or returning) adventure. It’s such good gear. – Leah J. Williams
Macbook Pro (2024)
I’ve been using this MacBook as my primary device for the better part of the year, and I have to say how incredibly pleased I am with its performance. Whether I was working my way through a more intensive game like Death Stranding, or meandering through a visual novel or two, it handled these games phenomenally.
My main method of testing has been unconventional, but I can confirm with great joy that not only does the “Game Mode” make the experience smoother, this marvellous machine can handle running The Sims 4 with every single expansion, stuff pack, game pack and kit that exists – and runs it so very well. Given most devices turn into a roaring space station with the same demands, I’ve been thoroughly impressed. – Steph Panecasio
Backbone One Controller
It’s taken me a while, but 2024 was the year I got super into mobile gaming. Through a combination of Apple Arcade inclusion like Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Sonic Dream Team, and What the Car?, not to mention free apps like Twisted-Wonderland and Pokemon TCG Pocket, I officially became a Regular Mobile Gamer. The Backbone One Controller proved essential to my journey.
Read: Backbone One (2nd Gen) review – A literal game changer
It’s such a nifty little device. All you do is pop it into your phone’s charging port, and you’ve got a controller for all your portable gaming needs. It’s nicely clicky, well arranged, and ergonomic, making playing games on the go very easy. Having tried to play mobile games with Xbox and PlayStation controllers, I’ve realised having a Backbone One is the most convenient way to go. – Leah J. Williams
SteelSeries GameBuds
The SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds are fantastic, gaming-focused earbuds that tick pretty much all of my boxes. To start with, they’re very light and comfortable, and they fit neatly in a snazzy little case, which fits the “aesthetics” criteria. More importantly, the GameBuds are also great sounding, creating a crisp and layered 3D audiosphere while gaming, to give you a better picture of where you are in a game world.
Read: SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds review – Resounding success
When it comes to good gaming earbuds and headsets, it’s all about creating a sense of place through sound, and that requires gear capable of isolating individual noises, with these all adding up for a sense of realism. Of course, for a horror game like Alan Wake 2, the earbuds do make it truly horrific – but that’s the point. – Leah J. Williams
PlayStation Portal
Whether you’re sharing a TV, travelling for a weekend, or just want to make it easier to game in bed, the PlayStation Portal is a very handy addition to your gaming hardware collection. With a sleek design, crisp screen and solid battery life, this device was a lifesaver when I wanted to game in the evenings while my ex-partner was using the TV, especially when I was on a deadline for review.
Read: One month with the PlayStation Portal
Though I had my initial gripes with the angle of the screen, having used it more and more since reviewing it earlier this year, I have to give credit where it’s due, and confirm it’s now one of the devices I reach for most. Remote Play is one of those things that can easily go either way, but performance-wise, I’ve found the Portal to be very reliable. – Steph Panecasio
LG UltraGear Monitor
If you’ve ever wanted to feel like you’re commanding a battleship, I strongly recommend gaming on an LG UltraGear 45-inch OLED Curved Gaming Monitor. My gosh, this screen is fantastic – and I loved my time with it in 2024. Playing through The Sims 4, I was able to see every single detail in my mansion houses. The Plucky Squire was beautiful and bright on the big screen. While I expected a teething period, I found the UltraGear was very easy to use, and the curve never felt like a hurdle to overcome.
Read: LG UltraGear 45″ OLED Curved Gaming Monitor – Review
Rather, it allowed me to get “closer” to the action of gaming, and to have a complete view of my work day, with multiple tabs and screens open at any one time. It was like being the overlord of my day, commanding articles on a massive screen that conveyed grandeur and importance without even trying. Realistically, I lack the space for a monitor of this calibre, but it was certainly impressive while it was part of my days, and it left a lasting impression. – Leah J. Williams
ASUS ROG G22CH
Testing the Asus ROG G22CH Gaming Desktop this year was an absolute joy. I haven’t had a gaming desktop in my life for an age, and they certainly weren’t nearly as small or high-powered as this one, back then. It was eye-opening to say yes to reviewing the device, and to then open the box to find a tiny, compact chassis absolutely packed to the brim with power. I don’t often yearn for review units after they’re gone, but seeing how fun-sized and rocket-powered this desktop was, I fell a bit in love.
Read: Asus ROG G22CH Gaming Desktop – Review
I do think the G22CH is a bit too pricey at around AUD $4,599, but at the very least, it goes on special for a more reasonable price often – and more reasonably, in the world of PCs you pay a premium for high quality. This particular desktop justified itself in my eyes, and it set a high bar for other desktops that passed by. – Leah J. Williams
