Stuff Gadget Awards Winners – Gaming

2025 was 12 months for gaming ({hardware}, at any price). Stuff‘s Gadget Awards winners on that individual slate are a surprising bunch, operating the gauntlet from a brand new video games console to one thing that might make a Nineteen Eighties arcade kiddie cry with pleasure that such a factor exists.

Of course, you didn’t have to attend to search out out who gained the Best of classes for gaming. We’ve had these in print for a while now. Anyone desirous to leapfrog the remainder of the bulletins can simply…seize a replica of the journal. The full roster of Stuff‘s Gadget Awards winners is contained within, plus a few extras that aren’t going to make it onto the net. No sinister motive, they’re simply… not.

Or you’ll be able to stick round. Everything must be up and prepared by the top of this week… simply in time for the brand new challenge of the journal to hit cabinets. And then you’ll be able to go and purchase that one too. First, although… the gaming winners are…

GAMING HARDWARE OF THE YEAR

NINTENDO SWITCH 2

Nintendo’s authentic Switch revolutionised transportable gaming in 2017 – and whereas the sequel feels extra evolutionary, its enhancements justify calling it the corporate’s finest little bit of {hardware} but. The expanded 7.9in display screen delivers 1080p handheld gaming for the primary time, complemented by 120Hz assist for high-framerate slickness. There’s HDR functionality and vastly improved audio system, too.

The return to LCD upset some Switch OLED devotees, however the superior brightness proves extra useful for out of doors play, whereas DLSS upscaling brings 4K output when docked.

This is Nintendo’s priciest console launch, however the energy improve means ports of Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077 can run convincingly. It all provides as much as Nintendo’s most succesful handheld to this point.

from R12 500 / store.nintendo.co.za

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS ● MSI Claw 8 AI+

SHORTLISTED

PlayStation 5 Pro ● Evercade Alpha

CONSOLE ACCESSORY OF THE YEAR

VICTRIX PRO FS

Recreating genuine arcade experiences at residence requires tournament-grade {hardware}, and nothing at present obtainable surpasses this struggle stick. The aluminium building feels aptly skilled, housing Sanwa Denshi parts similar to these in Japanese cupboards.

These industry-standard levers and buttons ship near zero enter latency whereas taking lots of of hours of punishment. The braided USB-C cable sidesteps wi-fi lag issues, and customisable LED lighting offers personalisation with out extra. Prongs on the rear facilitate cable administration and double as carry handles.

All this comes at appreciable value… however devoted gamers looking for uncompromising efficiency can in all probability justify the outlay.

R6 500 / amazon.com

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Belkin Charging Case for Nintendo Switch 2 ● Razer Kitsune

SHORTLISTED

Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller ● Samsung MicroSD Express Card

GAMING LAPTOP OF THE YEAR

ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR 18 (2025)

Gaming laptops have all the time required compromise: decide energy or portability, by no means each. Asus selected energy. The ROG Strix Scar homes Nvidia’s RTX 5090, the beefiest cellular GPU you should purchase, in addition to one among Intel’s Core Ultra 9 monsters. That’s desktop-crushing efficiency in a back-bending bundle.

The 18in QHD+ Mini LED display screen hits a wonderful 240Hz and delivers good blacks and vibrant colors that make even demanding video games look completely gorgeous. Performance by no means falters: 100-200fps in Counter-Strike 2, clean 60fps+ in ray-traced titles, and DLSS 4.0 working miracles on body era. It’s ruinously costly, positive, however that is the gaming laptop computer that dominates something and all the pieces it tackles.

from R85 000 / rog.asus.com

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Acer Predator Helios Neo 16S AI ● Razer Blade 14

SHORTLISTED

MSI Katana HX ● Asus ROG Strix G16 (2025)

PC GAMING ACCESSORY OF THE YEAR

RAZER DEATHADDER V4 PRO

Finding the proper gaming mouse feels unattainable… then when one lastly suits, you’ll keep it up till it falls aside. The DeathAdder has earned legendary standing as a result of it feels moulded to your hand, and with this iteration, Razer has finished one thing exceptional: making an excellent mouse even higher with out touching that type issue.

The enhancements astound. New HyperSpeed Wireless Gen-2 tech delivers 0.291ms common latency at 8,000Hz polling – 60% sooner than earlier variations – and the load drops to simply 56g regardless of sturdier recycled plastic building, whereas battery endurance extends dramatically.

R4 500 / razer.com

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Samsung Odyssey OLED G81SF

SHORTLISTED

Razer BlackShark V3 Pro ● Logitech G915 X Lightspeed ● Shure MV6