Sony Playstation 5

£450 / stuff.tv/ps5

The PS5 is not a modest upgrade. Its hulking design means it’ll make a bad first impression on some, but spend time playing it and it’ll soon win you over – and then some. This is essentially a high-spec gaming PC for the living room: stupendously powerful, with greatly reduced loading times compared to the PS4. Most last-gen titles will run fine, many with a boost, and the line-up of new games is strong; we just hope developers make use of that fascinating Dualsense pad and its haptic feedback trickery.

Stuff says ★★★★★

Huge power, clever hardware and a guarantee of great games to come make the PS5 hard to resist

Nintendo Switch £279 / stuff.tv/nintendoswitch

Now four years old, the Switch is the second-best-selling console in Nintendo’s history thanks to great games and a unique twist on portable play. But you might want to hold out for the imminent new version…

Stuff says ★★★★★

This 2-in-1 console is the real deal Microsoft Xbox Series X £450 / stuff.tv/xsx

A fully future-proofed machine that doesn’t scrimp on specs or speed, the Series X just wants more exclusive titles to make it sing. Xbox Game Pass remains pretty much the best streamed offering in gaming.

Stuff says ★★★★I

A beast of a console that needs more games Microsoft Xbox Series S ★★★★I £250 / stuff.tv/xss

Delivers affordability without sacrificing key features, but still falls short on new titles. Evercade Handheld ★★★★I £60 / stuff.tv/evercade

Scratches the retro itch in all sorts of ways. See also the Tv-bound VS model on p12.