2023 is coming to a close, so what better time than now to look back at some of my favorite gear that I reviewed this year. Here are my five picks for essential tools, gaming devices, and just plain fun that I used this year.

Turtle Beach Atom Controller for iOS

This nifty little controller arrived on my doorstep in late October, just in time for the last bits of international travel I had ahead this year. Designed specifically for mobile gaming, its initial impressions aren’t exactly revelatory, but once I understood both the limitations and intent, the Atom controller became a definitive item in my always carry bag.

The setup process is a bit of a pain, as the Bluetooth connection on my iPhone didn’t find the controller until I turned the entire reception on and off. After that, downloading the Atom app and setting up the dead zones and sensitivity was a relative breeze.

The app also offers a game discovery function, which showcases the best titles suited for the controller. Every one I tried (Call of Duty Mobile, Genshin Impact, Vampire Survivors, and Dead Cells) worked like a charm without any fiddling. While the left stick occasionally found itself drifting, it rarely impacted the experience. What surprised me most was the lag-free gameplay, as previous attempts at mobile gaming have always suffered from frustrating input lag and stuttering.

I also tried out the Atom controller with the brand-spanking new Resident Evil Village, now out on iOS, and came away happily surprised at how it felt like carrying a console in pocket.

While the plastic casing and somewhat clunky presentation aren’t exactly appealing, there’s very little to fault with the Atom controller. It’s bizarre that a Bluetooth connected controller is device locked (the iOS version won’t work with Android and vice versa), but hopefully it’s something that will be fixed in the future. After all, Apple’s latest devices are all USB-C now, too.

Despite the minor quibbles, Atom is an easy recommendation for anyone who games on their mobile and wants to experience the closest thing they’ll get to a portable console without buying a Nintendo Switch. For fans of fast-paced action and adventure gaming, this is an essential addition to their gear.

Logitech Yeti GX

After last year’s impeccable – but demanding and expensive – Blue Sona, it was hard to see how Logitech could top their offering for content creators and streamers. Yet, somehow, that’s exactly what they did. The Yeti GX is a dream for anyone wanting to up their sound game both at home and on the road. For me, it has become the definitive article for interview and podcasts on the road.

Connected and powered by a single USB-C cable, the Yeti GX sounds and operates like a dream. Just hook it up to your laptop or desktop of choice (it works perfectly on both Mac and PC), and you’re good to go. The additional Logitech Hub provides assistance and noise cancellation with filters and acoustics, but isn’t necessary most of the time.

Once setup, the Yeti GX captures vocals with insane accuracy while removing background hum and hiss with ease. I’ve saved countless of hours in editing thanks to this thing, and I can’t imagine using anything else for stationary podcast recordings ever again. At 150€, it’s not cheap, but for what you get it’s easily the best deal in gaming and content creation out there. Especially for its quality, both in software and build. It’s a good-looking device, too, making it easy to add to any desk that you want showcased on a stream as a fashion statement.

I have to also give a shoutout to the Litra Beam LX, Logitech’s brand-new desktop light for streamers. While I rarely stream with a camera pointed at my face (the less my ugly mug is online, the better), there’s no denying the artistry involved in this little thing. The lighting is far more subtle this year, with a noticeable improvement in hues and highlights, delivering a really soft and balanced look to the image.

For me, it’s been a great help in product reviews. Even mounted horizontally in ways that it probably shouldn’t, the Litra Beam has served as an impromptu studio light even in the trickiest situations. Anything that works this well in multiple use scenarios deserves a highlight as useful, necessary gear for content creation.

iPhone 15 Pro Max

This was the year that I really got into mobile gaming, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max was a big part of that. It’s almost a cliché to say that Apple’s excellent devices are great (they cost, after all, 1500€), but it would be a lie to claim otherwise. Whether it’s for entertainment or productivity, the 15 Pro Max has never let me down in the months that I’ve used it.

Thanks to the new cameras and spectacular audio recording, it’s also become an essential addition to recording events, interviews, and B-roll when I haven’t had any other gear on me. Since I’m still looking for a good camera for product reviews (suggestions welcome!), the 15 Pro Max was thrown right into the deep end this year as my one and only recording device on the road.

The battery life is fantastic, lasting me easily two days with light use and one very long day with heavy use. For me, heavy use means at least six hours of screen-on time, tons of photos and video, audio recording, reading, and at least an hour of gaming and on-screen recording.

To date, the Pro Max has never let me down or looking for a charger midway through the day. Which is good, as the charging speeds are still lackluster, even when hooked up to the biggest brick you can find. When the competition offers 0 to 100% in less than 20 minutes, Apple’s almost 1 hour charging time feels downright ancient.

Luckily, that’s not the case with the new (for Apple) USB-C ports, which on the Pro Max deliver up to 10gb/s speeds. That means that I’ve been able to record video, audio, and gameplay direct to a USB-C hard drive with ease. No more fiddling with cloud storage or airdrop, convenient as they might be. Large files move directly to my MacBook from the external storage, saving me hours in editing time.

It might not be as exciting as the OnePlus Open, but the iPhone 15 Pro Max is more than anything an essential tool, something that makes my life easier every single day. It’s the quintessential computer in your pocket, a device that is one step ahead of me as I work. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth every penny.

DJI Mic

These came recommended to me from a friend, and they’ve proven themselves a lifesaver more than once. Like many items on this list, they’re not cheap (260€), but they are essential for anyone who does podcasting or interviews on the go.

The set comes with two wireless microphones, a receiver with USB-C and Lightning attachments, and a charging case with enough battery life for days of heavy use. You can either record directly to the mics, which have enough storage for a few hours, or using the receiver attached to another device or storage unit. I’ve hooked up the DJI to any phone I’ve been reviewing at the time, and the experience has been nothing short of fantastic each time.

On the iPhone, combining the DJI with the Just Press Record app delivers wonders. The sound is crisp and clear even in the noisiest of environments, and the recordings can easily be moved to cloud storage or a laptop with a single click. (The Just Press Record app has a transcription tool built in, but I’ve found that Otter delivers better results, even if it costs extra).

In use, the DJI Mic has astounded me time and time again. Even at times I’ve had to record in extremely difficult environments (like on a plane!), the sound quality has delivered. The noise cancellation is out of this world, picking up only the vocals and none of the background chaos. For anyone who travels, or does interviews in crowded areas or conventions, I can’t recommend the DJI Mic more. While the Yeti GX is a fantastic device for stationary recording (and cheaper by about a 100 Euros), as a on-the-go device, the DJI Mic is unbeaten by anything else in the market.

Sony PlayStation VR2

Is it wrong to call a massive launch title like the PSVR2 underrated? Probably, but that’s precisely what Sony’s jump into virtual reality feels like. Arriving early this year and then disappearing after a muted reception, the PSVR2 is a staggering feat of democratizing a previously hardcore enthusiast hobby to the masses. On a technical level, it’s the best headset you’ll find on the market, period.

Its downfalls are evident, though. For one, this is an expensive device, costing as much as the console itself. Secondly, it only works on the PS5 and nothing else. Those looking for a multi-use device for both console and PC are out of luck. And finally, its selection of games, for now, is sadly limited.

There are standouts, Horizon: Call of the Mountain is a spectacular adventure title that showcases the best of the new controllers and the impeccable eye-tracking technology. Synergy proves that action FPS titles work even in virtual reality. And both of the Resident Evil VR titles deliver world-class thrills that no other game (barring the superlative Half-Life: Alyx) has yet brought to the table.

More than that, the PSVR2 is an impressive for its potential. Watching movies on a massive IMAX-like screen in virtual reality is supremely fun, and even playing your regular games on it works surprisingly well. The hardware is thought out and comfortable to use, even for longer gaming sessions. Everything about it shows that Sony wants this to be the next big step in gaming.

But it is a hard device to recommend, even though I love it to bits. I’ve used it happily alongside my regular gaming sessions, but I have noticed that my friends have grown colder towards it.

If Sony wants the PSVR2 to really take off, it needs to do two things: First, drop the price by at least a 100€ or sell it as a bundle with the console. Secondly, integrate it with Steam or at least make it PC friendly. Modders have already managed to get it to work on the PC (with mixed, but promising results). It’s only a matter of time before they beat Sony to the punch.

But imagine if the PSVR2 worked on both. Suddenly, you’d have the best headset on the market as a PS5/PC exclusive, with a wealth of titles available for both. As Sony and Steam have grown closer in the past few years, with previous PlayStation-only titles now available for the PC, it shouldn’t be a major barrier anymore.

If they play their cards right, the PSVR2 won’t just be my favorite gear of 2023 – it will be my favorite gaming gear of this console generation.