It's almost time for our inaugural GamesRadar Hardware Awards. We'll be dishing out the gongs on Thursday, October 8 to the gaming kit and devices that have really impressed us in 2020.
Gaming's had an interesting year for sure as Sony and Microsoft have kept us waiting for most of it for news on the PS5 and Xbox Series X. The current generation of consoles might be winding down but they've been going out with a bang with some very tasty peripherals. Over in the evergreen world of PC gaming, we've been spoiled for choice with some incredible advances in technology with a range of laptops, rigs, and graphics cards setting new standards in performance and graphics.
Our dedicated hardware team has been testing some of the finest hardware in a wide range of categories throughout the year, largely turning our new home offices into impromptu box forts in the process. Box forts with a suspicious amount of gaming headsets per head in them.
We've built strong relationships with the world's foremost manufacturers in gaming hardware to ensure we're able to bring you hands-on verdicts on the best of the best. We do love a bargain too though, so when compiling our extensive buying guides we've made sure to look out for those special items at lower price points that punch above their weight to help you get the best gear when shopping on a tighter budget too.
Competition in gaming accessories has been fierce this year, with headsets, mice, and keyboards releasing at a relentless rate and so many of them have been amongst the best we've ever reviewed, making picking a favorite super tough. Some of the console-specific headsets have already been confirmed as next-gen compatible so that's one less thing to get sorted before the PS5 and Xbox Series X arrive in November. Over in the world of mobile gaming, we've seen vast improvements from the foldables market and super-smooth 120Hz displays are increasingly becoming the standard for flagships, throw in cloud gaming via Game Pass Ultimate and the future's looking pretty sweet for gaming on the go.
We've narrowed down the GamesRadar Hardware Awards 2020 to the following categories. Stay tuned though as we'll be announcing the winners on Thursday.
- Best Gaming Laptop
- Best Gaming PC
- Best Gaming TV
- Best Gaming Monitor
- Best PS4 Headset
- Best Xbox One Headset
- Best PC Headset
- Best PS4 Controller
- Best Xbox One Controller
- Best PC Controller
- Best Gaming Chair
- Best Gaming Mouse
- Best Gaming Keyboard
- Best Gaming Phone
- Best Graphics Card
- Best VR Headset
- Best Gaming Hard Drive
To see what the competition is like, be sure to take a look at our suite of buying guides including entries for the best gaming mouse, the best gaming keyboard, and beyond.
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