Of all the tech-related sectors, gaming is one of the most competitive. This corner of the industry never sleeps. In addition to the staggering array of new games released every year, entire warehouses worth of new gaming tech are coming onto the market.
Modern online gaming is a huge industry with a global market size of over $200bn, and there has been an influx of players over the last couple of decades. World of Warcraft began paving the way back in the early 2000s by bringing MMOs to the masses, inviting players to the land of Azeroth to fight an ancient battle between humans and orcs. Since then, many genres have risen to fill the needs of gamers with competitive FPS, MOBA, and even sandbox experiences.
iGaming is often overlooked, but it’s worth mentioning as part of the larger online gaming sphere. The iGaming industry has had its surge in players over the last couple of years, with the demand for online casino games reaching an all-time high. This is attributed to the adoption of mobile gaming, improved technology, and live games.
Modern online gaming can take a toll on your equipment. Even if you are playing the slots, you’ll want reliable gear. As we hit the halfway point of the year, here are five of the very best pieces of gaming gear released so far in 2024:
SteelSeries Apex Pro
Pro gamers take their keyboards seriously, and if you want to up your gaming, so should you.
Among the many keyboards for gamers released so far this year, the SteelSeries Apex Pro is perhaps the most interesting. For one thing, although it has everything you would expect from a full-sized mechanical keyboard, it doesn’t take up as much space as you’d think.
It is also one of the highest-quality keyboard builds on the market, complete with an extremely comfortable wristwatch and plenty of gamer-friendly tools and features. There’s an OLED that works with a large key and a clickable roller as your media controls, and it offers useful feedback on your profile and settings so you can tweak things in-game.
Its best feature is probably the OmniPoint switches. Not only are they more responsive than standard switches, but they are also customizable, allowing you to choose your sensitivity level for individual keys. For users who take the time to set up individual profiles for general typing and gaming, this can significantly boost performance levels.
You can also configure the RGB lighting for each key, and the configuring process offers numerous options, including color effects and main and meta key binding. Finally, there are three cable routing options and a pass-through USB with its port, making this the most customizable keyboard for gamers and general use on the market in 2024.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
Asus’ ROG Zephyrus G14 could legitimately be described as the best gaming laptop available. Every aspect of this laptop boasts impressive features, starting with the fact that Asus has packed a 14-inch 2800 x 1800 OLED panel into a light aluminum body that feels more like a 13-inch laptop.
Weighing just 3.3 pounds and offering 12 hours of battery life, the G14 is neither over-the-top expensive nor light on performance. The main model features an AMD Ryzen 9 processor, along with 16GB of DDR5 RAM and Nvidia RTX 4046 or 4070 graphics, which outperforms all rivals.
If you want to go for the top-of-the-range version, with the RTX 4070 and 32GB of RAM, you’ll pay around $2,000, while the standard model is generally available for between $1,350 and $1,600, making it one of the best value high-performance gaming laptops around.
Acer ZB253Q GW
This gaming monitor from Acer might not seem impressive initially, but it features some of the very best monitor tech on the market. With excellent image quality and high-class motion performance, this 1080p, 24.5-inch monitor offers cutting-edge gaming performance, with colors that rival professional graphic design monitors and brightness levels that make it ideal for gaming in a dim room.
The refresh rate is an impressive 240Hz, although that can be overclocked to 280Hz, leading to crisp, clear graphics in even the most demanding games. The performance levels of this monitor can match some of the newer Asus and Alienware devices, which are considerably more expensive.
This monitor also offers a thoughtful design, and although the stand is small, it is well-balanced and can be easily adjusted. There’s even a two-year warranty, which is an improvement on the standard one-year warranty usually offered on gaming monitors.
Audeze Maxwell
The Audeze Maxwell provides top-of-the-range performance for audiophiles with a series of gamer-friendly features, including a low-latency wireless connection using 2.4GHz that performs well with many gaming platforms. You will also find support for various Bluetooth connections, including LDAC, AAC, and Bluetooth LE, while wired connectivity is also available through AUX and USB.
In terms of performance, the sound is produced by planar magnetic drivers, which pack power and precision and ensure that every sound comes through clearly. There are even built-in pinhole microphones enabling you to chat on the move, making these viable as a regular set of headphones.
On the downside, there is no active noise cancellation, but overall, the impressive sound quality and comfort of the Audeze Maxwell make this the perfect piece of gear for gamers.
Gulikit KK3 Max
Price is a significant consideration when you’re choosing a gamepad, which makes the GuliKit KK3 Max such a competitive option. It can match some of the top-range controllers but is available at a price of around $75, making it a much more affordable choice.
If you’re looking for high-end features, you’ll find an array of them here, from magnetic Hall effect thumbsticks and triggers to macro support, adjustable back paddles, and trigger locks. It is rare to find a gamepad at this price point that offers all these extras.
In addition to these top features, it also does the basics well. The design is comfortable, with a responsive layout that can be partially customized, including movable face buttons and the choice of either an 8-way or 4-way direction pad. The downside is that the KK3 Max is only compatible with the Nintendo Switch and PC and does not work with the PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Series S/X.
If that is not a problem, you won’t find a better gamepad offering this variety of features for this price on the market in 2024.
