WEAVE GOT IT GOIN' ON: B&O Beosound A5

If you go down to the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise. No, not just the sight of a load of teddy bears chowing down on Scotch eggs and crisps, but the fact that their picnic basket appears to be pumping out music.

ALLY WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU: Asus ROG Ally

We love Valve's Steam Deck so much we crowned it Gadget of the Year for 2022... but if there's one thing that's guaranteed to turn our heads like the guy in the Distracted Boyfriend meme, it's a more powerful version of something we've already got.

The alternatives: Other mid-price monsters

There's no shortage of sensibly priced smartphone competition... but the Pixel 7a's closest rivals come from Samsung and Apple

HARDWARE ALL GOING ON A SUMMER HOLIDAY

Sun cream, flip-flops, ironic hipster Count Duckula T-shirt? Yep, you're just about all packed - but don't forget to bring a gadget companion or two along on your big trip...

Seven knows I'm admissible now

Despite its epic photo skills, last year's 'budget flagship' Google Pixel 6a was outclassed in other areas - but the 7a is ready to hang in the smartphone VIP zone

GREEN AGE KICKS

Fairphone Fairbuds XL

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp

Switch owners might be getting brain fatigue from the recent glut of strategy games, but is there still room for a revamp of the grandaddy of them all - along with its sequel?

Dead Island 2

It's been nine years since Dead Island 2 was announced, and the zombie bash-'em-up has finally been dragged out of development hell. Is it worth your time... or dead on arrival?

Flaming spy

Arlo's latest security camera can see in more detail than ever, and comes with a powerful spotlight so you can dazzle that pesky flowerbed-digging cat

THE iROBOT BOSS ON LEGO INVISIBLE TECH...AND NICKING IDEAS FROM THE JETSONS

\"MUCH OF THE INTELLIGENCE BEHIND THE EARLY ROOMBAS CAME FROM MINE-HUNTING ALGORITHMS\"

APPLE APP STORE

Before this you had to buy your apps from a geezer called Barry

INSTANT UPGRADES MOTOROLA RAZR

Other things to do once you're bored of flipping it open and shut

BETA YOURSELF IMAGE EDITING

It turns out photos shot at skew-whiff angles with random blotches in-frame are not necessarily 'arty'. Craig Grannell outlines how to spruce up snaps with a minimum of effort...

UNLOCKIN' IN THE FREE WORLD

And free means free with these mobile games that cost nothing - while coming to your phone without any annoying adverts or in-app purchases

LET'S TECH THIS OUTSIDE

Right, that's it - you've spent the last six months shuffling between TV, kettle, console, microwave and TV again. But spring is here whether you like it or not, and that means time to get out there and do something more exciting [though you're still allowed to watch TV afterwards]. So here are 18 pages packed with gleaming new kit, from bikes to drones, to coax you off the sofa...

UPVOTED SMOOTHIE MAKERS

It's important to take the roughage with the smooth, so Chris Rowlands fires up the best blenders for blitzing your fruit fix

The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR

Scream if you want to die faster: this schlocky gun-wielding rollercoaster uses the unique features of the PSVR2 hardware to crank up the scares

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Team Ninja swaps feudal Japan for third-century China, but keeps the hardcore combat for a more accessible take on the Dark Souls formula

Resident Evil 4

Can the remade Resi live up to an original that didn't just subvert its survival horror roots, but laid the foundations for all over-the-shoulder third-person action games that followed?

SHINERS IN YOUR HAND

Got the cash to splash on a sparkly stunner or a flashy foldable? Maybe you'd rather stick to a bargain blower? This year's phone crop has something for everyone, and we've rounded up the best...

Nothing compares to 2

The oh-so-hip brand has launched a new pair of wireless in-ears - but has it learned the right lessons from its first attempt?

Buddy folly

They're part slick smartwatch, part tiny true wireless in-ears. But are the Huawei Watch Buds really good enough at either job?

The spinner techs it all

This Sonos-approved turntable plays vinyl wirelessly. But can it please both LP geeks and convenience-craving streamers?

DROP EVERYTHING & DOWNLOAD

Hipstamatic has always made your photos look as if they were taken in another era, but its newly relaunched version is a throwback in a different way.

Worms of psychic warfare - ARLO PRO 5

Nematodes don't have eyes, but can still sense light up to 100 times more effectively than humans.

Celebrated plumber - SWAN ALEXA 1.5L SMART KETTLE

Until Alexa is advanced enough to bring you a cuppa in bed, Swan's new voice-activated kettle is the closest you're going to get.

TAKE ON MI - Redmi Note 12 Pro+

Like sharp photos but not sharp drops in your bank balance? Here's a 200MP shooter at a friendly price...

Dead Space

Sound the remake klaxon: EA's sci-fi survival horror classic has been given new life - or should that be brought back from the dead?

Atomic Heart

This alternative Soviet utopia/nightmare has a novel (if controversial) concept. But is there any substance beneath the distinctive style?

Like a Dragon: Ishin

As well as a name change, the latest entry in Sega's long-running Yakuza franchise throws it back in time, swapping 1980s organised crime for 1800s samurai culture