All The Tech You Need To Know About This Christmas 2025
Pi in the Sky
Bower & Wilkins has scored one of the classiest looking individuals in the world to sport their earbuds, the legendary ball kicker David Beckham.
He’s pictured wearing the Pi8, a beautifully crafted earbud with good ergonomics and high quality materials giving it that premium feel. Carbon cone drive units deliver less distortion and captures high frequencies that other earbuds drop. The earbuds have 6.5 hours of life with fastcharging for getting you back on your feet quickly. Each earbud has three microphones to give advanced noise cancellation based on your surroundings.
“Wherever I am in the world, it affects what I listen to.” says Beckham. “Say I’m in the countryside, I’ll actually listen to country music – or I’ll go to Ella Fitzgerald or Nina Simone.” David’s playlist list goes on: When in LA, it’s Kendrick Lamar; in New York, it’s Jay-Z or Biggie; in London, it’s Loyle Carner.
The Atari 7800+ Is Here
It seems we can’t go a single issue without covering yet another mini retro console. At the end of 2023 Atari released its Atari 2600+ which could take and play original cartridges. While the 2600 was the most iconic of the line, I was always more of a fan of the 7800, and fortunately Atari is here to deliver with the 7800+. It’s backward compatible with 2600 cartridges and comes with the modern homebrew Bentley Bear’s Crystal Quest. Playing games that were made for consoles long after they’ve been dead and buried is a favourite pastime of mine so this is a dream come true.
It has an HDMI port and USB-C charging. You can choose between original dimensions and widescreen mode.
It comes with a Wireless CX78+ gamepad, a big ol joystick and two buttons, although personally I’d get the CX40+ which is more a standard joystick configuration I was most accustomed to.
If you weren’t fussed about the shell, I’d get this over the 2600+, as it can play both. But the only reason you’d get either of these in the first place is to own a mini version of the original hardware. So follow your heart.
Atari.com RRP$129.99
The Analogue3D Is Also Here
Analogue have made themselves the premium kings of the retro gaming world. In a market flooded with emulation Analogue dears to make slick products that can run old games natively, no software layer doing all the heavy lifting.
Their Analogue Pocket which successfully runs Gameboy and gameboy colour cartridges regularly sells out. Now they’ve set their sites on the N64 with what they’ve dubbed the Analogue3D.
To straddle the lines between modern and retro It reproduces the CRT scanlines of yesteryear right onto your HDTV in 4k, making the games feel the way they always did. It’s 100% compatible with the N64 library, and due to using FPGA ( a 220k LE Altera Cyclone 10GX) and no emulation it has zero input lag, no graphic quirks and no frame issues. Some other modern additions include bluetooth LE and Dualband WIFI.
Preorders are open now and shipping starts in early 2025. Pricing starts at $249.99. Chances are if you’re reading this and aren’t already preordered you probably won’t be receiving yours any time soon.
The Marshal Plan
Marshal has somehow compacted its design ethos into a tiny pair of earbuds dubbed the Minor IV. Something about it’s faux-leather exterior and overall cushioned aesthetic just makes me feel like I’m handling a little tiny amp. It’s case doesn’t appear to be made of dead cows though, instead they have used 90% recycled plastics.
Audiophiles should rejoice, as well as AAC and SBC they’ve futureproofed these Bluetooth 5.3 earbuds with LE Audio technology to support the LC3 audio codec. While we’re talking arcane numbers they are packing 12mm drivers with a frequency range of 20-20,000 hertz and 32-ohm impedance.
The Earbuds have 7 hours of wireless playtime backed up by an additional 30 in it’s case. 3 hours of playtime can be picked up in just 15 minutes. Recharging the case to full takes 2 hours.
If you’re working out, they should handle rain just fine with an IPX4 waterproof rating. It has touch response in both buds, and taking either out quickly pauses your music as you banter with the outside world. Notably they don’t have ANC, and the fit isn’t so snug as to block out the outside world. But you know, that’s fine, ANC is a battery drainer anyway.
The Gamebaby
This year saw the boom of emulators on the Apple Store and that’s great. Finally iPhone users can have thousands of legitimately pilfered roms. Although one thing you’ll discover quite quickly is that touch controls suck for the most part, especially on games made with precise button inputs in mind. You can of course bluetooth pair a controller and get a grip, but you can’t tote that with you very easily. Bitmolab has come up with an ingeniously cheap concept that turns a case into a controller in seconds. It’s essentially a membrane set of keys that are normally back facing to project the phone from any bumps. Simply slip it off and spin it around so it’s pressing against the screen instead and you instantly have the tactile hardware required to get clicking. Since it’s such a lo-fi solution it doesn’t even need batteries or anything. You’ll just need to map your controls directly under the buttons before you get started.
Pricing starts at $20 at bitmolab.com
Flipping Classy
I am just learning the word “tenniscore” and it’s apparent wave of popularity in fashion circles due to a perfect storm of tennis flicks like Zendaya’s “Challengers”. What do I know I walk around all day wearing a garbage bag with arm and leg holes cut into it. The design artisans at Caviar regularly blip onto our radar with their outrageous iPhone bling. They’re now casting their net into the Samsung Z Flip6 sphere, which we just had the honour to review ourselves. Their classy tennis sporty themed Flips have been enhanced with premium Chevre and Epsom leather. Silver decorations and rose gold accents inlaid with Swarovski crystals make the entire piece pop. The Emerald design is $8,770 and the Sapphire is $9,770. Personally I’m more a fan of the Emerald green. It speaks to me more than the more demurred light blue Sapphire.
Now this is OnTrac
British Musician Stormzy has attached his name to Dyson and their range of cutting edge headphones. Here he’s captured wearing the Dyson OnTrac.
Designed for focus and high-quality listening on-the-go, the Dyson OnTrac headphones provide up to 55 hours of best-in-class active noise cancellation on just one charge.
Engineered with quick charging, a 10-minute charge delivers 2.5 hours of extra battery, while a 30-minute charge delivers 9 hours. The two high-capacity lithium-ion cells are positioned in the headband of the Dyson OnTrac rather than the ear cups – for optimal weight distribution during those 55-hour listening sessions. To deliver accurate audio befitting the most discerning audiophile they’re fitted with 40mm speaker drivers and audio signal processing which reproduce 6Hz – 21kH.
The OnTracs feature customisable outer caps and ear cushions, available in a range of colours and finishes – and according to advertising it is possible to create over 2,000 unique looks, if you want most of those unique looks to not match at all.
You Spin Me Right Round Baby
Roto VR has designed a chair dubbed the Roto VR Explorer which they hope will reduce the motion sickness you get when wearing a headset. I’m not sure it’ll achieve that because it’s not usually turning that makes people sick, it’s the momentum of moving around, hence the teleportation style of movement usually included for accessibility. The chair has a motor that can do 21 revs a minute. It can turn 360 degrees to match your head movement ingame. This means turning in-game will turn you in real life. It also has haptic feedback built in for an extra layer of immersion. It has a neato cable management system so nothing gets tangled up, and it can also keep your headset charged while you flail around. A foot stand at the bottom also ensures your legs aren’t getting caught on anything as you get discombobulated by whatever is happening to you in your virtual world.
Pricing starts at £799 and comes with a cable magazine, AC Adapter, chair, and head tracker.
Memory For Days
Shooting 4k video on your iPhone with your stabilisation handle to make you look pro is all well and good but what do you do when you blow through your storage in under an hour or two. The solution is this Go Portable SSD by Lexar. It reads up to 1050MB/s and writes at 1000MB/s giving transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps. It comes in two pieces the SSD storage and a Hub with 4 USB-C ports for additional peripherals like mics, banks, gimbals, and charging.
It’s geared toward the iPhone 15 Pro but is compatible with iPads, tablets and Android. It’s available in 1TB and 2TB capacities and has IP65 dust and splash resistance.
These Controllers look like Arse
I think I speak for everyone when I say It’s nice to have a handful of arse in your hands. Some would pay good money to have a bit of Hugh Jackman or Ryan Reynolds too but unfortunately we’re going to have to make do with these horrific Xbox controllers care of Microsoft and the Deadpool marketing department. Dubbed the XBox Cheeky controller, these aberrations come with a matching themed Xbox. Unfortunately for everyone who wants one though it’s a one off created for a giveaway sweepstakes. Despite the complete lack of ergonomics there’s been a raft of interest in picking one up. I’ve honestly seen worse. Dragon Quest 11 had a promotional controller for sale based on it’s Slime. Flipping the slime upside down would reveal a full set of controller buttons, but it meant you were essentially hold a ball shape with buttons and triggers mapped onto it. My wrists are turning to dust just thinking about it.
For those that are desperate for A Cheeky Controller, industrious types with 3D printers have been hard at work making custom shells. Otherwise you’re going to have to hammer the refresh button on Amazon and hope someone puts their winnings up for sale.
Let’s Get Racing
After being stuck in traffic after a hard day at work it’s nice to strap in and do some more driving on your PC or xbox
There’s nothing more embarrassing than going to your mates place, strapping on a Quest headset, getting your hands on all the driving peripherals, and blowing a gasket in your make believe car because you’re not used to driving stick. The recent release of Logitech’s latest Racing Series gives you a perfect entry point to do it in the privacy of your own home first.
Starting off with the Logitech G RS Wheel Hub for PC/Console which pairs with the Logitech G Direct Drive Base, the wheel hub acts as the button speckled skeleton of your steering wheel. This means you can then move on to choosing the wheel you’d like to attach to it, depending on the sort of Sim experience you want to have. Two new options have been added in this regard. The G RS Round Wheel is exactly what it says on the tin, made with high-performance silicone leather and low-carbon aluminum. If you’re looking for something more specialised there’s the G RS Track Wheel built for long races. Just pick your poison and attach it with a hex key.
Finally top things off with the RS Shifter & Handbrake. This is a 2-in-1 option with mode switching between the sequential shifter and handbrake functions on the fly. It comes with a clamp so you can fasten it to your desk or rig. But of course if you want full immersion you’re probably going to want to get two of these with each stick dedicated to one mode. But the option to keep things compact is nice.
RS Shifter & Handbrake $149.99
RS Wheel Hubs $349.95
RS Round Wheel $169.95
RS Track Wheel $169.95
The Quest 3S is a Worthy Headset
The Meta Quest 2 has officially been mothballed in favour of it’s replacement the Meta Quest 3S.
The Quest 3s is the budget $569.99 alternative to the Meta Quest 3 which runs for $939.99. If you’re a VR nut and want to SEE the generational upgrade as much as you can feel it then you should definitely consider opening your wallet wide for the Quest 3. Otherwise if you were happy with the visuals of the Quest 2 and just want more grunt to play the next gen of Quest games smoothly then the 3S is for you. Resolution wise the Quest 2 and 3S are identical with 1832 x 1920 per eye and the same fresnel lenses which can blur around the edges of your vision. The Quest 3S otherwise takes the rest of its power from its big brother the Quest 3 sans it’s 2064 x 2208 pixels per eye dual-display.
I’m always leery of recommending things related to Facebook, but the fact of the matter is that when it comes to VR nobody does it better at such a reasonable cost, and that goes for Apple’s recent attempts as well.
The Goggle Box
In my ongoing quest to find you smart versions of everything the most surprising this month is the Smart Swim 2 made by Form. Smart Swim 2 features an augmented reality display with real-time metrics, in the right hand eye. It has an integrated heart rate monitor, and it’s sleek design has a 15% reduction in size over its predecessor. Unfortunately it comes with a subscription plan of $12.50/mo which unlocks premium features like a swimming compass so you don’t veere all over the place as well as training plans piped straight into your goggles. You’re going to have a hard time convincing me to subscribe to a pair of goggles but otherwise it’s pretty handy. It has a 14 hour battery life Motion sensors for automatic stroke detection and an autosync that connects to various health apps to keep track of your swim progress and metrics.
formswim.com RRP$399
Praise Be The Self Coiling Cable
I like my wires, I don’t trust the air with much other than carrying oxygen and the internet to me. We’ve been fast heading toward a future of everything being wireless though, just when we were figuring out how to fix the biggest problems cables have, the dreaded tangle. The Lup Cable achieves this with a flat shoelace style design with an inbuilt magnetic strip. They promise you can fold this thing with the flick of a wrist. It’s woven with high tensile fibres so it has a premium feel to it. The standard Lup is 1.8m long and can deliver up to 60w. The Lup+ delivers both data (480Mb/s) and power but takes a hit on length at just 1.0m. Personally I’d take the hit on length and get the cable that can do both. Cables come in either USB-C to USB-C, or USB-C to lightning.
lupcable.com RRP$25
This Tech Can Smell Disease
A cat can smell when someone has cancer, it just doesn’t care enough to let us know. What if this level of sensitivity could be harnessed by something that could let us know as quickly as a dog in an airport snitching on my boogie board full of coke. The DiaNoze is an AI driven diagnostic breathalyser that can get a health snapshot just from you breathing into it. It produces a digital “Scentprint” that can give you realtime feedback. An AI engine can identify disease biomarkers and processes the information on the cloud before piping it back to any electronic medical record (EMR) system. Studies are currently underway to see how effective this tech is at early disease detection. Tests are currently underway for breast cancer, lung cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes, epilepsy, and dyspenia.
As well as early detection this tech also promises a consumable-free solution. It’s not available for purchase yet, but it’s nice to know we’re working toward a less invasive healthcare future.
The Y2K Bug Is Biting
If you still have your old digital camera from 2007 then you should know that the kids think it’s hotter than hot right now. That soft glaze all your shots get? The way everyone looks a bit too sweaty and blown out by the flash. The weird pixelation. Yeah that’s the good stuff right there. It’s authentic. Tiktok filters can only do so much. Oldschool digital cameras are now being made new again. Meet the Y2K Digicam and Converter, with random bedazzlings on the front. It also seems to have a selfie mode screen which I think breaks far too much from tradition. Back in my day you had to hope for the best, and the best always included one friend awkwardly falling out of frame.
Apart from having 60 mega pixels and being priced around $169 they tell us almost nothing about it. “Our Y2K Digicam replicates the Y2K aesthetic in both form and function. This digital camera, reminiscent of popular designs from the early 2000s, produces the signature glossy photos associated with that era. Each camera also comes with an SD card, battery, and camera –> phone convertor.”
My nephew bought an old digital camera for $20 from the Salvation Army. Maybe just do that.
You Spin Me Right Round
Once you have your Y2K camera you can’t go and ruin the facade by playing your spotify playlists. You need to buy some CDs and get a walkman that handily shows if that yes, you are listening to CDs. Built from high-quality, durable materials, DISCMAN by Kickback is both Bluetooth-enabled and portable, perfect for on-the-go listening. RRP starts at $128.
Utopia Must Fall
PC
Utopia Must Fall is the result of letting Missile Command play too much Geometry Wars and read too much HP Lovecraft.
Utopia is a moody base-defence arcade shooter. It comes complete with that choose your own adventure style upgrade roguelike mechanic that’s infesting games recently.
Aliens troop onto the screen space invaders extreme style and if enough of them get into sortie position they’ll punish you with a barrage for not dealing with them sooner. There’s a healthy amount of behaviours to keep things interesting. Besides that there are main fire mods, placeable turrets, reactive shielding, and nukes that when used wrong can shockwave the enemies straight into your defences.
You’re defending a randomly named city, stockpiling nukes, and waiting for the inevitable end of civilization. There are no win conditions. Everything has a hopeless finality about it and they only rub it in more by slowly ticking up the population number which suddenly drops to zero when you lose.
The original Missile Command game was made at the height of the cold war, and was scrubbed of references as to which cities were under attack and from whom. They also specifically precluded options for mutually assured destruction. Upon losing the game it would say “the end” rather than “game over”, as a statement on the futility of war. This tone is somewhat retained by Utopia but tainted with our generations nihilism by instead saying “accept”.
Since the game plays with the old-school vector graphics aesthetic everything else has to pull double duty for the game to not feel cheap. The soundscape is impeccable, and the CRT filter is usually an aesthetic choice I turn off, except in this case when it feels integral to the experience.
In fact the whole ambience of the game is far more immersive than it has any right to be. It’s this artistry that impressed me enough to write this review at all I think. Currently I don’t think there’s enough variety to create a hundred hour time sink but the bones on this game are nice.
If this looks like something you’re into I’d buy it now rather than wait. The price will increase when it hits 1.0 in about a year.
