If you haven’t been to Gamescom, you should. The German festival of gaming, now the undisputed mecca for gamers worldwide thanks to the discontinuation of E3, is full of the latest and greatest the gaming world has to offer, from playthroughs of the latest AAA titles all the way down to pre-alpha demos of tiny indie games. Oh, and a hell of a lot of awesome cosplay, too.
Now, I’ve seen and played some fun games in my unfortunately short time visiting Gamescom (I was only there for a full day). A Pablo Escobar simulator/turn-based grand strategy game probably takes my award for the weirdest demo this year, but I had a play on some great indie and retro games. As a strategy gamer I particularly enjoyed a nostalgic demo of the upcoming Age of Mythology: Retold, a remake of the original AoM from the early 00s. However, as Reviews editor here at Tom’s Guide, I do a lot of hardware testing, so I was super excited about the gaming gear on display at Gamescom.
As you might expect, there was a fair bit of awesome hardware and peripherals on display at Gamescom 2024, from some of the best gaming controllers to the best mechanical keyboards, much of which should be available for you to get your hands on soon, if not already. Here are my favorites from Gamescom 2024.
PDP Victrix controller
I got my clammy palms around a decent number of controllers at Gamescom. However, the PDP Victrix was, hands down, the meanest of them all. Super modular, this controller lets you swap out the sticks with its included tools, and you can adjust the orientation of the left joystick and D-Pad to suit the configuration you like, such as offset or symmetrical joysticks.
This pad also comes with a long joystick for precision aiming, as well as a fighting gamepad that replaces the XYAB buttons with six fighting-oriented buttons. The Victrix also features rear paddles, as well as trigger adjusters on the back, allowing you to set trigger length from hair trigger up to full length. The Victrix also feels very high quality and looks pretty awesome to boot.
Hyper Mega Tech Super Pocket — license expansions
The Super Pocket from Hyper Mega Tech is a gameboy-profile(ish) emulator that’s been around for a short while now, allowing you to take licensed, emulated classic games from Capcom and Taito around in your pocket. Now, Hyper Mega Tech has expanded its licensed emulations to include Technos and Atari titles, which means you can now play Asteroids, Missile Command and Double Dragon. The Super Pocket also has a cartridge slot at the rear, which supports Evercade cartridges, giving you access to a wide range of huge titles including Tomb Raider, Duke Nukem and (my favorite) Worms.
New Cherry XTRFY keyboard and mice
Cherry has announced a range of new hardware at Gamescom 2024, including a new full-size mechanical gaming keyboard and two new mice. There are the M64 and M68 ($99) gaming mice, plus their "Pro" 8,000Hz counterparts ($139), which we're soon to be testing at Tom's Guide. Cherry also dropped news about the Xtryfy MX 3.1 mechanical gaming keyboard, available in black, white or pink, and which will feature Cherry's MX2A mechanical switches. This board looks super clean in white (and I'm not usually a fan of white keyboards), especially thanks to its aluminum case design. I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on this board.
Pulsar Xboard MS
Another keyboard, now: the Pulsar Xboard MS is a variation of the already-released Pulsar Xboard QS ,with a few key differences. While it lacks the dual USB connection ports of the QS model, the MS features a massive 8K polling rate, similarly beautiful minimalist visuals, as well as smooth Kailh Hush silent switches. The board sounded pretty good, too, despite the noisy environment of Gamescom. The QS demanded a hefty premium of nearly $300, and it’s reasonable to assume the MS will also be on the pricier end of the keyboard spectrum. I’m looking forward to getting an MS in for testing so we can see whether the price is justified.
Mloog MX680 Keyboard + Aluminum keycaps
This is one I’m really intrigued to try out in anger. We’re used to seeing keyboards with aluminum cases, like the Mloog MX680 keyboard. However, Mloog is also offering MAK68 keycaps with laser-etched legends that look great on the MX680 and give the board a fully aluminum exterior. I’m not sure how comfortable these keycaps will prove under sustained typing, and they could well turn out to be all show. However, there’s no doubt that aluminum keycaps will hold up better than even doubleshot PBT keycaps. These keycaps also sounded awesome — I’d have expected a distinct metal clack, but it seems the MX680 still uses a plastic plate, resulting in a quiet and non-metallic sound when combined with the magnetic switches the board comes with.
PDP REALMz Forest Biome controller & Switch case
While aesthetics don’t benefit gaming performance, who doesn’t want an awesome fun-looking controller sitting on their shelf? As well as the Victrix, PDP was also showing off its minecraft-themed REALMz Forest Biome switch controller. I absolutely fell in love with this pad, it’s just so cute. I especially love the suspended character in the left grip. As you might be able to tell from the photos, though, this controller is one hell of a fingerprint magnet, so make sure you keep a microfiber nearby.
There will also be released with a limited edition version, replacing the Fox on the right grip with a pig — so keep your eyes peeled for that version! Also available from PDP is a Minecraft-themed Switch case, which is a separate purchase to the controller, but which complements the gamepad perfectly.
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