The Pokémon cards phenomenon may have passed you by, but many specialist investors are now paying hundreds of thousands of pounds – or even millions – for the rarest Pokémon assets.

Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise, launched in 1996, featuring more than 1,000 fictional characters with special powers and features. Their human owners can train these creatures and send them into battle against other game players. Pokémon began as a video game series, but has rapidly expanded with the launch of TV shows, films, toys and trading cards.

Today, it's the Pokémon cards that are really attracting attention, partly from Pokémon players who compete in national and international tournaments and want the most powerful characters, but also from collectors and, increasingly, investors.

Take the specialist auction of Pokémon cards held at auction house Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's in London last month. The centrepiece of the sale, a first-edition Base Set Charizard card, raised £442,800, and the total proceeds from the sale reached almost £750,000.

And while those sums are striking, they look small beer compared with a US auction held a few weeks previously. At that sale, AJ Scaramucci, the son of former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, agreed to pay an astonishing $16.5 million for a Pikachu Illustrator card dating from 1998. He bought the card from social-media influencer Logan Paul, who had paid $5.3 million for it in 2021.

Why are Pokémon cards so appealing?

Roy Raftery, head of trading cards at Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's, says that while this year's 30th anniversary of the launch of Pokémon has buoyed interest in the market, investors' appetite has been growing for some time. “There are collectors and investors in the US, the Middle East and in Asia who will pay almost any price for the cards they really want,” he says. “They work with scouts who go round the world looking to acquire the most highly prized cards on their behalf.” Data from Card Ladder, an analytics firm that tracks trading-card prices and sales, underlines the point. Its “Pokémon index” of card prices on the secondary market is up by 145% over the past 12 months alone.

As in all collectables markets, it's the older, rarer Pokémon cards that attract the highest prices – with good-condition cards selling at a premium. That has piqued the interest of Pokémon fans, both present and past.

Could a long-forgotten collection of Pokémon cards, now languishing in a bedroom cupboard, contain a priceless item? Probably not, but it's worth taking a look and doing a bit of research. Each Pokémon card carries details of its name and set number. You can then search resources, such as eBay's listings of sold items, to see what an individual card might be worth. Services such as Collectr, PriceCharting and Rare Candy can also be useful. Often, you can use your phone to scan a card to identify and price it.

Part of the fun with Pokémon cards is that they are still being printed – and rare Pokémon cards can be resold at decent prices. “Every set has really cool cards, but the occasional one is like the Willy Wonka golden ticket,” says Raftery. “You can go into a corner shop, spend a few pounds on a pack of cards, and end up with one that's worth £200, or even £2,000 if you get lucky.”

At this end of the market, it is fans who will be most active, buying and selling cards as much for the love of the game as in the hope of making money. And in any case, it makes sense to be circumspect about the investment potential of the cards. The price rises of recent times have been eye-catching, but collectables markets can be volatile and unpredictable. Highly fashionable assets can fall from favour quickly if investors lose interest and move on to something else.

Equally, even if you're only spending modest sums, tread carefully. As with any market where money is flowing, Pokémon cards attract their fair share of grifters. Raftery advises collectors to be very careful about buying cards on platforms, such as eBay and TikTop Shop, where it can be difficult to check the seller's credentials and to authenticate genuine cards. “There are definitely growing numbers of fakes out there,” he warns.

Pokémon cards have fans of all ages

If in doubt, steer clear – and if you are thinking about spending more, it's important to investigate provenance. Organisations such as PSA specialise in authenticating trading cards and can often offer assessments remotely. Bona-fide traders will usually be able to provide you with verifiable information from such organisations.

There has also been a spike in thefts, with criminals targeting gaming shops in the hope of finding valuable cards. One retailer in Peterborough lost £100,000 of stock following a break-in earlier this year. Insurers subsequently advised anyone with valuable Pokémon cards to make sure they had itemised these on their home contents policies.

None of which is intended to put you off the Pokémon phenomenon, which continues to have real appeal for fans of all ages. One reason that highly desirable cards are so widely coveted is that multiple generations have now grown up playing the game, including older fans who may today have significant wealth at their disposal.

By all means, have some fun with Pokémon cards – and there's always the chance of making a handsome profit. Pokémon probably won't be your pension fund, but in a world of mythical creatures with special powers, you never quite know when the magic might strike.

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What do you buy somebody for Christmas who already has everything? Perhaps that somebody is a collector with a particularly niche interest. In both cases, the high street is effectively ruled out as a place to do your shopping. Even online retailers won’t be much help. But there is another hunting ground that tends to get overlooked in favour of the big shops, and that is auction houses.

Of course, the run-up to the big day is fraught enough without having to worry about waving a bidding paddle around or watching the clock count down on an online auction only to be pipped by a higher bid at the last second. That is why the “buy now” marketplaces offered by a handful of reputable auctioneers can be particularly interesting. Take Sotheby’s for example.

Christmas gifts for collectors at buy now marketplaces

“What sets Sotheby’s Buy Now marketplace apart is our curation,” says Cynthia Houlton, global head of demand generation and marketplace at Sotheby’s. You can find the marketplace on Sotheby’s website. Simply peruse the listings and add items to your basket. Just remember that VAT is not included in the listed pricing and the marketplace is global, so some items may take a little longer to get to you.

“Every piece is sourced to be the best of the best, from rare first editions and exceptional jewellery to objects with remarkable provenance,” says Houlton. “Clients come to us for treasures they simply can’t find anywhere else – whether that’s a coveted vintage Rolex watch, a gemstone-encrusted Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, or a Gibson guitar signed by Paul McCartney. It’s the destination for truly unforgettable holiday gifting.”

That McCartney guitar can be had for £21,368, and the Van Cleef & Arpels necklace is priced at £418,742. If your intended recipient has been particularly nice this year, perhaps they deserve an F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance wristwatch, with an asking price of £447,863. For James Bond fans, Sotheby’s has a collection of first edition 007 novels for £84,281.

CJ Hendry's new juju collectables

In a similar vein, Dropshop allows living artists to sell new, limited-edition creations directly to collectors on a “buy now” basis through auction house Phillips. “What makes Dropshop truly special is its direct connection to living artists – each drop is a unique moment that brings the artist’s vision straight to the collector,” says Christine Miele, retail sales director for e-commerce at Phillips. “In today’s art world, that immediacy and intimacy are more valuable than ever before.”

The artist CJ Hendry is returning to the platform, having helped launch it a couple of years ago, with a collection of “juju” collectable toys that currently make up a “towering” Christmas tree in Hong Kong. In January, collectors will be invited to “adopt” a juju, with the proceeds benefiting a local charity. “It’s a bold, playful series in which fine art meets collectible culture,” says Miele.

This article was first published in MoneyWeek's magazine. Enjoy exclusive early access to news, opinion and analysis from our team of financial experts with a MoneyWeek subscription.

One of the defining features of a serious camera is the size of its sensor. Smartphones and cameras intended for casual snaps typically have a sensor smaller than one inch. “Prosumer” and enthusiast cameras tend to have larger ones, affording better image quality (especially in low light). Many professionals prefer to go with “full-frame” sensors, which are an attempt to replicate the 35mm format used in the days of film. Sadly, these tend to be exponentially more expensive, as well as bigger and heavier, which is why APS-C (or “crop” sensor) cameras are often considered the best compromise for hobbyists.

The good news is that recently several camera companies have been trying to produce full-frame cameras priced at a level more affordable for non-professionals. The A7c is Sony’s attempt to break into this market. Weighing (and looking) almost identical to the a6100, a6400 and a6000, it is compact enough to fit in a large jacket pocket and comes with all the features you’d expect from the latest Sony cameras, including a fast, accurate autofocus that is regarded as the best available, and which can automatically track subjects’ eyes. This extends to video recording and the camera has the capacity to record long clips. The body stabilisation feature allows you to take pictures at very slow speeds without camera shake. The colours seem both vivid and natural.

There are a few downsides. Firstly, in order to make it look more compact, the camera has been designed in a “rangefinder” style, with the viewfinder to the left of the lens, and the viewfinder is smaller than those for typical cameras. It also lacks a built-in flash. And although the A7c is relatively cheap compared with most full-frame cameras, it is still roughly double the price of crop-sensor alternatives.

Still, the A7c remains perhaps Sony’s most advanced camera and costs only around half to two-thirds the price of its other flagship models (such as the A9 and A9 Mark II). As someone who shoots a lot of theatre, where the level of light is limited, I normally have to use special lenses to ensure that the photographs don’t end up becoming too grainy. With the A7c, however, I am able to get large numbers of high-quality pictures using just the FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6 lens.

The Sony A7c costs £1,900 for the body only and £2,150 with the 28mm-60mm zoom lens. See sony.co.uk.

From cancelled weddings and sporting events to closed theatres, the pandemic has drastically reduced the opportunities for photography. However, with the rollout of vaccines suggesting that normal life might be able to resume within the next few months, dedicated enthusiasts will already be making plans, as well as updating their kit. If you are thinking about picking up a new camera, then the Sony A6600 is worth considering. It is the high-end sibling of the A6400 and A6100, and was first released at the end of 2019, but it is still state-of-the-art when it comes to “prosumer” cameras (those aimed at both consumers and budget-conscious professionals).

Like the A6100 and A6400, the A6600 is an APS-C crop-sensor camera, a compromise that allows the camera body and lenses to be smaller than those with a “full frame” sensor, but still delivers low-light picture quality that is far better than you’d get on a smartphone. It also has Sony’s excellent autofocus system, which allows the user not only to track moving objects with a high degree of precision, but also automatically focus on the eyes of both people and animals – useful for sports photography and portraits. It also comes with an electronic shutter option (which allows you to take photos silently) and unlimited recording of high-quality 4K video footage.

An end to shutter shake

The standout feature of the A6600 is its in-built image-stabilisation feature. This means that you are able to take pictures at much lower shutter speeds without the picture being spoilt by shutter shake. This is especially useful given that many lenses don’t come with their own in-body stabilisation and hence there is a need to keep shutter speeds low to let in more light.

Another innovation is a vastly improved grip. This may seem like a minor development, but it makes it much easier (and more comfortable) to hold the camera for extended periods, even for huge lenses really intended for larger cameras, such as the FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM. The battery life is also truly outstanding.

The Sony’s rangefinder style, where the viewfinder is to the side of the lens, may not be to everyone’s taste; the fast shooting speed only lasts for a few seconds before slowing down, due to the size of the camera’s buffer; and there is no flash. The flagship status is also reflected in the price, which is higher than that of the A6400 and A6100. Still, the photos I took in a theatre earlier this year came out well. I also enjoyed using it to take picture of birds and squirrels in a local park, especially when coupled with the 18-135mm lens.

The Sony A6600 is available from sony.co.uk for £1,450 for the body alone, or £1,800 with the 18-135mm lens

Lockdown and social distancing have caused camera sales to plummet as there isn’t much point in buying a camera if there’s nothing much to take pictures of. However, with restrictions on outdoor activities being gradually lifted, photography enthusiasts may now be thinking about buying a new camera. One option that they should consider is Sony’s A6100 camera, which I had the privilege of testing in late February and early March. Released last year, it is designed to replace the A6000 as Sony’s entry-level interchangeable-lens mirrorless camera.

Although the cheapest model, the A6100 features all the latest advances in camera technology. The autofocus system is fast and reliable, allowing you to not only track a moving subject, but also lock focus on their eyes. Those interested in video will also enjoy the ability to record an unlimited amount of high-quality footage without interruption. There is also an electronic shutter mode that allows you to take pictures silently, which is extremely useful if you are taking snaps in an environment (such as a concert) where you aren’t allowed to make a noise.

Sony has had to make a few compromises to keep the price down. The video capabilities lack the professional modes that enable people to fine-tune the footage. The silent mode also suffers from a bit of rolling shutter, which means that images of extremely fast-moving objects may be distorted, and fluorescent lights may cause banding unless you set the shutter at the correct speed.

The “rangefinder” style, where the viewfinder is to the side of the lens rather than directly above it, may not be to everyone’s taste. And like all mid-range cameras, the sensor is cropped compared with the most expensive “full-frame” cameras (though still much larger than smartphone sensors).

Still, as I found out when I used it at a comedy night and a museum, when it comes to taking top-quality photos, even in the most challenging conditions, the A6100 is an excellent choice. Overall, it’s on a par with comparable cameras such as the Nikon Z50 and Fuji’s X-T30, surpassing them in certain areas (such as the ability to take long videos).

Treat yourself to the best laptop you can buy

Laptop computers don’t get much better than Apple’s MacBook Pro, says Joseph Green on Mashable. “It has everything you need to work efficiently and a whole lot more to keep you entertained.” It has a ninth-generation, six-core Intel Core i7 processor, a six-speaker sound system, and a “stunning 16-inch Retina display with True Tone technology”. The battery should last a working day, only needing to be plugged in after 11 hours. The Touch Bar is also a nifty feature, placing keyboard shortcuts front and centre. “If you can get over the massive price tag, this is probably your best option for working from home.”

Apple.com, from £2,799

Add a touch of inspiration

The work from home situation may not be “quite as temporary as we thought” for many workers, say Jeremy White and Chris Haslam on Wired, so it makes sense to invest in the best kit and “add a touch of inspiration”. The Form3 3D Printer fits the bill. Unlike typical 3D printers, which “squirt out molten plastic”, the Form3 uses ultraviolet light to “cure liquid resin into a solid”. The results are “exceptionally crisp and clean, ideal for prototyping and small-scale production runs”. It’s controlled using intuitive 3D-design software and connects to Wi-Fi. The basic package includes all the essentials you need to get started and additional resin is available.

Formlabs.com, from £2,900

Keep your back happy

When it comes to office chairs, Herman Miller is “very much the big name in the market”, says Max Freeman-Mills on Pocket-Lint. Its Aeron Office Chair is “about as comfortable, supportive and adjustable as a chair can be”. The mesh back allows your body to breathe, the armrests make it very comfortable and the modern aesthetic is pleasing. “If you’re looking for a chair you can trust to keep your back happy, this is a safe bet.”

Johnlewis.com, £1,099

Look the part on Zoom

Though most laptops include built-in webcams, they tend to be “fairly basic”, says Cliff Joseph on ZDNet. Business users who want to project a more professional image could do with a dedicated webcam, and Logitech’s Connect is a versatile option. It is designed to sit on a desk rather than be attached to a computer screen and the lens view is adjustable through a handheld remote control that allows you to pan and tilt the lens. The camera provides 1,080p and 720p video modes, with four times digital zoom and a 90-degree field of view that allows users to step back if they need to give a presentation. It has two internal microphones and also works as a speakerphone for audio calls.

Logitech.com, £439

Drown out the irritations

Working from home means that noises once absent from the work place become part of your daily environment, says Gregory Han on Design Milk. Children, pets and the washing machine can make it hard to concentrate. A pair of active noise-cancelling headphones, such as these Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H9s, can help. This comfortable and stylish pair from the high-end Danish luxury brand features advanced active noise-cancelling technology and 25 hours of playtime. If you need to hear what’s going on in your surroundings, “transparency mode” can be turned on with the dedicated button for voice assistant, from which you can also request your favourite song, the weather report, and get your latest notifications.

Johnlewis.com, £450

A high-quality film projector

Entry-level film projectors may require screens and good curtains to keep the sun out; ultra-high definition (4K) models are pricey. The Epson EH-TW9400 bridges that gap, says Will Donovan on GamesRadar. It is as close to 4K as you can get without paying around twice what this machine costs and the picture quality is “astonishing”. It will project onto whatever it’s pointed at and the adjustable lens means it is easier to position than cheaper units. It’s a big lump, weighing in at 11kg, and does run loud, but you’d struggle to get better for the price. £2,549, puretheatre.com

The best TVs for image quality

To get the best possible image quality on a television, you’ll need an OLED model, says Daniel Varghese in GQ. The LG C9 is the one to go for. It “offers an absolutely stunning, extremely crisp image that’ll wow anyone lucky enough to be invited to a screening at your place”. It’s available in 55 and 65 inches, but for optimal film viewing, the 77-inch screen is the way to go. “One downside of OLED technology is that these TVs don’t get as bright as conventional LED models – plan on drawing the curtains if you’re doing an all-day Scorsese marathon.” From £1,299, currys.co.uk

Getting that cinema sound

The Sonos Arc is the most expensive “soundbar” the company has yet produced and it’s an impressive piece of kit, says Jeremy White in Wired. The Arc is a smart speaker with Dolby Atmos, a “pimped up surround sound” system, which can channel Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. It has no less than 11 individual speakers along its 1.1-metre length, and it automatically adjusts to provide the best-quality sound based on your home-cinema set-up and what’s playing. Using the associated app, you can play around with such “audio trickery” as enhancing the vocals or dampening the sound of explosions to avoid upsetting the neighbours. £799, sonos.com

Make yourself comfortable

The best thing about a home cinema as opposed to the real thing is that you can give yourself plenty of legroom, says Khemjira Prompan on TimeOut Bangkok. But why not make yourself really comfy by splashing out on a posh chair? The super stylish Grand Relax is designed by Italian architect and furniture designer Antonio Citterio, and is “specially designed to hug the contours of your body”. It can rotate 360 degrees and the backrest can be locked at any angle. You can choose from several combinations of materials, including elegant fabrics and high-quality leather, and it comes with an Ottoman so you can put your feet up and relax with your favourite film. From £4,150, vitra.com

It wouldn’t be the same without popcorn…

Popcorn is an integral part of cinema culture and this Retro Popcorn Maker by Smart can bring the experience home for you. The machine features a large, stainless-steel kettle with a built-in stirring system and pops up to 16 cups of popcorn per batch. It uses oil – there are machines that use hot air if you want a healthier snack – but there are “few better looking options”, say Tom Capon and Jennifer Barton in The Sun. £88.99, wayfair.co.uk

Take a PE lesson

Since launching last month “PE With Joe” has amassed 32 million streams on YouTube, says Mel Evans in Metro, as families welcome the celebrity fitness trainer into their living rooms to keep them fit during the pandemic. Joe Wicks (pictured), also known as The Body Coach, is hosting free workouts aimed at children live on his YouTube channel. No equipment is necessary, just tune in for a 30-minute workout at 9am Mondays through Fridays, says Victoria Woollaston in Wired. If you have a smart TV, Chromecast or Amazon Fire, or a set-top box with the YouTube channel, you can stream the videos to your living room through your TV. Otherwise, use a smartphone or tablet. All workouts are also available on the Youtube channel later if you’re not an early bird.

A wealth of games ideas from the Scouts

Many websites and organisations have released advice on what to do in lockdown, but the Scouts in particular have excelled, says Liam Doyle in the Daily Express. They have created the “Great Indoors” initiative in partnership with an animation studio to create more than 100 activities to enjoy indoors. Examples include “Dear Future Me”, which encourages children to pen letters to their future selves, and “The Name Game”, a variation on “Who Am I” in which children pretend to be an animal of their choice. The activities will not only keep your children entertained, and save your ears from more “I’m bored” complaints, but are designed to teach them new skills too. Go to the website at scouts.org.uk/the-great-indoors/

Making learning fun

For some educational screen time, there are apps to cover everything from arts and crafts to learning how to code, says Anthony Cuthbertson in The Independent. Bedtime Maths, for example, makes the subject “as fun as a bedtime story” to help children solve tricky problems. The app is free and has 1,600 exercises for children of nursery age through to primary school. The best learning tools are the ones that “teach children vital skills without them even realising it”, something Erase All Kittens manages to do perfectly. Children aged 8-13 learn how to code through an “epic” kitten-saving adventure. “To advance through levels and save the kittens, players need to change the source code of the game using professional coding languages such as HTML.” Finally, Caterpillar Creative Play takes inspiration from Eric Carle’s Very Hungry Caterpillar book. It encourages children to draw, paint,and design using an app that’s like a “child-friendly version of PhotoShop”.

Six of the best video games

If your child favours video over board games, you can’t go wrong with Mario Kart, says Michael Beckwith in Metro. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the most recent, and also possibly the best, entry in the series to date. Angry Birds is not as ubiquitous as it once was, but the original game “reminds us why it achieved mega stardom” in the first place. Flinging a bunch of disgruntled feathery creatures at enemy pigs’ fortresses to destroy them is a lot of fun. The Kirby games, all relatively easy to play and suitable for young children, are also a good option. The Lego video games are “a guaranteed” fun time, as are the Marvel, Harry Potter and Lego Star Wars games.

Until recently, if you wanted to buy a serious camera, you’d get a Nikon or a Canon, brands that dominated the market with a wide range of options for every budget. Competition from Fuji and Sony, however, as well as the fact that many people are now abandoning dedicated cameras in favour of smartphones, has forced Nikon to revamp its lineup. The result is its Z range of mirrorless cameras. The first two models, the Z6 and Z7, both released in 2018, were aimed at professionals; this Z50 is a budget version priced to appeal to more casual users.

The Z50 has many advantages over the previous generation of models (known as DSLRs). The biggest is that you can now shoot silently, which is useful if you’re in an environment where you’re not allowed to make a noise. Another is the autofocus system, which is much improved and can track moving objects and even automatically focus on the eyes of your subjects. Video quality has also been improved and there are special settings that allow you to make videos in a professional-quality format that can be further tweaked.

Nice pictures in all conditions

Nikon cameras are well known for producing quality photographs, even in low-light conditions, and the Z50 is no exception. I tested it in three different settings: the Canary Wharf Winter Lights festival, a Blackheath rugby match, and a comedy night. In each case I was impressed with the quality of the images produced. Even when I had to increase the ISO (light sensitivity) to compensate for the outside conditions, it still produced nice pictures.

The only major negative is Nikon’s decision to use a new lens mount, rather than stick with the one that it used for its DSLRs. At the moment there are only a handful of lenses that will work directly with the new system, though it will hopefully release more in the near future. If you want to take advantage of the vast range of older Nikon lenses, which can be bought cheaply second hand, you’ll have to use a special FTZ adaptor. This isn’t that expensive and the adapted lenses work reasonably well, but it’s a bit fiddly to use and makes the whole system somewhat heavier.

If you are looking to buy an up-to-date camera that will enable you to take professional-quality photographs without spending too much money, then I’d definitely recommend the Z50. If there were more lenses in the range, and the video time limit were longer, then in the Z50, Nikon would have an unbeatable camera.

Price: body only, £849; with FTZ adaptor, £989, with 16-50 and 50-250 lenses, £1,199

Fossil’s understated elegance

The Fossil Gen 5 is a “good-looking watch… that doesn’t immediately scream it’s a piece of technology”, says Samuel Gibbs in The Guardian – but it still “gets the job done and looks the part” too. You can choose from various straps and watch faces, and the performance is good, with no noticeable lag and an impressive battery life – a single charge should see you through the whole day. The notification handling is where the operational system really “shines” – notifications pop up and can be dismissed, or replied to with previously saved messages, a voice transcription tool, or a “surprisingly good” keyboard. The fitness tracking options are less impressive than with rival offerings, but the watch still has the basics – it can count steps and monitor your heart rate, for example.

From £279, fossil.com

Samsung’s great all-rounder

“If you have an Android phone and want the best compatible smartwatch going, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is it,” says Henry Burrell in Trusted Reviews. It has a great design, a battery life of two full days from a single charge, “lightning-quick” performance, and solid fitness features, including a heart-rate sensor and GPS, which means it can track outdoor runs and cycle routes without requiring a phone, while providing data-rich feedback on your workouts. You can also choose which of your phone’s apps send through notifications and view and reply to messages from the watch. It is “the best all-round wearable” Samsung has made.

From £269, samsung.com

A high-tech personal trainer

The Garmin Vivoactive 4 “puts the tech smarts of the watches used by the ultra-marathon-running elite” into a more accessible piece of kit for everyday users, says Andrew Williams on TechRadar. It’s a “great fitness tracker”, which gives you access to “stacks of stats”, including your heart rate, and comes with a music-streaming tool. It can track more than 20 exercises and acts like a coach as it puts you through a workout. The battery should last four to five days, longer if you’re not using active tracking tools. This is a great watch for those who exercise regularly and focus on health rather than performance.

From £259.99, garmin.com

Arizona Sunshine

Virtual reality (VR) is "the most exciting frontier there is" in gaming, says Brittany Vincent in Popular Mechanics. The medium is still in its infancy, but is already "teeming with some of the coolest experiences you'll ever have" in gaming.

One of the best VR games is Arizona Sunshine (pictured above), says Adrian Willings on pocket-lint.com. It is set in post-apocalyptic America and your task is to find a safe haven while fighting off the undead. The game is well crafted, there's plenty of freedom to move around and explore, and you'll find yourself fully immersed in the virtual world. If you can, get a friend to join you in multiplayer mode "because killing zombies with friends in virtual reality is twice the fun".

From £29.99 for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift

God of War

God of War is about what it means to be a god, but also what it means to be a man, says Keza MacDonald in The Guardian.As the average age of video-game developers and playershas crept up, so too has what we expect from the characters.

The vengeful god Kratos, who has appeared in earlier versions of the game with the sole character trait of anger, shows up in this outing with "backstory and motivation". Kratos is now father to a son who knows nothing of his god-slaying past, and the father-and-son journey makes for "one of the best games of recent years". It is "a deft intertwining of relatable familial drama and awe-inspiring mythological epic" and sets a new standard for video games, "both technologically and narratively".

£49.99, all consoles

Outer Wilds

Outer Wilds is one of the best games of 2019 so far, says Esteban Cuevas on CBR.com. The player must explore the world and learn as much as they can before the sun goes supernova and destroys everything in 22 minutes.

The game then starts over, but with the knowledge you learned from before. You learn more and more with every play until you figure out how to prevent solar disaster. It is "a unique game for those looking for something off the beaten path". When the world is not blowing up, it's a "nice place to potter about in" too, says Phil Savage in PC Gamer. Its "charming and inventive worlds" hide a "cleverly unfolding mystery" that is a "delight" to untangle.

£19.99, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Macintosh operating systems, Linux

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Japan's FromSoftware has a reputation for making challenging games with "deliberately obtuse storytelling", says Sam Kieldsen in Stuff. Its new offering is arguably harder to master than any previous game from the firm and is likely to be "the most demanding mainstream game that'll be released this year". It is set in medieval Japan and you play as Wolf, a ninja in the service of a young lord who is kidnapped by a samurai. Your task is to rescue your charge, restore the honour of the lord and take revenge. The game will be a "major test of your reactions, skill and patience", but you'll have a lot of fun on the way.

£50, all consoles

Cultist Simulator

Cultist Simulator is a "morbid and deeply engrossing" single-player narrative card game where the goal is to establish a "Lovecraftian cult", says Christopher Livingston for PC Gamer. "You'll collect and study unspeakable grimoires, carry out unthinkable rituals, attract a devoted cadre of followers and find a way to finance your obsessions all while trying not to lose your mind along the way." It's a "brilliantly written" game that keeps you enthralled with little more than a virtual tabletop covered with cards and slowly expiring timers. Impressive.

£14.99, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Android, Macintosh operating systems, iOS

No Man's Sky

Playing video games can be a great way to bring the family together, as long as the game is multiplayer, child-friendly and not boring, says Cameron LeBlanc on fatherly.com. One that fits the bill is No Man's Sky, a "beautiful and intriguing game" that is "perfect for families to explore together". You're an intergalactic traveller who sets out to explore one of millions of planets that could be "brimming with alien wildlife or toxic natural hazards", says Jade King on Trusted Reviews.

The dangers are juxtaposed with beauty and the algorithm responsible for creating the game's "living, breathing worlds" has come on leaps and bounds from earlier versions. This is "one of the greatest space-exploration experiences available".

£39.95, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One

Red Dead Redemption II

This slowly paced game looks "glorious" and "boasts some of the best voice acting ever committed to the medium", says Adam Cook in Stuff. You play as a member of the Van der Linde gang, "a posse full of people out of time ina world that'smoving towards civilisation".

A bank job has gone wrong and you're on the run from the law in the American Wild West. The wilderness looks "beautiful" the only sounds around you are those of nature, "aside from the echo of gunshots and the random shouting of strangers stood in dankly lit shacks offering you sanctuary". But can you trust them? The world created is "absolutely magical" and there's never a dull moment this is "simply one of the most incredible game worlds ever created".

£50, all consoles

If you like to go skiing regularly, or biking, you might have heard of GoPro, the line of action cameras popular with people who like to film their adventures and stunts, or just capture a record of traffic offences. The cameras are so small and light that you can mount them on your body, or even your head, and use them to produce close-up action videos from your point of view. Social-media sites such as Vimeo and YouTube are filled with thousands of action videos taken using the devices. The GoPro Hero 7 Black is the successor to the Hero 6, which was launched two years ago to great acclaim, and brings a host of improvements, including new technology intended to produce smoother footage.

To test the device under real-world conditions, I shot some video of myself running around the local park in the evening, as well as taking some high-quality footage during a drop-in improvised comedy session held by Sedos, an amateur theatre group. I'm pleased to say that the camera passed both tests with flying colours. Although the improv was held late in the evening in a disused library, the resulting video was well lit, clear and free of excessive shaking, and the device was unobtrusive enough to wear for an hour's worth of continuous recording without getting too uncomfortable. The ability to operate the device by voice command, rather than solely though buttons, also came in very useful.

There are a few tiny niggles. The internal microphone is excellent at picking up nearby sounds, but there is a noticeable fall-off the further away you get from what you're recording. The close focus also means people in the very far distance appear out of focus (although you can zoom in at the expense of image quality). So the camera can't completely substitute for a dedicated camcorder or the video features of a digital camera.

Like most modern consumer electronics devices, the GoPro is designed to be used with smartphones, so you can upload footage from the device to your phone, or to an account in the cloud. However, this can take quite a long time, so you'd be better off using a USB lead or SD card.

Still, despite its faults, the Hero Black is a lot of fun. And at only £380, it's good value and still ahead of its competitors in the action-cam market.

Shortly after I reviewed the Fujifilm X-T3 mirrorless camera a few weeks ago, Fuji released the X-T30: a smaller, budget version of the main model. It shares many of the same features as its bigger brother, including the sensor and the excellent autofocus system. What's more, the slimmed down size means that you can easily fit the body into a trouser pocket or inside a jacket. Even if you add one of Fuji's smaller lenses, such as the 35mm F2, you can just about squeeze it into a pocket. Those who decide to carry it around their neck or shoulder will appreciate that the X-T30's body is 156g lighter than that of the X-T3, which will make things a lot more comfortable after a long day's shooting.

Mirrorless cameras have a reputation for having relatively short battery lives. This is because they don't have an optical viewfinder, so you have to either use the electronic viewfinder or look at the LCD display at the back to see what you're about to shoot. However, while the camera is only officially rated for 380 shots per charge, you should easily get double that amount without any problem. Similarly, improved sensors mean that the silent electronic shutter mode is free from distortion, banding and flickering, even if you're shooting moving people under fluorescent lighting. I shot a fast-paced play silently from the front row of the audience without any problems.

Fuji sells the camera with an 18-55mm F2.8-4.8 kit lens. While this will cover most people's needs perfectly well, those who like shooting wildlife or theatre may want to put some of the money that they save towards a zoom lens, such as the Fujifilm XF 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 R LM OIS.

This lens, which is image stabilised (so you can shoot handheld at low speeds), allows the user to get great shots from much further away. You might also consider a prime (fixed length) lens, such as the Fujifilm XF 35mm F2 R WR, which lets you shoot in low light situations, while narrowing the focus towards the subject.

From high-end luxury timepieces that connect to your phone on the sly, to military-grade GPS tracking devices for outdoor adventurers, to slender fitness trackers that will help you keep your fitness regime on track there's a smart watch out there to suit all tastes and wallets. Sarah Moore reports.

In the "battle of the bad-boy sports watches", the Suunto 9 "brings big numbers", says James Stables on Wearable. A "whopping" 120 hours of GPS tracking is the big boast the watch has an intelligent power-management system that helps "solve the problem of running out of battery in the middle of your ultra marathon". It's also a "sports-tracking powerhouse", with 80 sports modes, meaning it can monitor your performance and heart rate while doing a triathlon, for example.

This is a "strong, long-lasting sports watch for those who push endurance to the max".

£499, Suunto.com

Starting at £1,200, this is the priciest Android Wear watch that hasn't simply been "pelted with diamonds and bling", says Andrew Williams on Stuff. But if your coffers are overflowing, the Tag Heuer Connnected 45 is also one of the best smartwatches around.

It's a "big, bulky thing", with the heft of one of Tag's analogue watches, and you can choose between 4,000 different dial displays. The technology changes rapidly in the world of smart watches, but this one will still be looking good in 30 years.

£1,950 (titanium strap, black matte ceramic bezel), TagHeuer.com

Vivosmart 4

In attempt to stay neck and neck with Fitbit, Garmin has revamped its Vivosmart 4, says Kelly Hodgkins on Digital Trends. The new model "packs a punch", combining new hardware and software into a thinner and slicker device. The "most notable addition tothe Vivosmart line is a pulse oximeter which measures blood-oxygen saturation". Aswell as bundling in advanced sleep tracking, Garmin has also upped the battery life to seven days and included water resistance so you can swim with it.

£119.99. Preorder at Buy.Garmin.com

The Montblanc Summit has the smart design and high levels of craftsmanship that you would expect from any luxury watch, says Anthony DeMarco inForbes, but it is also equipped with a "responsive and fluid" user interface that turns it into a smart watch.

It uses the Google Android Wear 2.0 system, compatible with iOS and Android smartphones, which gives the watch the ability to download thousands of apps. "It's a luxury product for those who want their watches to be connected without sacrificing style."

£795, Montblanc.com

The Fitbit Charge 3 is pretty much a smart watch disguised as afitness tracker, says Marko Maslakovic on Gadgets and Wearables. It comes with a full-touch screen, waterproofing, seven-day battery life and smart features. What strikes you right away is just how lightweight it is you'll hardly feel that it's there on your wrist. Swipe up on the touchscreen to cycle through your fitness stats, swipe down to see notifications, swipe right to open up the exercise and settings screens. "Everything feels very responsive and slick."

£129.99. Order at Fitbit.com/uk/shop/charge3

A perfect timepiece for hardy adventurers

Casio built this thing with the hardy adventurer in mind, says James Peckham on Tech Radar. It's "a rugged piece of kit, and while it may not look like a specifically durable device, it is designed to have military-grade protection so it should survive some tough knocks and tumbles". The F30 comes with the latest version of Google's Wear OS software onboard (basically a version of Android's operating system for wearable tech), which means you'll be able to download apps from the Play Store and connect the watch to either an iPhone or to Android. The watch has its own mapping technology as well as Google Maps, and the fact that the watch is water-resistant at up to 50 metres also means it can run apps for sports such as fishing, surfing and swimming, which other smart watches can technically run, but can't follow through on, says Stables.

Casio knows the Pro Trek smart watch will have to battle situations where power-sucking GPS is essential, so has added two special modes to lengthen battery life, says Andy Boxall on Digital Trends. Multi-Timepiece mode shuts down Wear OS and the OLED screen, turning on the monochrome LCD instead, which then shows the time and information from some sensors: this should last 30 days. Casio has trimmed just 0.4mm and 0.39mm off the thickness and diameter of its predecessor, "but the crazy thing is that it seems to have made a real difference", says Stables, making it feel much less bulky.

So if you're an amateur Mission Impossible-type that wants to be out and about while monitoring your location and fitness stats, give the F30 a chance, says Peckham. It may be "the perfect watch for your next sporting adventure".

Available from January 2019. See ProTrek.com.

This is Chinese tech company DJI's best drone yet, says Mark Wilson in Stuff magazine. The Mavic Air has almost pocketable dimensions when folded up, and slips into a backpack faster than it takes to dash into a pub during a downpour. At 430g, it weighs less than a pint too.

With most devices, going smaller usually means cutting features, but that hasn't happened with the Mavic Pro, says TechRadar. DJI's newest drone is designed to fly steadily, even in the face of 24mph winds. As for range, you'll be able to stay connected to the quadcopter up to 4.3 miles away, and a single battery charge gives you up to 27 minutes of flight time.

Importantly, the camera on the Mavic is pretty impressive too, says Drew Prindle on Digital Trends. It shoots in cinematic 4K, snaps 12.7 megapixel stills, and also supports features such as burst-shooting. Its "Gesture" mode allows you to set up and snap a selfie by doing nothing more than standing in front of the camera and waving your arms a bit, and then making a "picture-frame" shape with your fingers, which is "pretty neat". Another notable feature allows the Mavic to take photos with its downward-facing cameras and sync this information with GPS data so that it can return to that exact spot when activated.

The Mavic Air is also packed to the gills with infrared sensors: two on the front, two on the back, and two more underneath. These give it a "Lionel Messi-like spatial awareness that ensure it's super-stable when hovering or flying", says Wilson. The controller's joysticks allow for greater control than a touchscreen, and you can attach your smartphone to get a live-feed from the camera. And thanks to a new "Advanced Pilot Assistant System", the drone's sensors help it automatically fly around obstacles. This is really the best all-round drone hobbyists can buy.

Price: £769. Dimensions: 3.27 X 7.8 X 3.27 inches when folded up. Weight: 430g. Maximum speed: 40mph in

sport mode. Range: connectivity up to 4.3 miles. Battery life: up to 27 minutes. Contact: DJI.com.

Smart technology in your insole can help with your skiing technique, says Sarah Moore

Digital ski coach" Carv, the world's first "ski-wearable", broke the record on crowdfunding site Kickstarter for the most money put towards wearable tech. Designed by a physicist and a software engineer, the device is made up of two insoles less than a millimetre thick that slip under the lining of your ski boots. Each insole contains 48 independent pressure sensors, and a small box that clips to the outside of your boot sends data to an app on your iPhone (an Android app is in development).

A total of 114 inputs measure your speed, acceleration, weight distribution and ski orientation a "mind-boggling" 25 times a second, with the app instantly converting all this information into "meaningful analysis" and a "Ski IQ score", says Sean Newsom in The Sunday Times. But Carv "won't just tell you how rubbish your turns were; it can educate and encourage too", via drills and "upbeat and succinct" guidance communicated through headphones.

The tool is able to analyse technique, give pointers and highlight mistakes in real time, such as advising when you are leaning forward too much or transitioning weight too late in the turn, says Lee Bell on Wearable.com. All that may be hard to get used to if you're a beginner, as you'll already be concentrating on not dying while bombing down a mountain at breakneck speeds. But Carv doesn't overload you with information, instead offering "short, relevant bites". There's also the option to "free ski" then the technology just tracks your technique and then gives you feedback once you reach the bottom of the slope.

The biggest testament to Carv's coaching abilities is that "I could see my skiing improving in only a few hours", says Natalya Paul in Stuff magazine. It's a "cracking accessory that I was sad to leave behind".

Carv insoles can be bought at GetCarv.com: £249 for a single (two inserts and two trackers); £449 for four inserts and four trackers.

The best subscription service: The Sky Q box offers the best viewing experience you can get right now and is perfect for telly addicts, says Stuff magazine. You can watch one channel while recording four others and stream to other devices,such as tablets. Sky's mammoth catalogue of viewing includes blockbuster films and big-name TV shows, including the hit drama Game of Thrones. It "works seamlessly and could change the way you watch TV".

£100 and £42 a month, Sky.com

The best TV: "OLED" screen technology is the future of television, says T3 magazine, and the LG 65EF950V has all the attractions you could need on a flat screen. It is "gorgeously designed" and comes with a more reasonable price tag than you might expect. The picture is near perfect and a dream come true for home-cinema fans.

£3,600, LG.com

The best streaming service: You could spend the next decade systematically watching everything on leading TV streaming service Netflix (see below), but it's easier than ever to broaden your tastes, says Stuff. Mubi, for example, is the online equivalent of a "cool indie cinema". Whereas Netflix has more than 30,000 titles, Mubi has just 30, with a new offering swapped every day. But the quality is high: "everything's worth watching and major blockbusters sit among the more artful selections".

£4.99 a month, Mubi.com

The best projector: The Sony VPL-VW520ES big screen projector will set you back more than £8,000, but that actually looks very fair value for such a cutting-edge beast, says TrustedReviews.com. The HDR (high dynamic range) picture quality is ground-breaking and "sumptuous".

£8,800, Sony.co.uk

The best speakers: Soundbars tend to be anonymous-looking black boxes that sit unnoticed under your telly, but the Dali Kubik One comes in a variety of colours to match your curtains and shout about how great it is, says Stuff. The sound is so good you could even use it as your stereo when there's nothing on the box.

£800, Dali-Speakers.com

Five of the best Netflix shows

The Watchmaker's Apprentice

Breaking Bad is perhaps the best TV drama show of our times a Dostoevskyan tale of crime and punishment that makes for incredibly addictive yet disturbing viewing. Fans who miss the show should now tune in to Better Call Saul, a prequel that shows how the corrupt lawyer in Breaking Bad broke bad himself. It is a "gripping" story of the "tug and war" for a soul, says Brian Moylan in The Guardian, and is "a thrill to watch".

You may never have heard of yoga guru Yogananda, but you have almost certainly seen him he's standing just below Bob Dylan on the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. Awake is the story of his life and it might, if George Harrison is to be believed, "regroove your mind". Even if you like your mind in its present groove, the documentary is a fascinating insight into a cultural moment when East met West at the beginning of the modern era.

Yogananda wanted to bring enlightenment to the West; the West worried what this "snake-charmer" was doing to its women. Not everyone proved resistant to his charms: oil tycoon and self-made millionaire James Lynn renounced his wealth to become a disciple.

Finally, Battlestar Galactica, an epic reimagining of the 1970s TV show, is "light years ahead" of other sci-fi, says Stuff. The crew ranges over the galaxy, but also over such themes as trust, religion, death, love and what it means to be human.

Batman: Arkham Knight

Batman

Batman

Format: PS4, Xbox One, PC, GNU/Linux, Mac OS.

Star Wars: Battlefront

Star Wars

Battlefront

Star Wars

Format: PS4, Xbox One, PC.

Everybody's Gone To The Rapture

Stuff

Format: PS4.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Format: PS4, Xbox One, PC.

Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain

Metal Gear Solid

Phantom Pain

Format: PS4, Xbox One, PC.

The best viewing

Netflix

netflix.com

The future of home entertainment

HTC's Vive

The best gaming

Sony PlayStation 4

The best smart TV

LG 55EC930V

The best home cinema

Sony BDV-N5200

The Ulysse Nardin El Toro in rose-gold case with ceramic bezel. It is a "sophist- icated" and futuristic-looking watch with "a clever dashboard design that is sure to raise eyebrows", says Luxuryspot.watchesonnet.com. Price: £42,500. Contact: 0800-876 6698, www.ulysse-nardin.ch/en.

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller in white gold is the first Rolex with two time zones and an annual calendar. It is a ground-breaking change of direction and a technical advance for Rolex, says Laurie Kahle of Forbes. Price: £32,700. Contact: Rolex.com.

The Patek Philippe Celestial Grand Complication in platinum case with a mirror-polished bezel. The moving sky chart depicts the nocturnal sky, tracking the movement of the stars, as well as the position and phases of the moon. Price: £221,460. Contact: Patek Philippe at Wempe, 020-7493 2299, www.wempe.com.

The rose-gold Bulgari Octo features a black lacquered dial and a black alligator strap. Perfect both as a dress watch and for everyday use, says Ashok Soman of Luxury Insider magazine. Price: £18,600. Contact: 020-7838 8805, www.bulgari.com.

The Hermes Cape Cod Tonneau in stainless steel on double tour' strap (it wraps around your wrist twice). It is a "uniquely vivid" ladies watch of "discreet elegance", says Hautehorlogerie.org. Price: £2,050. Contact: 020-7499 8856, www.hermes.com.