Hands-on with the iPhone 17 Pro, Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Switch 2, Magic: the Gathering – Lorwyn Eclipsed and more.
Mobile gaming has come a hell of a long way since it’s humble beginnings. We now find ourselves in an era where gaming on the go is more popular than ever, and Apple can certainly take a lot of credit for that push. But the tech giant is far from done and if my time with the iPhone 17 Pro is any indication, it’s the most confident step forward in quite some time.
This confidence exists across the board, instantly evident from the moment you peek at the iPhone 17 Pro. The Cosmic Orange colourway I have been able to use is a striking choice that makes one hell of a statement. Yes, it’s a colour that has proven to be divisive for many, but personally I’m a big fan and love the vibrant pop it brings, even though Apple’s own clear case blocks a large portion of it with a large white rectangle.
Flip the device to its rear and you’ll notice another dramatic switch up. The traditional square camera setup has been replaced in favour of what Apple has dubbed the camera plateau. Much more rectangular in design the plateau is an interesting choice that is largely reminiscent of the Google Pixel’s signature camera bar, making the distinction between the two phones even harder than before.
Move past the aesthetics though and you’ll also be impressed with the iPhone 17 Pro’s pure grunt. Powered by the A19 Pro chip, the phone utilises a 5-core GPU with Neural Accelerators to allow for hardware-accelerated ray tracing. Yes many of these technical bumps are in large part to help boost Apples foray into the AI space via Apple Intelligence, but they’re also hugely beneficial for the gaming and it’s here that the iPhone 17 Pro excels.
Booting up Resident Evil 4 Remake, for example, is an absolute hallmark and runs at a consistently stable framerate. Performance is most comparable to the game’s PS4 iteration, but it is worth noting that we have yet to see the game be updated for Apple’s updated hardware so it’s safe to say that the iPhone 17 Pro may be pulling a few punches. The same can be said for the likes of Death Stranding and Assassin’s Creed Mirage which both perform admirably.
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For hardcore shooter fans, rest assured more optimised titles like Call of Duty: Mobile and Genshin Impact also run without issue, helped along by the combination of the new vapour chamber and aluminium unibody enclosure which allows you to have longer gaming sessions without scolding your hands from all the heat emanating from the battery.
The iPhone 17 pro is certainly not a cheap device (the starting 256GB model will set you back about $1,199) but if you’re looking for a device that can handle your day-to-day tasks as well as gaming on the go then you’re in pretty safe hands. Plus, thanks to Apple’s continued push for AAA ports and curation of the Apple Arcade ecosystem, you’ve got plenty to choose from.
Also out now…
Animal Crossing: New Horizons — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (Switch 2)
The video game that soared to incredible heights during the pandemic, Animal Crossing New Horizons switch 2 Edition improves an already addictive game.
The most noticeable upgrade here is to the game’s visuals, with the resolution copping a 4K bump, making it perfect for larger screen play. That said, it’s incredibly disappointing the core gameplay itself is still capped at 30fps, which is a real shame considering the promise that the Switch 2 offers.
Move past that bummer and you’ll also find the inclusion of mouse controls, GameChat and CameraPlay support, as well as a larger number of players on your island, but these all felt like minimal upgrades that never impacted the underlying experience.
If you’re a casual gamer who has already spent a lifetime finessing your perfect island then paying for this Switch 2 upgrade may not entice you, especially considering the new (and great) sizable 3.0 update is totally free. But if you’re new to the Switch 2, or are a hardcore looking for a new excuse to revist your island, this could do just the trick.
Magic: the Gathering – Lorwyn Eclipsed
It’s a brand new year for Magic: The Gathering and if you thought 2025 had some wild twists and turns, you may want to prepare yourself. With collaborations between Marvel Superheroes and everybody’s favourite Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles, it’s bound to draw in a new legion of fans. But before that madness gets underway we have a far more traditional release in the form of Lorwyn Eclipsed.
The set takes marks the return of both the Lorwyn and Shadowmoor plane – popularised many years ago and known for its stark contrast of light versus dark. From the bright enchanting landscapes and creatures of Lorwyn to the dark twisted scenes in Shadowmoor it makes for some truly amazing art and allows many of the cards to embrace some spectacularly fantastical scenes. It’s also fun to see some of the more interesting takes on art styles to, like a papercraft aesthetic that feel as though they’ve been pulled straight out of a child’s pop-up book. It’s only the start of 2026 but it feels as though the Magic: The Gathering art team are already firing on all cylinders.
The mechanics are off to a strong start too, thanks to the clever links to the two planes. Blight, for example will require you to place -1/-1 counters on creatures. In some instances that may see you placing it on a stronger creature under your control to gain a short or long-term benefit, while during other games you’ll be trying to blight your opponent into submission with the underlying plan of taking over their creatures once they perish.
Convoke meanwhile feels more traditional and less draining by allowing you to tap creatures like mana in order to pay for your card -rewarding you for having a legion of creatures in play at one time. Both additions stick to the fundamental lore at play in Lorwyn Eclipsed while also adding additional strategy for long-time players.
As a whole then, Lorwyn Eclipsed is a strong offering to kick off 2026 and it leaves the card game in an interesting place considering what’s in the pipeline. If you’ve yet to make the leap, this could be the perfect time to jump in.
Code Vein 2 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC)
The push to capitalise on FromSoftware’s Soulslike popularity seems to have slowed down, but that doesn’t mean new entries like Code Vein 2 aren’t willing to give things a red hot go. For this action RPG it’s a respectable yet forgettable adventure.
IF you missed the 2019 original you needn’t worry because this follow-up is only loosely connected, focusing on an interesting post-apocalyptic world where pseudo-vampires (known as Revenants) and humans actually co-exist. The peace isn’t long for this world though as the emergence of the Luna Rapacis turns Revenants into monsters called Horrors, leaving you to hunt them down. It’s a lot of lore and lingo, but stick with it and it all gels together – also allowing for the game’s greatest hook which sees you hop between both past and present realms in order to fight foes.
I also appreciate the less demanding combat for a Souslike, helped along by the inclusion of an NPC companion, although even enjoyable combat can’t prevent this adventure from getting a little monotonous.
At its core Code Vein 2 is worth a look for fans of the original or a classic vampiric yarn, but there are certainly stronger Soulslikes out there.
Cairn (PS5, PC)
It feels like 2026 has barely gotten started yet Cairn already feels like one of the year’s biggest surprise gems.
You’ll take control of Aava, a career climber with one sole goal: get to the top of the fictional Mount Kami. Unsurprisingly then, climbing is the name of the game here and its Cairns unique gameplay that makes it so alluring – controlling each of Ava’s limbs as you search for the next hold or crack to heave yourself upwards. It feels incredibly awkward at first and there’s a bit of learning curve, but once you climatise you’re in for one hell of an adventure. Climbs require the perfect balance of hunger, water and health management and keeping these in constant check can be a fun challenge.
Learning more about Ava and her relationship with the mountain is equally engaging and what makes Cairn such an easily recommendable experience, whether you’re a climbing fiend are just looking for your next adventure.
Skate Story (PS5, Switch 2, PC)
If you’re looking for a video game with style, Skate Story delivers it in spades. A skateboarding game unlike any you’ve played before, your focus isn’t on racking up gigantic combos, boosting multiplayers or finding meaningless items in a tight timeframe. Instead you just a crystal demon looking to get the hell out of, well, hell.
It’s as quirky a setup as you can expect from a Develover Digital title but it all just works. The visuals are stylish, the music top-tier and the core single-player narrative underpinning it all surprisingly deep.
Yes, there are new tricks to learn but there’s also open areas to explore and new people to meet and help. Skate Story is a strange experience from start to finish but it’s also one that leaves quite the impact, and has quickly become one of my most enjoyed skating games.
