Adam Vjestica
Adam Vjestica is a senior editor at The Shortcut who covers how gaming hardware, platforms and big releases affect everyday players. His coverage centers on consoles, handheld PCs and retro systems, with a clear focus on pricing, availability and platform decisions. He brings more than a decade of tech and gaming experience, including roles in gaming hardware editing and content marketing for a major game company, and runs a retro gaming-focused YouTube channel.
Console hardware and platform decisions
Much of Adam’s work examines how console makers’ choices play out for players on PlayStation and Xbox.
In coverage of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops II coming to PS5 but not Xbox, he focuses on platform exclusivity and how re-releases change the value of a console for different audiences. His reporting on PS5 Pro scalpers losing money tracks the resale market around premium hardware, showing how supply, demand and consumer fatigue shape the lifecycle of a console. When he writes about GTA 6’s potential PC release arriving sooner than expected at the same time PS5 and Xbox prices rise, he ties together platform pricing, release windows and where players might find the best long-term value.
The through-line is a consistent interest in how policy decisions, price changes and content availability alter the real-world experience of owning a console.
PC and handheld gaming devices
Adam also builds a detailed beat around PC and handheld gaming hardware.
His articles on Steam Frame, including pieces on its price, pre-order and release date and on a significant boost before the first wave of buyers, walk readers through why a new device matters, how it is changing ahead of launch, and when it makes sense to commit. He breaks down reservation processes, upgrade paths and early improvements in practical terms, keeping attention on what buyers actually gain or lose by jumping in early.
Across these stories, he treats emerging PC handhelds as part of the same decision set as consoles, weighing portability, performance and cost in a way that helps readers place new devices in the wider gaming landscape.
Nintendo and retro-focused coverage
Nintendo and retro gaming run strongly through Adam’s work. He tracks special hardware runs such as a The Legend of Zelda 40th anniversary edition Nintendo Switch 2 and Pro Controller, zeroing in on where to buy limited editions and what makes them distinctive.
His coverage of Nintendo Switch Online updates, including improvements to Game Boy Advance titles, highlights how subscription changes and emulation tweaks improve or diminish classic libraries. In reporting on the NEOGEO AES+ release date being delayed until 2027, he explains why delays happen and what that means for players waiting on high-end retro hardware.
That attention to classic systems and services is reinforced by his own retro gaming YouTube channel, which gives him a parallel outlet to examine older platforms and how they are preserved, repackaged and sold today.
Events and emerging devices
Beyond specific platforms, Adam covers marquee events and new hardware categories where gaming and broader tech overlap. His CES 2026 coverage collects major announcements into a clear rundown, picking out the products and trends that matter most for gaming-focused readers. In pieces like his report on Snap Specs pre-orders opening at a premium price, he explores new wearable devices, explaining what they offer and who they are for in the context of a rapidly changing hardware market. Across these stories he balances enthusiasm for new technology with a close look at cost, access and real-world usefulness.
Formats, tone and perspective
Adam’s output combines fast news updates, pricing and pre-order guides, and opinion-led commentary. Headlines such as “PS5 Pro scalpers are losing money – and it’s great to see” show that he is comfortable taking a clear stance while still grounding his arguments in tangible market shifts.
“Where to buy” stories for limited-edition consoles and controllers sit alongside explainers that unpack service updates or delays, giving him a range that spans day-one buyers and long-term owners. His background in gaming hardware editing and games-industry content marketing informs a consistent focus on clarity and reader value: he writes in plain language, keeps to concrete details like prices, dates and feature changes, and continually frames hardware and platform news around what it means for people deciding what to buy and where to play.
4 more gaming journalists.
Aaron Astle
Aaron Astle covers the business of mobile games through data, company strategy and cross-platform trends. He is Features and Data Editor at PocketGamer.biz and has written more than 2,000 articles for the publication. His beat includes game performance, revenue, player numbers, market share, monetisation, longevity and location-based games. He covers leadership changes, studio restructures, trade bodies, publishing decisions, investment and platform relations. He also reports on mobile, console and PC compatibility, live operations, regional marketing, hardware and app store rules. His work includes interviews with publishers such as King, Scopely, Cygames, Sybo and Rovio, plus year-in-review features for 2024 and 2025. He combines news, interviews, performance data and product timelines in clear analysis. He also contributes to the Week in Mobile Games podcast and event coverage.
Aaron Down
Aaron Down stands out for practical, systems-aware coverage that helps players navigate complex PC games and the platforms around them. He is a guides writer at PCGamesN and a staff writer at The Loadout. His work covers strategy games, live-service updates, codes, online worlds, simulation and management games, and classic titles being remade. He writes about League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics from long experience with both, with a focus on depth, meta shifts, and long-term mastery. His PCGamesN work includes strategy round-ups, Guild Wars 3 news, and reviews such as Two Point Museum. His writing has also appeared in The Digital Fix, Medium, Newsbreak, Flipboard, and other gaming platforms. He reports in clear, direct language, focusing on verified information, game systems, player access, and how platforms such as Steam shape discovery.
Aaron Potter
Aaron Potter is a franchise-focused games journalist who judges big-budget console and PC releases as parts of longer stories. At the Mirror’s gaming vertical, he writes reviews, release-time explainers, deal guides and commentary across PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Nintendo. His beat includes narrative-driven action games, horror, superhero epics, fantasy RPGs, co-op shooters and major series such as Marvel’s Spider-Man, Star Wars Jedi, Resident Evil, Dragon’s Dogma and God of War. He also covers launch times, platforms, Game Pass, crossplay, pre-orders, discounts and AAA ports, helping players decide what to play and how to buy it. With more than eight years in games journalism, prior freelance work and a book on indie games, he compares new releases with their predecessors, weighing storytelling, polish, innovation and value.
Adam Starkey
Adam Starkey stands out for writing about how games feel to play day to day. At Metro, he covers console and PC games, with a focus on Nintendo, fighting games and competitive titles, and he mixes reviews, news and commentary on major releases and hardware. He writes clear, player-focused criticism on mechanics, monetisation, accessibility and local multiplayer appeal. He also reports on live service systems, trailers, reveals, studio statements and consumer issues such as PS5 Pro scalpers. Beyond Metro, he works as a freelance entertainment journalist across games, TV, film, music and esports, with work published in NME, Rolling Stone UK, Radio Times, Edge, Nintendo Life and VG247.