When GoPro didn’t launch their annual Hero camera last year, it was clear they were cooking up something special — now we finally get to see what they’ve been working on all this time, and whether or not all that R&D has paid off. On paper, everything about the GoPro Mission 1 Pro represents a massive leap over every GoPro that’s come before it, and that’s exactly what GoPro needed to do right now.

The 1-inch size sensor alone is enough to get me excited, but it’s important to note that it’s paired with a new processor that greatly expands what the camera is capable of. While the Mission 1 Pro is superficially very similar in appearance and form factor to the Hero line of cameras, they have supercharged everything under the hood. This is actually pretty important, as it means the Mission 1 Pro can potentially fill the same role as a standard action camera while delivering what should be a much higher level of quality. However, it was necessary to thoroughly test the Mission 1 Pro (provided by GoPro for this review) to see if it lives up to all the hype.

With a new 1-inch sensor and an upgraded processor, the Mission 1 Pro is absolutely the generational leap that GoPro needed in terms of imaging capability. Put simply, the video that comes out of this thing looks great, and so do the photos. It can shoot at up to 8K at 60fps, as well as 50MP still images. You can definitely still tell that this is action camera footage, but that GoPro look is still part of the appeal of a GoPro camera.

The camera has enough dynamic range that I never encountered a scenario where it suffered from serious overexposure, and this is the first GoPro camera I’ve used that delivers decent results after sunset. It is particularly well suited to capturing starlapses, being able to last on a single battery throughout most of the night, though at the time I was testing it the short nights and bright moon were not conducive to impressive imaging of the stars.

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The downside here is that the fixed focal length of the Mission 1 Pro is not as close as the Hero 13, which took some adjustment to get used to. Also, the f2.8 aperture of the lens is a bit on the dark side, and I wish it featured a variable aperture as well. These caveats are likely a result of design restrictions, and while I think GoPro should implement closer focus, a variable aperture, and brighter aperture in the next generation of the Mission 1 series, it is worth noting that the optical design of the lens is of comparatively superior quality.

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After weeks of in-depth testing, extensive comparison to other cameras, and a lot of pixel-peeping, I believe the GoPro Mission 1 Pro features the best image quality of any camera in this genre.

One of the real highlights of my time with the Mission 1 Pro was filming using the extreme slow motion features of the camera. Going into testing the camera, I was excited for the 4K 240fps capability, but was skeptical of the 1080p 960fps recording. Often, lower resolution ultra-high framerate recording is too low quality to be much more than a novelty. However, with the Mission 1 Pro, I was surprised to find that the 960fps looks amazing, even on my large desktop monitor. It’s obviously still kind of mushy, compared to the 4K output, but it is by far the best ultra-high framerate recording I’ve personally used in a camera. You can only record 10 second clips at 960fps, but when you slow them down to 30fps, those 10 second clips extend to over 5 minutes long!

The 4K 240fps is great if you want to prioritize image quality, but still get really impressive slow motion, while recording without a time limit. The camera even does 2X slow motion in 8K at 60fps, though if I’m recording 8K at 60fps, it is for the high level of realism that such high framerate, high resolution footage yields.

It would be nice if GoPro could add some extra features here, perhaps through GoPro Labs, such as the ability to do pre-capture in ultra slow motion, and capture higher bitrate 960fps footage, even if that means only being able to shoot a couple seconds at a time. Being able to shoot high bitrate 960fps video with pre-recording could potentially deliver incredible results.

Normally, I rarely use an action camera to capture still images. It’s typically a nice capability to have, but between the ultra wide angle and what is usually less than amazing image quality, it’s not a function I often take advantage of. However, as I’m wrapping up this review, I’m surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed taking photos with the Mission 1 Pro due to how great those photos look.

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Andy Zahn/SlashGear

Andy Zahn/SlashGear

With the ability to capture 50MP RAW images, the Mission 1 Pro is able to deliver the sort of detail I expect from cameras these days, and I appreciate that it doesn’t aggressively sharpen or saturate the images, even in the case of JPEGs. Of course, it’s still an ultra-wide angle view, but often that’s exactly what you want. There’s a reason most phones these days feature an ultra-wide angle lens in their camera array. In my case, I am often shooting with longer lenses; super telephoto wildlife lenses, macro lenses, fast primes lenses, or even just standard range zooms. Having the Mission 1 Pro in my pocket gives me an ultra wide option that doesn’t mean swapping lenses and carrying heavy/bulky extra gear.

I had expected the Mission 1 Pro to be much larger than it is. The lens protrudes more than the Hero 13, but other than that it is about the same size. This is excellent, as it meant I was able to use the Mission 1 Pro as I would any other GoPro. One key upgrade is the buttons, which have been redesigned to be easier to press when wearing gloves, and to enable the camera to dive farther underwater (up to 20 meters). I love the tactility of these new buttons, and they are very clearly superior to anything that’s come before.

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The Mission 1 Pro also comes with a rubber lens hood, which I recommend using whenever possible. Without it, the lens is prone to flaring in the presence of bright night sources, but with the lens hood this is solved entirely, and as a result, if you’re using a lens hood, the Mission 1 Pro exhibits less flaring than any other action camera. It fits on securely too, and won’t fall off easily.

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I also had the opportunity to try out GoPro’s new grip cage for the Mission 1 Pro, which essentially transforms it into a point-and-shoot, making it much easier to shoot handheld. I very much enjoyed using this while hiking or out walking, grabbing B-roll or taking photos.

The new menu system of the Mission 1 Pro is really user friendly, yet it still retains all the customization options which I’ve always appreciated in GoPro cameras. You also have the ability to expand the camera’s capabilities through GoPro Labs, including crazy high bitrate options.

The GoPro companion app, Quik, is excellent, though a bunch of key features are locked behind a subscription paywall. At $59.99 per year, it gains you access to such features as unlimited and automatic cloud backups of your GoPro footage, so it’s actually a good value, but the integration of the subscription into aspects of the app is frustrating if you decide not to purchase that subscription.

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My biggest gripe here is that a firmware update is required before first using the camera. Fortunately, there isn’t any requirement to register the camera or bind it to an account, but it is disappointing to not be able to use the camera straight out of the box without first going through the firmware update. This was an aspect of GoPro cameras for which I have frequently praised them in the past. I hope that they will ship the camera with more current updates later on in its production, and allow users to bypass the firmware update requirement.

Over the years, one frequent complaint leveled against GoPro cameras was a tendency to overheat in warm conditions without airflow. I personally never really experience overheating with GoPros, but then I live in a region that’s generally pretty cool, and I mostly test GoPros outdoors in fast moving environments, or doing timelapse photography. However, with the Mission 1 Pro I decided to really put its battery life and heat management capabilities to the test.

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I took the camera along to multiple live music recording sessions, where I set it down to record the whole show. For one of these shows, I recorded over an hour of 4K 30fps 10-bit footage shot at a high bitrate, yet the camera was only mildly warm afterwards. What’s more, it still had 22% of its battery left. That is very impressive indeed, and I am fairly confident that GoPro has finally escaped such criticisms.

Regarding those recordings, I was blown away by the audio quality of the microphone array in the Mission 1 Pro. Since I reviewed the Nikon Zr, its internal microphones have been my primary tool for recording live music. I was shocked to find that the Mission 1 Pro is very nearly as good in this regard as the Nikon Zr, and even has some characteristics to its microphones that I prefer. GoPro has finally integrated 32-bit float recording here too, so you can easily adjust volume in post and not worry about the volume of what you’re recording.

The Mission 1 Pro is going up against some formidable cameras. The DJI Osmo Action 6 and Insta360 Ace Pro 2 are both very good, and have their own unique features which make them appealing options.

The Osmo Action 6 has a brighter aperture at F2, so does deliver a small improvement in low light conditions. It also features a variable aperture, which helps with controlling light transmission, as well as delivering cool sunstars.

The Insta360 Ace Pro 2 benefits from a particularly well developed modular accessory system. It’s also the only action camera with a flip-up rear display, which is great for filming at an angle or for vlogging.

However, the GoPro Mission 1 Pro is miles better for slow motion video capture. Another big advantage is the mounting system, which is superior to the others due to its integrated ¼-20 screw mount and action camera fingers. The DJI and Insta360 cameras are both fully reliant upon magnetic quick release systems, which just aren’t as convenient and dependable. 

Additionally, after closely analyzing a mountain of comparison footage I filmed between these cameras, I came to the conclusion that GoPro wins overall in terms of image quality. The Mission 1 Pro delivers more natural looking and detailed imagery than the Ace Pro 2 and Osmo Action 6. While DJI and Insta360 may look superficially more appealing in some scenarios, this appears to be largely a result of more aggressive processing algorithms.

The Mission 1 Pro starts at $699, and there’s no getting around the fact that this is a very high price point. While I believe it is in fact worth the money, it’s still a lot of money for many people to spend. However, there are some factors which may help alleviate that cost. For a start, existing GoPro subscribers get $100 off the price of the camera, which brings it down to a significantly less painful $599.

It’s also worth noting now that there is a less expensive model of the camera called the GoPro Mission 1 (no “pro” on the end), which starts at $599, and with a GoPro subscription discount is just $499. This non-pro camera scales back on the slow motion capabilities (8K 30fps, 4K 120fps, 1080p 240fps), but is very nearly as good as the “pro” model, and at a price that’s much closer to other action cameras on the market.

It’s worth noting that it is likely these cameras are more expensive now than they might have been due to the shortage of components, which is a consequence of the generative AI data center boom. Existing products which were launched before component prices shot up still have large stockpiles available, which helps to account for the price disparity between a new camera like the Mission 1 Pro and older action cameras. If shortages continue and component prices remain high, then we can unfortunately expect camera prices to go up across the industry. This is all to say that while the Mission 1 Pro may seem expensive now, in another 6 months to a year it may be closer to the “new normal”.

It is really good to see GoPro make such a triumphant comeback with the GoPro Mission 1 Pro. It’s clear that the company listened to its customers, and acted decisively to respond to what GoPro users need. I can now say without hesitation that the Mission 1 Pro is the best action camera currently available. This is not to say it’s perfect, because there are clearly some areas where it could be improved, and other brands do still offer some things GoPro doesn’t. It is also very expensive, which erodes its advantage over less expensive cameras. However, when considered as a whole, the Mission 1 Pro is the overall best in its genre, and if price isn’t an object, this is the action to choose.

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It also has to be said that GoPro still retains the color science for which they are known. The way these cameras render things is special, and that’s still baked into the DNA of the Mission 1 Pro. It’s a massive upgrade over everything GoPro has ever made, and at the same time it retains what people love about these cameras. Perhaps most importantly, the Mission 1 Pro delivers the best quality imaging capability of any action camera on the market today.

The GoPro Mission 1 Pro is available starting at $699 from GoPro’s online store.

Computex is the largest tech expo in Asia, and it held annually during the first week of June. I got the chance to go to Taipei this year and cover the show, which features several mainstream tech brands and many more smaller and upcoming companies.

Taiwan is home to many tech firms, including popular ones like Asus and Acer. It’s also the home of TSMC, which makes 90% of the world’s most advanced chips — including the ones that you find inside many Apple devices and Snapdragon-powered Android phones. TSMC also manufactures chips for Nvidia, which makes the GPUs that you can find in many data centers and is arguably the foundation of the current AI boom. This is why Computex is such an important expo, and many companies take advantage of this gathering to launch their upcoming tech and show off their latest products.

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So, we spent several days in Taiwan and trolled the massive show floors for the most interesting gadgets that we could find. We picked seven out of the hundreds (maybe even thousands) of items that we saw to give you a slightly closer look. Take a look and keep in mind: most of these picks will either be available to consumers soon or, (depending on when you read this article,) might be available in a store near you already.

Retro tech is becoming trendier these days, and Acemagic joined the bandwagon with the Retro X5 mini PC. This tiny desktop features the aesthetics of the original Nintendo Entertainment System, making it perfect for millennials and Gen X-ers who grew up with this console in the ’80s and want a hit of nostalgia every time they sit at their desk.

Even though this Retro X5 mini PC (which is different from a tower PC but is still designed for desktop use) looks like it was from 40 years ago, it’s equipped with the latest components. It has an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 CPU paired with 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD. If you need even more capacity, it’s upgradeable up to 128 GB of RAM and 4 TB of storage.

Despite its small size, it comes with a lot of ports. You get one HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB4 Type-C port each, allowing you to directly attach three monitors. There are also two LAN ports for high-speed internet, as well as four USB3.2 Type-A ports and an additional USB Type-C port at the front of the PC. Finally, a single 3.5mm combo audio jack lets you use wired headphones or speakers. If you prefer wireless connectivity, it’s equipped with Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.

The main downside is that it doesn’t have a discrete GPU, but the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 should be powerful enough to run some of the most popular games at 1080p and low to medium quality. But if that’s not enough for you, you can get an external GPU and attach it to the USB4 port for more graphics power.

Most handheld gaming consoles are powered by an AMD processor, like the ROG Ally, which some suggest is the best Steam Deck alternative for PC gaming. But Acer is challenging the norm when it launched the Predator Atlas 8 handheld console here in Taipei.

This 8-inch handheld uses an Arc G3 processor, which Intel also unveiled at Computex 2026 to challenge AMD’s dominance in the gaming space. Unlike previous Intel-powered consoles which used repurposed laptop chips, the Arc G3 is specifically designed for handhelds, balancing power and performance with efficiency and battery life. While we don’t have in-depth comparisons between the AMD and Intel gaming processors yet, the Arc G3 seems like a promising challenger to AMD’s entrenched offerings.

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Aside from the new Intel chip, the Predator Atlas 8 comes with a few interesting features of its own. This includes a 120 Hz 8-inch 16:10 display that can hit up to 500 nits of peak brightness, giving you a larger screen that delivers smoother framerates without making the console uncomfortably large. It also comes with a rather large 80 Wh battery; this might sound promising, but we’ll have to run the console and its Intel Arc G3 processor through its paces for us to know how much gaming time it will give you. (Note that results may also vary depending on your settings and the game that you’re playing).

I got to try the Atlas 8 handheld on the show floor and played Forza Horizon 6 on it for a few minutes. Despite its big screen and larger battery, it wasn’t tiring to hold, and I could imagine myself playing on it for hours at a time, whether in bed for a late-night gaming session or while passing the time on the plane.

Even though gamers are now spoiled for choice when it comes to handheld consoles, you still cannot replace the glory of playing on a large, ultra-wide monitor. And among the many displays that were shown off at Computex 2026, the Alienware AW3926QW stood out from the crowd.

It might look like just another curved ultrawide display when turned off, but you’ll see the magic once your turn on your PC. This display has a 5K (5120 x 2160) resolution, giving you sharper images than a comparable 4K monitor. It also has a 165 Hz refresh rate to give you smooth gameplay at maximum resolution; but if you need an even higher refresh rate for competitive matches, you can boost it to 330 Hz by dropping the resolution to 2560 x 1080.

The AW3926QW also used featured a QD-OLED panel, ensuring that you get vivid, accurate colors with its wide color gamut covering 99.5% of DCI-P3. It can also hit a peak brightness of 1300 nits, allowing you to see your content even in a bright area. Another interesting feature is its glossy screen, which helps deliver a clearer, sharper image. Alienware addressed the reflectivity issue that plagues this finish, though, and even though I was playing “Cyberpunk 2077” in a brightly lit area with a lot of light sources, there were zero distractions on the surface of the glass.

Apple launched the affordable MacBook Neo, which only cost $599 ($499 if you get the student discount) earlier this year, and it caught some industry executives by surprise. However, that didn’t mean that Apple’s competitors won’t do anything about it, and Dell was the first one to come out with what might be the Neo’s first true alternative.

The Dell XPS 13 budget laptop followed in the Neo’s footsteps of premium looks at budget pricing, with the new device coming in at a base price of $699, although students aged 16 and up can get it for just $599 (for a limited time). This Dell laptop also has a few features that you won’t find on the MacBook Neo: a larger, 13.4-inch touchscreen monitor with variable refresh rate from 30 Hz to 120 Hz. This might not be a “make-or-break” option for most laptop buyers, but it will give users a smoother experience and potentially allow for longer battery life.

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The MacBook Neo has also a few must-know limitations which Dell has addressed with the new XPS 13. This includes that availability of higher configuration options, which allows the laptop to have as much as 32 GB of memory and up to 1 TB of storage (versus the Neo’s 8 GB of unified memory and up to 512 GB of storage), processors specifically designed for laptops, and a backlit keyboard.

I tried out this exact laptop on the show floor and, honestly, I couldn’t feel or see any significant differences between this and other more premium laptops on display. It was only after the Dell representative pointed out that it was new budget model that I realized I’m looking at something that will change the entry-level PC laptop market.

Many enthusiasts focus on PC specs when it comes to building their gaming station and up choosing a generic gaming chair as their seating solution. But if you intend to spend hours seated in front of your computer, it’s best to invest in a chair you can adjust as necessary to keep you comfortable. FormulaV Line, a Taiwanese startup that’s coming to the U.S. soon, wants to level up comfort with its Solen gaming chair.

What makes this stand out is that you can change its recline and footrest angle using the switches on the right side of the chair, allowing you to set it at just the right position. This makes it easy to get into a leaning position with your feet off the ground if you want to kick back and relax with a casual game using your controller. But if you plan to engage in a serious match while playing your favorite e-sports title, you can easily move move the chair’s support back up into action.

It also comes with a USB-C and USB-A port to let you charge your devices — like your gaming controller — without leaving the chair. It’s powered by a removable rechargeable battery, allowing you to keep it topped up via USB-C. For those who need a little more distraction, the seat also has a vibrate function that’s meant to help you relax after a long day at work. I tried the Solen gaming chair for myself, and while I cannot compare the vibrating function to a real massage chair, the fact that I can easily set the recline and footrest to whatever angle I need is more than enough to convince me to consider getting one when they’re released.

Many gamers would be happy playing on one excellent monitor and a good keyboard and mouse combo or one of the many excellent handheld gaming controllers you can use on a PC. But for the sim racing enthusiasts, a complete sim racing cockpit is a must-have to complete the experience.

The Thermaltake GR900 racing sim cockpit starts as a base that lets you mount your desired racing chair, driving wheel, pedal, and shifter set up. It also accepts up to three monitors to give you the wide field-of-view that you’d expect in real life. But what made this stand out is the GM5 3DOF motion system that you can attach it, allowing you to feel the acceleration, braking, and every bump you hit as you race around the track.

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I tested this out myself, and the combination of the curved triple-monitor setup, driving wheel and pedals, plus the motion system made it feel like I was actually trying to set the best American lap time at Nürburgring (not that I’d actually get anywhere near the real record). The Thermaltake representative told me that this system starts at around $800 and you can actually build it yourself at home in about three to four hours. However, if you add the desktop PC, the triple monitors all the other accessories to turn into a fully-fledged motion simulator, expect the cost to go beyond $4,000.

When people talk about gaming laptops, they usually think of devices that cost thousands of dollars, keeping it out of reach for many gamers. But Gigabyte showcased the Eagle entry-level gaming laptop at Computex 2026, aiming to (hopefully) make gaming more affordable. We don’t have exact pricing yet, but a company representative told me that it will cost less than $1,000 and could even go as low as $800 for base configurations.

While the upcoming Dell XPS 13 and the MacBook Neo are still cheaper, they’re not specifically designed for gaming, and you might run into trouble if you want to play the latest top-tier games. 

The Gigabyte Eagle comes with an AMD Ryzen 5 processor and a discrete GPU. Even though you won’t find the latest, most powerful RTX 50-series GPUs on this line of laptops, it still comes with either an RTX 4050 or RTX 3050, which should be good enough to let you play games at the lowest quality settings. And if you pair that with NVIDIA’s DLSS technology, you should get a reasonable frame rate without breaking the bank or your computer.

You also get a large 16-inch display with a 165 Hz refresh rate, making it easier to see your games without relying on an external monitor. More importantly, this gaming laptop is upgradeable, unlike other models, allowing you to increase its RAM and storage capacity in the future if you need to.