Hard to believe we’re now looking at the fifth iteration of Sony’s flagship gaming console, which has now crossed over generations of gamers.

Since its inception, it has birthed some of the biggest gaming franchises of all time, and its ever-growing popularity is underlined by how tricky it can be to get hold of one of these bad boys—even one year after release!

The PlayStation 5 fully supports 4K-TV gaming, so that you can experience your games like never before in stunning HD. If you own an HDR TV you can enjoy a staggering color palette on supported PS5 titles, with graphics that look sharper and more lifelike than ever.

Features such as ray tracing serve to deepen the realism and immersion by creating true-to-life graphical effects, such as shadows and water reflections, that are a wonder to behold. You can truly appreciate the leap in quality and capabilities from the PS4 Pro to the PS5.

You can achieve up to 120 FPS with the PS5, making gameplay and character animations smoother and more fluid than before. Haptic feedback has been fully harnessed on many of the latest PS5 titles, and this, coupled with adaptive trigger effects adds new dimensions to your gaming experience. Load times are also a mere fraction of those from the previous generation.

Plus, for the first time since the PS2 was released, Sony has built-in backward compatibility; meaning you can play all your PS4 game discs on your PS5 console too.

4K streaming is also available for anyone with a 4K HDR TV, so you can watch all your favorite TV shows and movies on your PS5 when it’s time to have a break from your gaming adventures.

Added to this are three tiers of PlayStation Plus membership. Should you choose to subscribe to one of these you will have a library of games as long as your arm —available for you to download and play for as long as your subscription lasts.

This is one console that demands the biggest and best TV to be played on.

The only current like-for-like competitor for Sony’s PS5 (and without the temporary supply issues) is Microsoft’s Xbox Series X.

Arch rivals though they are, there is very little to choose between in terms of their functionality. Like the PS5, the Series X fully supports 4K-TV gaming. It has an 8K HDR dynamic range, and you can expect up to 120 frames per second.

Load times are also trivial, thanks to a custom SSD and integrated software that acts to decrease waiting times and get you back into the game as quickly as possible.

Backward compatibility is also supported, with literally thousands of titles available to download at your leisure, provided you have an Xbox Live membership. 4K streaming is also supported on the Series X and you can enjoy Ultra-HD video on all major streaming platforms, so long as your TV is up to spec.

Bar a few exclusive titles here and there, the main difference with the Series X is that it comes with a 1TB hard drive, compared to the standard 500GB of the PS5. This is certainly something to consider if you’re thinking of buying a next-generation console, but probably not a deciding factor.

Chances are, a few generations on, that you’re either Team PlayStation or Team Xbox, and you’re therefore unlikely to be swayed towards a rival console. However, both are excellent, and there’s no doubt that the Series X is one console that you should definitely be playing on your TV.

You may well ask why the latest version of Nintendo’s Switch console with its 7-inch OLED screen is featured on a list of the best consoles to play on your TV, when arguably its major selling point is the upgraded handheld screen, with its crisp new display.

The answer is simple—fun. It’s the one thing that Nintendo consistently gets right with its consoles and games. And Nintendo's ever-expanding library of party games makes the Switch OLED a shoo-in for one of the best consoles to play on your TV.

Clearly, you’re not going to be getting the next-generation experience that you would with the PS5 or the Series X from this latest version of the Switch. There’s even a solid argument that some of the Switch’s graphical fidelity is lost when in docked mode.

However, Nintendo understands that party gaming is simply just so much fun. And a bit of friendly competition never hurt anybody either, right? Head-to-head action on one of their battle royale titles, for instance, makes gaming on your TV a sheer joy. Couch co-op or side-by-side competitive play creates a party atmosphere that everyone will want to be a part of.

HD gaming is of course supported on the Switch OLED, but chances are you’ll not notice any real difference from the original Switch in docked mode. The OLED display will certainly sharpen up the handheld experience, however; so if you’re looking for the best of both worlds, then the upgrade to the OLED is probably worth the extra bucks.

On its release, the Switch’s unique selling point was innovative almost to the point of genius. A game console that can be played on your TV, that could also be played as a handheld console. And time has proven this dual-purpose design to be of lasting appeal.

Handheld functionality aside and some graphical downgrades too, there is still much to recommend the Nintendo Switch as a console to be played on your TV.

We’ve touched on the fun factor of the Nintendo console and its encouragement of party gaming, which also includes the detachable controllers—one for you, and one for your partner in gaming.

However, there is also a great deal of fun to be had as a solo gamer on the Switch. Many popular titles have been reworked and represented in Nintendo Switch form. These include vast sprawling open-world experiences, huge franchise titles, and games that you sometimes have trouble believing can be ported in their entirety onto a tiny little game chip.

You can take these titles on the go with you, and then continue where you left off in docked mode when you get home. Conversions to the Switch still look great for the most part, but it’s the gameplay that matters the most. And this has always been something that Nintendo has delivered by the bucketload.

Whether it’s the original Switch or the OLED version, you owe it to your TV to have one of these consoles in your home.

For die-hard Sony gamers who have so far been unable to get their hot hands on a PS5 console, this 1TB version of the PlayStation 4 represents the current pinnacle of Sony gaming. And truth be told, it is still a great game console.

With 4K gaming fully supported, the PS4 Pro allows supported games to showcase higher graphical resolution and clarity on HDR-enabled TVs. Every game on the PS4 Pro is playable at a minimum of 1080p, while some can be boosted to 4K.

As with its bigger brother, the PS4 Pro can provide 4K streaming for all your favorite streaming apps too. For the sake of convenience alone, this is a great feature, as it negates the need to switch from console to TV and back again. It’s all there for you on one device, with less navigation, and fewer buttons to press.

The step up from the PS4 to the PS4 Pro is not to be sniffed at either. Graphics and textures are improved and noticeably sharper. Many popular PS4 titles have been enhanced for PS4 Pro as well, boosting your gaming experience as far as it can be pushed—until you can obtain one of those elusive PS5s.

For anybody with a 4K TV, there’s still plenty of life left in the PS4 Pro (you could almost call it the PlayStation 4.5), and hundreds of hours of gorgeous gameplay to enjoy.

Retro gaming seems to be enjoying a real renaissance right now, and one that doesn’t seem to be solely confined to us (ahem) slightly older gamers.

Younger generations are also getting a real kick out of some of the old classics, and in some cases are beginning to understand what some of us codgers are on about when we declare that "they don’t make ‘em like this anymore".

The SNES Nintendo Classic Mini offers exactly what it sounds like it offers—the classic SNES console in miniature. No wireless controllers here, and most definitely no online gameplay. There’s no big graphical overhaul and no 4K gameplay either.

What you do get, however, is a nostalgic trip back to the gaming days of old. This replica of one of Nintendo’s most beloved consoles comes with two wired controllers and 21 built-in games. Think Super Mario World, Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Donkey Kong Country, etc. and you’ll have more than a fair idea of what to expect.

Turn friends into rivals, and rivals into enemies, with this catalog of gaming greats at your fingertips. Some of the best two-player gaming experiences are represented here, and anyone with a passion for retro-gaming absolutely positively must get one of these miniature SNES consoles!

The SEGA Genesis Mini 2 is right around the corner, however, we’re not there yet, and there’s plenty to enjoy about this retro console in the meantime.

First off, is games galore! This miniature SEGA Genesis comes pre-loaded with 42 games from SEGA’s archives; including Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage 2, Mickey Mouse: Castle of Illusion, and many more.

This is classic 16-Bit royalty, lovingly reproduced. Two controllers are included, so you’ll be ready to play with (or against) a friend right from the get-go. With double the number of games compared to the SNES Classic Mini; you’ll be the judge of whether this is quantity over quantity.

As with Sony and Microsoft in modern gaming, Nintendo and SEGA were the gaming frenemies of old. As such, your preference over these two retro units will most likely be entirely informed by which of them you used to own in their (and your) heyday.

Whatever your preference, the SEGA Genesis Mini is undoubtedly a fine addition to any living room, and most definitely one of the best retro consoles currently available.