Your video game console is filthy. Choked with dust, smeared with fingerprints or riddled with insects. Your game controllers are a horror show, the seams in the plastic filled with unidentifiable gunk. Let's clean them.

Every generation of consoles has its ‘default’.

Sometimes that default is difficult to define, other times it’s clear as day.

PlayStation 2: default. Obviously.

Super Nintendo? Probably default. A close run race. Plenty had Mega Drives. Blood in the playgrounds that one. A dark time for the empire.

PlayStation 1. Default.

Xbox 360. Default.

Much more powerful, but somehow smaller, than the Xbox One S released last year, the Xbox One X is a marvel of technology and engineering that provides the most technically impressive console gaming experience you can get, especially if you're running a 4K TV.

Microsoft just announced what we've all been waiting for: the birth of Project Scorpio, its much-teased next-generation console. It's now called the Xbox One X, and it's both the smallest Xbox ever built as well as the most powerful console ever -- built for gaming on 4K TVs, in HDR, at a smooth 60fps.

PlayStation TV is a palm-sized “micro-console” that fulfills the role of a set-top box and streaming device for the PlayStation family of products. You can use it to remotely stream your PS4 games to a secondary television, play PS Vita games on a big screen and buy/rent movies from the PlayStation Store. But its biggest drawcard is probably the ability to download and play retro classics from the PlayStation One and PSP eras. Hurrah!

Last week, we compiled a list of the best Xbox One online deals to coincide with the console's launch. (As expected, there weren't many deals to go around.) Now it's the PlayStation 4's turn and demand is even higher. However, a few retailers are still promising delivery before the end of the year if you pre-order now. Here's an overview of the online deals that are still accepting orders -- and when you can expect to receive them.

If you're planning to buy an Xbox One tonight, the chances of simply walking into a store and snapping one up are debatable at best. Even if you're planning to buy online, there could be a bit of a wait ahead as retailers scramble to replenish their stock. Here's a snapshot of its current availability, with links to the best remaining deals.

Nintendo is launching a new budget version of its perpetually-morphing DS in the lead-up to Christmas. As its name implies, the 2DS is a retro-shaped throwback to Nintendo's original dual-screened console. It is compatible with all DS games (including 3DS) and will retail for $149.95. But is it one re-imagining too far?

Over the past few days, debate has been rife in the Allure Media office about the pros and cons of buying pre-owned video games. The argument against this practice is that it robs developers of cash, with 100 per cent of the profits going to whichever retail outlet you happened to buy the game from.

A new study by Australian consumer agency Choice shows that game consoles, especially the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, use significant power even when they're not in use. "Our tests found that leaving a Playstation 3 on while not in use would cost almost... five times more than it would take to run a refrigerator for the same yearly period," said the study which was published on Choice's web site. Right behind the Playstation and Xbox in the electricity-sucking list is plasma televisions and desktop computers. To save money on your bill, turn off the power strip the consoles and TV is plugged into instead of relying solely on the remote control. Here are more ways you can save energy while computing. Power bills soaring? Turn off the Playstation: study