What's your plan for tech in 2026?

[Kovlak]

With the price of tech spiking, 3DSs reaching all time high prices, people nowadays stealing RAM and leaving Ram-less computers what's your plan for tech in 2026?

Personally I got a good laptop at the tail end of 2025 (as my working laptop is showing a vertical stripe on the screen) and got a great deal on a PS4 Pro with 5 years warranty (replacing my og PS4 that I put in storage). I also got a Switch Lite early 2025. And all this complements my Xbox 360, PS Vita and PSP setup, making me quite happy about my gaming setup in 2026.

Beyond that, I have two good tvs I hope won't break anytime soon, as it would be a pain to replace them, as prices are going up and probably the quality of the tech is most likely going down. Maybe going second hand time tested older tech if that happens.

And got two SSD portable hard drives to backup my software.

So personally I hope I don't have to buy any tech any time soon!

What about you? Care to share your thoughts?

 

[Tonberry]

I really want to upgrade to a stationary PC again, even though RAM prices are bananas atm.

My 5 year old gaming laptop is starting to get on in years, and that's with me already having replaced all its fans, and changing batteries twice. It still performs well, but it's getting to the point in its life where I'm afraid the hardware might suddenly give up.

Only managed to replace the fans through sheer dumb luck because my warranty had expired, but I sent it in anyways and the peabrains didn't check my fans, so I had to send it back AGAIN which made the whole process free as an apology.

A new (refurbished) phone wouldn't be awful either, I've had mine for ages now.

 

[TruxtonTatsujin TruxtonTatsujin]

I don't need anything, so I'll just pray nothing breaks and needs to be replaced. Though even if it does there's a good chance I can just fix it myself. I've had all I really want for quite some time now, so I haven't really had to deal with the overinflated market myself.

 

[Zerpina]

Well, I have eight PCs....
Three towers, Three mini PCs, and two SFF PCs. The mini PCs and the SFF PCs use DDR3, which I have an abundance of from old PC teardowns, etc., so I'm good on those fronts. The three towers use DDR4, and I have a pair of spare replacement kits for each, which I bought well before all this bullshit started, so I'm covered there.

I'm also good with my pair of laptops. I keep a few empty 1TB SSDs on hand and have multiple backups of everything. I can emulate anything I want to play, so I don't have much to worry about either. As for tech in 2026, unless I find a good deal on an semi decent PC, I doubt I'll buy anything for the foreseeable future.

 

[Kovlak]

Yeah, with smartphone companies rumoured to start putting less RAM in their phones, it is a good idea to get some current/older smartphone.

 

[JellyjamLu]

Well, I have eight PCs....

Wtf? lol

 

[ZEGA ZONIC]

I don't know? I might try to get a PS5, cause I'm not rich enough to buy a high end PC.

 

[JellyjamLu]

Hmmm the ONLY piece of Tech i might invest in is a Steam Machine, not the most powerful thing ever, but I still like the idea of maybe getting one for the home, be handy.

 

[Zerpina]

Wtf? lol

Of the three desktop towers, one is a my work PC, another is a gaming PC, the third is a Batocera emulation PC. The SFF PCs are used for media, movies, anime, YouTube, etc.

The mini PCs are both NAS PCs.

 

[Morgan Katarn]

Honestly nothing I will probably not spend a dime.
I got my gaming pc, I got a 2017 gaming craptop, I got an dual core XP gaming pc and I got a Pentium 4 win 2000 pc.

I got a PS1.2.3.5
I got a Switch, Wii and Wii u
I got a xbox OG, 360 and one

I don´t need anything now. Sure would love a 3ds or PS vita but in my country prices not spiked they have always been stupid high thanks to lower numbers of consoles circulating and thanks to shitty idiotic fans that thinks 10+ year tech is worth allot of money when the age just means it´s 100% more likely do die. Because these idiots don´t change caps or keep got maintenance.

 

[medisinn]

Maybe a Steam Deck? I don't really need it, though, it'd just be a want. My laptop is struggling but I can always reformat it and throw Linux on there instead of shitty-ass Windows 11. My desktop is doing okay, I don't play many current games anyway, I play those on consoles. I'm happy with what I have, just might need to replace a fan or two here or there. I kickstarted the newest Genki Shadowcast and Covert Dock in the Fall, so that will be my new tech for the year when it arrives next month.

 

[TruxtonTatsujin TruxtonTatsujin]

oh I suppose I could use a new phone, but I don't need anything fancy. All it really needs to be able to do is make calls and play MP3s. My current phone randomly shuts off right now.

 

[SherionVane]

I need to buy an RTX laptop that can run DDR4. My old laptops have 32GB single-channel RAM's(3x), which I will combine.

I didn't find that money on the street, so I'm not going to spend it on DDR5 RAM.

Also, I have one broken 4TB SSD at home. I'll try applying an electric current to it or shock it with a magnet. I don't know.I tried to install software on the controller, but it didn't work.

 

[JellyjamLu]

Of the three desktop towers, one is a my work PC, another is a gaming PC, the third is a Batocera emulation PC. The SFF PCs are used for media, movies, anime, YouTube, etc.

The mini PCs are both NAS PCs.

That's a pretty neat setup, you got like a proper office environment going on almost.
Heck put some games on your work PC too lol

 

[Kovlak]

oh I suppose I could use a new phone, but I don't need anything fancy. All it really needs to be able to do is make calls and play MP3s. My current phone randomly shuts off right now.

Mine did also. It was a software problem. The updates sometimes make the hardware shit itself.

Updates screwing the hardware either intentionally or not (e. g. planned obsolence) is another thing to look out for in 2026.

 

[Zerpina]

That's a pretty neat setup, you got like a proper office environment going on almost.
Heck put some games on your work PC too lol

Company would right out Can my ass if i did.
They got no Chill yo

 

[LiberoVulpesLiberoVulpes's icon]

I am fine in tech terms, if anything, I am going more analogue, so the board game collection will be growing a little more this year.

 

[ObscureJigglypuff]

As everyone knows the income from my cult is low, i can only afford a new refine model of pink dildo that vibrate gloriously.

 

[SherionVane]

As everyone knows the income from my cult is low, i can only afford a new refine model of pink dildo that vibrate gloriously.

I think you should try something new and get purple dildo this time

 

[ShinnAsukaYESTaylorSwiftNO]

Yeah, with smartphone companies rumoured to start putting less RAM in their phones, it is a good idea to get some current/older smartphone.

It also doesn't help that Google will cripple the installation of unverified apps on certified Android devices starting this year. So, I suggest anybody who's looking into getting a phone these days get a dumb phone for calls and texts, a smart phone that officially supports LineageOS for almost everything else, and if your use case requires it, a spare smart phone that's certified. Because of Google's pig-headed decision, I moved from a Samsung Galaxy S9 to a HMD Barbie Phone for calls and texts and a Sony Xperia 5 III with LineageOS installed for internet browsing, AI, music, video, and reading on the go.
BTW, I will be prepared this year as I have an ACEMAGIC S3A Mini PC which I have installed Bazzite on, a modded Wii, a modded 2DS, and a ASUS ROG Ally and will hopefully acquire a curved ultrawide monitor and all the necessary components for soft modding my phat PS2 (a PSxMemcard Gen 2, an official Network Adapter, a SATA upgrade kit, and a 1TB HDD) for my birthday this Friday.

 

[ZEGA ZONIC]

As everyone knows the income from my cult is low

Just borrow some Lunarian money. I got a lot of it.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Would try to make my phone last for as long as I can.

 

[vulonkaaz's iconvulonkaaz]

I have everything I would ever need in terms of computation but if I were to lose everything, my first idea would be to ask friends until they give me free stuff, my second idea would be to check Leboncoin (local used market website, in US it would be Craigslist, i guess FB Marketplace works too) it is possible to build entire working desktop setups for less than 100€ if you know how to do it and can cope with lightweight linux distributions

---

apocalypse scenarios aside, my tech plans for this year is to wait and see, if I ever get money this year it will fund vehicles/licenses (I'm way more limited in life due to my mobility situation than my computing situation)

I will be looking at new stuff coming out, especially I got my eyes on a chinese tech named GPMI that's supposed to replace HDMI on chinese TVs (I hate HDMI) and be retrocompatible with USB4/USB type C

I'm also looking at new energy storage solutions we're starting to see sodium-ion batteries hit the market, and I really hope that new donutlab battery that was shown at CES this year don't turn out to be a hoax (I got no hope about this one tbh)

---

if my phone dies (i hope not) I guess I'll just buy a used Google Pixel and install graphene OS and use usb audio dac for 3.5mm jack (ugreen made a good one that have power in to charge phone at the same time and have high res audio)

 

[Stingy Perry Stingy Perry]

No plans at all specially now we have this all sorts of shenanigans going on as long as the tech world is concerned. Though this may not be first but what’s happening now maybe the worst. For me whenever these things happens I just tried to wing it the best that I could. Besides I believe I have what I needed at the moment.