Mike Epstein
Reviews Editor
As Reviews Editor, Mike Epstein helps shape Popular Science’s gear-focused coverage, including product reviews and roundups. He’s covered the consumer technology and video games industry for over ten years, writing reviews and service-focused articles for sites like IGN, Gamespot, Lifehacker, Gizmodo, PCMag, LaptopMag, Variety, and more.
Highlights
- Veteran reporter, editor, and critic.
- Wrote a lot of video game and gadget reviews at many prestigious publications.
- Knows a lot about video games. Also, other stuff.
- Very opinionated, hence all the reviews, but wants to help you buy the version of that thing you want that fits your lifestyle.
Experience
Mike Epstein joined Popular Science as Reviews Editor to help drive the site’s gear section, which writes recommendation-focused articles about consumer technology, including recommendations of the “best” products and reviews of individual devices. Prior to finding a work home at PopSci, he covered technology and culture professionally for the past decade for a wide variety of outlets. His professional writing career began with an internship at Kotaku, which led to many freelance and staff positions at digital publications, including Digital Trends, where he served as Gaming Editor. Just before starting at PopSci, he was the primary keyboard and mouse reviewer for PCMag and a frequent critic for many of the largest enthusiast gaming websites, including IGN, Gamespot, and GamesRadar. Though games and gaming hardware has been his primary focus, he’s also written about the wider world of consumer tech, including computers, wearables, smartphones, and more.
Education
Mike graduated from Brandeis University in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and American Studies. In 2015, he received a Master of Science degree from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism.
Favorite weird science fact
I’m a sucker for really strange games and gadgets from bygone eras. Remember Monster Rancher, the 1997 PlayStation game that generated Pokemon-like monster pets based on your CDs? Also, remember CDs?
Notable Work
- Analogue Pocket Review: History in Your Hands Popular Science
- The Best Games of 2021 Popular Science
- Returnal Review (Gamespot) Popular Science
- Apple Watch Series 7 Review: Living Larger Popular Science
- The best controllers for PC Popular Science
- Portfolio Mike Epstein