Holiday Gift Guide 2012
Need help gift-buying for gamers this holiday season? Here are some items to look out for.
M-3 Predator Replica
This weighty replica pistol from Mass Effect 3 is presumably crafted using rare space minerals that sell on Earth for around $40 a pound. How else it warrants a $400 price tag is a mystery. Yes, only 600 of them are being made, but for that money you might at least expect it to come with some sort of display stand. Or a holster. You get the gun and a USB charger for its LEDs, and that's it.
Street Fighter Chess
Capcom's Street Fighter series celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, and in a bizarre coincidence, the game of chess has been around for ages as well. It makes perfect sense, then, that the two should come together in this limited-edition chess set. Ryu and M. Bison are the kings, Chun-Li and Juri are queens, and other favorites from the SF roster have roles as bishops, knights, and rooks.
GAEMS G155
Bored with fighting over the family TV when you want to play games? Looking for a solution that can double as an oversized lunchbox in a pinch? This mobile gaming environment has a built-in 15.5-inch LED 720p display and stereo speakers, and can accommodate an Xbox 360 or slim PlayStation 3. Larger "Vanguard" models with 19-inch displays and bigger price tags are also available.
iPod Touch
Owning a new iPod Touch is a lot like owning an iPhone 5 with AT&T. You can use it to listen to music, to watch movies, to play games, and--assuming you're near a Wi-Fi spot--to download all manner of apps. It's not a phone, of course, but that just means there are no contracts, monthly fees, dropped calls, overage charges, or annoying ringtones to worry about. Also, it's available in pink.
Astro A50 Headset
If you game on multiple systems and have ever described yourself as an audiophile, these wireless headphones from Astro are for you. They're comfortable; they go for hours on a single charge; the mic is good; and the sound quality is excellent. They're also compatible with every system that you're likely to be playing games on, assuming you're not from the future. Or space.
Nintendo Wii U
In case you missed it, Nintendo launched a new console this holiday season. It looks like a regular Wii, and you can use the same Wii remote controllers with it, but it's a whole new thing. Buying the black rather than the white system is the way to go; not only does it look better, but for just $50 more, it comes with a game and significantly more internal memory for downloadable games and such.
42 comments
Ever since I got my husband Blockbuster @Home through DISH we haven?t been spending nearly as much money on buying games as we were before. He rents all kinds of games, new and old, so now I have to come up with other things to get him for Christmas. One of my coworkers from DISH thinks I should get him a new headset, but I think that he?d like a Street Fighter chess set even more. Thanks for the idea!
You have WoW monopoly and Halo risk, but you don't Gears of War the Board game (which is incredible). Here was a chance to show other gamers some of the awesome boardgames out there.
The chess set looks cool but the price just doesn't work for me. The different characters for the same pieces for different colors can get confusing though.
I don't know about this list. I've been a gamer for a couple a decades now and I wouldn't want anything on that list lol. Not sure where this list came from...hmmmmm
The Skylanders' description is so bad!!
Basically it's saying: "no need to be creative, forget imagination, everything's already been created for you, generic kid n. x"
The 8-Bit glasses and Retro keychains look like getters.
Me? I'd just be happy if my folks sent me a Steam card, or gifted me a game on Steam or GOG.
1 Like @games_are_fun71 I suspect someone with a screen name of games_are_fun71 doesn't need a guide telling him or her what games to buy.
Seriously? No Scumbag plushie?http://store.supergiantgames.com/collections/frontpage/products/scumbag-plushie
Alternatively, one can wait for the Steam christmas sale, and buy games you'd normally pay at retail price for dirt cheap.
1 Like Um, you do realize not even close to everyone is a PC gamer, or even has a PC capable of it.
@tightwad34 A fair point, though games and movies are still a better choice than overpriced merchandise.
1 Like I'd love that Astro headseat. Anybody gonna get it for me as a gift? No? Ah well, it was worth a shot.
3 Like Wow. Its amazing. In this list, there are so many things I DON'T WANT AT ALL. Not even as a gift. But seriously, a $300 chess game? , a NES/SNES hybrid console?, Lego Minecraft? The only thing that I want (videogames) is not listed here. Beats me
2 Like @avatarIVN This whole site is a "list" of video games. Take a look at the Top Rated list if you'd like recommendations for games.
Mass Effect weapon replica is cool, although I'd want a Viper SR and a Harrier AR instead of the Predator.
I lol'ed at the chess set.
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