Gifts for Gamers - A 2016 Top10Tech Holiday Gift Guide to The Best Gifts For Gamers (Valve Steam Lin
- Ray Ian Ampoloquio
- Oct 28, 2016
- 4 min read
Finding a gift for the gamer in your life isn’t easy, more so if you’re not a huge gamer yourself. You may end up buying a title in the wrong genre, or one for the wrong platform. You may even end up buying a game that they already have, which can be quite a bummer. It also doesn’t help that there’s such a wide selection out there, making choosing just one gift quite confusing.
Worry not! Below is a list of 10 gifts for gamers that are guaranteed winners and much more personal than cash, or the usual gift certificate to your local video game store.
Valve Steam Link (US$49.99)
Valve has released quite a number of hardware products over the past two years. However, the Steam Link is, by far, one of the cheapest and most functional.
Built to allow gamers to stream their games directly from their Steam Library to their HDTV with little to no problems, this tiny box makes couch gaming much more accessible and less of a drag.
Wireless Controller Adapters for Windows (US$24.99)
Although previous generation’s gamepads work just fine out of the box and often come with their own wireless adapters, the same can’t be said for the newer ones. It’s a good thing that both Microsoft and Sony has released wireless adapters for their new controllers.
Each costing $24.99, these wireless adapters are heaven sent for gamers who’re looking to do some couch gaming, but are unable to do so after buying a pair of new gamepads.
A Kick-Ass Gaming Keyboard (US$79.99 ++++)
When it comes to gaming keyboards, either you go mechanical, or you don’t buy a “gaming keyboard” at all. Although quite pricey, mechanical keyboards are well worth their price. They also make great gifts for anyone who has a hardcore gamer in their life.
The Thermaltake Poseidon Z has an MSRP of $79.99. It’s considered by many as one of the best entry-level mechanical keyboards in the market. Of course, for its “low” price, you can’t expect much from it except that it’s a basic mechanical keyboard with blue backlighting.
Outside of the Poseidon Z, you can go with the Logitech G610 Orion and G810 Orion Spectrum, which costs $120 and $160 respectively. There’s also the Razer Blackwidow Chroma ($170) and Corsair Vengeance K95 RGB ($190). Though, it doesn’t really matter which of these you give. So long as they’re not currently using a mechanical keyboard, they’ll surely be happy with whichever mechanical keyboard you get them.
Just be ready for the noise, though.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Medallion and Chain (US$29.99)
To you and anyone else, this medallion and chain is just a typical 30-inch chain with a metal wolf head. To gamers, though, it will remind them of hundreds of hours they’ve spent playing The Witcher 3, where the medallion would tingle soon as it senses magic. Of course, this isn’t exactly made from enchanted meteorite ore. Instead, this one is made of a magnesium alloy. Still, it makes for a pretty nice and thoughtful gift, and one that any gamer would be able to appreciate.
Playstation Plus / Xbox Live Gold Subscriptions (US$49.99 / US$59.99)
Do you have a console gamer in your life? Then a PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold 12-month subscription should make for quite the nice gift. They’ll surely appreciate not having to renew their membership for another year.
Elgato Game Capture HD60 S (US$179.95)
If you know a gamer with some serious skill that needs to be shown off to the rest of the world, this capture card can be their ticket to some fame and success. Besides, with many “content creators” making money off of playing and streaming on YouTube and Twitch, a capture card could very well help propel someone to newer heights.
Introduced just this April 2016, the Elgato Game Capture HD60 S boasts many improvements upon its predecessor, the HD60. It certainly would make for the perfect gift for the budding content creator and amateur video game player in your life.
Pokemon Sun and Moon (US$39.99)
Released in November, Pokémon Sun and Moon introduces the 7th generation of Pokémon, new legendaries, new starter Pokémon, and a bunch of other new features. This a no-brainer gift for anyone who has a Poké geek in their life.
Kingston HyperX Cloud Revolver (US$120)
Gamers these days do a lot of communicating, regardless of platform. That said, the gamer in your life would surely appreciate a clear-sounding and comfortable headset that they can wear for hours without any problem.
The Kingston HyperX Cloud Revolver is well-known within gaming circles as one of the best gaming headsets available today. Although, if $120 is too much, the Kingston HyperX Cloud and SteelSeries Siberia V3 Prism are okay alternatives for half the price.
Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam (US$99)
An improvement over its predecessor, the Logitech C920, you can do no better than the Logitech C922 as far as entry-level streaming webcams go. Although streaming is lucrative only to a select few, it doesn’t really hurt to give it a shot, doesn’t it?
Give the gamer in your life a fighting chance to earn some spotlight with a capable streaming device such as the Logitech C922.
Blue YETI Mic (US$129)
In a world full of content creators and streamers, those that manage to stand out make good content. To do so, you’ll need a capable streaming device, a good capture card and some solid audio. And no, the built-in audio on webcams just won’t cut it. The same goes for the mic on headsets. For this, something more specific is necessary, like the Blue Yeti.
With a price that won’t break the bank, the Blue Yeti Mic is the go-to-mic for content creators. It works out of the box on both Windows and OS X and comes with four modes, including one for solo and another for interviews. It also has an adjustable gain, a mute button, and even an analog port for headsets.
There you have it. 10 gift suggestions for gamers that they’ll surely love and thank you for!
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