Birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, 40 years of Space Invaders—there always seems to be something else to celebrate and more presents to buy. If you are looking for a gift for a gamer, there is plenty of choice.
PC, PlayStation, Wii, or Xbox?
It is highly likely that your gamer will have chosen one of the four main systems to play on. PCs, PlayStations, Wiis, and Xboxes all have their passionate devotees. Many accessories are designed to work with one or the other.
If your gamer needs something to occupy them when out and about and the smartphone doesn’t quite do the job, perhaps they would like a handheld device like a Nintendo 3DS.
Head and Hands
There is always a better controller that a gamer will yearn for. The Dualshock is ideal for the PlayStation, and the Design Lab for the Xbox comes in some very eye-catching colors. For those who play their games on the PC, a Steam Controller makes the break away from mouse and keypad to get deeper into the gaming experience.
To the gamer the audio experience is as important as the visual, so a decent headset will always enhance the enjoyment. They come in a wide range of prices and features. Apart from the sound quality you want to look for something that will be comfortable to wear for long hours without getting too sweaty. Wireless headsets give that bit of extra freedom.
A Treat for the Eyes
The visual effects of modern games are stunning and ask more and more of the capacity of displays. For someone who wants the most out of the newest games for the PC, it is well worth looking into the best monitors for gaming that are available. You probably want a 24-inch screen with a good depth of color and a high resolution. The higher the refresh rate (the number of times in a second that the screen is refreshed) and the lower the response time (how quickly a pixel changes) the more comfortable the effect.
For the totally immersive experience, of course, many gamers are turning to virtual reality. The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive have been the leaders in this field, and Sony has recently released its own much-anticipated PlayStation headset—remember that you also need a PlayStation Camera. A much cheaper option is the Samsung Gear VR which works with Samsung phones.
Unless you share a gaming obsession, it might be best to let your gamer choose the games. If all else fails, you can always give them a gaming gift card, like this Steam card $100, available for all the main systems.
What About the Games?
Unless you share the gaming obsession, it might be best to let your gamer choose the games. If all else fails, you can always give them a gaming gift card, available for all the main systems.
Play On
Today’s gaming is a serious business, and gamers can occupy a world which seems to have its own languages and currency. For those on the outside looking in, something that will add a new dimension to the experience on any level cannot fail to show that you care.
Jacob Simpson is a geek through and through! He works at a software company by day, and at night and weekends enjoys gaming and working on a top-secret coding project!