Gaming Age Holiday Gift Guide 2020

Dustin

Arcade 1Up – Various options ? $149.99 on up

I had been eyeballing the various stand-up arcade replica units that Arcade 1up was putting out in recent years, but the one that actually got me to pull the trigger was their Burgertime cabinet that launched earlier this year directly through the website. I love Burgertime, I love the recreated ? sized cabinet, and it?s a purchase I?ve been happy with ever since. Putting the cabinet together was surprisingly easy, it arrived in perfect shape, and I?ve not had a single issue with the machine since I received it. The only thing that keeps me from buying more of these replica arcade units is the limited space in my apartment, but even that might not be enough to sway me from their upcoming Outrun driving cabinet, or their various virtual pinball machines that will launch in the coming months.

If you?ve got an older gaming fan these arcade units make for an excellent gift idea, but even younger players will likely find something to enjoy in Arcade 1up?s ever-growing selection of cabinets. And if pricing and/or space is a factor, you can also check out their assortment of ?countercade? units featuring mainstays like Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Dig Dug, and many more.

Oculus Quest 2 ?  $299.99 for 64GB, $399.99 for 256GB

Admittedly, my experience with VR has been somewhat limited. I own a PlayStation VR headset that I enjoy but hate setting up, and I?ve also owned a phone-powered Samsung Gear VR at some point in the past. VR has definitely felt cool but being tethered by wires or coming dangerously close to overheating my phone has made my overall experience feel a little lukewarm at best.

Oculus Quest 2 has changed all of that for me. Releasing this year with two different models based on storage size, I?ve found this to be my favorite VR experience so far, and it would be legitimately hard to go back to playing PlayStation VR after this. This unit consists of the headset and two controllers, no wires, no messy set-up process, and offers the most straightforward VR experience you?re likely going to get. It also works, really, really well. The controls, which consist of two joysticks with motion sensors built in that can detect individual finger movement are remarkably precise.

The headset is comfortable to wear, fits a variety of noggins, and feels sturdy and durable overall. There?s a number of fantastic games already available on the platform, along with a number of free apps to mess around with to show off the Oculus Quest 2?s capabilities. If you have anyone in the family considering VR this year, Oculus Quest 2 is definitely the way to go.

LEGO Super Mario – Assorted sets and figures ? $59.99 and up

The fact that it took this long for LEGO and Nintendo to cross paths seems sort of wild, but now that they have, the end result has been pretty rad in my opinion. Not just content to make sets based on popular Mario games and locations, LEGO has gone all-in by allowing players to create courses built up from sets and accessories, with scannable codes attached to pieces that allow you to create a sort of LEGO filled game as you bounce the interactive Super Mario figure across your created play space. It?s something that will surely appeal to younger players and LEGO fans, but also something that?ll bring great joy to old fans like myself.

The sets are also pretty affordable overall, but if you?re looking to pick this up for someone this holiday, you may want to consider tracking down the starter set first, which will give you the interactive Mario figure that?s sort of necessary to make the whole concept come together. From there you can pick up a number of themed sets and accessories, along with the blind bag LEGO mini-figures that give you buildable bad guys for Mario to stomp on. It?s a really fun concept and something that can also make for an excellent stocking stuffer thanks to the variety of minifigs available now.

Tyler

Seagate Firecuda Gaming Dock ? $349.99

Seagate is swinging for the fences with their catch-all Gaming Dock, the FireCuda. This beast sports a 4TB HDD, with an easy to access expansion slot for a lightning fast NVMe SSD. Perfect for Laptop gamers needing some organization and extra storage, or Desktop gamers who want an outstanding looking back-up, or just easy access/moveable storage space. The storage space, coupled with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, five USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports, a DisplayPort 1.4, an RJ45 Ethernet network port, a 3.5mm audio-in/mic port, and a 3.5mm audio-out port make this an all-in-one accessory that is perfect for just about every type of gamer out there.

Edifier G4 TE Gaming Headset ? $69.99

Quality sound does not have to cost an arm and a leg anymore. With more and more companies moving into the headset market, it is easy to get lost looking for something new and inadvertently spend too much on a product, without getting much of a return on that investment. The Edifier G4 TE headset is at the perfect intersection of price and performance. Normally $75, but frequently on sale for as low as $50 on Amazon, the G4 TE delivers top-notch, 7.1 Surround Sound with quality noise cancellation.

In addition to the performance, this headset is light as a feather, with the ultra-light frame open on the top to reduce weight, this will not weigh you down after hours of use.

G Fuel Energy Drinks ? $14.99 and up

G Fuel Energy Drink products give players a solid shot of caffeine with none of the calories or sugar of most energy drinks. No sugar, no crash, perfect for pulling all-nighters with your friends on Call of Duty or for a jolt of morning energy before your next Zoom meeting.

G Fuel is cheaper than most commercial energy drinks, yes still somehow manages to be both delicious and effective.

Benny

Teenage Engineering PO-133 Street Fighter Pocket Operator ? $89.00

A perfect gift for a gamer that is also a musician of any kind. This tiny device that looks like a Calculator, packs a punch. From audio samples from the original Street Fighter 2 to drums and melody sounds, you can make your own remixes of the games level music or create something original entirely. As a musician, I?ve always loved to see these on YouTube, but never experienced one until now and it?s an addiction. They are a fun little gadget you can take anywhere, runs on two Double A batteries and comes in a Mega man themed model.

Mr. Lee?s Noodles Instant Noodles ? 8 Pack Variety $31.99

As someone that is not a vegetable lover, I?ve longed to find a way to include them in my daily diet. I?ve tried a variety of things, like drinking V8 or even Veggie supplements. It?s not an easy thing to do when you simply have not eaten them most of your life. When I learned about Mr. Lee?s instant noodles, I was intrigued. I?m a big ramen person and with working remotely since March, I need something quick an easy to eat while working and decided to give them a try. They are delicious and even crazier; I eat them without removing any of the veggies. Gamers relate to Cup Noodles and as someone that always used to remove the veggies, Mr. Lee has found a way to bring veggies into my life.

Seagate Themed External Drives – Current and next Generation consoles ? $99.99 and up

With the recent release of the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X, one thing is on everyone?s mind. How are we going to manage storage with the limited included space between the consoles. The answer isn?t straight forward, but we may have a way to make things a bit more manageable. With both consoles, you can play most previous generation games on both, with the Xbox supporting games from every previous generation.

The good news with this is you can run these previous gen games on standard external drives. The bad news is you cannot play next gen titles from them. This is where storage management is key. With only the Xbox Series S/X having an available expansion drive for next gen games, you may want to limit your internal storage for next gen/optimized games for now.

A great gift would be the various Themed drives from Seagate which will work with the new consoles, given many people will get the consoles as a gift. For Xbox, Seagate offers a sweet ?Cyberpunk 2077? themed drive that gives you 4TB of external storage. This works great on the Series X and now I only run my optimized games on the internal drive. For the PS fans, they also have a ?The Last of Us 2? themed drive with 2TB of storage. With the PS5, you must work a little harder to manage your installs, but you can run PS4 games off this drive. The major benefit for these as a gift is, they are inexpensive for storage they offer.

Chris D.

Hyperkin Retron 77 HD Console ? $69.99

If you want to surprise the older gamer in your family that remembers playing the Atari 2600, then the Retron 77 Console from Hyperkin is a perfect gift. This is a 720p HD console designed to play Original Atari 2600 Cartridges on your HDTV.

Hook up is a breeze, hook up the included HDMI cable and the 5v Power Adapter and you’ll be playing all of those classic Atari games in a snap! The included controller is reminiscent of the original Atari Joystick, only this design has two fire buttons for left-handed and right-handed players.

All the original switches from the original console are here so you can increase or decrease difficulty in games, select the number of players and even play the games in Black and White! Some new features added are a switch that gives you a 4:3 or a 16:9 video option, plus a completely new idea with a button called “Fry”. The Fry Button is a fun addition that will simulate tilting or wiggling the actual cartridge to mess around with the game?s graphics and sounds. It’s a fun little extra that not many will use, but some folks will get a kick out it.

Overall, this is the best way to play your actual 2600 carts on a modern TV. You can find one of these at many online retailers this holiday season for $59.99.

Dragon’s Lair X Replicade Mini Arcade ? $149.99

Take a step back into the early 1980s with this mini 1:1 replica of “Dragon’s Lair”, an arcade machine that uses Laserdisc technology to allow the player to play an actual cartoon. Published by Cinematronics and created by world renown Animator Don Bluth, you guide “Dirk The Daring” as he tries to save the princess from the Evil Dragon!”

This entire game is played by making decisions of where Dirk should go or do in each room. You don’t have many seconds to think so you have to act fast. Make the wrong move and you are treated to a Death Animation of our hero. It was an innovative game back in the 1980s and now Replicade has completely recreated this experience with this new mini cabinet.

It looks and plays exactly like the original, just a whole lot smaller. The design is perfect with all the original artwork from the original perfectly recreated. On the back, you can plug the machine into an HDMI enabled TV so you can play the game on a larger screen. On the inside there is a fantastic special touch where they recreated a mini replica of the actual laserdisc player AND laserdisc that powered the original Dragon’s Lair. it’s not connected to anything, but it’s super cool that Replicade retained this level of detail

ATGames Legends Ultimate Arcade Cabinet ? $599.99

If you’ve ever wanted to own your own arcade machine, you had to shell out big bucks and allocate a lot of room in your house for one. Until Arcade1Up came on the scene with a line of affordable (and smaller) licensed arcade cabinets. Until now, no one challenged 1Up’s hold on the home arcade scene, until unlikely rival ATGames came along with their Legends Ultimate Cabinet.

For the price of one higher end Arcade 1Up machine, that may give you up to 6 different titles, the Legends Ultimate comes packed with 150 arcade titles, and 150 console titles right out of the box. It’s closer in size to a full-size arcade cabinet from the days of the old school arcade but can still fit in most homes and apartments with very little trouble. After building the system using the easy to follow instructions, you power it up and PRESTO, your very own arcade in your home!

Anthony

LEGO 1989 Batwing Set ? $200

?Where does he get those wonderful toys?? – Joker (1989 Batman)

The 1989 Batman movie celebrated its 30th Anniversary last year with an excellent Lego Black Box Series Batmobile.  Lego has continued the celebration well into 2020 with the release of the Black Box Series Batwing, a 2000+ Lego set retailing for $200 that is the perfect complement to last year?s Batmobile.

If you have a kid, or even a kid at heart who loves this movie then you should definitely look in purchasing this new release.  It is a solid piece that can be displayed either on a stand or mounted to the wall (a first for Lego) to simulate the iconic scene in the movie where the Batwing passes in front of a full moon to simulate the Bat Signal. This set is a must own for Lego enthusiasts and will most likely be at the top of their wish list this year, so do not hesitate on purchasing one should you see it available online or at a Lego store.

Stan

Game & Watch Super Mario Bros ? $49.99 + Rose Colored Gaming Stand ? $6.99

Confuse the younger people in your life by buying them a device whose primary function is to tell time! Thankfully Nintendo was gracious enough to include 2 NES roms (Super Mario Bros and Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels) and a single screen faux-LCD game as a value add. All snark aside, this is a nice little nostalgic gift for some of the older gamers and kids of the 80s. I’m sure the games will be played once or twice, but at least they’ll have a timepiece, now if only Nintendo included a stand to help display this item. Well where Nintendo dropped the ball, Rose Colored Gaming recovered this fumble with their Game & Watch display stand holder. Simplistic and functional, this stand will make it easier for you to display your Game & Watch as a clock and if you want something fancier RCG also offers one in Famicom colors for nearly double the price of the plain holder.

Hotline 16000 Power Bank ? $39.99

Everyone knows Starlord (Who?), rock a “Walkman” like him except instead of playing tunes from the 80s this will charge your phone so you can play contemporary classics like WAP. This power bank can charge up 3 devices at once (2 via USB 3.0 A and USB C. Wirelessly through the qi standard), so you’re not reliant on multiple chargers.

It’s a niche and functional gift for anyone who spends time outside. Also, as vestigial as it is, the buttons and sliders can be pressed and slid respectively.

Bella Pro Series – 2-qt. Analog Air Fryer – Black Matte ? $39.99

One of the perks of dining out is fried food. Tradition oil frying when replicated at home is a hassle, cleanup is a lot of work, getting rid of the oil means discretely running out in the middle of the night and pouring the oil into the near sewage drain and stovetops never heat the oil enough hot enough to replicate the cooking conditions of restaurants. That’s why air frying is a good compromise. Air fry frozen food such as fries, tater tots, hash browns to near restaurant quality heat and texture. The operation of the Bella Pro Series is so simple that even a kitchen amateur who is likely to burn boiling water can use it.

but if you’re feeling generous, here’s some recommendations for those who like to flex financially when gift giving.

Terraonion Mode ? $216.77

It’s always nice to have options, and Terraonion has built an ODE (Optical Drive Emulator…it replaces the disc drives, Kids) which can be installed on the SEGA Saturn/SEGA Dreamcast. Put an entire library of games that would probably bankrupt you if you bought them individually (Panzer Dragoon Saga costs $1500 on the black market!) or play Atomiswave titles that never received a home port (Atomiswave is an arcade system uses similar technology used to create the Dreamcast). New features are constantly being rolled out and additional console support have been announced as Terraonion recently revealed that the Sony PlayStation will be supported soon, although installation will require some soldering know-how.

PS4 Pro / Xbox One X ? $399/$399

So you didn’t get the latest hotness, but hey is that really a bad thing? A console in its twilight years has most of its kinks worked out and a hefty game library. Also, these new consoles don’t exactly have a killer app yet and many titles being released will appear on both generations of consoles for quite some time (Cyberpunk 2077, anyone?).

Get the most bang for your buck by getting a “last gen” console! (eds. note: if you can find them)