If the last couple of years has taught me anything about the gaming market, it’s that you have to strike while the proverbial iron is hot. Over the past two years, just about every console became hard to buy at one point or another. Some of your friends or family members may still just want an Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch or PlayStation 5 (especially with all the new games and DLC released throughout this year) but perhaps they don’t want games, and you might be looking for some inspiration for something related. Here are a few suggestions for gifts for day-to-day gaming or for enhancing their gaming space.
A wearable gift for your gamer
Every time I’ve talked about interesting gamer gifts, wearables have always been a recommendation, but I’d previously regarded them as piece for activity-based gaming. Now I’m starting to see them incorporated much more into the games I play. If you’re a Supernatural VR player like I was at one point, there is a mobile app for it as well as an accompanying Apple Watch app. Twitch streamers are also using apps like Hyperate to broadcast their heartrates on stream using wearables like Fitbits, Apple Watches and more. Wearables are a great multi purpose choice that have a variety of uses even when the owner isn’t gaming.
VR headsets for gamer gifts
The latest version of the Meta Quest was just released in October 2023 and has been receiving rave reviews so far. I personally own one of the previous generation models and have been a huge fan. I use it mainly for gaming and for workouts, including the previously mentioned Supernatural VR. While the price tag hovers around the cost of a new gaming console, consider that this in itself is a standalone console of sorts, and there are plenty of titles available in the gaming library as well as the ability to connect through to Steam and onboard VR titles you buy there.
Comfortable gifts for a gamer
There are two things I consider when I think about comfort in a gaming space – chairs and desks.
Gaming chairs as a gift
I never used to be picky about my chairs, but as I get older, I’m starting to see the benefit of a good comfortable chair. There are a lot of different chairs out there with varying degrees of ergonomic and lumbar support. There’s also the choice between PC chairs and console gaming chairs, the latter of which don’t have legs and would be suitable for somebody who uses a handheld or whose TV is on an entertainment unit rather than mounted up high on the wall.
Gaming desks take up less space
Gaming desks are also a really neat concept that don’t necessarily take up a lot of space like a lot of office desks do. There are some really minimalist gaming desks out there which simply provide enough space to place your screen and device, while some have larger setups for you to place multiple things.We did some work at home recently to my home office space, and I’ve always wondered if an L-Shaped desk (like this Costway desk) might be a logical next step if I ever wanted to replace my standing one. An L-Shaped desk would allow me to keep my work stuff set up to one side, and then my personal laptop and monitor(s) on the other without constantly shuffling things around which I do now. I’ll have to give it some more thought.
Make a gaming space feel more like home
One of the most fun additions to my gaming area over the past while has been the addition of back lighting to my TV. It’s a really simple and really inexpensive space enhancer, but I absolutely love it. Right now, I’m using Kasa’s Smart Lighting strips and have created a handful of pre-sets I can utilize on my phone. Whichever light strip you go with (be it Kasa or, say, Philips Hue) should have a large enough light strip length to cover off any sized TVs. You can then stick it to your TV and then cut off the excess.
I also have some Nanoleaf lighting in my home office which started more out of necessity (since that side of the room doesn’t have its own light fixture) and I received expansion kits for my birthday last year. I have a large blank wall behind me at home and am thinking about the best way to utilize all of these lights in the space once some of the renovation work we’re doing at home is complete.
There are also some accessories you could place in your gamer’s space, like gaming plushies or action figures. Best Buy online currently has a huge selection of Nintendo plushies of all shapes and sizes, LEGO (including the Super Mario Bros line,) action figures and even Funko Pops.
Good controllers are a gamer staple
I was never really picky about gaming controllers, but after playing with more professional types like the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, I can notice the difference. That said, controllers can be a bit of an investment, with many costing as much, if not more, than a new game. They are a great investment for your gamer and I’d highly recommend taking this route.
I’ve migrated largely to PC gaming over the last year and while my new laptop connects directly to and recognizes all of my Bluetooth controllers, my old laptop didn’t and I really could have done with something like 8BitDo’s Bluetooth Adapter which would have helped retrofit something newer to my laptop. 8BitDo has some great products in general, and are set to release a mechanical keyboard and supporting peripherals heavily geared toward retro gamers, so keep an eye out for that one if that’s in your gamer’s wheelhouse.
Streaming or podcasting gifts for a gamer
With migrating to PC gaming, I’ve been watching a lot of Twitch streamers in the background of things I do and sometimes I get more fascinated by their setups than I do their content. If you’ve got a gamer that’s a content creator or who is interested in doing any of this, there are a couple gifts you could consider getting them.
The first is a green screen to help cover up their background. Depending on how much room you have, there are a couple options. First is the traditional backdrop, but I’ve become a bigger fan of the portable chair screen green screen (shown at left.) This one hooks up to a chair, is inexpensive and can be collapsed between screens so it doesn’t get in the way.
Next up is a microphone. I have a couple of Blue microphones I keep for voice overs that I do at home and I stand by the audio quality of the brand. Logitech has even partnered with Blue on a streamers’ kit, complete with a pop filter. I own one of these microphones and definitely recommend it. That said, there are lots of different microphones to choose from, depending on budget and quality. Regardless, I’d say that a pop filter is a must if they will be speaking into a mic regularly.
Depending on how and what they stream, they might also be in the market for a new, or better capture card. There are a lot of different options out there, with offerings from Razer as well as Elgato. If the setup is particularly elaborate and could use a little organization, there are also controller consoles that help you tie things together, like Razer’s Stream Controller X. Then, depending on how serious of a setup this is, they might benefit from a mixer (if the stream controllers don’t do the trick for them) or a new webcam as well!
Subscription gifts for your gamer
Over the last decade or so, the rising cost of subscription services and microtransactions have put a dent in the budget for many gamers. XBox Game Pass has risen in cost a little bit over the past couple years, but the span of offerings has also increased, including first day offerings. Starfield, for example, was released at no additional cost to all Game Pass subscribers, so we took advantage of that offer. We also still maintain a Nintendo Online Family Membership at home.
A family friend of ours always buys my daughter the latest copy of Just Dance and an annual subscription to the Unlimited service every year for Christmas and her birthday respectively. Your gamer might have these, want these, or may like to buy a lot of in-game add-ons, whether it be DLC or loot (or something like a Roblox card.) Some games out there have in game currency cards for sale, some don’t. You can buy subscription cards for just about all of them. If you cannot, there are plenty of other options such as the generic cards for the console the gamer owns. Some of these can also come in the form of gift cards if you can’t decide which way to go.
Choose the best gifts for your gamer
Whatever you choose to get your gamer, I hope you’ve found a gift that makes an impact. I know I’m going to be looking at one of those chair green screens myself. What have you bought your gamers over the years? Do you have any other suggestions? Please leave us a comment below.
