Great gaming gifts for grads
New Nintendo 3DS XL
Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5 The good: The 3- D screens are improved by new face- tracking, and the larger size offers a less cramped viewing experience. Internal changes and updates add a behind- the- scenes boost.
The bad: The poor battery life hasn’t improved. Having to remove the back of the console to change the SD card is a poor design choice and the data-transfer process is infuriating. Also, there’s no AC charger in the box — you have to buy one separately.
The cost: $ 209 The bottom line: The 3DS XL’s improved 3- D head- tracking is a big step up, and its performance boost more makes a noticeable difference. A few head- scratching design choices prevent us from falling for the New 3DS XL, but this is still the best Nintendo portable to get.
PlayStation 4
Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5 The good: The PlayStation serves up dazzling graphics, runs on a simplified and logical interface and boasts a fantastic controller. It has the upper hand on indie and digital- only games and can stream legacy titles through PlayStation Now, too. It makes it super easy to capture and broadcast gameplay online and generally delivers zippier performance than its competition. And it doubles as a Blu- ray player and streaming box.
The bad: PS3 games aren’t compatible and PlayStation Now streaming isn’t flawless. The Xbox One ( and even the older PS3) has a slight edge on nongaming entertainment features such as network media streaming, media app support and remote- control compatibility. The cost: $ 400 The bottom line: The beautiful graphics, smart interface, blazing performance, near- perfect controller and better indie offerings give it a slight edge over the Xbox One as both consoles enter their second year.
PlayStation Vita Slim
Cnet rating: 4 stars out of 5 The good: The Vita Slim charges with any Micro- USB cable, is thinner and lighter, has improved battery life, and works nicely as a PS4 accessory for local game streaming. The game library has improved too, including freebies for PS Plus subscribers.
The bad: Expensive proprietary memory cards are necessary and annoying; new LCD display is less vivid than the original Vita’s OLED display; the lack of rumble and extra buttons means some remote- play PS4 games translate awkwardly.
The cost: $ 199 The bottom line: Two years in, the Vita has come of age and become a refined piece of hardware and an excellent place to play a lot of games. You don’t need one, but it’s really fun and worth its price.
Alienware Alpha
Cnet rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 The good: The Alpha plays a huge library of PC games in a living- room-friendly format, and it works with a standard Xbox 360 controller.
The bad: It’s built around the Steam gaming platform, so it’s harder to use for PC games purchased elsewhere. The custom interface is slow and clunky, and the base configuration is underpowered for long- term use. The cost: $ 435 to $ 559
The bottom line: The bold Alienware Alpha makes good on many parts of its promise to meld the gaming PC and living room game console, but there are still too many rough edges to make this a true console killer.