South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Great gaming gifts for the holidays
Game consoles, new games and gaming accessories are an easy holiday win. Finding exactly what you want, however, can be trickier. Yes, the PS5 from Sony is now easier to buy than at any point in its two-year lifespan, but you still have to hunt around a bit. The Xbox Series X and Series S are generally easy to get your hands on now, as is the OLED Nintendo Switch. But if the gamer in your life already has their console of choice, or spending upward of five bills on a single gift is a little out of your comfort zone, we have other suggestions for you in the way of accessories that will make their gaming life easier, and probably a lot more fun. If you want all of our best gaming gift ideas, check out CNET’s full list at cnet.co/3XRRPYy.
XBOX CORE WIRELESS CONTROLLER
The Xbox controller has become the unofficial industry standard. It connects via Bluetooth, so it works on not only Xbox consoles, but also your PC or Mac, iPhone, Android phone or iPad, and even the Apple TV. Since nearly every PC game, and many iOS games, are already mapped to work with this game controller, it’s about as close to pick-up-and-play as a gaming accessory can get.
HYPERX CLOUD STINGER 2 GAMING HEADSET
For the budget-friendly price of $50 (or less!), this remains one of the most comfortable gaming headsets under $100 you’ll ever clamp over your ears. Among the updates from the previous version, the Cloud Stinger 2 now has an expanded frequency response on both ends, an updated headband with rotating earcups, a bendier boom for the mic and a better on-ear volume dial.
PANIC PLAYDATE
The Panic Playdate is tiny, yellow, has a nonbacklit black-and-white screen, and plays its own unique indie games, 24 of which come included with the purchase price. Games are controlled with buttons, a D-pad and a wacky turning crank that’s used in multiple games to good effect. The Playdate’s adorable and weird, very experimental-feeling, and we have no idea what future games will arrive. But it’s destined to be a collector’s item for handheld and indie game lovers. It’s currently available for preorder with an estimated shipping date of early 2023, but you can print out your receipt and put it in the stocking of your favorite gamer.