The festive season is in full swing but with a limited time left to grab gifts, those GPUs and next-generation consoles might be a little bit beyond us. If you’re still looking for something that will satisfy that gaming itch, fit nicely into a parcel, or won’t break the bank then the team at Gamespace has some ideas for last-minute gaming gifts that will also fill the odd stocking just ahead of Christmas.
PowerA Moga XP5 Plus Bluetooth Controller
The first stocking filler on our last-minute gift guide is the PowerA Moga XP5 Plus Bluetooth Controller. With family gatherings happening, lockdown restrictions permitting of course, and everyone in front of the TV for the festive specials, some of us won’t get time to finish the dailies unless we go mobile. The PowerA Moga XP5 Plus Bluetooth Controller is designed to give gamers a fully-fledged controller fully capable of connecting and coordinating mobile play across iOS and Android devices, as well as hooking up to a PC when you get some time. Released earlier last year, the PowerA Moga XP5 Plus Bluetooth Controller is a great balance of button options, customization, and portability for exploring Mondstadt through to anything the Xbox Ultimate Game Pass has to offer. Coming in at around $35 and available now, this will at least give a gamer a fighting chance during the upcoming festivities. You can pick up the PowerA at major retailers and the official website.
PowerA Switch Wired Controller – Mario Holiday Sweater Edition
If you’re looking for a little festive kitsch with your gaming gift then this PowerA wired controller is a great gift to throw below the tree. While the Moga XP5 might do the trick for most PC, console, and mobile gamers, the Nintendo Switch is an entirely different scenario. Nintendo Switch owners who love the holiday spirits are likely to appreciate the holiday skin that this officially licensed accessory brings to the day. The PowerA Wired Switch Controller is available at less than $30, depending on the retailer, and allows competitive types to wire into the Nintendo Switch dock, sidestepping latency, while offering up all the same buttons that Nintendo’s own controllers do. We even love the red cable. It’s just missing a little tinsel too.
LucidSound LS10X Wired Gaming Headset
While our options on controllers give gamers plenty of choice for finding the target, keeping your ears open is just as important, especially when the relatives are around. The LucidSound LS10X and LS10P are great budget buys from LucidSound that can help keep the right sounds in and the festive karaoke sessions out. These wired PlayStation and Xbox compatible headsets come in a range of colors, from classic black to the neon Electric Volt option. They include tuned 50mm drivers with plenty of oomph while incorporating dual microphones, Lucisound’s custom earcup controls, and plenty of padding for long gaming sessions. These won’t compete with audiophile drivers but they will absolutely blow the no-name brand buy out the water, and we feel it manages to be obviously better than the basic Xbox alternative. If you’re in the market for something a little pricier, then the LS15X/P range provides better audio and wire-free gaming for between $50-$80 depending on the retailer.
ModMic Uni
For those that already have a pair of audiophile headphones or just want to be heard better, then there’s nothing better than a dedicated microphone. The ModMic series is a range of attachable/detachable boom microphones that you can clip onto any pair of headphones, meaning any headset can go gaming. The ModMic Uni slip in at just a cent under $50 and provide a high quality directional microphone, attached a patented magnetic clasp system and a 3.5mm jack, giving it plenty of flexibility whatever console, mobile, or desktop is in play. Check them out at the official website.
Gear4 Kita Grip 360 OLED Screen & Case Bundle
Jsut released by Zagg, the Gear4 Kita kit is an all round protection suite for anybody who happens to be ignoring next generation consoles for Ninntendo’s newest on the go hybrid improvement. The Nitnendo Switch OLED edition is a recent upgrade to the existing switch, and the Gear 4 Kita Grip & Case bundle provides a case and screen protector for that brand new purchase. It includes scratch and shatter damage, up to 10 ft./3m* of drop protection, and adds in contoured grips on the back for long gaming sessions. While we’re still waiting for ours in the psot, you can grab one of these for new OLED Switch owners over at the Zagg website.
AOC GK500 Gaming Keyboard
Keyboards might require some oversized socking for the festive season, but the AOC GK500 certainly fits our budget range. While the daily desktop driver for your business work might be whatever Dell drops into the box, gaming keybaords provide an entirely different experience for anybody taking on opponents in the arena or mashing heal in a long raid. The AOC Gk500 is a recent release and part of the AGON branded gaming hardware. When we got hands on with this full sized mechanical keyboard, we were impressed by the performance, options, programmable RGB, as well as the balance of budget to features. This absolutely deserves to be in a higher price bracket but at around £40 or local equivalent, the AOC GK500 is a fantastic last minute buy for gamer giving. You can even heck out our GK500 review here at Gamespace.
EasySMX ESM 4108 Switch/PC Controller
Yet another Switch centric gift, the EasySMX ESM 4108 Switch/PC Controller surprised us when we got our hands on it this year. This amign focused brand might not be one you recognize from retail stores but this budget-friendly alternative to the Nintendo Pro Switch Controller provides 9 different color and pattern options, ergonomic styling, and even adds PC connectivity via a SUSB C cable. While it cuts some corners s with haptics and gyroscopes, this comes at a very affordable $25 range over on the EASYSMX website. You can check out the full review of the EasySMX ESM 4108 Gamespace.
Genki Shadowcast
Got a wannabe Twitch streamer but don’t know where to start with getting hooked up. While the big names might throw hundreds of dollars around for high spec equipment, not everyone has that on hand. For just a shade under $50, the Shadhowcast by Genki can connect any console from the last decade to online streaming platforms. The tiny USB dongle was initially developed to connect the Nintendo Switch to Twitch and other platforms but the crowdfunded project works well with other HDMI devices too. You’ll need to make sure that Twitch’s next big thing has a computer of some sort to pipe the video into, but this should absolutely be a consideration for Streamers starting out. You can check out our thoughts on the Shadowcast before you decide to pick it up at major online retailers or the official Genki website.
Xbox game Pass Ultimate
While we aren’t conscripts in the console wars here at Gamespace, if you are looking at picking up a game for that gamer in your life, you might have noticed they don’t come cheap. To boot, there’s the potential problem of getting something that they’ve already played. Instead, you could stuff hundreds of high quality games, exclusive first day plays, EA Play membership, access to play on any device, and more by just picking up an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. Available everywhere from Amazon to the local supermarket, these subscription cards come in 1,3,6 and 12 month options at a variety f price points but will unlock access to an astounding array of games across Xbox, PC, and mobile that should keep your intended recipient happy no matter the genre. If you don’t know what to get a gamer then this treasure chest of titles is the best bet, but just expect to loose them to the recent release of Halo Infinite.