Around the last quarter of the year, sometimes before Halloween or Thanksgiving, gift-giving guides and events become a part of the landscape. Paying attention to what gamers would appreciate as a gift is a big part of that equation.
Pepcom’s Holiday Spectacular in San Francisco, which was a showcase of companies previewing products and services aimed at techies of all stripes, took place just before Halloween. However, the list of products and services shown at that event that might be useful for gifts for, and between, gamers until the end of the holiday season. Which, coincidentally, is coming up very quickly.
With the Pepcom event as a guide, here’s a last-minute holiday gift guide with goodies aimed at gamers on the go, who are social and go to events and cons (like our excellent Events for Gamers readers, as it happens).
Headset
Plantronics’ gaming brand has really taken off and refined its quality, joining the high-end headset and esports-focused hardware. Plantronics headsets really cover the gamut for gamers with an extensive line. However, if I had to pick one remarkable headset from its extensive line for gamers, the RIG 500E qualifies. It’s a collapsible headset with an angular look vaguely reminiscent of the Batmobile-tank from the “Dark Knight” series of movies. The 500e that can take some abuse from even the most aggressive gamer, but its assemblage of its ear cups and strap is designed to be taken apart and swapped out if needed.
Luckily, the 500e feels light and wears comfortable, aided by breezy ventilation. The audio quality is solid, punchy in the bass and tight, kept in the cups and sealing out ambient noise better than one might first expect. The flexible noise-cancelling mic should work well for most gamers, whether for chatting with teammates or a casual Skype chat. The overall audio in and out balance is helpful, of course, if you’re tackling rivals amid the mayhem of, say, “Call of Duty” or “League of Legends.”
Bonus: it’s endorsed by the ESL Gaming Network. Said endorsement may carry more weight, if you’re a gamer on their way to the bright lights of competitive eSports gaming. The blue and grey-striped color scheme on the ear cups fall in line with that particular branding, too.
The retail price tag is $149.99, but count yourself lucky if you can find it in a retail store (or are willing to go ship with haste from an outlet), but if your gift recipient likes to play games over the long haul and likes to play tough — or is even looking to play competitively — the RIG 500e is a thoughtful gift.
Batteries
Zagg is a familiar brand to many mobile power users, perhaps to some gamers, too, who frequently need accessories to amp the value of their tablet or smartphone. In this instance, we’re looking at one specific ZAGG charger: the ZAGG Power Amp 6. Compact but listed at delivering up to 6,000 MAh, up to a zippy 2.4A output for larger, more demanding devices. In my case, a stock Nexus 5 phone with 2,300 MaH battery, charged fully and quickly at about 2.5 hours each time.
The ZAGG Power Amp 6 is not inexpensive at $49.99 retail, but with the ability to charge while plugged, delivering two full charges for many devices, and a flashlight (for the cherry on top), a device like this could be just the ticket for a gift for a battery-draining mobile gamer. The Power Amp 6 does hit a portable sweet spot between the high end 18,000 mAh “brick” and the smaller and less expensive 3,000 mAh model.
Kingston brings in a versatile entry here that is more than a battery but happens to include one. This device covers five potential needs for mobile gamers, as the MobileLite Digital 5-in-1. Companion. As mentioned first, this pocket-sized is a battery at a respectable 4640 mAh, for USB-charging devices like phones and some mobile game systems. Beyond that, the 5-in-1 companion can backup photos and storage for camera pictures and videos or to extend overall storage to up to 2TBs of data, by reading and writing on existing USBs, SD and microSD cards.
On the wireless side, the MobileLite Digital 5-in-1 Companion has a couple nifty tricks up its sleeve, too. Stream movies and gaming feeds, music and check out photos on multiple devices at once. Through an Ethernet port-fed Internet, users can turn turn the 5-in-1 into a wireless hotspot for multiple devices. And, a mobile app ties bundles the functionality together.
While MobileLite Digital 5-in-1 retails for $64, it’s easy to find it for much less. Considering the diversity of what it offers, it’s a Swiss Army Knife-like mobile bag o’ tricks that should be useful for any gamer.
Keyboard
Zagg has a wide range of products, with the aim in mind to extend the value of mobile gear. Another such product shown at Pepcom’s showcase, that accomplished that objective is its Pocket Keyboard for Apple and Android phones and small tablets. The keyboard, while on the small side for my larger hands, conveniently folds compactly and stays shuts with the help of magnets, and powers down to save juice.
The (insert name here) smartphone rests on an angled “easel”, while a folded stand keeps the keyboard in place. The phone connects via Bluetooth. Voilà, it’s as simple as that. This keyboard fills a need for the mobile gamer or Twitch-streamer, who finds the screen-obscuring small phone keyboard or keyboard too confining.
Gifts
Loot Crate is a spiritual descendant of the con experience, which puts their sort of “merch” or “schwag” near and dear to our hearts. In fact, in their press info, the company describes its product as “Comic-Con in a box” It’s not inaccurate.
October’s recent crate, for example, was logically all about the theme of “Time,” covering “Back to the Future” (of course), “Doctor Who” and even “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” Seeing the box myself, the several items inside the otherwise plainly labeled black box are a fun tribute to different aspects of each beloved franchise, such as Marty McFly’s small scale hoverboard from “Back to the Future II” and a Sonic Spork familiar to Doctor Who fans. There are a wide range of other crates, sorted by theme or pop-culture franchise, which makes it easy to sort out a gift by interest.
This holiday season, limited-edition “Mass Effect,” “Call of Duty” and “Doctor Who” crates went on sale. These have been tapped out, but other special crates are always in the pipeline. A safer and faster bet are the gift subscriptions for surprise loot or wearable stuff like socks and shirts for both men and women. These crate options start at $10/1 month (from January 2016), so a gift of that sort could literally could be the gift that keeps on giving.
If your gift recipient is a convention goer or a “inside baseball” fan for a certain franchise, including many big-name game franchises, Loot Crate is a good gifting way to go.
Good luck finding your gifts, if you are seeking, and enjoy what you may receive, for those who are crossing their fingers for a certain anything.
From everyone at Events for Gamers, happy holidays!
