Continuing our growing holiday lists for gamer gifts that aren't video games, we've scoured the net for even more toys, gadgets, wearables and stocking stuffers that are sure to please any gamer. As we mentioned in Part 1 of our holiday gifts feature, most gamers usually love getting a creative present that celebrates their love for their hobby (or obsession for some) without purchasing a terrible game or (more likely) a game they already have.
Here's more gifts that a gamer like myself would also love to see under the tree this coming holiday season.
King of Games T-Shirts (Price: $40-65 each)
Unless you've been living under a rock, some of these t-shirts should already be instantly recognizable as ones worn by some of the greatest videogame creators like Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid) and Shigeru Miyamoto (Super Mario Bros.). Sure they're wickedly expensive, but they're also very high-quality "designer" html_removed shirts that are imported from the Land of the Rising Sun. Some of the shirts also capture some of the most famous videogame series in very stylish ways. When was the last time you saw a Ice Climbers or Kid Ikarus shirt? Told you so.
Retro Duo NES/SNES Game System (Price: $49.99)
There was a time when the Nintendo 64 and Sony PlayStation butted heads for console gaming superiority. That same time period also encouraged more classic gaming in the vein of college dormitories everywhere. Kids were playing Super Nintendo to get their Street Fighter 2 fixes, while others were playing Tecmo Bowl on the original Nintendo to find a geeky way to play drinking games. Now, gamers can finally play their old SNES and NES cartridges on the same system. The Retro Duo does just that for a rather affordable price for those who don't want to throw away their old game cartridges or go for the uncool emulation route. Now if only we'd have to avoid blowing on some of our game cartridges to get some of them working.
Fridge Levels (Price: $22.00)
Refrigerator magnets can ultimately be very boring, especially for gamers tired of looking at newspaper ads, supermarket coupons and old pictures of their relatives staring at them while filling a glass of water. Finally, gamers can deck out their fridges with Fridge Levels from Retro USB. 75 included magnets are themed to allow gamers to decorate their fridges like actual videogame levels. Super Mario Bros. and the Legend of Zelda are the obvious choices and Retro USB actually has both. It has to be fun to place all of Lakitu's spikeys everywhere!
PS3 Dual Triggers (Price: $4.96)
For those still with cramping problems with some of the next-gen controllers, PDP has created enhancers for the PlayStation 3 Dual-Shock 3 controllers. The simple accessory of more pronounced L and R triggers should be very useful for gamers who play a lot of first-person shooter or racing games. Is it a competitive advantage? Probably. For die-hards, that should be enough to increase your track times and kill/death ratio.
Gunnar Optical Eyewear (Price: $79-99)
I first saw a pair of these while visiting Electronic Arts' employee store just a couple months ago and wondered why a pair of glasses would be sold at a videogame publisher's store. But after visiting Gunnar's website, it became evident that these products were actually made for gamers, reducing reaction time and increasing visual endurance. For competitive gamers (the product is the officially licensed eyewear of Major League Gaming), Gunnar eyewear is worn by some of the best professional gamers around like Lil' Poison. It's clear that hours and hours of gaming has a certain negative effect on the eyes. For those hardcore enough, this should be a welcoming solution. Neo, watch out!
Limited Edition Earthbound Poster (Price: $19.99)
One of the most wanted videogame franchises in the United States remains to be Earthbound, a truly creative RPG first introduced to western audiences on the Super Nintendo. The franchise has had its share of comebacks, but mostly for Japanese or emulation audiences, without any signs for a re-release or sequel in the United States. The game has thousands of digital signatures on the internet petitioning for it to come back for goodness sake! Anyway, this poster is another fan-boy item that is sure to please any Earthbound (or Japanese franchise name "Mother") fan. It doesn't hurt that the stylized look is also very classy and that the poster is in limited quantity of only 260.
Dawn of Worlds: Final Fantasy Art Book (Price: $21.59)
For digital artists and graphic designers that play videogames around the world, many know that Yoshitaka Amano is one of the most influential artists in videogame history. Known for creating many characters and environments in the Final Fantasy universe, Amano's unique style also celebrates the heritage of his Japanese ancestry. Available now, this art book will certainly please any Final Fantasy fan, and also please artists looking for more artistic inspiration in their creative lives.
Lego Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary (Price: $12.86)
Who knew that the Lego Star Wars boom would also come to hardcover as well? Videogamers might not realize that Lego has been huge supporters of the Star Wars franchise for quite some time now, and this book is a really cool dictionary of Lego blocks mimicking some of the best moments from the most hailed entertainment series of all time. It's a great book for kids and certainly something that is sure to garner laughs and smiles when picked up from the coffee table.
Powermat (Price: $99.99)
It might not be a gamer want, but the Powermat is definitely something that would be cool to have. It's rather expensive and usually isn't needed, but geeky executives and high-profile gadget enthusiasts would love to charge their phones and wireless devices without ever having to look for a power plug again. This revolutionary new invention from Powermat allows you to wirelessly charge up to three devices utilizing magnetic fields. Of course, these devices still need a small adapter (usually replacing the battery panel) to work, but it's still a very cool novelty that'll turn any desk into a very sleek charging station.
Hexbug (Price: $9.99)
Again, this is another geek oriented gift. For only a small price, geeks (and some gamers) will be able to control micro robotic creatures that behave like a real bug and also flip on their own. These collectible toys are great desktop time-wasters that is sure to garner some interest in the gamer field. Sadly, they can't fight each other like Digimon or Pokemon, but the Hexbug website also include different hybrids that also react to touch and sound. For a price under ten bucks, you can hardly go wrong to put a smile on the faces of nerds everywhere.
Check out the rest of our holiday gift picks below:
- The Kartel's 2009 Holiday Gifts for Gamers: Part 1
