What better thing to give this holiday season than the best gaming gifts around? Whether you’re looking at a new console like the PS5 or Xbox Series X or want to grab some new games and accessories, you can’t go wrong with any of the products on this list.
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. If you’re looking for the absolute best gaming gift, any one of these gaming consoles is a sure hit.
Going a little further afield, Meta’s Quest 2 is still the VR headset to beat, even though Meta/Facebook recently raised the price. Newer VR headsets like the PSVR 2 (for PS5) aren’t coming until next year, and the recently released Meta Quest Pro has a $1,500 price tag, which clearly suggests it’s aimed at early adopters with money to burn, rather than casual gamers.
Handheld gaming has been experiencing a renaissance in 2022, with the Nintendo Switch joined by the Analogue Pocket and Panic Playdate — two retro-feeling mini-consoles that will give you classic GameBoy vibes. On the other end of the spectrum, the Steam Deck from Valve (also still hard to find) is a full-featured mini gaming PC.
For an overall favorite, the $499 PlayStation 5 is for gamers who want high-profile, Sony-exclusive games like God of War or Horizon: Forbidden West. The $499 Xbox Series X is great for gamers who want a whole ecosystem of Xbox Game Pass games that work across Xbox, PC and even tablets and phones (via cloud gaming).
Out best budget pick for a game console is the Xbox Series S, which does almost everything the bigger Series X does, but for $299. Another budget idea: For $49, you can pick up a Microsoft Xbox controller, in a variety of colors — it’s a great gift because it works across Xbox, gaming PCs, iPads and iPhones, even Apple TV.
