Holiday Gaming Gift Guide 2013: What are the Best Gifts for Power Players?
If the gamer in your life likes things hardcore - including their gifts - this epic haul will fit the bill. Speaking of which - some of this stuff ain't cheap...
This article first appeared on USgamer, a partner publication of VG247. Some content, such as this article, has been migrated to VG247 for posterity after USgamer's closure - but it has not been edited or further vetted by the VG247 team.
'Tis indeed the season for festive goodness and wanton purchases. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday barely behind us, the question needs to be posed: if you failed to do your Christmas shopping last week, what now? Never fear. Now that we've exhausted the cheaper options, it's time to delve into the eclectic, the eccentric and the all-out weird. We're creating a series of outlandish, original and just plain crazy gift ideas suitable for, well, pretty much anyone. As long as they enjoy good things. We can't help you if your friends have bad taste. This article is all about:
Gifts for the Power Players
The Delta Six
Realism is often a big, big thing for the hardcore first-person shooter fan. The heft of a gun, the accuracy of the recoil, the velocity of each individual bullet as it rockets across the distance -- all these idiosyncrasies can weigh into a devotee's appreciation of a game. If such a person exists in your life, you may want to consider pre-ordering The Delta Six for them this year. All things taken into consideration, your gift-ee probably won't get their mittens on their present till sometime in spring but I suspect ownership of the "most realistic, fun and immersive gun controller on the market" will probably dull the agony of a long wait. Maybe.
Atlantic 33935702 Gaming Desk
Gaming isn't easy. Gaming can bring bad posture and tangled cables, spilled soda and inefficiently managed gaming cartridges. A miracle of ergonomic engineering, the Atlantic 33935701 is a gaming desk intended to make your next Team Fortress marathon a more comfortable and better organized one one. The desk comes with eight different accessories, including a sweet little cup holder on the side and an in-built cable management system. Ideal for anyone who keeps losing their keyboard under the clutter.
SeV Alpha Jacket
For the player addled by caffeine and empty calories who can neither sacrifice desktop real estate nor waste valuable time with unnecessary walking or, you know, the guy/girl with far too many electronics. This jacket is capable of discreetly storing everything from your cadre of retro handhelds to mountains of sweet and starchy snacks. You could kit it with veggies and soy beans too, if you felt like it. Or books. Thick, archaic books. You deviant, you.
Razer Blade Gaming Laptop
The Razer Blade is like a knife against the throat of conventional logic. With its anorexic 0.66" profile, it defies the belief that gaming laptops must be capable of doubling as riot shields. Slick and black as Cruella de Ville's heart, the Razer Blade features a 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-7402Hq Quad Core Processor, a darling Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M graphics card and the envy of every gamer-on-the-go your gift recipient will ever meet. ( Bonus points if you somehow succeed at extricating yourself away from it and delivering it to its rightful owner. Me? I'd just keep this luscious morsel for myself.)
The Peregrine Glove
Can you hear that? That's the sound of my heart fluttering like a peregrine on espresso shots. The Peregrine Glove is yet another of those new-fangled peripherals, the sort that promises to both decrease your response times and elicit loud appreciative sounds from visiting friends. It purportedly allows for 30 user-programmable actions and 250 APM -- a pittance compared to the records set by certain KeSpa members but purportedly more than enough clicks for the would-be challenger to compete. Honestly, though. It isn't about the practicality of the device. The Peregrine Glove is probably the only peripheral out there that compels its users to function like a character out of Naruto in order to get anything done and that, ladies and gentlemen, is totally rad.
Oculus Rift Development Kit
Sure, you can wait until a commercial version of the Oculus Rift is ready. Sure, you can hold out for a few more months. But why have your closest buddy writhe in anticipation when you can deliver an Oculus Rift Development Kit to them straight off the bat? Currently, the Oculus Rift is pretty much the best you can ask for in regards to technology capable of fully immersing you in a gaming experience. Though best for someone with a nose bridge (experience taught me this), the Oculus Rift will likely dazzle and delight anyone who is even remotely interested in installing themselves into the cockpit of their favorite mech.
Razer Ouroboros
Look, I'll level with you. This isn't just a mouse. It's an Autobot's decapitated head. If that doesn't sell you on the Ouroboros, nothing will. Poorly conceived jokes aside, Razer has always had a history of producing quality peripherals and the Ouroboros appears to be carrying on that tradition. It supports delightful buzzwords like "fully customizable ambidextrous ergonomics" and "dedicated DPI clutch-trigger" without needing anything more than a single AA battery. The perfect gift for the aspiring pro-gamer in your life.