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The most wonderful time of the year is once again in full swing. You can almost feel the weight of the Holiday spirit press down on your body. I for one am hugely excited for Christmas, but it occurred to me recently that I needed to buy a gift for a gaming friend, a gift that is not easy to think of because he plays pretty much every new release!

And with that said, you can see more in depth reviews for all gaming products via Hotrate.com!

Super Mario brings Christmas joy and happiness this year.

It led me to think outside the box. I had to go down avenues I wouldn’t usually, and I found a plethora of amazing gaming merchandising. Some of these are quite obvious, but many are quite obscure and there is more than one item on this list that I had no idea existed. My life has been made better by unearthing these great gifts. And so too could yours!

I have taken the liberty of arranging these gifts into monetary value. We start our shopping experience in the sub-£10 category, perfect for the office Secret Santa and finish in a category reserved for loved ones or very best friends (the £500 or under). You’ll find more of these items on my personal blog. However, this is with no doubt my definitely “Best Of” list, and THE definitely Christmas list for gamers.

Are you ready to finish your Christmas shopping?

Then we’ll begin!

£10 or Under

I don´t think that a soap could get much more Retro Gaming than this.

N64 Cartridge Soaps

Everyone needs to wash. Everyone loves the N64.

Everyone will love these soaps! I mean, look at them! They are incredibly detailed for any type of merchandise (Donkey Kong even has a yellow cart!), but they ARE SOAP! The perfect gift for anyone in the office, or even at home! As I said, everyone needs to wash.

£50 or Under

Pac-Man is still loved and appreciated among both young and old Gamers.

Wakka Wakka Gamer Squashie Squarbie Bean Bag

A beanbag that costs £50 have to be a bloody awesome beanbag, and thankfully enough this one is! On the face of things, this is a very simple Pac-Man beanbag, and it is. Until you get to the disclaimer at the bottom; it is made to order! You can choose the name of the high score. This instantly makes it far cooler than it ought to be!

Imagine going to play a game (let’s say Pac-Man but this is compatible with every modern and legacy console) sitting on your arse on a giant cushion that not only has your name on it, but also Pac-Man! That is so meta, and downright cool! This beanbag can also be put into several different positions, so you can have a recliner, a high back, a giant floor cushion and anything in-between!

You may have an awesome gaming seat, but it’s not as cool as this, and you know it!

£100 or Under

I would love to own a Pitendo :3 (Robin).

Pitendo

The Pitendo is a Raspberry Pi powered 8 and 16 bit Console emulator. It’s small size makes it absolutely perfect for taking it anywhere. The hardware itself is a Raspberry Pi Model B, an 8 GB SD Card loaded with RetroPie, two USB ports (for controllers) and a HDMI out port. All you need to get started with some classic gaming fun really!

For those of you in the know, the Raspberry Pi with RetroPie is an incredibly powerful emulation machine, and it can run all sorts of retro games, including NES, SNES, Megadrive, Master System and early to late 1990s arcade games. And we’re talking about a really successful emulation rate here, an emulation rate that is better than most PC programs out there. The Pi is an under-estimated little retro machine.

The Pitendo is a great way of introducing people to the magic of gaming. It looks great. It plays great, and it is under £100. Do yourself a favor, get this machine and have some local co-op fun this holiday season. Party like its 19, um, 89.

£250 or Under

The Xbox Elite controller is a really good Gaming controller, in my opinion (Robin).

Xbox Elite Controller

This was Microsoft’s way of rewarding their loyal, hardcore fans, and in the process, they have created one of the greatest controllers known to man. For those who don’t know, the Elite Controller is a customisable, professional-grade controller. With a huge number of (non-permanent) customization options, this controller can be made to your own; and the game you’re playing, specifications. When you change the game, you can change your controller layout and physical appearance.

This controller is a real selling point for the Xbox One and it gives those players something to lord over their PS4 owning mates. It really is that good. It’s expensive, sure, at £120 it is a hefty outlay for a controller. However, all those customisable options and the quality of the pad itself make it more than worth this. Stunning!

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If you own a PS4, then you should give the scuf 4ps controller a try for sure.

SCUF 4PS

So your Xbox One owning mates have all invested in their Elite controllers, and now they’re lording it over you. Well fear no more PS4 owning brethren for SCUF have come to our rescue, what’s more it’s completely customisable and made to order (however, once it’s ordered its locked in) with a huge number of customisable options, you can truly make the controller of your dreams. You can change almost everything about the DS4 including (but not exclusive to) the thumb stick length and whether they are concave or convex, the button/controller color scheme, premium grip material, a D-Pad disc (to make it easier for fighting games) and much more.

Be warned, however, all this customization comes at a price, the controller that I priced for this article was going to cost me £135. Nevertheless, you are going to get one hell of a controller for that money. The reviews are universally glowing. And it is truly a one-of-a-kind controller. You can make a controller to your personal preference, and it’s guaranteed to make the recipient a 100x more effective gamer (Note: not an actual guarantee).

£500 or Under

That´s one hell of a cool Super Mario guitar right there.

Super Mario Guitar

After years of rocking out to Guitar Hero and/or Rock Band the gamer in your life decided that it was time to invest in a beginner guitar and learn how to play it for real. Coincidentally, this happened around 2011 and the release of Rocksmith. Now after four years, they are wailing away on that thing, and it’s now time to upgrade to a “proper” guitar. The air is full of brands such as Fender, Les Paul and Ibanez – those are hugely expensive, and you are feeling a little apprehensive about dropping nearly a grand on a guitar. I’m here to help.

Appeal to their gamer, and get them this piece of musical equipment, the cute styling of Paper Mario is sure to appeal to the gamer in them and the sound that this guitar puts out is sure to appease even the heaviest of rockers!

It is a gorgeous looking and sounding guitar and can be ordered for as little (comparatively speaking) as £290. Get them something that says, I’m a rocker, but I’m also a gamer, and I’m proud. Get them this guitar. Make them happy! You’re welcome!

Which item would you like to receive as a gift?

Which would you not buy for your worst enemy?

Have you found any amazing gifts for your gaming friends?

Then tell us in the comment section!

***Sponsored by hotrate***

Chris Petticrew
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @Mr_Luvva_Luvva