GAMBIT Holiday Gift Guide 2023

Team GAMBIT November 20, 2023 in Lists, Random Access, Tech, Video Games Tagged gambit gift guide, Gift Guide, holiday 2023, List - 18 Minutes

It’s that time of year again! We are back with out largest holiday gift guide to date, filled with some of the best items that you can find on the internet that will satisfy even those hard to shop for people in your life. We’ve broken the list up into three parts that include a bunch of budget friendly items that anyone can afford, all the way to the high-end tech items that you spent the year dreaming about.

With that said, let’s get onto the “GAMBIT Holiday Gift Guide 2023” edition! Let us know what your favorite picks are and as always there are links to every single item and know that we DON’T make any commissions for anything featured. All prices are accurate Black Friday week so snag these deals up while you can!

Budget Level ($5 – $50)

. Datafrog SF2000 ($18 – $30): The Datafrog SF2000 made waves earlier in the year for being a genuinely inexpensive emulation handheld. Capable of easily running NES, Game Boy/Game Boy Color, and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, as well as running a sizeable the SNES and GBA libraries well, It’s definitely the value handheld. While it is easily outperformed by devices a notch up in the price-to-performance ladder, in its price range, it offers great value, especially for introducing retro gaming to younger gamers. While it was initially known for being available for less than $20 [1], it’s no longer available at quite that price anymore. However, with Black Friday/Cyber Monday coming up, there may still be some great deals to be found. While it’s probably not going to wow anyone intimately familiar with retro games, for the price, it may well be a good pickup anyway. You will want to update the firmwware for any children, though, as it helps performance primarily with SNES games.
. 8bitdo Ultimate C Controller (Wired $14 / Wireless $25): 8bitdo currently makes some of the best third-party controllers available on the market. The Ultimate C is a simplified version of their Ultimate controller which, for both wired and wireless versions, won’t break the bank. The tradeoff, of course, is that while it has the same feel as its big brother, it lacks some of the bells and whistles. That said, you’re still getting a sturdy controller, with good analog sticks and an actually decent d-pad that’s compatible with practically any system that accepts USB controllers. The wired version does have a cable that’s a little too short on its own, though, so a USB extension cable may be in order.
. Battlefield 2042 – Series X ($9): Battlefield 2042 is a first-person shooter that marks the return to the iconic all-out warfare of the franchise. Released a few years back, Battlefield 2042 had a terrible launch and has been nearly all forgotten. So, it’s wild that DICE has managed to turn the game around recently and fix most of the issues fans had and features loads of content. For only nine bucks its hard to pass up on a now complete online FPS that’s a lot of fun to play. At least you know this one is ready to go for $9 instead of Modern Warfare 3 and it’s insane price for next to nothing in terms of content!
. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R ($10): Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R passionately captures the art style that is vintage JoJo, allowing you to experience the JoJo universe as if Hirohiko Araki’s manga had come to life. With more than 50 playable characters from all arcs, you can experience popular battles from each story on all platforms, but for our list we are highlighting the XBOX and PS4 versions which come in at only a tenner. If you are a fighting game fan you’ll have a blast and if you are a JoJo’s fan you’ll love it too. If you are both then this might be the best $10 you spend all year!
. The C64 Mini USA Version – ($45): A tiny but perfectly formed officially licensed 50% scale replica of this much loved machine, The C64 Mini will make the gift for the old timer in your life or a kid who wants to see what gaming used to look like. Featuring high-definition output via HDMI, a classic style joystick and 64 built-in games including classics like California Games, Boulder Dash, Impossible Mission and Jumpman. A fun little console that also makes one super neat display piece that’s fun for the whole family.
. BERIBES Bluetooth Over Ear Headphones ($20): Are you looking for a good pair of over ear headphones to enjoy your music, movies, games, or something cheap to use at the gym/working out and not worry about banging them around? Then these BERIBES Bluetooth Headphones might just be for you, especially if you are looking to save money. Connect two Bluetooth devices at the same time to switch between calls, games, listening to music, and more. If you suddenly have no power during use, you can plug included 3.5mm audio cable. These won’t blow you away, but the price for what you get might. They even come in a bunch of neat colors for those of you looking to match them to your favorite fit.
. Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite ($16): Can’t have a list without a streaming stick and the Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite is hard to beat, especially if you are already a part of the Prime ecosystem and want access to Thursday Night Football on the spare TV you have mounted in the patio. With more power than the previous generation, Fire TV Stick Lite delivers quick app starts and fast streaming in Full HD and includes Amazon Alexa so you can be extra lazy. If you are new to steaming or looking to upgrade a space TV in your home without spending a fortune, this stick is for you!
. HORUMP Dual Headphone Stand USB Charging Station ($17): You’ve got wireless headphones and other devices that need charging. The HORUMP (*childish giggles*) Dual Headphone Stand USB Charging Station keeps those headphones and smartwatches out of the way, under your desk. And it comes with 5 USB charging ports, so you’ll have a place for just about everything you might want to charge at a desk. Just note that it doesn’t function as a USB hub.
. Anker 323 Power Bank ($25): Sometimes you need your power on the go, though. The Anker 323 holds 10,000 mAh, more than enough to juice up your phone or any other device while you’re on the go. And it’ll do so safely, thanks to the fireproof casing, available in a range of colors.
. Cable Guys ($39): You’ve got your controllers, you’ve got your devices. How about a stand for them? Cable Guys come in a range of characters, from games, to comics, to movies and anything in between. Sonic, Deadpool, the T-800 from The Terminator (sans Arnie’s human flesh, ‘natch), and much more. Chances are good you can find a Cable Guy that’s perfect for that special someone. They make for durable, functional art pieces and, most importantly, they’re heavy enough to hold most small devices without risk of tipping over.

Mid-Range Level ($50 – $100)

. 8bitdo Ultimate Wireless Controller w/ Dock ($56): Stepping things up a notch, the full version of 8bitdo’s Ultimate controller. It’s the full ride, here; hall sensor sticks, custom profiles, two mapable back paddle buttons, and motion controls. More importantly, it comes with the charging dock, ensuring not only that your controller is ready to go whenever you are, but also that you can connect it your way. The dock comes with one of 8bitdo’s wireless dongles inserted into a USB jack in the base, so anything you connect the dock to will automatically be paired, no extra steps, in 2.4g wireless mode.
. Miyoo Mini Plus ($63): An extra $40 to $60 buys you way more power, and the Miyoo Mini Plus is generally regarded as being one of the best buys in its price range, often in competition with the Anbernic RG35XX (another excellent choice but there can be only one for this list). Both are capable of easily running games up to the PlayStation 1, frequently at upscaled resolution. Both come in a number of colors, including both the original DMG Game Boy colors as well as the Game Boy Color’s famous Atomic Purple [2]. For the more experienced retro gamer, the Miyoo Mini Plus offers a number of options to fiddle around with to get their games looking just right, as well. Also, Onion OS, which can be installed on the device as an alternative to the stock OS, improves performance across the board, and is getting better with each iteration. In short, it’s hard not to imagine the retro gamer techie in your life being displeased to find one of these under the tree.
. KYY Portable 15.6″ Monitor ($88): The KYY Portable Monitor sports a 15.6 inch IPS panel with a 1920 x 1080 resolution at 60Hz, 178° viewing angles, and 1000:1 contrast ratio. The HDR mode and Scene mode supports excellent mainstream transmission so that you can enjoy unprecedented gaming performance, KYY Monitor is ideal for multi-work, gaming, and general use. If you are on the go and wish you had a second screen that you can fit into a bag then KYY has you covered, especially if you are a mobile gamer and want something a little bigger on a flight or while on vacation. It’s even more important if you are a streamer and need an extra screen for chat and settings. Snag this one while you can!
. TCL 40XL ($98): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VXNy_YRltA

TCL makes some really decent entry level smartphones that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. In the office we’ve used TCL as daily drivers over the years and consider them solid phones for basic tasks and lite gaming. The latest TCL 40XL features NXTVISION that lets you watch videos in high dynamic range quality giving the 6.75 inch 720p screen a more premium feel when watching content. It also features an AI-powered triple rear camera system featuring a 50MP main camera, a 2MP depth camera and a 2MP macro camera. We really recommend this one is you are looking for a second phone (for your kid, partner, or maybe your parents) or if you have an aging phone and looking for something cheap that looks great.
. Assorted Arcade1Up Countercade Cabinets – ($100): Arcade machine are great. We have a Neo Geo 2-slot machine in the office. Arcade1Up has been making machines for years now and even though they are smaller than a standard arcade machine, they still take up a lot of room. Their Countercade line shrinks them down even more and make them an easy recommendation, especially for the two-player cabinets. Currently Arcade1Up are having a sale where a number of their Countercade machines are $99 including their Marvel Super Heroes cab (the best one if you are looking to mod one of these units), NBA Jam cab, and Ms Pacman cab at various retailers. The Marvel Super Heroes one with four games is a steal at the price so don’t miss out on these for some retro fun this holiday season.
. 8Bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard ($90): 8bitdo is known for their controllers, but one of the nicer peripherals that they’ve released recently is this, their 8bitdo Retro Mechanical Keyboard. It comes with a hot-swappable PCB, replaceable mechanical switches, the wireless adapter compartment all of their higher-end devices have, and dye sublimated keycaps. But its most notable feature are the two large, programmable buttons that plug in to the back. You can set them up for anything; they can be programmed to any key or key combination you want. While only one set of these buttons is included, you can connect up to 4. Fionally, and most importantly, it comes in two color schemes: the NES’s light gray/dark gray/cherry red, or the Famicom’s gray/black/burgundy. Moreover, it pairs quite well with their NES-styled mouse [1], which sadly does not come in the Famicom colors.
. SanDisk 1TB Extreme microSDXC UHS-I ($99): Let’s be honest: most of your devices (with a few exceptions) take microSD cards as extended memory. And so, why wouldn’t you want the fastest and largest you can get? While there are larger cards on the market, you really do want one with a high read/write speed for most purposes, especially gaming like the SanDisk 1TB Extreme MicroSDXC. Slap one of these bad boys in your phone, Nintendo Switch, or even one of the many emulation handhelds out there, and you’ll be cruising.
. SAMSUNG SSD T7 Portable External SSD ($85+): …on the other hand sometimes you need an actual external SSD. the Samsung T7 SSD comes in your choice of three colors (black, blue, and red), and in three sizes; 500GB, 1TB, or 2TB. More importantly, it’s very fast, with read/write speeds of up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s.
. Marsail Electric Standing Desk ($96): As content creators we spend most of our days at our desk only to head home and continue to sit down. It’s not great on the human body and one of the best things we’ve ever done is turn to standing desks. With the tap of a button you can raise the Marsail Electric Standing Desk to your natural standing level giving your back a break and allowing you to move around a bit. This is probably the best upgrade for your home office or gaming setup and for your health!

READ: Reminder: Nintendo NES Classic Edition is Back 6/29

High-End Level ($100+)

. Steam Deck OLED ($550+): When it comes to the intersection of price to power for handheld PCs, you’re hard-pressed to find a better deal than the Steam Deck. And the new Steam Deck OLED model provides a better screen than the original, without the need to replace that screen yourself. All in all, it may be on the higher end for a gift, but what a gift.
. WO-WE AMD Ryzen 5 5600U Gaming Mini PC ($260): WO-WE make one heck of a mini PC, and their WO-WE Ryzen 5 5600U model is currently their top-of-the-line. And it is genuinely impressive how much power they were able to pack into such a tiny box. It’s fast, making it excellent (and frankly overkill) for any office tasks, but it’s definitly capable of heavier workloads than you expect. But it is aimed at the gaming crowd, and while you won’t likely be capable of running current AAA releases, it can handle most current indie games well. Not to mention emulation; it’ll handle anything through the 6th generation with ease, and possibly more. Also, while its initial price was over $400, it’s currently on markdown for $260; it’s difficult to imagine a more powerful machine for that price. Trust us; we’ve had our hands on one of these for several months.
. Retroid Pocket 3+ ($135 – $180): The Retroid Pocket 3+ is, for its price and ease of acquisition, one of the best handheld emulation systems on the market. It comes in a range of colors, most of which hit the retro system nostalgia button. More importantly, as it runs on Android, it can run your choice of a number of front ends, some of which will optimize performance for the device as a whole. It will run up to the 6th generation comfortably, though some games may require some custom tweaks to run properly, and will even run PSP quite well. An excellent choice for a retro gamer, or maybe treating yourself.
. Thrustmaster USB T.16000M FCS HOTAS with Flight Controller & Throttle ($150 – $170): If you feel the need (the need for speed), then it’s hard to do better than Thrustmaster’s flight sticks and the Thrustmaster USB T.16000M FCS HOTAS with Flight Controller & Throttle (mouthful). They’re not cheap, either, but for that price it will be the best you can get. Hell, if it’s good enough to pilot the Enterprise E, it’s definitely good enough for you… or anyone you’re buying it for. We don’t judge.
. The A500 Mini ($130): Welcome back to the 1980s and the pinnacle of 16-bit personal computing – Introducing The A500 Mini, a compact reimagining of this classic home computer that changed the world. Well, changed it anywhere but the United States. It’s the machine that was huge overseas and was the backbone of local television markets like PBS, The A500 Mini did it all in the days before Windows took over. Featuring perfect emulation of not only the original A500 (OCS) and Enhanced Chip Set (ECS) of future revisions, but also the Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA) of the A1200 this one will be a huge hit for Amiga fans this holiday season. Play one of the included 25 classic Amiga games or side-load your own games via USB stick.
. Acer Nitro 5 AN515-58-525P Gaming Laptop ($600): For those looking for a good PC gaming experience and don’t have a ton of room or do a lot of traveling, the Acer Nitro 5 is one of the best choices out there this holiday season. One of the most affordable machines on the market, you get a lot of gaming potential in a fairly small package. Featuring a Core i5-12500H and using an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop GPU for gaming, the Acer Nitro 5 looks great on its 15.6″ FHD 144Hz IPS Display. The 8GB DDR4 Ram and 512GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD means you’ll be up and gaming in no time.
. LG UltraGear QHD 34-Inch Curved Gaming Monitor ($250): One of the best “bang for your buck” monitors out there, the LG UltraGear QHD Curved Gaming Monitor is the choice of those that want a great looking monitor but don’t care to spend hundreds of dollars more for only slightly better specs. This ultra-wide QHD (3440 x 1440, 21:9 aspect ratio) curved monitor immerses you in the action and increases your field of view, allowing you to see more on-screen. A high native 160Hz refresh rate with 1-millisecond Motion Blur Reduction (MBR) keeps you firmly in the action while reducing blur and ghosting.
. Meta Quest 2 ($250): Still the standard in cord-free VR, the Meta Quest 2 is the first VR console that feels complete. It features tons of games, a tried and tested system, and won’t break the bank for those wanting to jump into the VR experience. Sure, the Meta Quest 3 is out but as of the time of this writings there aren’t any games that are taking advantage of the added power meaning you’d be spending over $500 for the same experience you would be getting on the Quest 2. Maybe next year the Quest 2 will fall from out list, but as of right now this is the best standalone VR device that you can get.