AusGamers Holiday Buyer’s Guide: 2018 Edition (Part One)

Post by KostaAndreadis @ 05:39pm 11/12/18 | Comments

From simple trinkets to cool gadgets and awesome game-related merch. Plus, a special VIP section for those with an endless supply of disposable income. Or the Brad Pitt meets George Clooney smarts and know-how to pull off a daring Ocean’s 14: Holiday Heist. Coming soon to Netflix.

Attention shoppers! It’s that time of the year again. Where the weather gets warmer, the beats fatter, and an even fatter guy from the north-iest region on Earth decides to play the role of God of All Creation by getting all judgemental. Relax Santa dude, naughty or nice is just a state of mind. And about 10 years in the state penn. Word.

Thankfully though, we can bypass all of that nonsense and cut - as a Hollywood producer might say - to the chase. With this handy list of great gift ideas for that special someone in your life, or if you’re simply looking to spend a little of that hard-earned money on that devilishly good looking person you see each and every day in the mirror - me! I mean, you.

AusGamers Holiday Buyer's Guide 2018, let’s do it!

Cool Stuff

To quote the infamous Yoghurt. “Merchandising, merchandising. It’s where the real money from the movie is made.” Spaceballs reference aside, the dawn of the digital age, online shopping, and access to an information superhighway means that not only has our propensity to post our thoughts on the latest Marvel cinematic thing risen drastically. But also, our access to cool shit. I mean, cool stuff.

LEGO Overwatch Omnic Bastion Building Kit

Something for all ages. And really, if videogames have taught us anything - and they haven’t - it's that Lego and things go together like, err, two things that go together. Combine Lego, Blizzard, and Overwatch and the result is something that anyone would be glad to unwrap one fine Festivus morning.

Price: $25.00 USD | Link

Blizzard Legends Statues

Gaming statues and figurines are becoming more prevalent each and every year, which is both good and bad. Good in the sense of variety and choice, and bad because of, well, the same reason. Of course, choosing the right one is hard. But like with Blizzard’s Warcraft - and siding with either the Horde or Alliance - each one has their merits. Like this pair of wonderful statues.

Price: $55.00 USD | Greymane | Saurfang

DOOM Slayer T-Shirt

Finding the perfect t-shirt or deciding on which one, of many, that you own is your unequivocal favourite is instinctual. At QuakeCon earlier this year we were drawn to this olive green t-shirt depicting the original DOOM cover-art. Since then it has quickly become our favourite, a piece of clothing that we cherish and compare events and occasions to its supreme glory. “Is this house party worthy of the DOOM Slayer?” and “I know he’s family, but is he DOOM t-shirt family?”

Price: $20.00 USD | Link

Red Dead Redempion 2 Gunslinger Jacket

Featuring “water-resistant waxed canvas” and a “premium leather top collar” plus a “custom corozo top button”, this limited edition slice of Red Dead Redemption 2 apparel from Rockstar and Barking Irons is part of a new collection that deftly straddles (or saddles) the line between hipster naff and genuine cool. It’s the “Van der Linde inside pocket print” that seals it for us.

Price: $250.00 USD | Link

Fallout: The Vault Dweller's Official Cookbook

Iconic videogame cuisine doesn’t get more iconic than the dishes featured in Bethesda’s Fallout series. And even though we’re talking about Mole Rat Chunks, and Iguana on a Stick, and Yum Yum Devil Eggs, and Cram - we’d be lying if we said we didn’t want to taste each and every item on the post-apocalyptic menu.

Price: $35.00 USD | Link

The Legend Of Zelda Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition

The idea of a coffee table book isn’t merely a plot point in that one Seinfeld season where Kramer came up with the whole coffee table book about coffee tables idea. Having the right book on or near your living area, aka console gaming nook, will turn a few heads. And then pages. Like this everything Zelda book modeled after the original NES cartridge.

Price: $79.74 | Link

Go Go Holiday Gadgets

Technology. It surrounds us, binds us. For my ally is a good WiFi connection, and a powerful ally it is. Ahem.Well there you go, first Yoghurt and now Silicon Valley Yoda. Gaming and technology. Enough said.

Venom Power Pack & Stand

Adorning many a tree last year, and probably this year too - Nintendo presents The Nintendo Switch Console. A wonderful handheld hybrid that features it’s fair share of new must-play releases like Zelda and Mario, as well as exceptional ports like the recent release of Diablo III: Eternal Collection. With the only hardware flaw being somewhat lackluster battery life, this entry from Venom comes highly recommended.

Our Review | Price: $57.00 | Link

Microsoft Classic IntelliMouse

Rewind the clock back over a decade, before the rise of RGB lighting and PC peripherals designed for the gaming market adorning supermarket shopping aisles in-between the ice cream and dog food aisles. At the dawn of the new millennium one mouse reigned supreme. The IntelliMouse.

Our Review | Price: $69.95 | Link

NVIDIA SHIELD TV

Today almost every device comes pre-loaded, description-wise, with the word Smart. Smart phone, smart watch, smart television, smart toaster, smart fridge. Which might make one question the value of something like NVIDIA’s Shield TV. Well, first off there’s no need when what you get is the smoothest 4K performance we’ve ever seen for apps like Netflix and Stan, in addition to being able to double as a Plex media server, game streamer for PC titles, and also emulation station thanks to it’s powerful Tegra X1 chip. Small, light, and unassuming the NVIDIA SHIELD TV is a gem of a device, and worthy of any setup.

Our Review | Price: $207.95 | Link

Razer Nommo Speakers

When it comes to the world of videogame presentation, and the realm of the senses, sound and audio often gets overlooked. In lieu of fancy screens and eyes that let you see clearly. But, take it from us - audio matters. But, choosing the right set of speakers for a PC can be difficulty when a lot of what’s out there isn’t all that great. Enter the stylish new Nommo line from Razer - which offer brilliant balanced sound alongside punchy warmth to fill up most rooms. And if you want to take that extra step the Razer Nommo Pro, double as great home theater speakers.

Our Review | Price: $249.95 | Link

The C64 Mini

In the past couple of years, the rise in popularity of miniaturised hardware from decades past has been something that we’ve noticed. From the NES Classic Mini to the SNES Classic Mini, to this year’s disappointing PlayStation Classic. Even classic computers are getting the mini treatment as seen here with the The C64 Mini, which as you guessed, Honey I Shrunk the Kids the Commodore 64. The best-selling computer from the 1980s pre-loaded with games and the ability to program and run existing C64 apps. Very cool.

Price: $149.00 | Link

Blue Yeti Nano USB Microphone

There’s an old quote from biblical times that says, “Give a man a smart phone and he’ll listen to a few podcasts on his daily commute to work. Give him a Blue Yeti Nano USB Microphone, and he’ll make his own podcast. About The Simpsons or Seinfeld or something. Anyway, how’s Josephus and the family. Good? Did the locust plague affect the harvest this season?” Ahem. A good microphone in the age of streaming and recording-made-easy won’t go astray in any setup. And this one from our friends at Blue, is a keeper. Or, wrapped up in wrapping paper giver.

Price: $158.00 | Link

External Storage Wars: Holiday Edition

Downloading, we all do it. And unlike those advertisements it's nothing at all like stealing a car - because that involves wires touching. Or, if that takes too long - a fancy pair of pliers. As owners of Xbox Ones, PlayStation 4s, and PCs - downloading is a part of everyday gaming. Which makes storage a concern. If anyone owns any of the above, a brand new shiny portable storage solution is worth its weight in gold. Metaphorical gold. Not the real stuff, because that’s super expensive. And on that front here’s our picks for the best external storage you can get.

Samsung Portable SSD T5