Buying gifts for the gaming geek in your life can be confusing, especially if you’re not a gamer yourself. If you’re in that position right now, you’ll know it can be difficult to find out what they want without making it obvious you’re trying to gather intel. A good starting point is to find out what kind of gamer they are (if you don’t know already).
The age-old ‘PlayStation or Xbox’ debate could be a safe avenue for finding out their preferred platform. Don’t worry, bringing up that argument will still work if they’re a PC gamer, they’ll make that abundantly clear when you ask. If you already know their preferred platform, you’ll want to check out the extended annual gaming geek gift guide in the new print issue of Stuff (p38) for a few gift ideas to upgrade their system of choice.
Asus TUF Gaming F15
If your gaming gift recipient this year proudly proclaimed that PC gaming trumps the consoles when you brought up the PS vs Xbox question, then this will be right up their alley especially if they’re still new to the PC gaming scene and don’t have a rig of their own. It’s packing a 12th-gen Intel Core i5 CPU, dedicated RTX 3050 GPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. Those specs aren’t exactly the bleeding edge of gaming tech but that’s how this one comes in well under R20,000. And if you think about it, you’re actually giving them two gifts in one. The RAM and SSD are upgradable down the road. It’s tough to put a price on that kind of self-gratitude.
R15,000 | buy it here
Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme
What if your gamer already has a gaming PC or laptop? Well, you could opt to get them one of the consoles in this guide or you could get them a different kind of gaming laptop. The Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme is essentially a gaming PC they can carry around and whip out in the car, on a plane, or even on the couch. They won’t need to worry about connecting any other gear because it has everything a gamer needs in a complete, ergonomic package. Depending on the games they play, they might have to tinker with the settings. But for most PC gamers, that’s all part of the fun.
R16,000 | buy it here
Xbox Series S
Maybe your family gamer is console-curious. They already have a gaming PC or PS5 and are wondering how the other side plays. The Xbox Series S is the cheaper avenue of entry into Microsoft’s gaming console stable. It doesn’t feature a physical disc drive so you won’t have to worry about buying physical versions of games that could end up lost or damaged. In fact, with Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service, you might not have to worry about buying games at all. The library is huge and is often updated, sometimes with brand-new games the same day they release. It can also double as a competent multimedia system to replace that ageing smart TV.
R9,000 | buy it here
PS5 Slim Disc + additional controller
There are very few gifts that illicit the same response as unwrapping a PlayStation on the big day. This particular PS5 bundle includes a slimmed-down model that can take physical discs and also comes with an extra controller. That has the potential to make gaming a family bonding experience. Or, you know, there’s an extra one on hand for when the first controller launches itself across the room or through a window because ‘there’s no way he hit that shot without cheats’. There’s also the benefit of adopting the platform with arguably the best exclusive titles without having to wait two years for them to arrive on PC.
R14,800 | buy it here
LG Ultragear 32in QHD Gaming Monitor
It’s no good having a fancy new console if you are at the mercy of the family every time they want to use it. We get it, the lounge is a shared space and just because you have a console doesn’t mean you have exclusive TV rights. If you or someone you know faces that situation, a cheaper alternative to buying another TV is a gaming monitor like the one listed here. This one from LG boasts a 32in panel so it’s a little bigger than most PC monitors and it comes with gaming-focused features, like a 165Hz refresh rate, quick response time, and variable refresh rate technology from AMD to make your sessions feel buttery smooth. It should work with Xbox and PlayStation consoles, and you could even hook up a gaming laptop or the Asus ROG Ally (a dongle will be required) for a larger PC gaming experience.
R5,500 | buy it here