Gamers can be hard to shop for. Sure, a lot of stuff caters to our nerdy interests, but it can be difficult to sort the gold from the crap.
Well, thanks to my brothers and me, my mom has some experience with holiday shopping for nerds, even if her own gaming skills are a bit … lacking (she tried to review Call of Duty: Black Ops III earlier this month, which was precious). So I decided to show her some of this year’s hottest, geekiest holiday items and see if she thinks they’d make good gifts.
Above: It’s the new Xbox One Elite Controller.
Xbox One Elite Controller
Normal price: $150
Mom’s thoughts: This is a good gift for someone really involved with video games. For people my age, the extra buttons makes it more complicated. I don’t know what a D-pad is, but my son tells me you can change them. The design is very streamlined.
Mom’s score: 80/100
Above: Say hello to the BB-8 droid. Now you can have your very own, powered by Sphero.
Sphero BB-8 App-Enabled Droid
Normal price: $180
Mom’s thoughts: This is cool for Star Wars fans. It seems small for the price. I wouldn’t let it play with my granddaughter’s, though. It could mess around with the dogs and cats though. That would be cool. I’m excited to see the new Star Wars movie, but I’m mad my children didn’t buy me a ticket to go to the opening with them (they say I have to babysit).
Mom’s score: 85/100
Above: That’s not the time machine you’re looking for, Doc Brown.
Lego Dimensions Starter Pack
Normal price: $100
Mom’s thoughts: $100 for Legos? Whoa. I think I saw this on a store ad, it looked cool. I think my kids would like it. I played with Legos when I taught preschool, but not like these. My son tells me you can buy more levels, which is good because you can keep getting new things after you beat it.
Mom’s score: 95/100 (I’d give it a 100 if it wasn’t $100)
Above: The Xbox One Holiday Bundle comes with Gears of War Remastered, Rare Replay, and Ori and the Blind Forest.
Xbox One Holiday Bundle
Normal price: $400
Mom’s thoughts: Cool, but I’d wait, because the price might come down after the holidays. I don’t know who Rare is, but 30 games is a lot. My son showed me a video of Ori and the Blind Forest, and it looks cool. Gears of War is not for me.
Mom’s score: 75/100
Above: That’s a lot of Star Wars love.
PlayStation 4 Star Wars: Battlefront Limited Edition Bundle
Normal price: $400
Mom’s thoughts: This is neat. I like Star Wars, so anything Star Wars is cool. Darth Vader on there with the black looks catching. I haven’t played Battlefront, but I’d like to try it, as long as it’s not gory.
Mom’s score: 90/100
Above: The new fret layout in Guitar Hero Live is capable of creating some ridiculous solos.
Guitar Hero Live
Normal price: $100
Mom’s thoughts: Ooo, I love Guitar Hero! I just like to sing, though. I can’t figure out the guitar. I like to play it with my sons. I’ll teach my granddaughters how to play, too. I want them to learn how to play instruments. I played the flutophone in 4th grade.
Mom’s score: 100/100
Above: Fancy.
Logitech Artemis Spectrum 7.1 Gaming Headset (wireless)
Normal price: $200
Mom’s thoughts: My son tells me this has 7.1 Dolby surround sound. I don’t know what that is, but it sounds impressive. This is good if you don’t want people to hear what you’re playing. It looks cool with the glowing blue parts.
Mom’s score: 90/100
Above: Classy.
Beholder Holiday Sweater
Normal price: $50
Mom’s thoughts: This is not something I would wear. It looks geeky. It is made out of 100 percent cotton, though, so that’s nice. If I was going to spend $50 on a sweater, I’d get something nicer, though.
Mom’s score: 65/100