Games
Console Games
Since the majority of consoles games are physically purchased, monitoring deals across multiple retailers can be extremely inconvenient. But that's where Kotaku's Moneysaver column comes in. The weekly column rounds up the best deals across all online and brick & mortar retailers in one central location. Add this to your RSS feed to seize the best deals as they become available; video sales are notorious for their short duration.
PC Games
If you're okay with purchasing PC games digitally and forgoing a physical copy, then you can take advantage of two of the biggest sales of the year going on later this month. Vale's Steam will host its annual winter sale between December 19th and January 2nd, offering between 33 to 75% off the majority of titles, new and old. Games can be gifted to other users Steam clients or through prepaid Steam gift cards.
Steam’s holiday sales can save you anywhere between 33 to 75% on most PC game titles
Green Man Gaming also hosts a slew of sales around the holiday season, allowing you to compare deals between the two platforms.
Gaming Peripherals
Headsets -Sennheiser PC310 3.5mm Connector Binarual headset
The PC310 is one the best headsets on the market, striking a middle ground between price and quality. PC310 is more affordable than a Razer, SteelSeries, or any other brand of low-brow headset that's specifically marketed for gaming, and packs even more of a punch; thank you German engineering. The Sennheisers will accomplish this same thing but with more durability and zero kitsch-ness. The headphones frequency response ranges between 17 to 22 Hz, and there is zero crackling or fidelity loss at maximum volume.
Sennheiser is an audio company specializing in the design and production of a wide range of both consumer and high fidelity products, including microphones, headphones and avionics headsets. They are far more experienced than companies that exclusively produce “video game headsets.”
*Note: 3.5mm jacks connect directly into your computer's soundcard. Changing between speakers and headset requires switching the cables currently plugged in.
Cost: A pair of PC310 costs $70 at Newegg.com.
Headsets -PLANTRONICS .Audio 995 USB Connector Circumaural Digital Stereo Headset
The PLANTRONICS Audio 995 headset delivers strong, clean bass, clear highs, and is a convenient alternative to the Sennheiser PC310. The headset is wireless and connects through a USB receiver, making it possible to use also use with Playstation 4, saving tons of money over a Playstation 4 specific headset that cost over $100. Battery life lasts approximately 10 hours but cannot be charged while in use.
Cost: The Audio 995 also cost $70 at Newegg.com.
Mice – Logitech G600 or Razer Naga/Naga Hex
These mice are the perfect gift for anyone who indulges in MMORPG's such as World of Warcraft on account of the sheer number of programmable buttons they provide. The G600 has 20 and the Naga has 18, making it extremely convenient for games with 20 to 30 clickable abilities. This does constrict their function strictly toward MMORPG's, as extra buttons are useful in all PC games.
Both mice are extremely ergonomic. Top G600, bottom Naga
What sets these two mice apart is their size, material finish and the sound they make when clicking. Naga is small, silent and coated in a black plastic matte finish. By contrast, G600 is built for larger hands so you will not misfire any of the 12 thumb-side buttons. The mouse is also the noisier of the two and preferential for anyone who prefers meaty clicking sounds.
The Naga Hex is designed specifically for the MOBA player and features a total of 11 buttons, with six arranged in a special circular shape nestled directly under the thumb rest.
Mice – Razer DeathAdder
Compared to the prior examples, DeathAdder is a very minimalistic mouse with five buttons. What it lacks in buttons, it makes up in precision with its 6400dpi; definitely a worthy mouse for those who fancy first-person shooters. DeathAdder is considered one of the best gaming mice of all time.
Cost: All four mice are available at newegg.com at varying prices. The Logitech G600 is $65.00, Razer Naga is $70.00, Razer Naga Hex is $59.99 and Razer DeathAdder is $49.00
Consoles
Handhelds – Nintendo 3DS XL
Nintendo is an old master, here to stay. If there’s one thing the company’s learned over its hundred year history, it’s how to make a fun game. Unlike Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo doesn’t care about wooing you with fancy hardware, preferring innovative gameplay over all else.
Nintendo 3DS XL exhibits gaming for fun’s sake
The 3DS has an extensive library of top-shelf games and makes an ideal gift for the gamer on the go or for anyone too busy to fit gaming into any other time than commuting. The console is perfect for pick-up and play gaming yet with significant more depth than a smart phone gaming.
Cost: Nintendo 3DS XL is available in multiple bundles or as a stand-alone unit but prices vary with unit color and demand. The Nintendo 3DS XL Limited Edition Bundle with The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is presently $220 at PC Richards, cheaper than even Amazon.
*Notable exclusive titles:
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
2. Super Mario Bros. 2
3. Animal Crossing: New Leaf
4. Pokemon X & Y
5. Shin Megami Tensei IV
6. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
7. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
8. Fire Emblem Awakening
9. Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask
10. Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward.
Handhelds – Playstation Vita
Sony's take on the handheld market, the Playstation Vita packs almost the Playstation 3 hardware equivalent into a portable, black brick, infused with a gorgeous OLED screen. Its hardware is vastly superior to that of the 3DS XL, and recent price cuts make the console more accessible than ever. Bundles with the proprietary memory stick and a few games are available for less than the original $250 price tag.
Nevertheless, Vita's small library of games features a few highly acclaimed gems such as Tearaway, Persona 4: Golden, Soul Sacrifice, Virtue's Last Reward, and Gravity Rush to name a few. Overall, the game library suffers compared to 3DS's but will pick up steam in upcoming year thanks to the Vita's Playstation 4 integration, allowing PS4 games to be played remotely. This is primary reason for even considering a Vita at this time.
PS Vita’s OLED screen is a touchscreen
Cost: $180 for a Vita + four games and a 4 GB memory stick from Amazon. Average price per bundle is $250.
*Notable exclusive titles:
1. Tearaway
2. Persona 4: Golden
3. Soul Sacrifice
4. Virtue's Last Reward
5. Gravity Rush
6. Dragon Crown
7. LittleBigPlanet PS Vita
Playstation 4 is a console optimized for gaming while Xbox One is a multi-media powerhouse.
Next-Gen Consoles – Playstation 4
The good – Better hardware (graphics): Playstation 4’s GPU is significantly more robust than that of the Xbox One, delivering a resolution of 1080p, while the latter can only conjure up 720p. Buying into a new generation of consoles implies that hardware should feel like a significant upgrade and Xbox One’s 720p graphics definitely don’t look as next gen as what the PS4’s. Furthermore, PS4’s GPU packs 18 compute units featuring 1152 shaders versus Xbox One’s GPU with 12 CU and 768 shaders, ensuring game developers have plenty of resources to work with.
Image courtesy of Eurogamer.net
The good – Remote connectivity: The Playstation Vita handheld is an excellent complement to the Playstation 4, serving as either a second controller or a as means of accessing the console remotely.
The good – Sharing: Livestreaming and “let's plays,” recorded footage of user playing games, are the big thing in the modern gamescape, and Sony completely gets this. A “share” button located on the PS4’s controller makes it extremely easy to capture and upload a few minutes of gameplay footage on to Facebook, tweet screenshots, and best of all, stream live gameplay on Twitch.TV. All this at the touch of a button – take a moment to let that sink in.
The bad – Games: Playstation 4’s exclusive launch titles are not good enough to justify a console purchase. There are some decent download-only titles in the mix, such as Trine 2 and Flower, but these are rereleases and serve more as appetizers before entrees. Unfortunately, gamers will have to wait until early 2014 for the more ambitious titles like Watch Dogs and DriveClub.
The bad – Video editing: What the PS4 makes up in convenience, it losses in customization. The raw recorded video footage is inaccessible, preventing users from editing it at their discretion. Equally inconvenient is the PS4’s HDCP copy protection, preventing the inclusion of an external capture box. Sony promises to remove HDCP from console games and restrain this feature to movies.
*Notable titles: Flower, Resogun, NBA2k14, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Battlefield 4, and Need for Speed Rivals
Cost: $400 at most retailers.
Next-Gen Consoles – Xbox One
The good – Multi-media integration: The Xbox One was designed to eclipse your entire living room as the central crucible of media integration. The console is capable of so much more than merely streaming Netflix and YouTube videos. In fact, Xbox One can take your cable box’s A/V signal, granting the ability to seamlessly switch between gaming, cable TV, and any other device you’ve connected in your home entertainment system, without needing to press the TV’s input/source button or losing any game progress. The console’s OneGuide Tool makes it easy to track favorite channels and favorite shows, regardless of whether they’re on live TV, streamed, or downloaded, and multi-task like a master.
Voice control can be included through Kinect 2.0, allowing you to belt commands from across to room and treat your home entertainment system like the family hound.
The bad – Games: Same situation as the Playstation 4; Xbox One doesn't feature any “must-have,” launch titles to encourage a purchase.
The bad – Pricing: Xbox One costs $500; $100 more than the Playstation 4.
*Notable titles: NB2k14, Forza Motorsport 5, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, Dead Rising 3
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