It is that crazy time of year, time to shower your friends, family and yourself with cool goodies and gadgets. But if you are stuck for ideas then the P2 crew are here to help. Check our picks for the best pressies under the tree.
The 2022 P2 Gift Guide
Paul James
Under $50 - Super Mario Drinking Glass 4 Pack
Who doesn’t enjoy an ice-cold drink while they’re gaming? Well, now you can smash down a drink while sipping it out of a series of fantastic Mario-themed glasses. You’ve got Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi to choose from and they’ll all add a bit of needed life and colour to that cups, mugs, and glass shelf in the kitchen
Over $50 - Backbone Controller
I got my hands on a Backbone One controller earlier this year, and you might’ve seen my review of it at the time, but I was glowing in my praise of the game! The Backbone is a wonderful clip-on grip for your phone that works wonderfully well with your remote play functionality on PlayStation or Xbox and has been an absolute godsend while I try to keep the gameplay hours up while my wife is watching TV or I’ve found myself stuck in my kid’s beds trying to help them get back to sleep – just bust out the Backbone, connect, and you’re off to the races. There is no better 2022 purchase that you can make to improve your gaming life than this.
Sky's The Limit - PSVR 2 Pre-Order
Hey team, PS VR2 is on the way, and it’s not a cheap piece of kit. We’ve got about 2.5 months to burrow away approximately $900 to get this thing, plus peripherals and Horizon Call Of The Mountain if you’re that way inclined, so this is gonna get rough for a while. Given that, we can’t be asking mum, dad, aunt, uncle, husband, wife, granny to stump up the full price, but you could ask each of them for a small part of the cost and combine it all into something wonderful.
Shaun Nicholls
Under $50 - Dungeons & Dragons - Adventure Begins
Interested in Dungeons and Dragons but not sure where to start? Well, this board game not only introduces you to the basic mechanics of the game but also allows everyone to experience the role of the Dungeon Master. Designed to be a much quicker experience than the traditional games, this is perfect for introducing your kids to the world of D&D without worrying about a potentially months-long time commitment. With multiple stories to be played, it will keep giving you new adventures to experience.
Over $50 - A Sweet Nanoleaf Setup
If you want to take your home theatre system to the next level, a Nanoleaf wall or three will take your setup to new heights. Nanoleaf comes with the ability to integrate the colour scheme of some of your favourite games and movies, or you can just set up your own private rave in the comfort of your own home. Now, to get a big setup on multiple walls will be a bit on the pricey side, so I’d only recommend this for someone you really care about, like your significant other. The fact that you will reap the benefits and be able to set it up just how you like it is a minor byproduct.
Sky's The Limit - Activision/Blizzard
With the U.S. Federal Trade Commission suing to stop Microsoft’s acquisition of the longstanding developer this could be the opportunity if you have a spare USD 70 Billion then maybe you can swoop in and buy the company for yourself before some random on Twitter convinces Edgelord-in-Chief Elon that it would be a good idea to buy it. Then again, I’m sure by the time he is through with it you would be able to get it at a significantly discounted price.
Tim Henderson
Under $50 - The Artful Escape
There’s a reason that I seldom have any contributions appear in our actual Game of the Year lists: I frequently end up discovering my favourite game of any given year during the year that follows. So, why not get that lucky person what is almost certainly the best game from 2021 that they almost certainly haven’t played? Look, I just really like The Artful Escape, okay?
I suppose the lack of physical release is a bit of a catch. The Artful Escape is well under our fifty gold coins ceiling, though, and there would be plenty of cash left over to print out your own mock cover and put it in a blu-ray or DVD case or whatever. You could put a download code in there, or just truly express your love by breaking into said loved one’s personal space, cleaning up a bit, and downloading in onto their system directly. I guess you could also give them a $50 card for whichever e-shop is most relevant (I would suggest to avoid going the Switch route with this one, though, as there’s just too much risk of ruining the spectacle), just so long as you stand behind them, audibly breathing over their shoulder until they’ve made this their first purchase.
Over $50 - Steel Series Arctis Nova Pro
Personally, if I have to be honest, I’m still happy with plugging my trusty (and, seemingly, rugged) Hyper X Cloud headset into my controller, but that’s in large part because I very seldom play multiplayer games. And competitive multiplayer? Forget it. If the kind of money that these go for were on the table then, personally, I’d probably go for something focused on music. But this isn’t a hi-fi website.
That’s because the price tag on these cans is dancing around the line of being put in Sky’s the Limit. However – however! -, it took at least a couple of months for Hewso to stop raving about them after receiving his review set earlier in the year, and even now he still brings up how great they are every now and then. To my understanding, it’s best to go with the XBox version, simply because these will also work with PS5, but the reverse situation doesn’t hold true. If getting up and walking freely around the house isn’t too important, you could strip back the price a bit by getting the wired version. Whichever way you cut it, though, this is certainly a gift for a romantic partner or close family member rather than one of your mates down at the pub.
Sky's The Limit - Twitter
Sure, this category is all about the sky being the limit, but as we all watch this trainwreck of total incompetence and poor understanding bolstered by inflated an ego that is every bit as fragile as it is incomprehensibly large, the joke doesn’t seem so exaggerated: you might be able to get this one for whatever actual physical cash you have left laying around the house.
I guess that the catch is the mountain of debt that you would inherit with Twitter ownership. But, who knows – maybe your friend is incredibly rich, has good business acumen, and (perhaps most importantly) isn’t a sociopathic, union-busting thundercunt. I’m not saying that you should do this because a whirlwind trip back to Australia reminded me of how much I use the blue bird thing for keeping in touch with people back home, but I sure would like to be able to message old friends while knowing that not only are they still there, but also that I don’t have to be overtly careful about contents of direct messages because holy shit is that a security disaster just waiting to happen.
Matt Hewson
Under $50 - A Displate
I love Displates, there is just something so cool about the metallic posters that appeal to my inner nerd. When I say nerd it isn’t just video games either. They have stuff that appeals to my inner Heavy Metal Nerd, my Cooking Nerd, my Basketball Nerd, hell even my Anthony Bordain fan nerd. There really is something for everyone here. What’s more is they are all super durable, easy to install, don’t damage walls and are fully licenced so you know the owners are getting their cut. Do yourself a favour and spruce up those bare walls for Christmas.
Over $50 - Xbox Design Labs Controller
Xbox controllers are the best, sorry PS fans but it is true. Asymmetrical sticks for the win. But even if you are partial to the PS style of controller, you can’t deny the cool factor of the Xbox Design Lab. It is an amazing program that lets you make your very own Xbox controller with colours, grips and styles all adjustable to taste. You can even design your own Elite controller now too. It is just so much fun to play around with all the different options that you will want to buy more than one. What is even better is the end result is amazing, I love my P2-themed controller and I plan on making a new Elite version soon.
Sky's The Limit - A Virtual Pinball Machine
We recently moved into a newly renovated house and my amazing wife bought us a housewarming present. That present, a Virtual Pinball Machine. It has the look and the feel of a traditional pinball machine, with buttons, buzzers and tilt functions, but has the versatility of the table actually just being a giant monitor. That means it comes pre-loaded with over 1000 different pinball games. It is honestly so much fun, an amazing party piece and the centre of fierce family rivalries. The tech is just so impressive and it really is one of the best things I own. Trust me when I say, if you have money burning a hole in your wallet, you can’t go wrong here.
