Maybe you (or the person you're buying for) have the consoles and games you want. Maybe what you're looking for are peripherals — a gaming mouse, keyboard, headset. Or maybe you're looking for a tablet or gaming laptop. If these are what your little heart desires this holiday season, look no further. Here are some of the best peripherals you can get.
Laptops and Tablets
- Razer Blade [$1,999.99-$2,499.99] – The Razer Blade is an expensive gaming laptop, to say the least. There's plenty of laptops that come with an i7 quad-core processor, a 17.3" display, 500GB harddrive, 64GB SSD, 8GB of memory and a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M, and for cheaper. But what makes the Razer Blade special is its sleek design, and features and applications that you can't find with other laptops. The Razer Blade comes with Switchblade UI — 10 dynamic adaptive tactile keys combined with a revolutionary LCD display system that displays game information in vibrant colors, yet also functioning as an ultra-sensitive multi-touch gaming track pad. Combined with Razer's Synapse 2.0, the Razer Blade is both something special and unique in the gaming laptop market. Santa's got a brand new bag, and in it is the Razer Blade.
- Samsung Series 7 Gaming Laptop [$1,899.99] – Coming in at $1,899.99, the Samsung Series 7 Gaming Laptop is a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. The Series 7 is one of the best gaming laptops you can find. While there are cheaper laptops, none of them can quite offer what the Series 7 does. This beautiful laptop sports a i7 processor, a 17.3" display, 16GB of memory, a 1.5TB Harddrive, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M. If you don't understand what any of that means, just know that whatever game you throw at it, it can run it beautifully. Read our review of it HERE.
- Microsoft Surface [$499] – Maybe you've seen the catchy commercials for the Surface. Windows RT/Windows 8 is on full display with the new Windows Surface tablet. If you're looking for something "different" in the tablet market (or if you think the iPad mini is as un-inventive as a lot of us think it is), then you might want to give the Surface a look. Part-touchscreen tablet, part laptop — the Surface features a full-size USB port, microSD card slot, and HD video out port. The most recognizable features, however, are the integrated Kickstand that enables hands-free entertainment, and the Touch Cover — a slim, snap-on keyboard/cover that comes in multiple, vibrant colors. That's what makes the Surface so unique. It's the versatility available. Whether it's harnessing the power and productivity of Window and Office, or the joy of Xbox, apps, entertainment and social media, the Surface is a great choice this holiday season.
Gaming Mice and Keyboards
- Razer Taipan [$79.99] – The Razer Taipan, which I personally use at home, is an ambidextrous, ergonomic mouse sporting 8200 dps 4G dual sensor system. With Razer Synapse 2.0, it is completely customizable to how you play and what you need it to do. Not only is it comfortable, but it's a great gaming mouse, especially for long play sessions.
- Razer Naga Hex [$79.99] – Razer is sponsoring some really good MOBA teams, including the League of Legends Team Solomid. So it makes sense that they have designed a mouse for MOBA play. The Razer Naga Hex features 6 MOBA/action-RPG optimized mechanical thumb buttons in a circle. There's 11 total programmable buttons, and it can handles 250 clicks per minute.
- Razer Naga [$79.99] – With 17 buttons (12 at thumb positioning), the Razer Naga is optimized for MMO play. Sporting 5600dpi, 1000Hz Ultrapolling with 1ms response time, if you play MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, you'll enjoy the Naga.
- Razer Deathstalker Ultimate [$249.99] – If you read the Gaming Laptop section above, the Razer Blade used a Switchblade User Interface. That's exactly what the Razer Deathstalker Ultimate is. It features the 10 dynamic display keys and a 4.05" touch screen, making it a keyboard all of your gaming buddies will be jealous of.
Headsets
- Sony Pulse Elite Edition [$125.38-$149.99] – Great with a PS3 or PC, the Sony Pulse Elite Edition is a wireless headset with 7.1 virtual surround sound and tons of bass. It has preset modes optimized for select gaming genres, and it's really comfortable for hours on on. Our REVIEW called it "one of the best on the market."
- Turtle Beach Ear Force Tango [$299.95] for 360/PS3 – The Turtle Beach Call of Duty: Black Ops II Ear Force Tango Limited Edition Headset helps you get the jump on your competition with fully programmable audio presets, Dolby Digital Surround Sound, 2.4/5GHz Dual-Band Wi-Fi, a rechargeable Lithium Polymer battery, Bluetooth technology and wireless chat for Xbox 360 and PS3 complete the ultimate gaming audio loadout. Dolby Digital Surround Sound lets you pinpoint the direction of every gunshot and footstep with 360 degree audio for an immersive experience, while adjusting the position of the virtual speaker angles provides enhanced customizability. Take control of the battleground by configuring up to 9 different presets for game and chat/mic audio paths so you can crank up earth-shattering explosions and hear enemy footsteps through the 50mm speaker drivers. It also has voice morphing, so you can disguise your voice to be really low or obnoxiously high. It's a pricy headset, but it's one that will provide premium sound quality and immersion, and not just for Black Ops II, but for all games.
- Turtle Beach Ear Force Kilo [$79.95] for 360/PS3/PC – The most affordable of the Call of Duty: Black Ops II headsets is the Kilo. The Turtle Beach Call of Duty: Black Ops II Ear Force Kilo Limited Edition Headset combines premium stereo game sound with crystal-clear communication to produce a truly engaging gaming audio experience. The Ear Force Kilo is both a stereo headset for chat sound and an amplified stereo headset for game sound. Independent volume controls, mounted right on the in-line amplifier, let you personally balance the game and chat sound while Bass Boost and massive 50mm speaker drivers ensure you won’t miss a single audio cue. Features an exclusive Call of Duty: Black Ops II color scheme and cloth braided cables. This USB powered headset is the good for a gamer on a smaller budget, and the memory foam ear cushions are great for noise isolation and long play sessions.
- Turtle Beach Headsets – If you're not into Black Ops II, Turtle Beach has so many headsets that I can't list them all, but you can brose and purchase them from the Turtle Beach Catalogue.
Other Peripherals
- Satechi 12 Port USB Hub with Power Adapter and 2 Control Switches [On sale for $27.99] – Normally going for $39.99, this USB 2.0 Hub adds 12 additional ports to a PC or Mac, allowing you to connect more devices. It has two switches that control the first six or second six USB ports with blue LED indicators.
You can follow Movies and Culture Editor Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ. He likes talking sports, video games, and the stupidity of celebrities. Email at [email protected]
