Looking for the right gift for that special gamer in your life for Christmas? Buying a new game for them can be useful, but unless you know they’ll love it, that brand new title could end up just collecting dust in their backlog. Instead, consider buying something that will make better use of if they love techy goodness.
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A new headset, monitor, or keyboard will improve the way your special someone will get to enjoy their game. Headsets offer a new way to get immersed into a game and communicate with online friends. Monitors will help them appreciate every gorgeous pixel, and keyboards can make every interaction an absolute joy. With all of that in mind, here are the many different gifts you can buy to transform how your loved one can explore their favorite pixelated paradise for the holidays.
Best Gaming Headset Gift Ideas
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HyperX Cloud III Gaming Headset
$81.99 $99.99 Save $18
HyperX Cloud III Gaming Headset is a worthy successor to the much-loved Cloud IIs. The Cloud III has a better microphone quality, is far more comfortable to wear, and has better customizability options in its software.
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Massdrop x Sennheiser PC37X Gaming Headset
The Sennheiser PC37x is one of the best gaming headsets you can buy. Its microphone quality is solid and its audio quality is perfect for gaming.
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Philips Over Ear Headphones SHP9600MB
The Philips SHP9600MB strikes the perfect intersection between price, audio quality, and microphone quality. It has a good midrange sound, making it perfect for gaming, and a detachable boom arm microphone for convenience.
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SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
$309.99 $349.99 Save $40
The SteelSeries Arctivs Nova Pro Wireless is an amazing headset for anyone looking for a good wireless option. Its hot-swappable battery also means you’ll never run out of energy in the middle of a game.
If you’ve browsed through our list of best gaming headsets, then some of these options will look very familiar to you. But just in case you haven’t, these headsets have a great mix of strong mid-range sounds to help players listen for footsteps and gunshots, a wide soundstage so players can accurately pinpoint which direction sounds are coming from, and good microphone quality so players can communicate well with their teammates.
The HyperX Cloud III stands out from the list because it hits a good sweet spot of price, audio quality, comfort, and microphone quality. However, if you can spend the extra $20 – $30 for the PC37x, the quality jump is worth the extra money. While HyperX is great for their gaming equipment, Sennheiser is a well-known audio brand, and if the person you’re buying for is going to use these for anything other than communications, you’ll want to invest the extra cash for better audio quality.
For a good headset below $100, aim for the Philips SHP9600MB and if you’re willing to spend over $200, the SteelSeries Arctivs Nova Pro Wireless is a good option.
Best Headphone Gift Ideas
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Audio-Technica ATH-M40x Professional Headphones
$99 $119.99 Save $20.99
For headphones, the ATH-M40x is the perfect gateway into the audiophile world for gamers. Its neutral sound, closed-back design, and strong midrange make it perfect for games. At a sub $100 price point, these headphones have become the perfect gift for anyone.
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Sennheiser HD560S
$129.99 $179.99 Save $50
Sennheiser’s HD560s can be pricey, but the quality you get from them is beyond comparison. They have a bright sound, and their build is lightweight and comfortable to wear for long periods of time.
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Philips Fidelio X2HR
Philips Fidelio X2HR is a step up from the M40X. Their open-back design allows for a wider sound stage than the M40X, but they’re also a little bit more expensive.
If the person you’re buying a gift for already has a good microphone setup, then getting an entire headset will be a waste since a boom mic attached to a headset will have a tough time competing against an exterior microphone. In cases like that, look into external headphones that can connect to a computer or controller through a 3.5mm jack. From the build of the headphones themselves to the audio quality, these headphones will be superior to their gaming headset counterparts in almost every way, and sometimes, they’ll be cheaper too.
One of the best entry-level headphones is the Audio-Technica ATH line of headphones. They have amazing sound quality at a solid price. The Sennheiser HD560s and Philips Fidelios X2HR are both higher quality options that also come with a higher price, but they are well worth the money spent on them.
Best Keyboard Gift Ideas
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RK Royal Kludge RK61 Plus
$59.99 $89.99 Save $30
The RK Royal Kludge RK61 Plus is amazing for anyone hoping to get into keyboards. It has an amazing price point, hot-swappable switches so players test which switches they enjoy, and its multiple wireless mode make it a convenient option to have for both desktop and travel use.
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Razer Huntsman Mini 60% Analog Gaming Keyboard
$134.99 $149.99 Save $15
The Razer Huntsman Mini Analog uses an optical switch that has a faster response time than standard cherry mx switches. On top of that, the keyboard can be used to mimic analog inputs like those of a controller or joystick.If you want a cheaper alternative to this, there’s also a version without the analog feature which will go for closer to $80.
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SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL (2023)
$144.99 $189.99 Save $45
One of the best keyboards you can buy, the SteelSeries Apex Pro TKL comes with SteelSeries unique switches, the OmniPoint 2.0 installed into it, which means its sensitivity and actuation points can be adjusted.
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Drunkdeer A75
The Drunkdeer A75 is a competitor to the incredible Wooting 60HE for half the price. Both of them have magnetic switches instead of mechanical, which means you can change the actuation point of the keys to something more comfortable to gaming or typing.For its price though, this keyboard is a great way to see what all the excitement around magnetic switches is about.
For beginners, the Royal Kludge RK61 is a great place to start. For under $100, you get a good 60% keyboard with hot-swappable switches. A 60% keyboard means it won’t have a number pad, making the board lighter and taking up less space. If the person you’re gifting this to plays First-Person Shooters like Apex Legends, then they’ll appreciate having more desk space since more desk space means more space for their mouse to aim with.
Hot-swappable switches are useful if the person who uses the RK61 wishes to change any of the mechanical switches that come with it. The customizability and price are what makes it perfect for beginners, because you get a taste of both different switches and different keycaps.
If you don’t care about swapping out switches and just want a good keyboard for the price, the Steelseries Apex Pro TKL (or Apex Pro Mini) and Drunkdeer A75 are wonderful choices. The Razer Huntsmen Mini Analog is a fantastic budget option for a good keyboard.
Best Gaming Monitor Gift Ideas
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ViewSonic OMNI XG2431
$229.99 $279.99 Save $50
The ViewSonic OMNI XG2431 is an amazing-looking display and probably one of the best 240Hz monitors you can get without using OLED.
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ASUS ROG Swift 27″ OLED DSC Gaming Monitor
$835.59 $999 Save $163.41
The ASUS ROG Swift is a gorgeous OLED display with a premium price tag. But with its beautiful display and vibrant OLED colors, this monitor will quickly justify its price.Just make sure you have a strong enough GPU for 1440p at 240Hz, or you’ll run into flickering problems.
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GIGABYTE M27Q X 27
The GIGABYTE M27Q X 27″ is a good 240Hz monitor if you’re looking for 1440p resolution. The display is beautiful on this monitor (despite its lack of OLED), but just like with the ASUS ROG, make sure you have a strong enough graphics card to support 240Hz at 1440p resolution.
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ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ HDR Gaming Monitor
$284 $309 Save $25
The ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ HDR monitor is a solid display with little to complain about. It’s perfect if you’re looking to get into 1440p resolution and your graphics card can’t handle 240Hz.
A good refresh rate is the key to a good gaming monitor. PCs with stronger graphics cards and Xbox consoles will want a refresh rate over 120Hz. Playstation consoles and Nintendo consoles will be more than happy at 60hz. However, if you’re looking for the upper end of monitors for a good gaming PC, 240 Hz with 1440p resolution will make your games look amazing. If you’re looking to capitalize on a more steady frame rate, you’ll want to aim for 240hz with 1080p.
With all of that in mind, the ViewSonic OMNI XG2431 is perfect for a 240Hz 1080p monitor. In comparison, the ASUS ROG Swift has a comparable 240Hz, 1440p display, but it’s also on the more expensive side, and it’ll be more demanding on your graphics card. For a more affordable option, the GIGABYTE M27Q X is a good budget alternative to the ASUS ROG Swift. The ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ HDR Gaming Monitor is also a good competitor for both console and PC gaming since it hits 165hz and keeps a 1440p resolution.
Looking for more Christmas gift ideas and deals on games, consoles, accessories, and more? Then check out our other Holiday Gift Guides in 2023:
2023 Holiday Gift Guide: Best PS5, Xbox, Nintendo & Board Games Ideas For Christmas
Want to get ahead of the Christmas rush? There are plenty of gaming gift ideas across PS5, Xbox, Nintendo and Board Games to keep everyone happy.
