From LEGO to Star Wars playing cards and even VR devices, here’s some last-minute gift ideas perfect for Christmas 2024.
With Santa’s visit only days away, we’ve compiled a list of goodies that any tech lover or big-time gamer would love to find under their tree, or sneak there themselves. So let’s get stuck into it.
Google Pixel Watch 3
Price: From $579 via Google Store
For the iPhone faithful, choosing which smartwatch to invest in is quite the one-sided affair, but for everybody else it’s rarely ever that simple. With that in mind then, if you are shopping for an Android user in your life (or even treating yourself), the Google Pixel Watch 3 is an easy recommendation.
That’s largely because throughout my hands-on testing of the device, it truly feels like the perfect evolution of the first two Pixel Watch devices. It’s snappier, brighter and just feels more put together overall. Even better is that Google seems to have heard the feedback over the last two years and finally introduced a 45mm variant to the line-up (in addition to the traditional 41 mm), and it’s an absolute stunner. The larger display helps everything pop, makes it much easier to read your texts/emails, and allows for up to six complications at one time.
Better still is that a larger face has allowed for a beefier battery and I’ve been truly impressed with the battery life of the Pixel Watch 3 as a result – often going close to two days without charging and always-on display on.
You’re still mainly locked to Fitbit and Google could make some key refinements to the OS, but anybody would lucky to crack this one open on Christmas day.
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LEGO Super Mario Bowser’s Muscle Car Expansion Set + Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi
Price: From $49 via Big W
It’s not Christmas if you haven’t picked up LEGO for at least one person, and with a bevy of options available there’s almost certainly something to suit no matter your budget. Take Bowser’s Muscle Car for example. It’s technically an Expansion Set for the Super Mario line-up, but works perfectly well on its own as well in case you’re a fan of the big guy. It’s a relatively simple build but packs in just the amount of detail like spiked wheels, bombs and immensely threatening grill. Plus it’s reasonably priced at $49.
Take things up a notch though and you have a number of more complex, adult-centric builds available. Just look at the new Super Mario World: Mario & Yoshi. The flat pixelated retro aesthetic makes it a perfect shelf or desk ornament and the fact that it includes a handle for a running effect is truly adorable. Or you can settle in for a more time intensive builds with The Legend of Zelda Great Deku Tree or PAC-MAN Arcade with an illuminated light brick and
A perfect Christmas 2024 gift idea for any kids or those who are a kid at heart.
PlayStation 5 Pro
Price: $1,199 via Amazon
There’s no doubt that Santa’s seen the PlayStation 5 Pro pop up on a number of wish-lists this year and it’s not hard to see why. If you’re a big-time PlayStation fan this is unquestionably the best, most advanced version of the console released so far. What gives it that credibility?
Well thanks to some revised internals, the PS5 Pro is able to output a superior image than it’s bolder brother thanks to new features like PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) and Game Boost. That means more of your library is capable of playing games with both high framerate and full 4K resolution.
That said, I will admit that unless you’re a hardcore graphics lover you probably aren’t going to notice a whole lot of difference between the output between the base PS5 and the PS5 Pro in most titles, especially if you don’t have them side by side. But for the times that the PS5 Pro does make a substantial difference, it truly shines. Final fantasy VII Rebirth for example showcases a night and day difference, adding clarity to visuals that simply cannot be achieved with the base PS5 model without sacrificing frame rate.
This is a pricey gift for sure, but rest assured you’d quickly become #1 gift giver.
WD_BLACK C50 Expansion Card for Xbox
Price: From $175 via JB Hi-Fi
If there’s one thing that gamers have had to learn to balance and endure over the last console generation, it’s the constant juggle of game storage. With libraries continuing to bulge and game installs growing even larger, it’s not uncommon to be forced to delete and redownload one of your games multiple times over.
WD hopes to jump in and rectify that that with the C50 Expansion Card for Xbox. Available in sizes from 512GB to a whopping 2TB, how much you boost your console’s expansion is up to you.
But while it certainly doesn’t look like much from the outset with its rather nondescript form factor (although there are the typical WD_BLACK ridged lines), the biggest compliment I can give the C50 is that it just darn works.
Where increasing the storage capacity for my PS5 demands you to take your system apart (including nerves of steel as you detach the incredibly sketchy face plates) in order to access the M.2 solid state drive, the C50 is a whole other story.
Once I took the card out of the box I simply inserted it into the appropriate slot on the back of the Xbox Series X and I was off to the races. No tricks, no fluff, it’s seriously that easy. A great stocking stuffer.
Valve Steam Deck
Price: From $649 via Steam Store
Originally released way back in 2022, it feels as though Aussie gamers have been waiting an absolute millennia for Valve’s Steam Deck to arrive. But in what feels like a Christmas miracle it’s now finally it has hit our shores without having to worry about Grey imports.
The benefit of this delay though is that we now have access to the new and improved Steam Deck OLED model, which jams in a larger 7.4″ display, 90Hz and almost double the amount of battery life.
It doesn’t sound like much, but having been able to go hands-on with the unit they feel like quite substantial changes. The OLED screen in particular is an absolute beauty and will showcase your games in a whole new light with richer colours and deeper blacks. The unit itself is still bulky unit for sure, but somehow the ergonics don’t feel ridiculous, meaning it’s still relatively comfortable to hold in the hands over a long period of time.
The Steam Deck OLED is a mighty impressive device, so you better believe that anybody who finds one of these under their stockings has well and truly found themselves on Santa’s nice list.
Star Wars: Unlimited Twilight of the Republic
Price: From $8.95 via Gamesmen
If you have a serious Warsie in your life, Star Wars: Unlimited Twilight of the Republic is the gift you’ve been looking for. A continuation of the Star Wars: Unlimited card game this new set is focused on the military conflicts between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent System. Namely that means going all in on the Clone Wars era of the series which is an era perfect for a game like Unlimited.
But how does that impact the game? Well not only are Asoka and General Grievous the new headliner leaders, the latter also makes the most of the introduction of Battle Tokens, which allows for a new strategy of overwhelming your opponent by swarming them with an army of droids.
If you’re worried that this is the third set in the series, fear not because Twilight of the Republic still features its own two-player Starter pack with two fully-built decks that are ready to play, meaning you can still easily jump into the action. Then once you inevitably get sucked into the action there are also booster packs, deck boxes and playmats to enjoy. And it’s all backed up by the consistently impressive card art that makes the most of Star Wars’ long lineage.
A nifty gift idea without having to travel to a galaxy far, far away.
Meta Quest 3
Price: From $799.99 via Amazon
For those looking to escape this Christmas but can’t afford a pricey airfare, perhaps a virtual escape will do the trick? Should that be the case there’s perhaps not better VR headset at the moment then the Meta Quest 3.
If you’ve ever used the popular Quest 2, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much of a step up the Quest 3 feels. Visual passthrough, for example has been upgraded from black and white to full colour, making it far less dangerous to navigate your physical space while the headset itself has received a resign that’s intended to fit a wider range of heads.
From the moment I placed the unit on my head I was impressed at how comfortable the Quest 3 was compared to its predecessor. Case in point: not only was I able to continue using my glasses without interference, but during my various tests I also managed to avoid constantly fogging up the lenses – something that plagued me with the Quest 2.
The image quality is a hell of lot sharper too thanks to double the graphical processing power and a 4K+ infinite display, meaning games like Beat Saber and Resident Evil 4 shined all the brighter, and should help even more with Quest exclusives like Batman: Arkham Shadow and Asgard’s Wrath 2.
If you need a cheaper option, there’s also the Quest 3S which loses some of the bells and whistles, but can be nabbed for an even cheaper price. Can’t argue with that.
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