A 2022 Christmas Holiday Gift Guide

December 29, 2022 Audrey

The best gaming gadgets of 2022.

Credit: Pixabay

It’s the day before Black Friday! What’s that called again?

Oh yeah, Thanksgiving! The best holiday of the year now casts a dark shadow, with the most flagrantly capitalistic day of the year encroaching ever more into today’s festivities (and the whole week, really).

But it’s a good time to go shopping, no doubt about it, especially if you want to save some money on consumer goods like video games and gadgets. The following list includes some of my favorite gaming gadgets and accessories—from VR headsets to gaming chairs—that I’ve played around with this year. This is not a “steep discounts for Black Friday” post so much as it is “go look for these cool things and hopefully they’ll be on sale” post. If there’s a deal, however, I’ll link to it. I’ll have a separate guide for discounted video games as well, so look for that here on this blog.

Okay, so what are the best gadgets of the year? Let’s take a look. Note also that some of these came out before 2022 but I didn’t get a chance to take them for a spin until this year. Sometimes that means they’ve come down in price but not always, as lately we’ve seen some gadgets—from the PS5 to the Meta Quest 2—get price hikes! In any case, let’s get to the gift guide, shall we?

The Best Gaming Gadgets For Holiday 2022

1. The BenQ X3000i True 4K UHD 4LED Gaming Projector

X3000i Gaming Projector

Credit: BenQ

BenQ’s excellent 4K gaming projector is a fantastic option for any gamer that wants to go the projector route instead of a TV. It’s crystal clear and the 3,000 lumen LED 4K DLP means it’s plenty bright with truly amazing color and contrast.

At around $2,000 this isn’t a cheap purchase but it’s no more expensive than comparable television sets and has a lot more flexibility. You can also get a lot more screen real-estate for your money since you can get a 100-inch images from just over 8 feet away. The unit has built-in speakers that sound great and built-in Android TV, though you’ll likely be running your PS5 or Xbox Series X through this bad boy. It also looks like a droid out of Star Wars! The cool aesthetic is complimented by rugged build quality, making this a great addition to any gamer’s setup.

$1,999 at Amazon

2. Meta Quest 2 Virtual Reality Headset (Oculus Quest 2)

Meta Quest 2

Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

If I had to pick one gaming gadget that got the most use in our household in 2022 (outside of our dedicated gaming consoles and PCs) it would have to be the Meta Quest 2 (formerly called the Oculus Quest 2 which was a vastly better name).

This is largely because my 12-year-old son is obsessed with VR in ways that I will never be. I really do think virtual reality will be a generational thing. It’s

100+ top tech gadgets and gifts to shop this holiday season

December 16, 2022 Audrey

Best tech gifts of 2022

The holidays are quickly approaching, so it’s a good idea to get ahead of the curve and start shopping for gifts now. Electronics and tech gifts are among the most popular during the holidays, so you’ll want to snag some of the hottest items before they sell out.

What makes electronics and tech gadgets such great gifts is their versatility. If you know what the person you’re gifting likes, it’s an easy way to shop for something they can appreciate.

For example, if you know a hardcore gamer, a new console, accessory or even a gaming chair is an excellent gift, while music lovers will appreciate a new sound bar or wireless earbuds. Whether you’re shopping for a tech enthusiast or someone who is overdue for an upgrade, you’ll find ideas here for everyone on your list.

In this article: Nintendo Switch OLED White Joy-Cons, Ember Temperature-Control Smart Mug and Westinghouse HEPA Air Purifier.

Gaming

Nintendo Switch OLED White Joy-Cons

When playing on the go, Nintendo fans can enjoy their favorite games on a brighter OLED on the Switch. It has a built-in Ethernet port for a stable internet connection, 64 gigabytes of storage space and a wide adjustable stand for comfortable viewing in tabletop mode.

Sold by Amazon

Meta Quest 2 Advanced All-in-One Virtual Reality Headset

It’s an expensive gift, but this cutting-edge virtual reality gaming headset offers access to over 350 titles. It has 3D positional audio, hand tracking and haptic feedback for an immersive experience as well as a high-resolution display.

Sold by Amazon

PlayStation 5 Console

This is a fantastic gift for anyone who couldn’t get their hands on a PS5 after it initially launched. The PS5 offers an immersive experience, thanks to haptic feedback, adaptive triggers and 3D Audio. Plus, there is a library of excellent exclusive and third-party games.

Sold by Amazon

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Mario Kart is one of the most popular Nintendo game franchises of all time, and Mario Kart 8 is one of the bestselling Switch games. Players can choose their favorite Mario characters and race them against friends in a multiplayer clash of zany action.

Sold by Amazon

Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

Playing the Switch with Joy-Cons is fine, but the Pro Controller is a must for players who want improved control when playing first-person shooters, fighters, RPGs and platformers. It has an ergonomic design, motion controls, HD rumble and built-in Amiibo functionality.

Sold by Amazon

Homall Gaming Chair

Extended gaming sessions can wreak havoc on a person’s body, so it’s crucial to have a gaming chair like this one. It has a 360-degree swivel, multidirectional wheels and a reclining function that works between 90 and 180 degrees.

Sold by Amazon

Corsair K63 Wireless Special-Edition Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

This excellent keyboard uses Corsair’s new Ice Blue LED backlighting, matching perfectly with Corsair One. It has three connection methods: 2.4-gigahertz, low-latency Bluetooth and USB. The keyboard incorporates Cherry MX Red key switches

The 17 best gadgets and electronics for holiday gifts 2021

January 1, 2022 Audrey

The Recommender team spends a lot of time testing gadgets—devices designed to make our lives easier, smarter, better, or simply more enjoyable. For the holidays, we rounded up some of our favorite gear, from a thermoregulating wearable made by engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to a barista-grade espresso maker that puts most home systems to shame.

[Photo: courtesy Solo Stove]

Solo Stove Bonfire
Solo Stove offered soothing respite during the pandemic lockdowns with its well-designed, easy-to-maintain fire pits. The midsize stainless-steel Bonfire model provides consistent, low-smoke flames and minimal cleanup, for a cozy but still impressive fire that’s safe for backyards and campsites. The product—and its two other sizes, the 15-inch Ranger and 27-inch Yukon—uses an innovative ventilation system, funneling out heat and mitigating smoke as it burns. While our story on Solo Stove looks back to 2020, the most impressive elements of the product—its ingenious method of putting out heat and eliminating messy cleanup—remains the same.

Loftie Alarm Clock
In the spirit of breaking up with your phone before bedtime, Loftie’s sleek alarm clock has plenty of clever features in the service of sleep hygiene. From built-in bedtime stories and sound baths to a gentle, glowy nightlight, the device brings all the digital “musts” to your bedside table, without the outside chatter of social media and other to-dos. From our review: “Since I moved house just a few weeks ago, my Loftie alarm clock is currently lost in a sea of boxes. I hadn’t realized how dependent on it I had become. I’m now back to mindlessly scrolling through TikTok before bed and waking up groggier than ever. I’m just waiting until I get to that fateful box and my Loftie and I can be reunited.”

Therabody Wave Duo
Premium percussion massagers were everywhere in 2020—but the new line of vibrating rollers from Therabody, the maker of Theragun, were a slightly different take on muscle maintenance. The Wave Duo’s unique peanut shape allows it to cradle your spine and midback: “We created it to treat muscles on either side, and then you melt into the center,” Therabody’s director of human performance, Lissa Bankston, told Recommender. Still, despite its distinct shape, this compact device can also be used elsewhere on the body, cradling muscles to give users an effective, all-around massage. When reviewing, we found the product to be lightweight and nimble, giving our carpal tunnel syndrome a run for its money.

Opte Precision System, $599
Opte—a P&G Ventures gadget—provides what CEO Matt Petersen calls “the world’s smallest inkjet printer.” The catch? It’s for your skin. The product uses a hypersensitive camera and blue LED lights to detect hyperpigmentation and other discoloration to place small amounts of color product for a smooth, even, glowy finish. The brand aims to own a category it deemed “precision skincare,” with the market message that you need only the smallest fraction of product to address skin ailments, rather than a cookie-cutter amount

With electronics on holiday wish lists, Samsung and Apple are meeting shoppers back in stores

November 7, 2021 Audrey

Samsung is opening an working experience retailer in Frisco’s Stonebriar Centre. Target is adding extra Apple shops within its retailers by Christmas.

It is no incident that the two biggest smartphone makers of Galaxy and iPhones are chasing buyers back again to brick-and-mortar outlets.

The outlook for 5G telephones — the most up-to-date smartphone iteration — is robust this getaway time and the units top rated consumers’ electronics desire lists, according to a survey by business trade team Consumer Technological know-how Association.

In November 2019, U.S. buyers considered their smartphones ought to moderately final 4.2 yrs, and at that time, the common age of a smartphone was just about 2 a long time, according to CTA.

But there’s a thing new to purchase this calendar year. Samsung introduced its Galaxy Z Flip 3 and ZFold3 in August and Apple unveiled its new Apple iphone 13 lineup in September.

Samsung said its knowledge merchants are a reaction to purchasers heading back to the mall this holiday year. The South Korean organization has opened 4 practical experience shops so considerably, with a person in the Houston Galleria and a single each and every in major malls in Los Angeles, New York and Palo Alto. It started opening the suppliers just right before the pandemic in 2019.

At Stonebriar, the Samsung working experience retail outlet will open up on the initial stage of Fossil’s previous 3,800-sq.-foot space. Until finally that keep is ready, most likely ideal right after Xmas, the business stated it has set up a 10-foot by 20-foot momentary retailer anchored by a Ford Wagon in the mall corridor around Barnes & Noble. Galaxy foldable smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and earbuds will be on display.

Samsung declined to say regardless of whether this is the beginning of a additional in depth retail store rollout.

When Apple retailers have been all over for 20 years, Samsung has mostly bought its Galaxy telephones right on the web, or by means of major wireless carriers and vendors this kind of as Ideal Purchase and Walmart.

Apple retailers started out showing up in February inside of Focus on retailers, such as Allen, Hurst and Irving places. A 2nd batch of Apple outlets are opening before long in Rockwall, Arlington, Denton, North Richland Hills, Flower Mound, Frisco and Watauga.

An all-time large of 191.3 million U.S. adults strategy to buy technology as a reward this holiday season, based mostly on CTA estimates, but spending in the class will only be up .5% from a yr in the past.

A great deal of electronics were being bought last year to accommodate operating and schooling from home. But the pandemic also “gave a lot more people today time and incentive to discover the several strategies technological innovation can enhance their life,” mentioned Lesley Rohrbaugh, director of current market exploration for CTA.

Electronics are on the wish lists of 26% of shoppers, according to a study of shoppers by Prosper Insights & Analytics for the National Retail Federation.

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