The holiday season is already upon us (seriously, though, it was just Halloween!) and that means that the Christmas lights are going up, and the Christmas trees begin to have gifts under them.
And with gift giving, it can be unnecessarily difficult decide on gifts for everyone. We’re here to help take some of that pressure off and that means we putting together a Holiday Gift Guide for you.
Nerd Block is from Whitby, Ontario and they offer a themed good box subscription service. There are seven themed blocks to choose from: a shirt block for $29.99, a sci-fi block, comic block, arcade block, classic block, horror and comic blocks for $19.99. There are tons of blocks to choose from!
You can also browse the shop for various items, accessories, board games, toys, and more.
Pink City
We believe that being a nerd goes beyond tech and fandom because it’s a lifestyle; you live it, breathe it and want to wear it. So why not make it easier for geeks this holiday by gifting quality clothing that will have anyone’s senpai notice them! Pink City is exactly that, it mixes nerdy with streetwear to create remarkable apparel that has captured the eyes of Jessica Nigri, Zombie Bit Me, and Holly Wolf. They have a wide selection of shirts, sweaters, jackets, beanies and so much more that are inspired by shows, movies, and games; like Dragon Ball Z, Pokémon, Terminator, and Overwatch. Being gamers ourselves our top picks has to be their Respawn jersey ($54), inspired by the continue screen that’s gamers worst nightmare. If you’re shopping for an Overwatch fan then you have to check out their reversible Hacker varsity jacket ($114) from their new line that will make you feel like you’re a character from the game. They also carry a really cool line of beautifully designed shirts for Dragon Ball Z fans. Our favourite out of that bunch is their Wishes tee ($34) that features Shenron hovering over Toronto’s skyline. Pink City even has stocking stuffers like their Senpai leather choker ($24), Majin Buster patch ($8) and Happy Beanie ($22). This Canadian brand has a lot to offer including free shipping to Canada & US for purchases over $200. So if you get gifts for multiple people on your list or get a few of your friends together to purchase all your gifts at once, well then you just unlocked the achievement of savings this holiday! The best part of Pink City is that whatever you get you can definitely expect quality products that, unlike other geeky apparel, is durable and will last you a long time.
EBGames is always a hit for the gamer in your family. You can buy video games, consoles, and recently a ton of nerd merchandise and licensed products ranging from Square Enix’s Play Arts Kai action figures, to Funko Pop figures, Harry Potter wands, and more! Prices range on each item, but you’ll find something at what budget you set for each gift.
Ubiworkshop, which recently became part of the UPlay Shop, offers fans of Ubisoft properties the ability to purchase licensed and authentic gear based on Ubisoft properties. The quality I can speak for with immense satisfaction, as almost four years later my Assassin’s Creed 3 series of tees are still some of the best shirts in terms of comfort. I even bought a second set of the shirts because of the how much I enjoyed the quality of the fit and dyes used on the shirt.
The new line of clothing based on the upcoming Assassin’s Creed movie look sweet and can easily blend in with your wardrobe. The hoodies based on Michael Fassbender’s characters are definitely my most wanted from this site.
Or dress like Marcus, who is the star of Watch Dogs 2. His jacket from the trailers has the Dedsec logo on the chest, and, is reversible.
Explore their catalog here: UPlay Shop
If you’re looking for something for the audiophile in your family, we reviewed the Marley Liberate XLBT headphones. Our review praised them for their battery life, quality sound and the aesthetic.
You can purchase them here: Amazon
Parrot has some neat gifts for the family, too. We played with the Airborne Cargo Drone and the Jumping Night Drone, we loved them and how easy to operate they are.
Kyle will be reviewing both the Parrot Swing and the Parrot Mambo. The two newest minidrones are seriously impressive, especially the Mambo.
Mambo MiniDrone:
An amazing adventure playground that will take on any speed or skill races, acrobatic challenges or tricks, even aerial combat; super-robust and easy to handle.
Purchase it from: Best Buy Canada Amazon Canada
Swing MiniDrone:
The only MiniDrone that lets you pilot a supersonic plane with surprising ease and the only plane with autopilot and a vertical take-off and landing mode.
Purchase it from: Best Buy Canada Amazon Canada
Microsoft’s Xbox One got a refresh this year, the Xbox One S is the first 4K Xbox and comes with 4K Blu-ray, 4K streaming, and HDR. The One S is neat little upgrade the already enjoyable Xbox One. There is an assortment of readily available bundles as well, for anyone on your list.
Purchase here: EB Games Amazon Canada Best Buy Canada
The New Nintendo 3DS and XL edition is the current version the Nintendo 3DS. It boasts an assortment of improvements over previous builds, bringing face-tracking 3D that uses the camera to adjust the image to your eye position. The new C-stick brings a secondary nub to provide more control over your camera, and the new ZL and ZR buttons allow deeper controls. Nintendo’s lineup of Amiibos work with the console as well as the second screen supports near-field communication (NFC) to compatible games.
To keep is simple; this console is the best version of an already awesome handheld.
Buy it here: EB Games Amazon Canada Best Buy Canada
This has been a big year for PlayStation and between the PlayStation 4 Slim, PlayStation VR, and PlayStation VR, I think we can agree it’s been an impressive outing.
PlayStation 4 Slim launched in September and featured a rounded body with an all matte finish. The console refresh was also 40% smaller but had the optical audio port removed. It’s also really quiet, which I was very happy with.
Buy it here: EB Games Amazon Canada Best Buy Canada
PlayStation VR is the first console-based VR system and it’s impressive. We enjoyed each second we were using the OLED display that featured full 1080p resolution. The headset requires the PlayStation 4 Camera and two PlayStation Move controllers, which all work in tandem with nine positional LEDs placed around the headset allowing for a 100-degree field of view.
PlayStation 4 Pro launched early in November and is an updated version of the PS4. The Pro features 4K rending, upgraded GPU, higher CPU clock speed and better optimization with both old and new games, allowing for higher quality graphics. The Pro unfortunately and weirdly, does not have 4k Blu-ray.
Buy it here: EB Games Amazon Canada Best Buy Canada
