GamePro?s Gift Guide 2003: Gifts Under $50
- November 26, 2003 14:31 PM PST
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Sure, fifty bucks can buy you a game?but what else can you buy for the gamer who?s already got ?em all?
Digital Innovations Motorized GameDR
Nothing
feels worse than realizing your $50 game-or your $15 music CD, for that matter-is
worthless because you were a bonehead and accidentally scratched it. The new
motorized version of the GameDR offers hope; like its hand-powered forebear,
it comes with a bottle of ?resurfacing fluid? and a wheel gizmo that tries to
rebuild the outer layer of your CD, DVD, or game disc so your player can read
its data again. The bright yellow AC-powered edition is much easier to use than
the black-and-green hand-crank version (which usually works but is a pain in
the...wrist). The Dr can handle some nasty scratches on audio CDs (expect to
repeat the process multiple times for best results), but your mileage will vary
depending on your CD player-the same disc might skip in one player and not skip
in another (boom boxes and portables are especially picky). If you follow the
directions properly and repeatedly, you?ll walk away with an improved disc, if
not a completely repaired one.
$49.95 | Digital Innovations Motorized GameDR | skipdoctor.com
LASR GamePak
Your
console: Don?t leave home without it. Forced, long holiday trips to visit
boring relatives require proper preparation, and the GamePak will let you
carry your prized possession safely and surreptitiously, thanks to its fitted
foam-lined pockets and total lack of major-brand logos. There?s plenty of
space inside for multiple games, controllers, cables, memory cards, the works-and
you don?t even need to take the console out of the case, thanks to the well-designed
zipper pocket at the bottom. Just hook up the wires, and you?re ready to
play. If you don?t like the backpack design, check out the GameCase, which
is more of a shoulder satchel but works the same way: amazingly well. GamePro staffers
use these things often.
$39.99 | LASR GamePak | lasraccessories.com
Lexar 64 MB JumpDrive
Never
say, ?I would kick your ass in Quake III, but my config files are at home
on my PC? again-unless, you know, you need an excuse to back down from a
challenge. Instead, get a JumpDrive, which packs anywhere from 64 MB to a
massive 1 GB of data onto a wafer of memory small enough to fit on your keychain.
The USB plug-and-play device instantly boots on any computer (PC or Mac)
like a tiny hard drive, enabling you to keep your most important game saves,
settings files, digital photos, Zinio GamePro issues (hint hint), and MP3
files on your person at all times. The purple JumpDrives are USB 1.1, and
the blue ones are USB 2.0; both work in all computers, but since 2.0 is much
faster (on 2.0-equipped machines), it?s more expensive. This is a gift that
your recipient probably didn?t know existed but, once they start using it,
won?t be able to live with-out. Doesn?t that make you feel good?
$49.99 | Lexar 64 MB JumpDrive | lexarmedia.com
Sony EyeToy
You?ve
heard about Sony?s digital camera controller, and maybe you?re thinking that
it?s not worth it. Oh, but it is-and like all good gifts, it?s something
that a lot of gamers might find themselves on the fence about. Once you?ve
played with an EyeToy, however, you soon realize that this is more fun than
simply wildly waving your arms around has any real right to be. The mini-games-such
as triggering fireworks, washing windows, and boxing cartoonish brutes-are
silly, short, and playable by anyone, and if you?re concerned about what
the neighbors will think, consider this: If you open the drapes and they
see you flailing around as if possessed by an evil spirit, they will stay
the hell off your lawn.
$49.99 | Sony EyeToy | playstation.com
Nintendo Game Boy Player
Do
you need it? No. Would it be cool to have? Sure. That?s always a good description
of a gift, and the Game Boy Player fits it nicely. Yes, the appeal of a GBA
is playing games on the go, but this GameCube add-on lets you enjoy them
while others watch (and it?s definitely easier to show someone the twisted
appeal of WarioWare than it is to try to describe it to them) and takes care
of that old my-GBA-screen-is-too-dark problem, giving new life to dim games
like Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. Plus, as with a real GBA, you can still
play all your old Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges. It even supports
link cable games, the WaveBird, and your now-dusty e-Reader. And you thought
you didn?t need it. Ha!
$49.99 | Nintendo Game Boy Player | nintendo.com
Gifts Under $10 | Gifts Under $20 | Gifts Under $30 | Gifts Under $50 | Gifts Under $100
Gifts Over $100 | The Gift of Broadband | Gifts for Gamers Who?ve Got Everything
