Father’s Day is quickly coming up this year, taking place on Sunday, September 4th. Just about anyone can be a father or father figure in your life, but no matter who they are there’s a good chance they’re into gaming or tech to some degree (after all, who isn’t?). That’s why we’ve put together this little gift guide, to try and give you a few ideas on what to gift someone this Father’s Day, no matter who they are:
GAMING GIFT CARDS
It’s not the most inventive or out-of-the-box idea, but you can’t really go wrong with grabbing some gaming credit for the gamer in your life on Father’s Day (or really any occasion). Amazon will send you out a physical $50 or $30 PlayStation Store gift card if you’re keen to hand over something tangible, otherwise you can grab digital gift cards for most platforms from places like EB Games and JB Hi-Fi that are usually sent straight to your inbox the same day.
With the new PlayStation Plus subscription tiers having launched in Australia recently, some PlayStation Store credit is an especially easy to way to gift someone access to a massive catalogue of games at their fingertips.
NEW GAMING GEAR
Whether they’re gaming or working from home, there’s so much opportunity now to give that desk setup a decent upgrade. You can find some great gaming monitor recommendations in our 2022 guide to HDMI 2.1 displays, and we’ve recently reviewed some pretty great kit like the Razer Viper V2 Pro Wireless gaming mouse and Sonos Ray soundbar.
Brands like SteelSeries are also great if you’re looking to kit a loved one out with a full gaming desk solution. Whether it’s the just-released Nova series of headsets like the Nova Pro Wireless/Nova Pro + Gamedac, one of the superlight Aerox 3, Aerox 5 or Aerox 9 gaming mice, or a Apex Pro Mini keyboard there’s bound to be something in the line-up to really take their game to the next level.
When it comes to the SteelSeries Nova headsets it’s also worth calling out the excellent SteelSeries Sonar software, a free downloadable audio suite as part of SteelSeries GG that allows players to boost their audio experience, optimise their communications and easily mix their sound devices with a few clicks. It’s packed with game-ready presets designed with input from pro players so a gifting your parent a SteelSeries Nova headset means less hours spent helping them set it up after the fact.
THE YEAR’S BIGGEST GAMES
What better gift for the parent that games than… more games? There are ton of great, recent releases to pick up that the father figure in your life might have missed. Whether they game on the go with a Nintendo Switch or like to kick back on the couch with a PlayStation or Xbox controller in hand, there’s bound to be something up their alley. Some of our favourite recent releases include:
- Nintendo Switch Sports
- Pokémon Legends Arceus
- Horizon Forbidden West
- Gran Turismo 7
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3
- Two Point Campus
- TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge
- Elden Ring
A NEW CONTROLLER
You can never go wrong with second (or third, or fourth) controller when it comes to kitting out a family member. After all, what else are you gonna do after Father’s Day dinner if not tear each other apart over a game of Overcooked 2?
Whether it’s a new DualSense controller for the PS5 in a funky colour like Starlight Blue or Nova Pink, an extra Joy-Con pair and Steering Wheel attachment for some Mario Kart action or it’s a proper upgrade for the Xbox Dad with a Series 2 Elite Controller there’s a controller for everybody.
SEND DAD INTO VIRTUAL REALITY
Some dads might need time away from work, responsibilities or the rest of the family from time to time, and what better/easier way to achieve that than in virtual reality? The Meta Quest 2 is still the easiest and one of the most comfortable VR gaming experiences and doesn’t require any extra console or PC hardware to use, making it the perfect gift for someone who’s not willing to sacrifice the time, money and space for a dedicated VR setup.
For a limited time you’ll get the excellent Beat Saber included, but it’s also got a fantastic and broad range of games and apps available on the Meta Quest store including Vader: Immortal and The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners. The Meta Quest 2 is available in two storage capacity options and there are a bunch of extra accessories you could pick up for someone who already owns one:
A GAMES ROOM UPGRADE
If you’ve got gamer parents, chances are they’ve carved out a little space at home for their gaming time. Whether it’s a “cave” in the shed out back or a nook under the stairs, why not help them dress it up with some tech-based adornments?
Nanoleaf has got some excellent kit to make any space look slick, whether it’s the games room, the study or the garage. The new Nanoleaf lines are a great fit for any environment and be configured into any shape they might want – a sick hammer, a shield, an eggplant, anything! There are a couple of starter kits with different amounts of Lines included, starting at $350 for a kit of nine, as well as expansion packs to add more. There’s also the more rustic-look Nanoleaf Elements panels if they’re going into a bar or rumpus room situation.
FOR THE TABLETOP NERD DADS
Video games aren’t the only worthwhile kinds of gaming, and your parent might just as easily be into the tabletop variety. Whether they grew up painting miniatures or they’ve just recently binged Stranger Things and got a taste for adventure, the great thing is that there are so many entry points to so many different flavours of tabletop and almost all of them have great little gift-set style kits available.
For the trading card-lover, there’s the fantasy organised crime-flavoured Magic the Gathering Streets of New Capenna Bundle, or if they’re keen to get into Dungeons & Dragons you could gift them this gorgeous Core Rulebooks Gift Set to get them started. Or why not combine nerdy and crafty with a D&D Nolzur’s Marvellous Miniatures set and get involved with an afternoon or two of painting miniatures?
SOMETHING FOR THE MUSIC LOVER
Maybe the father figure in your life already has everything they need to game, but they’re a tech head who loves their music? There are a bunch of great audio solutions on the market right now, including the absolutely excellent Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless, noise cancelling headphones. They’re not especially cheap at $549 but if your loved one is after some of the most comfortable and feature-packed cans around you really can’t go wrong.
We’re also big fans of LG’s Tone Free in-ear headphones, which are a great, affordable wireless solution with excellent noise cancelling and a fits-all audio engineering solution with Meridian. The FP9A model tends to sell out quite quickly, but the nearly-as-good LG Tone Free FP8As are a great backup option.
