FanBolt Holiday Gift Guide for Gaming and Technology

Welcome to FanBolt’s 2016 Holiday Gift Guide for Gaming and Technology. Everything that is recommended in this article are products that we have personally tried out ourselves and approved. Each product also contains a link to our review or editorial on the item so you will be able to understand even more about it. I hope you enjoy our recommendations for gaming and technology.

All the staff here at FanBolt wishes you a very happy holiday season!

Hardware

Our favorite hardware from 2016

iPhone 7 Plus
Apple Store
An iPhone probably always seems like an easy option for a holiday gift guide, but the iPhone 7 Plus reaches an entirely new level with its higher quality camera for capturing all the best moments this holiday season.
Quote from our editorial: “There’s just so much to talk about when it comes to all the great things about the iPhone 7 Plus and the iOS platform. But when it comes down to it all I absolutely love my new iPhone 7 Plus and can’t wait to do more with it.”
Editorial

HTC Vive
Amazon
Hello, Virtual Reality! This year we took our first step into a brand-new world of VR by using the HTC Vive. We had a blast stepping foot into new places and frantically dodging bullets from all different types of drones while playing in VR, and we absolutely recommend the experience. Also, it wasn’t just fun for us to enter this new realm, but it was just as entertaining watching our friends and family experience VR for the first time. By the way, VR is a total workout! Skip the gym membership this New Years and buy an HTC Vive. You’ll get a far more entertaining workout that way and will probably stick with it longer as well.
Quote from our review: “Putting the HTC Vive headset on for the first time is a total giggling-with-excitement experience.”
Review

Here are some VR games we recommend for the Vive, especially for new beginners.
Space Pirate Trainer
Quote from our review: “Space Pirate Trainer is a fantastic game to play for those who love first-person shooters and the old high-score arcade shooters.”
Review

Holoball
Quote from our review: “HoloBall is entertaining all the way through and is the perfect VR game to pick up and play at any time”
Review

Fruit Ninja VR
Quote from our review: “Fruit Ninja VR is a perfect game that can be enjoyed in a short span of time, and one that will keep players coming back for more thanks to the addictive challenge of the high score leaderboards.”
Review

DEXED
Quote from our review: “DEXED can be what the player wants it to be. It can be a casual experience to enjoy the surroundings while shooting some enemies and listening to the chill ambient music or it can be a challenging game for those determined to land high scores and unlock all the achievements for it. I find DEXED to be a wonderful on-rails shooter for VR.”
Review

Final Approach
Quote from our review: “I’m really enjoying my time with Final Approach, and I’m sure it helps to be an aviation fan, but it’s been a great VR experience so far when dealing with all the chaotic action both in the sky and on the tarmac.”
Review

Predator Z301c Ultrawide Monitor
Amazon
We had our first look at ultrawide gaming this fall with the Predator Z301c Ultrawide Gaming Monitor from Acer. This curved ultrawide monitor changes the way players experience their favorite PC games and brings a wider amount of enjoyment.
Quote from our review: “I’m now a big fan of Acer’s Predator line and couldn’t be happier with the Acer Predator Z301c monitor. As someone who hasn’t used an ultrawide monitor before, I found it to provide me with everything I could ask for in a gaming monitor.”
Review

EVGA GTX 1060 FTW
EVGA
The EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 FTW+ is the only graphics card we got to check out this year, but we still found ourselves mightily impressed by its power when compared to the GTX 960. This card can max out all settings in most games while maintaining above 60 FPS. Plus, it’s actually a perfect match for the Predator Z301c monitor and gaming in 2560×1080 ultrawide resolution.
Quote from our review: “The EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 FTW+ is a great card for 1080p gaming, and it even proves to work fairly well for those with a 1440p monitor looking to hit that resolution.”
Review

Accessories

Need a headset? Charge station? Keyboard? Here are our recommendations.

HyperX Cloud Revolver
Amazon
Quote from our review: “The HyperX Cloud Revolver is a brilliant combination of great audio and comfort for all gamers, PC or console. Because of the great comfort and quality of sound this headset moves into my top spot for favorite gaming headset as it does everything right in every way.”
Review

Nyko Charge Block
Amazon
Quote from our review: “Having the Nyko Charge Block power stations has definitely made my life as a gamer a lot easier. It’s a good option for those looking to find an easier way to store and charge their controllers at the same time.”
Review

Corsair STRAFE
Amazon
Quote from our review: “Overall I am very happy with the Corsair STRAFE Mechanical Keyboard. It’s responsive and effective in all the right areas, and it’s a joy to use while running in gunning in all the latest shooters.”
Review

Games

Some of our favorite games from 2016

Battlefield 1 (PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4)
Amazon
Quote from our review: “Battlefield 1 is one of the best games I’ve played in a long time when it comes to featuring a complete package. The campaign is immersing and emotional, and the online multiplayer is some of the best we’ve seen in a long time, especially thanks to Operations which puts a story to the fight.”
Review

Titanfall 2 (PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4)
Amazon
Quote from our review: “the campaign is something special that everyone needs to play, especially those who love the original Titanfall. Thank you, Respawn Entertainment, for crafting together such an action-packed and adventure-filled journey that went far beyond my expectations.”
Review

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4)
Amazon
Quote from our review: “Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is an excellent game with an intriguing atmosphere that will continue to drive players forward all the way to the end.”
Review

Rise of the Tomb Raider 20 Year Celebration (PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4)
Amazon
Quote from our article: “Rise of the Tomb Raider is easily one of my all-time favorite games as it features such a wonderful and beautiful world to explore with lots of treasures to discover – the game really is a treasure itself.”
Editorial

Gears of War 4 (PC, Xbox One)
Amazon
Quote from our review: “The combat, atmosphere, and characters all come together for an entertaining new ride into the series. Gears of War 4 is explosive, scenic, and very, very windy.”
Review

Forza Horizon 3 (PC, Xbox One)
Amazon
Quote from our editorial: “Forza Horizon 3, you are an absolutely beautiful game. It doesn’t matter if it’s day or night, cloudy with rain or a perfectly sunny day, it’s always a great sight to see. Playground Games did exactly what its name means by creating a perfect and superb playground for car enthusiasts and racing fans to drive in.”
Editorial

Rez Infinite (PlayStation 4)
PSN
Quote from our review: “Rez Infinite is the perfect version of Rez. It’s a magical experience that becomes emotional and even more beautiful thanks to the new Area X.”
Review

World of Final Fantasy (PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita)
Amazon
Quote from our review: “It’s stacks full of fun, entertainment, and charm that I believe all Final Fantasy fans can enjoy.”
Review

Uncharted 4 (PlayStation 4)
Amazon
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to write about Uncharted 4, but I absolutely still recommend this game and did take a million screenshots from my journey. It’s fun, beautiful, and continues the adventure we all expect from the Uncharted series.
Here is a gallery of screenshots from my playthrough.

Collector’s Items

Items recommended for the biggest of fans!

The Art of Battlefield 1
Amazon
Quote from our review: “The Art of Battlefield 1 is like an awesome interview about the art and creation of the game, and it’s well worth checking out.”
Review

Battlefield 1 Collector’s Edition
Amazon
Quote from our review: “I really love the Battlefield 1 Collector’s Edition. The statue is fantastic, from head to toe. The quality is amazing, the weight is nice and sturdy, the platform he stands on looks great, and the interchangeable weapons are really cool.”
Review

Overwatch Collector’s Edition
Amazon
Quote from our editorial: “I am so impressed by the amount of content and quality with the Overwatch Collector’s Edition.”
Editorial

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Collector’s Edition
Amazon
Quote from our review: “The box is beautifully designed, the Steelbook case is awesome, the art book is decent, and the 9-inch Adam Jensen figure is one of the coolest out there. Plus, it’s great to have the Day One edition of the game with all of its digital content. I’m absolutely a big fan of this collector’s edition and its overall quality.”
Review

J!NX Master Chief Figure
GameStop
Quote from our review: “This 6” vinyl figure of Master Chief is definitely on the cuter side, but it also looks pretty darn cool as well. I certainly feel it’s a nice addition to any Halo fan’s collection.”
Review

Funko Pop! Vinyl Figures
Amazon
You can never go wrong with the Pop! Vinyl figures. They are so small and cute that it’s hard to say no to them. We had the chance to interview the Marketing Manager to learn more about the company and also take a closer look at one of the Gears of War figures, Marcus Feenix. After owning that guy and seeing others in the stores, I definitely recommend grabbing those for all your favorite games, but especially for games like Gears of War 4 and Titanfall 2.
Interview

J!NX Brand Clothing Line
J!NX
Quote from our article: “I’ve always liked the J!NX Brand, and now I continue to appreciate what they are doing by providing clothing not just unique to the video games we love, but clothing that’s catered to the video game culture as well with both its Brand and Pro lines.”
Article