2024 was a strong year for PlayStation. A number of exciting games released, unexpected titles found their way onto the system, and we finally got the PlayStation 5 Pro. With so many things going on it can be hard to keep up, and more importantly maintain a budget. To help players out, we came up with some of the best gifts to complete their 2024 PlayStation experience.
PlayStation Holiday Gift Guide 2024
Games
Astro Bot
Team ASOBI knocked it out of the park with this year’s surprise hit, Astro Bot. The charming platformer is filled with nostalgia, helping players celebrate PlayStation’s 30th in the best way possible. Not only do hundreds of beloved characters make an appearance, it gained near universal praise. At the time of posting it’s nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards, and is currently the fourth highest rated PlayStation 5 game on Metacritic, which also makes it the highest rated PlayStation 5 game of 2024. Even users agree it’s deserving of the praise, given the community average on Metacritic is 9.2, plus 32,000 PlayStation Store buyers gave it an impressive 4.89 out of 5.
For those who already love the game, or perhaps the franchise as a whole, there is a lot of exciting merchandise as well. Some options include a lovely blanket, nostalgia filled hoodie, and even the Nendoroid is being reprinted. Though, if you go the Nendoroid route it’s set for Q3 2025, so maybe that is better left for next year’s holiday season.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a return to the beloved Budokai series. With the series adding characters found in Dragon Ball Super, plus fun what if stories centered around those plot points, it’s a must have for fans of the franchise. Plus, it’s set to have quite the future, as DLC is confirmed, and given Bandai Namco’s ongoing support for other Dragon Ball titles, it might eventually have every fighter to ever appear in the series.
Persona 3 Reload
At this point most players are talking about Metaphor: ReFantazio, which ties Astro Bot at 94 on Metacritic. However, the unexpected remake of Persona 3 Reload is the Atlus game we want to highlight. This entry is where the franchise made the stylistic changes that turned the franchise from Shin Megami Tensei with another name, into the beloved franchise we know of today. It’s an interesting window to how the series started to find its footing, with a story that is well worth investing in.
Hi-Fi Rush
I think it’s safe to say most players never expected to see a first party Xbox exclusive on a PlayStation platform. Yet, the unexpected happened, and the critically successful rhythm experience made its way to other platforms. Not only is it an absolute blast to check out, odds are we will see a continuation at some point in the future.
Accessories
ELO Vagabond
Last year a large number of players thought PlayStation Portal was a terrible idea, yet they were proved wrong. The dedicated remote play device was a smash hit, as it enabled PlayStation 5 owners a more accessible way to enjoy their console.
While we think PlayStation Portal is worth considering, we’re ultimately recommending ELO Vagabond because of the practicality it adds. Since it repurposes your phone, it adds minimal bulk to your current set up, and delivers a fantastic experience. At least in our tests. Add in the fact it offers some premium features, and with a lucky coupon is about half the price of PlayStation Portal, it’s worth considering. Just be warned, in our tests Android is still kind of buggy with ELO Vagabond, and I would currently suggest against it if that is your platform of choice.
M.2 SSD
When PlayStation 5 released storage was a costly proposition. With options at half the cost of the console itself, it was something many players decided to do without. Now-a-days options can easily be found in the $100 range. While perhaps not the best cost to size value, something like Samsung’s 980 PRO w/ Heatsink is a great option that basically works right out of the box.
Hex Phantom
Despite Sony having an official pro controller, DualSense Edge, it comes with a large number of caveats. These are mostly cost, with the low battery life, and replaceable thumbsticks constantly going out of stock further adding problems. However, HexGaming made a number of improvements with their latest Pro controller, Hex Phantom.
This nifty controller offers two additional back buttons, works on the official PlayStation charging dock, and even comes with a Hall Effect joystick option. It’s been my go to controller since I got one, and absolutely think it’s worth checking out to help finally eliminate drift issues.
Audeze Maxwell
Needless to say, I am a huge fan of Audeze Maxwell headset. It works as expected, sounds amazing, and the biggest issue is honestly just weight. With 80 hours of battery life, plus fast charging ensuring you don’t need to cancel your latest play session, it’s a headset that is absolutely worth checking out. Especially with some pretty good deals this holiday season.
