2020 may not have been the ideal year, but even that can’t stop Christmas 2020 from being a special one. If you have a gamer in your life (or *are* the gamer in your life), here’s our list of some of the must-have items this year to make a great holiday present.

MSI GE66 Raider

I’m not gonna mince words here and say this is the crowning glory of this list. From it’s powerful RTX 2080 Graphics card to its 2TB SSD storage, this is the machine you want to be playing all the latest games on.

On top of that it has a 240hz screen with 1080p display, as well as a host of Special Editions for the more distinguished gamers.

It also comes ready for the festive cheer too with its customizable light bar, which means it’s a great setpiece to go along with your festive decor.

By virtue of being a laptop, it’s also a responsible gift to get for someone, as it will see them through their gaming sessions for a reasonable few years. It also has a bunch of non-gaming utilities, so it can be used for work just as much as it is for play.

You can get one now via the MSI Malaysia Shopee for RM15,999, though the store is currently having an offer pricing it at RM13,999

MSI Modern 15 Laptops

Of course, not everyone commits wholesale to the gamer life. For those with more than just games on the mind, we have MSI’s Modern line of laptops.

These laptops feature the all-new Tiger-Lake architecture CPUs. Using the 11th Gen Intel i7 Processor, expect a huge boost in your computer’s performance, where it outclasses its own predecessors by 20% in speed.

It uses the NVIDIA GeForce MX450 graphics card, which is great for both video editing and gaming. While the Raider is more laser-focused on getting the most out of gaming, the Modern is for those who need a laptop that can do it all.

To top it all off, the laptop is only 1.3kg, making it a great pick for the designer on the go, being easy to carry around.

You can get the Modern 15 for as low as RM3699 from the MSI web store. 

PlayStation 5 (PS5)

It’s becoming an increasingly difficult task to avoid talking about the PS5, as it spearheads the next-gen charge into becoming this year’s hottest console. If you’re not in the need of a full laptop upgrade, you’ll definitely want to consider getting a PS5 for your console needs.

From SSD storage, raytracing and backwards compatibility, the PS5 marks an amazing leap to its already impressive predecessor.

On top of that, it also used the Dualsense controller, which sports adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. It’s already gotten a bunch of praise as and amazing controller, so much so that even Steam has added support for it.

The PS5 comes in two editions, with the only difference being if it has a physical Disc drive or not. These will cost you RM2299 for the Physical Edition (with disc drive) and RM1869 for the Digital Edition (No disc drive).

MSI DS502

No matter what you’re gaming on, you’ll definitely need a solid pair of headphones. That’s where the DS502 come in.

These bad boys come with 7.1 Surround Sound, Noice Cancelling and powerful 40mm drivers, to make sure that you’re always listening to your games at the peak of luxury.

They even have a built in remote, so you can control whether you want to turn on its vibration functions or not without having to open up annoying menus.

To top it all off, they come with an omnidirectional microphone, making sure your teammates are always going to hear the sound of your voice as you adjust it to suit your needs.

You can get these headphones from the MSI webstore for only RM311.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit

One of the most popular racing games out there, Mario Kart has combined lovable mascot characters with arcadey, approachable racing for generations. With Home Circuit, you can now take this racing to the next level by having your Nintendo Switch control physical RC cars as they race around your home.

It’s more than just an RC car set though as it combines the car’s on-board cameras and additional props with AR technology to add Piranha Plants and even Koopalings to your race.

The race also becomes a full-fledged Mario Kart race as you even pick up power-ups and choose categories like the ultra speedy 200CC to overtake your friends and win the cup!

You can get one from local retailers such as HeavyArm for RM569.

Razer Kishi

If the mobile gamer in your life is the type to want precise inputs and mobile portability, they need look no further than the Razer Kishi. This peripheral combines the portability of playing with your phone with the precision of playing on a controller.

Think about it: no more fumbling your controls in all your favorite games. You’ll also have the added luxury of not having to feel your phone get hot, should you be the type that pushes their hardware that way.

They also recently added support for iPhones, meaning you’ll be able to use this to try out the host of games on Apple Arcade.

It also won’t get in the way of keeping your phone topped up, as you can simply plug cables into the controller, charging your phone through the power of pass-through charging.

You can pick up one of these from the Razer Shopee page for RM389.

So there we have it. gaming related gear for every type of gamer in your life. Even if you’re not the type to celebrate Christmas, this is a great time to upgrade your setup, and all of these recommendations work well for those purposes, too.

Whether you’re a mobile, console or PC gamer, there’s nothing more valuable than having someone who appreciates your hobbies, even if that someone has to be yourself.

Happy holidays!