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If you're not planning to buy that one toy you know grown men and women would wrestle strangers for, your gift alternatives have to be superlative. Fun, memorable and a surefire bet to entertain players and spectators over the break.
With that in mind, we've hunted down everything from tracks that teach kids about gravity to retro micro-consoles, LEGO compatible coding robots and even a hand-crafted marshmellow crossbow. Don't forget to check out our main WIRED Christmas Gift Guide for more ideas.
A good option for gaming on the go, the Lite is a compact addition to the Nintendo Switch family. Its lightweight body features a 5.5-inch touchscreen display and integrated controls. You also get a good innings in terms of battery life - ranging from three to seven hours at a time depending on which game you play. It lacks removable Joy-Con controllers, and the ability to connect to a TV, but otherwise this offers a neat selection of features for newcomers.
Price: £179 | Amazon | John Lewis | Currys
While we’re still waiting for Sony to launch its own high-performance controller for the PS4, Scuf can fill the gap with its PC-compatible Vantage 2 PS4 handheld device. It has been designed with nimble fingers in mind – both large and small - and with back paddles and two side-mounted buttons, it has six programmable inputs on board for full FPS control. Removable vibration modules, volume control and removable trigger extenders complete its impressive spec on both its USB wired and Bluetooth wireless versions.
Price: $170 | Scuf Gaming
Finally a Bigtrak for the connected generation, this "educational robot" is the first land-based launch from DJI and offers a live feed from the FPV camera. The top is mounted on a stabilising gimbal that also has an infrared beam and non-toxic gel-bead blaster built on to it. Combine with the 21 other sensors and the RoboMaster app and the S1 can map its surroundings, identify objects and hand gestures, respond to sound – and even know when it’s been shot by another drone in all-out war. But remember kids, it’s educational.
A supercar for six-year-olds, the all-electric McLaren 720S Ride-On is available in Papaya Spark – the launch colour of the grown-up version - with functioning dihedral doors and exposed carbon-style elements. While the working accelerator pedal produces authentic engine sounds, it can be remote controlled for parental peace of mind. Finally, a complete infotainment system with preloaded nursery songs, exclusive McLaren video and USB or SD-card sockets for loading your own content rounds out the package. Please do try and resist immediately installing The Allman Brothers Band's Jessica or indeed Fleetwood Mac's The Chain.
Price: From £315 | Amazon | Robert Dyas
Another month, another fantastic design from the world’s largest tyre manufacturer - LEGO makes more than Bridgestone, Michelin and Goodyear. Its 1974 911 Turbo 3.0 is refreshingly retro, measuring just 12cm x 5cm but with flawless attention to detail, including the iconic whale-tail spoiler and classic Porsche 911 driver minifigure, complete with his own black racing helmet.
Price: £13 | LEGO | Argos | Amazon
A clever piece of kit that made it into the John Lewis Christmas Top 10 Toy list this year, the GraviTrax Starter Set XXL is an interactive STEM-inspired track system. Its USP is to teach users about gravity, magnetism and kinetic energy through play. The box set features 200 components including 'gravity spheres', large vertical tiles, a magnetic cannon, a 'vortex base' and more. GraviTrax comes with a set of comprehensive instructions to get you started with either building your own freestyle track designs or following configurations from structured blueprints for experimenting with builds and controlling the speed of each gravity sphere.
Price: £70 | John Lewis | Amazon
Aimed at children aged five to 10, but equally fun for adults, the interactive Robo Wunkerkind features 17 parts for building, coding and customising a robot. There are stickers in the pack for kids to adorn their robot creations and it's even compatible with LEGO. The robots can be programmed and operated via remote control using two icon-based apps, which is great for teaching kids the basics of coding. Once you’ve built your design you can attach LEGO bricks onto the Robo Wunderkind blocks using the adaptors to create more complex and unique designs.
Price: £150.70 for a 17 piece starter set | Amazon
While they’re a delight to toast around the campfire and load in a babycino at Costa, the humble marshmallow has just found a new purpose. The MMX Marshmallow Crossbow lets you shoot the squidgy, sweet balls of fluff up to 60 feet away via this stylish wooden contraption. Made in Vancouver, the MMX Marshmallow Crossbow is a beautifully handcrafted piece of woodwork. For a ‘smooth, dry firing with a cool puff of smoke’, it’s recommended that you sprinkle your marshmallow ammo with a little corn starch before you shoot. You can eat the marshmallows after target practice too, so it’s something of a win-win situation.
Price: $99 | MMX Vancouver
Long to be zapped back to the days of button-mashing and neon lights? Arcade1UP's nostalgia-enhancing arcade machine, which won Tech Toy of the Year at the New York Toy Fair 2019, was created by US toy company Tastemakers. CEO Scott Bachrach and his team took inspiration from the machines in the arcades and pizza parlours in their youth. The result is the Arcade1UP range of classic arcade machines that are three scale replicas of the original designs, featuring retro artwork and styling. There’s a wide catalogue of games to access too as the machines come stocked with classic titles including Street Fighter II and Pac-Man.
Price: From £349 | Amazon
Kids and design geeks, in particular, will love the Banksy-bot nature of the Scribit, which turns your wall into a canvas. This tech critter draws directly onto the wall to produce art, scribble reminders, shopping lists or simply doodle content from the web – all controlled via a dedicated app that is compatible with androids and ioses devices. The Scribit robot can turn any vector image from the internet into a wall drawing – and work on any vertical surface such as glass, whiteboards and plaster. Installation is easy too - you need a free wall, two nails and a plug. There’s no need to panic about the aftermath either as the Scribit uses special inks that can be easily erased using the app.
Price: $499 | Scribit
Sega's micro-console has overcome some especially tricky technical issues to deliver a treasure trove of gaming nostalgia, which includes one of the rarest versions of Tetris. It features two classic three-button wired control pads and comes equipped with 40 pre-loaded games - from Sonic the Hedgehog to Space Harrier II - and two bonus titles for you to browse. Aimed at age 12 and up.
Price: £65 | Check price on Amazon
Well suited to working off the Christmas excess, Nintendo's Ring Fit Adventure is compatible with the Switch and features accessories such as a Ring-Con that you hold and a Leg-Strap to guide you in a workout. Aimed at players of all fitness levels – although possibly not Uncle Derrick after he’s had one too many Sherrys, the game itself takes place in a world ruled by an evil dragon. You’re guided through numerous challenges to try and defeat the dragon and his minions - jog on the spot through grass-swept plains, do overhead shoulder presses to attack enemies and strike a yoga pose to refill the juice on your virtual health meter. Wii who?
Price: £70 | Amazon | Nintendo
Aimed at kids aged eight years and up, these Nerf Ultra One blasters have the edge when it comes to controls over speed, accuracy and distance. Inside there’s a high capacity drum, that can hold 25 Nerf Ultra dart: with their innovative flight tip, special foam form and Aerofin technology, they can travel an impressive 36 meters through the air. That’s just far enough away so as not to annoy you on Christmas day. Stay frosty.
Price: $54 | Nerf
The pint-sized desktop computer has been given an upgrade and is ideal for curious computer types who want to learn how to program. The Raspberry Pi 4 Model B has a faster, more powerful processor, the choice of three RAM sizes – 1GB, 2GB and 4GB - and dual-display capabilities, so you can run two monitors simultaneously – in crystal clear 4K. It comes with Gigabit Ethernet, as well as wireless networking and Bluetooth. There’s also now three USB ports on the Pi 4, as opposed to two, which allows you to transfer data faster than ever before. Small but mighty.
Price: From £56.50 | Amazon | Raspberry Pi
Kids love nothing more than to make noise – be it on drums, a recorder, a rattle or a set of saucepans with a wooden spoon. So anything that nurtures their musical talent and encourages them to take an interest in how instruments are made has got to be a great thing. Enter the Electro Guitar Kit from Tech Will Save Us that aims to teach kids about sound technology, music production, sound waves and how electronic components bring sound to life. Perfect for aspiring Johnny Marrs, the kit includes everything you need to make an electric guitar and amp from scratch. Using the Recording Studio, noodlers can then layer riffs and add effects to their musical masterpiece.
Price: £30 | Amazon | Tech Will Save Us
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This article was originally published by WIRED UK
