Gifts for under $50 - Australian Gift Guide
It is that time of year again where fake trees adorn shops and homes, candles are lit and the same dozen holiday movies are placed on tv’s across the nation. But it also means presents and for a lot of folks this year, the budget is going to play a big factor in what you are looking at buying.
So, in the hopes of making things a bit easier we have opted to do our gift guides a little differently this year. Instead of picking the best of a console or the best tech, we are doing them by dollar amount. What we are hoping for with this is that if your budget is fixed, we can provide a few worthwhile options that fit under it. We will also ensure that the price is the RRP so if there is a sale, you can save more, but you won’t have to pay more.
We have three guides this year, in addition to this one we also have $100 and under and $200 and under. That should account for budgets of all sizes. One final reminder to double check prices with your retailer of choice as they may change at anytime. Here are the categories we have:
Headsets
Video Games
Computer Accessories
Controllers
Lego, Toys and More
So with that done, let us begin.
When it comes to headsets, there is often the thought that more expensive is better and to a degree that can be true. But sometimes you will come across a headset that falls into the lower price point and still find it punching above its weight, that is the case here. While the name is weird, the product is very basic and that works in its favour. The sound quality is decent for the price point, but what I like is that the headset sports a two-tone colour scheme, instead of just being one colour, oh and the fact that they are colourful and not just black or white is also a big plus.
Turtle Beach make some great headsets, but many people often thing you have to pay a lot of money for one of their offerings, the Recon 50P proves you do not. While branded as made for PlayStation, as the headset uses a 3.5mm connection, meaning it works on almost everything. The ear cups come with a set of 40mm drivers, ensuring you have crisp audio at all times, the only real downside to this is a lack of padding, so anyone who has a larger head may not enjoy wearing it long term.
If you are looking at buying headphones for someone who is on the younger side, this might the ones to pick up. The reason for the Junior in the name is that the headphones do not go beyond 85dB, making them perfect for younger ears. Also for the young ones is an abundance of padding across the headset, offering up plenty of support for all the wearing they might do. They also come in a few colours, so you can pick up the one that suits, which is a rare thing for some headsets.
While the Turtle Beach headset above is designed for PlayStation, the Airlite Fit headsets are designed for Nintendo, with one even tuned for Nintendo Switch 2. Also like the ones above, the 3.5mm connection means that they will work on almost every device around. These ones offer up more padding than the 50P but they are aimed more at kids, so the extra padding makes sense. They come with a pair of 40mm drivers and a flip to mute mic, ensuring clear audio for your ears and for anyone who you happen to be speaking with.
Look, at this point there is a fair chance that whomever you are buying for already owns Minecraft, but if they don’t it is a great game to get. There is the main mode, where you have to survive in an unforgiving world and then through the Nether before heading to The End, or you can ignore all that and enter Creative Mode. With a lot of extra content to get through the Marketplace, with skins from A Minecraft Movie, Superman, Dragon Ball Z and even adidas, there is a lot to make each Minecraft truly unique.
Perhaps the biggest game ever to be offline, Red Dead Redemption 2 has you venture into the west of America, or a version of it, as you seek to live your life the way you want. As a member of an outlaw gang, there is a lot you can get up to, or you can ignore all that and spend your days fishing and hunting. Sick of the wilderness, then venture into town and meet folks and just have a good time, however you want.
Want to drive around Hawaii? Want to do it in luxury cars and at a few hundred km per hour? Then you have come to the right place. Since the game launched, an entire new second island has been added, not to mention dozens, upon dozens of cars and playlists, along with challenges galore. There is a lot that you can do here and its up to you, no restrictions, not even gravity, as at anytime you can swap to a plane and take flight, or drop into the ocean and cruise the blue waters around the islands.
These Nintendo Switch 2 cases from RDS are hard body designed, but fit quite a bit within. The Nintendo Switch 2 console has a snug little area to sit within and then a soft strap closes over to keep it in place. That strap is also where you can hold a dozen game cards, letting you keep your collection with your console. The case comes in a plain black or the vibrant Mario Kart World design. We have had hands on with the System Case for a few months now, it is the step up from this one and it has been a blessing to have, it can also carry your dock and cables, but if you just want to keep your console safe, this is a great option.
Numskull have been making accessories for consoles for years, but their Switch line of cases are unique as they are not all about the console, or a game on the console. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a Zelda or Mario case, but sometimes a little variety goes along way. As far as features go, these are pretty basic, a place for your Switch, Switch Lite or Switch OLED to sit, then a pouch for some accessories and a 10 slot card pocket, which doubles as a screen protector. Some of the designs are shown here, but there is also Shrek, Trolls, Avatar and more.
Computer Accessories
Logitech M240 Silent Bluetooth Mouse
RRP: $29.95
Where to buy: Amazon | Big W | JB HiFi | Officeworks
When it comes to mice, the general idea a lot of folks have is the bigger the better and for some folks that is true. Where Logitech shine is that they have a number of mice for almost every occasion, from those big gaming focused ones, to the office productivity stars and then the M240. I have had one of these mice for years now and it is a little powerhouse of a unit. Not only is it quiet when it comes to clicking of the buttons, with one single AA battery, you get around 18 months, yes 18 months of use.
Xbox controllers can be quite expensive, which is why the Turtle Beach Rematch range is worth checking out. Yes, it is a wired controller, meaning you have to have a cord running between you and the machine, but it is also half the price of the other controller. It has all the features you need, share button, controls for voice mixing when you chat with folks and works on both Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC. Plus there are some fun designs available, so this is one match we would not hesitate to sign up for.
Ever since I reviewed the first 8BitDo controller back in 2021, the companies offerings have appealed to me. Not only are they affordable, but they often come packed with more features that you might not realise. Case in point, this controller includes Hall Effect sensors for the control sticks, meaning controller drift is not an issue. Using the app you can also reprogram buttons, including the extra shoulder buttons, and it has things like rumble. It is a Bluetooth controller and while designed for Nintendo Switch, it will also work on PC, Android and even some Apple devices, making it one versatile option.
While the picture might make this Lego Simba look big, it is actually on the smaller side, with only some 222 pieces in the set. What makes this fun is that the character is posable, meaning you can have him sit up, crawl, pounce and just about every other action you see Simba do in The Lion King. The set is aimed at Kids 6 and over, so it is a perfect set for your little builder and if that was not enough, it comes with some tasty looking bugs and you know what they say, Hakuna Matata.
The Lego Speed Champions sets are as varied as motorsport itself is, there are sets based on real racing cars, sets based on car brands and then ones based on movies. For anyone who is Formula 1 mad, this is a great way to get them some fun builds. Most sets sit around 250 to 270 pieces, but some go over the 300 mark, which means they are not lengthy builds, so perfect for an afternoon. There are also double packs, which are beyond the $50 limit here, but those generally come with two cars, if you want to have a race.
Colour us surprised, this is one board game that reaches across the spectrum. Ok, enough colour puns, but Hues and Cues is a great game, as long as you have the players as its designed for at least 3 players and up to 10. The goal is simple, use one and two word clues in order to guess the colour of an item, the closer you are to the correct hue, the more points you win. There are 480 colours, so trying to guess something as simple as the colour of a coffee will test you, as the clue might say with milk, which makes things lighter. There are countless board games we could have picked, but this one will get the old grey matter working, which is a nice plus.
I will be honest, a lot of the Brickheadz are not for me, they look wrong overall, but those eyes are just… anyway, there are some that look great, like Optimus Prime. The Brickheadz series covers just about every brand you can think of, from the ones shown here to Harry Potter, Star Wars, One Piece, Marvel, Tom and Jerry, and The Simpson. While Lego is where you are going to find the bulk of them, you will spot some in department and toy stores from time to time.
So, those are just some of the games, tech and more that we recommend for $50 and under. The list could be massive if we wanted it to be, the Lego alone has a lot to choose from, but we wanted to make a list that gave you what we thought was the best options.
As a reminder, Gift Cards are also viable options and you can pick up retailer specific ones at most places, or opt for either console gift cards or even generic multi-store options. Most supermarkets also stock a range of cards, so if nothing in this list appeals to you, be sure to give those a look.
