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With Black Friday starting and Christmas just around the corner, the PS5 is sure to be one of the hot gifts of the 2021 holiday season. Assuming you can actually find one anyway! For those who already have one or whose loved ones already have one, let’s take a look at some of the best PS5 holiday gifts for 2021.
PS5 Pulse 3D Wireless Headset
The PS5 Pulse 3D Headset is a must-have for any PlayStation gamer who loves the best sound. On PS5, the Pulse 3D Headset takes advantage of the new console’s 3D audio technology. Like Dolby Atmos, 3D audio on the PS5 allows gamers to hear super in-depth surround sound. More than 5.1 or 7.1, 3D audio gives you the full surround sound like 7.1 but also has sound from above whereas 7.1 is just from around. The new technology on PS5 adds to the immersion in every game that supports it. On PS5, that’s pretty much all of the big exclusives and some other AAA games. For the full list of games that currently support 3D audio, click here. The 3D Pulse Headset also works with the PS4 so if you’re unable to get hold of a PS5 this holiday season, you can still get the new headset now while your pursuit for the new console continues.
The 3D Pulse Headset retails for $99.99 but it can sometimes be found for $10-$20 off. There are now two color variants for the headset. The original white, which matches the PS5, and the new Midnight Black color that matches the recently released Midnight Black Dualsense controller.
PS5 Dualsense Charging Station
Speaking of which, the PS5 Dualsense controller is one of the best things about next-generation gaming on the PS5. The haptic feedback and adaptive triggers that are utilized in virtually every game add a whole new layer of immersion to next-gen gaming. The Dualsense controller itself is a good reason to buy a game on PS5 instead of another platform. However, all of this technology packed into the controller means the battery life is a little shorter than on previous generations of Sony’s consoles. The Dualsense typically lasts for around six to eight hours of playtime, depending on how much the game you’re playing utilizes all of the technology built into the controller. That’s a far cry from when the PS3 controllers would last for days of playtime on a single charge. As such, for anyone who enjoys long gaming sessions, it’s necessary to keep your Dualsense controller charged while not playing.
That’s where the Dualsense Charging Station comes in. The charging station gives gamers the perfect spot to put their controller down when not playing. It’s stylish, matches the PS5, and will always keep controllers topped up with battery. It can charge two controllers at a time and it doesn’t take up any of the USB ports on the PS5 itself. The charging station plugs into the wall using its own power supply.
The PS5 Dualsense Charging Station is a must-have holiday gift for anyone who spends a lot of time playing their PS5. It retails for $29.99.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Spider-Man: Miles Morales is the must-have game for any PS5 owner. Built upon the incredibly successful and critically acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man Playstation exclusive from 2019, Miles Morales is the semi-sequel that adds all the next-gen bells and whistles. Featuring excellent performance and graphical enhancements over the original PS4 game, Miles Morales gives gamers a glimpse at what the PS5 can do. For anyone who has the 3D Pulse Headset, it takes full advantage of the 3D sound it offers too.
If you missed out on the original Spider-Man game on PS4, it’s worth picking up the Ultimate Edition of Miles Morales as that comes with the fully remastered version of Spider-Man for the PS5. The remastered version of Spider-Man is truly the definitive version of the game and even worth a replay for those who played it on PS4.
The regular edition of Spider-Man: Miles Morales can be found physically for around $30. The Ultimate Edition that includes Spider-Man Remastered is available physically for around $50. When on sale, both games can be bought for $30 and $50 on the PlayStation Store but their retail prices on the PlayStation store are $49.99 and $69.99 respectively.
PS5 SSD Expansion
Any PS5 gamer is going to need to expand their storage space at some point. Although the PS5 comes with industry-leading SSD speeds that make the crazy fast load times on the new console possible, the storage space is pretty minimal. Both the physical and digital versions of the PS5 come with just 825GB of SSD space and of that space, only around 667GB is actually available. Depending on what games are downloaded to the console, that’s potentially just 3-5 full games that can be stored on it. That’s why Sony has included the SSD expansion slot pictured above. Gamers can add their own SSD storage expansion to the console internally or externally. The SSD slot pictured above is for Gen 4 NVME SSDs only. Gen 4 is the latest SSD version and the only version that supports playing PS5 games. Other older SSDs simply aren’t fast enough to keep up with the PS5.
Prices for Gen 4 SSDs are coming down all the time but right now a 1TB is around $170 and a 2TB is around $300. Good models are the Seagate Firecuda and the Samsung 980 Pro. That’s for the fastest possible speeds that allow PS5 games to be played. However, that’s not the only option for expanding storage on the PS5. Players can also add storage via the USB ports on the console. These won’t allow PS5 games to be played from them but they can be used for playing PS4 games. PS5 games can also be stored on them so they can be copied over to the PS5’s internal SSD when you actually want to play them. Any USB HDD or SSD can be used for this. A good 1TB external SSD like the Samsung T7 can be bought for around $100. That will also allow for faster copying between the PS5 and the external SSD. If you want the most space possible, a 5TB HDD can be bought for around $100.
Any of the aforementioned PS5 holiday gifts will be perfect for PlayStation fans in 2021. Be sure to look out for deals during Black Friday and beyond, especially if you’re looking to expand the storage of your’s or your loved one’s PS5. If you’re after a PS5 console, the stock is still going to be limited during the holiday season but be sure to check for restocks at retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Wal-Mart.