The time gamers have been waiting for has come: Sony’s PlayStation 5 just launched. That being said, not everyone’s been lucky enough to snag a pre-order, and launch day consoles of these next-gen systems are rumored to be in limited supply. This means that while the PS5 and Xbox Series X are likely to top many wish lists of gamers young and old, they’re less likely to make their way under the tree come Christmas morning. All of this begs the question: what can you give gamers instead?
Thankfully, there’s no dearth of alternative gaming consoles available this year, with many promising options getting released in late 2020 or early 2021. Some of the options on this list are heavy on nostalgia; however, even younger gamers may appreciate gaining more perspective about the storied histories of developers like Nintendo, Namco, Sony, and Atari. Read on to learn about ten of the most appealing alternatives to the PS5 and Xbox.
While not exactly the PlayStation console everyone’s hoping for under their tree this year, the PlayStation Classic console still has a lot to offer, especially for gamers who weren’t old enough to play some of the PlayStation’s best titles (here’s looking at you, Resident Evil). 45 percent smaller thaan the original PlayStation, the Classic follows in the same line as many of the other flashback systems on this list. The major difference, however, is that the depth and quality of the games is a bit higher, thanks to the fact that you’re getting to play titles from Sony’s 1994 console.
Complete with HDMI output and the classic grey PlayStation controller, you’ll have hours of gaming enjoyment sinking your teeth into old favorites like Final Fantasy VII, Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear Solid, and Twisted Metal. Especially if you do plan on eventually getting the PS5, getting to revisit some of the titles that made the system should be a great way to spend your timme while you wait for retailers to catch up on stocking the newer system.
The Nintendo Switch may have been released in 2017, but it’s certainly still worth gifting this holiday season. With impressively deep games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, not only can you give some console joy with the Switch, but you have 20/20 vision when it comes to some of the system’s best games. Plus, with newly released titles like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Pikmin 3: Deluxe Edition, and Paper Mario: The Origami King, it looks like Nintendo is showing no signs of slowing down when it comes to releasing great games for their flagship console.
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last three years, one of the Switch’s major selling points is its portability. The Switch can connect to your television via an HDMI cord, or it can travel with you on long carrides or plane trips. Best of all, the innovative Joy-Con controllers allow you to take multiplayer games with you, too. You haven’t truly lived until you’ve played Mario Kart with a friend or family member while cruising at an altitude of 30,000 miles on your way to your vacation destination. That’s the sort of portability the Switch offers, making it just as popular a gift this year as it has been in the past. Keep your eye out for Black Friday bundles, too, since it’s been out for a few years already.
Who would’ve thought that one of the most intriguing alternatives to Microsoft and Sony’s hot new consoles has no hardware involved? Yes, Google Stadia is a cloud-based gaming service that allows you to game on whatever device is on hand. Whether that’s your television, laptop, tablet, or phone, Google Stadia lets you stream exciting new games to your devices the same way you’d stream episodes of Schitt’s Creek on Netflix.
Obviously, this sort of service is exceptionally convenient, but can it really compare to the PS5 and Xbox? For more casual gamers, the answer is a resounding yes. With titles like Destiny 2, Baldur’s Gate, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and Cake Bash, there’s something for everyone. Plus, instead of dropping hundreds of dollars on a piece of hardware, you can get started with Stadia for a month-long free trial. After that, a subscription is less than $10 a month, and gets you access to even more titles the longer you stay subscribed.
At under $20, the Namco Flashback Blast does a great job of showcasing some of the arcade titles that made Namco a household name in its heyday. Make no mistake: even though the games included with the Blast were made decades ago, they still pack a punch. While the PS5 and Xbox Series X may showcase cutting-edge graphics processing techniques like ray tracing, Namco’s Blast illustrates that addictive gameplay is possible even with the simplest of interfaces. Featuring some of the most popular titles in video gaming history like Pac-Man, Dig Dug, and Galaga, you’ll have hours of entertainment with the Blast.
Another nice feature of the Blast is its plug-and-play functionality. Thanks to an HDMI dongle, the “system” interfaces with your television much like an Amazon Fire Stick or Google Chromecast. This means that all you need to do is load the wireless controller with batteries, plug in the dongle, and switch your TV input and you’ll be reliving your glory days feeding quarters to a hungry Pac-Man machine in no time. The only difference is that this time you’ll be enjoying your games in 720p and keeping your quarters in the bank.
Call it a throwback to simpler times in the middle of such a challenging year, but retro gaming seems poised to make quite a comeback this holiday season. The NES Classic (and SNES Classic, see below) was one of the hottest gifts when it was originally released, meaning that you may have missed the boat if you couldn’t get your hands on it the first time around. Thankfully, demand has died down a bit, so it’s possible to pick up a mini replica of the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) for about $60 these days.
Featuring a classic grey NES controller and pre-loaded with 30 thrilling games, the NES classic takes you right back to the 1980s with titles like Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Metroid, and The Legend of Zelda. Best of all, Nintendo has included Suspend Points so that you can save your progress without having to use the old trick of turning your TV off but leaving your console on in the hopes that your parents don’t notice and ruin your progress.
Building upon the success of the NES Classic, the SNES Classic takes you back to the 90s with an array of 20 of the most popular titles from Nintendo’s Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Keep in mind that this was an era where multiplayer gaming was starting to become more and more popular, so Nintendo has graciously included two SNES controllers with the mini console, in addition to all the necessary cables to get you gaming right out of the box.
In addition to having better graphics than the NES Classic (what a difference ten years makes!), one of the major selling points of the SNES Classic is the sheer diversity in genres its 20-game catalog offers. From arcade sidescrolling fighters like Street Fighter II to racers like Super Mario Kart and F-Zero, there’s a title for every mood. Plus, with the SNES Classic, you get to enjoy follow-ups to popular NES titles with Super Mario World and Super Metroid, not to mention the critically-acclaimed JRPG, Earthbound. All of this combines for one of the most valuable systems out-of-the-box and a great alternative to other consoles this year.
Like Google’s Stadia, Amazon is also setting its sights on the streaming gaming arena and is currently letting interested gamers request early access to Amazon Luna. Luna promises many of the same benefits as Stadia, such as the ability to stream games instantly rather than waiting on them to download to your system (take that, PlayStation 5 digital console owners!) and the option to play on whatever screen is most convenient.
Powered by Amazon’s own gaming servers, any latency issues on the Luna should be minimal, if at all noticeable. Luna also offers two separate pricing tiers: Luna+ and Ubisoft+. Luna+ is less expensive and offers access to an ever-growing library of games including titles like Grid, Control, and Metro Exodus. Ubisoft+ grants you access to some of the developer’s most popular titles, including Watchdogs and games from the Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry series. You can choose one subscription tier or both, and even use Alexa to open up and load games when you’re ready to play.
Yet another retro reboot, the Atari Flashback 9 Gold offers one of the deepest gaming catalogs of any mini-console aimed at plucking your nostalgic heartstrings. Featuring 120 games from Atari’s history and two included controllers, there’s plenty of fun to be had with the Atari Flashback 9 Gold. From Adventure, Asteroids, and Backgammon to Missile Command, Pitfall!, and Frogger, there’s plenty to love about the Atari Flashback. Even the beloved Pong is included, which, although simple, is surprisingly addictive, especially when played with a friend.
While younger gamers may enjoy this console, older gamers who grew up playing Atari will really get the most out of this system. With such an expansive library, every title offers the opportunity for you to relive a memory from your childhood. A word to the wise, however: unlike playing on the original Atari, you’ll need some AA batteries to power the joysticks before you can plug and play.
Atari isn’t just for nostaliga in 2020. That’s right, after being out of the console business for decades, Atari is back with a home console right in time for the holidays, releasing in late November. The most unique thing about the VCS is the fact that it happily straddles the line between gaming PC and home console. The developers will let you install an operating system on it which means that you’ll be able to play some of your favorite PC titles on the big screen.
The system comes pre-loaded with a bunch of Atari classics, but will also offer a variety of newer titles from leading developers. To date, Atari has been a bit quiet about who some those developers are, although they have touted relationships with some leading industry companies. In demos, the Atari VCS was capable of playing Fortnite and Borderlands 2, thanks to being built on AMD's new Ryzen R1000 chip.
