Louisville Geek’s 2022 Holiday Guide to Geek Gifts
Looking for a special something for the Geek in your life this holiday? Take it from us. Louisville Geek and its dozens of employees practice and celebrate Geek culture’s creative, professional and playful interests. Whether the geek in your life enjoys computers, music, reading, video games, science fiction, technology, gadgets or related pursuits, we’re familiar with the gifts that get Geeks’ heart rates racing.
$25 & Under
Here’s proof great gifts need not break the bank. No Geek can ever have too many chargers. Whether needed to power their Nintendo Switch, smartphone, iPad, earbuds or smart watch, extra chargers and cables are always welcome presents. Fortunately, there are many nifty options from which to choose.
We recommend considering Anker’s 20-Watt 511 Charger (Nano Pro), available in five colors for just $16.99 at the time of this writing). The charger can be paired with Anker’s 551 six-foot USB-A to Lightning Cable, available in four colors, for $22.99.
Otterbox, known for its stylish and reliable phone cases, also offers quality chargers and cables at reasonable prices. Otterbox’s 24-Watt USB-A Dual Port Wall Charger, available in two colors, is $24.95 and mates nicely with the company’s Lightning to USB-A and USB-C to USB-A high-quality cables (with many versions priced less than 20 dollars).
Other Geek gift options in this price range include a few long-popular books. Consider famous hacker Kevin Mitnick’s Ghost in the Wires bestseller or Randall Munroe’s compelling and playful What If?, the sequel of which was just published in September.
T-shirts are another perennial favorite within this budget. Snorgtees and Geeksoutfit are two fun and sometimes snarky sources to consider. And if you need some ideas, we recommend such recurring favorites as Have You Tried Turning It Off and On Again and Stay on Target, as us Geeky types are sometimes known for our straightforwardness, love of Star Wars and occasionally short attention spans.
$50 Geek Gift Options
Geeks love backpacks. Not only does a backpack provide a vehicle for displaying enamel pins, but they, of course, enable carrying plenty of gear as well. Swiss Gear’s Wenger Upload features a padded laptop sleeve for carrying up to a 16-inch laptop, mesh side pockets for carrying drink bottles and umbrellas and padded straps for comfort. The $48 (on sale) model can transport a number of other items, too, needed for work or play.
Logitech’s G502 gaming mouse, which features high-resolution tracking, fast responsiveness, adjustable weighting and 11 programmable buttons is sure to please any gamer in your life. Did we mention the mouse also boasts fancy lighting featuring a full spectrum of 16.8 million colors? Grab one as a gift on sale from Logitech (or Amazon) for just $49 (or less) this holiday season.
$100 Or Less Presents
No one will complain receiving Fisher’s pressurized, write-anywhere AG7 Original Astronaut Space Pen. For $79, the historic solid-brass and chrome-plated instrument includes a handsome gift box and the same model pen used on all US manned space flights since Apollo 7 in 1968. Take the pen, Jerry, it’ll be the talk of the neighborhood.
Razer’s well-reviewed BackShark V2 Pro Wireless Gaming Headset provides a $97 holiday gift Geeks can employ whether listening to music on a PC or Mac, playing games on a Nintendo Switch, Playstation or Xbox or attending video conferences in the office, all without tangling with a cord. With THX 7.1 surround sound, gift recipients can also enjoy the headset’s immersive audio quality when watching movies.
If the Geek in your life prefers Apple products—such as Apple’s iPhone, Watch and AirPods Pro earbuds—consider gifting Twelve South’s $99.99 HiRise 3 Wireless Charging Stand or OtterBox’s equally elegant $79.95 3-in-1 Charging Station for MagSafe.
$100 to $200 Gifts
Computer speakers provide another opportunity to impress the Geek circling your orbit. Some basic “ABCs”—Audioengine, Bose and Creative Pebble—all provide attractive, room-filling sound within this price range. These three models all deliver quality audio for reasonable cost when connected to Windows and Mac computers.
A Microsoft Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, on sale for $159.99 this year, is sure to come in handy for gaming Geeks. Don’t mistake this controller for the default version that typically ships with the Xbox console. No, the Elite is a significant upgrade. Featuring swappable thumbsticks, D-pads and paddles, this controller also boasts a charging dock, additional various paddles and thumbsticks and a carrying case. Gamers need not be committed to Microsoft’s Xbox platform to enjoy the Elite controller, either; the device also works with Apple TV, iOS, Android and Windows PC games and even Sony PlayStation 5 consoles.
The Nintendo Switch gaming platform is a winning gift in most any household, but Geeks are particularly attracted to the innovative and personality-packed device’s charms. While a full-blown Nintendo Switch that supports TV mode will typically set you back $299, which is admittedly outside the $100 to $200 category, the Nintendo Switch Lite handheld model can be had for $199 and is a worthy gift for mobile Geeks of all ages.
Big-Spender Gifts ($200 & Up)
If the special Geek in your life doesn’t yet sport a pair of Apple AirPods, now’s the time. Apple’s AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) make an impressive gift. This is the gadget topping many Geek wish lists this holiday. Improvements baked within the $249 Pro-series second-generation ear buds include more effective noise cancellation, enhanced touch controls, better audio quality and longer battery life. They’re also easy to find, whether shopping at Apple, Best Buy, Costco or other popular retailers.
Unlike previous years, Xbox Series X ($499.99) and Sony PlayStation 5 (also $499.99) consoles are becoming easier to find. While a little looking might be required, the consoles are routinely appearing in stock at various brick-and-mortar and online outlets. As to which of the two consoles is the best? Well, we’re going to remain impartial in that charged debate. The truth is you can’t go wrong gifting either platform.
Another often unheralded geek gift is a true gaming chair. A surprising number of Geeks spend thousands of hours a year in a subpar seat. High-quality gaming chairs, which frequently double as high-quality office furniture, typically improve comfort and ergonomics and lessen fatigue, all while looking sharp, too. Popular models include Secretlab’s Titan Eco 2022, which runs $519, and Vertagear’s SL3800, which starts at just $379.99.
Happy Holidays!
Whichever gifts you select this holiday, we hope this list assists your shopping. May the season find you and your loved ones well and in good health. Certainly, that’s our wish this year!
