Holiday Gift Ideas Arriving Before Christmas: PS5, Xbox, Switch, AirPods, Squishmallows, and More - IGN (2024)

December 25 is only a few days away. If you haven't yet caught up on your holiday shopping yet, then you are seriously running out of time. The holiday rush pretty much starts now and soon the most popular items will either go out of stock or go back up to retail price. This is your best opportunity to get ahead of the masses, get the products you really want, and still score a great deal along the way. Here are some of the best tech and gaming deals that are available right now, and will be delivered to you before Christmas.

Humble Choice 1 Year Subscription for $99

Humble is currently offering $30 off its 12 month annual subscription. Right now you can get it for $99 instead of $129 with coupon code "HOLIDAY23". That's only $8.25 per month. Humble Choice is a monthly subscription that nets you a curated mix of PC games every month, as well as up to 20% off additional purchases at the Humble Store. To top it off, 5% of your Humble Choice membership supports charity.

Xbox Series X for $349

You can't keep a good deal down. Best Buy, Target, and Walmart still have the Xbox Series X for $349. That's $150 off the MSRP of a phenomenal current-gen video game console complete with a 4K Blu-ray compatible disc drive. This is a better deal than what we saw during Black Friday or Cyber Monday. It even arrives before Christmas, and this would make an amazing Christmas gift.

Note that this Xbox is in stock in select areas. If you see it for $349, then it's in stock and ready for delivery in your zip code. However, if you see the price at $399.99, then it's out of stock and likely sold by a Walmart marketplace vendor (not Walmart direct).

Apple iPad 10.2" 9th Gen for $249.99

Simply put, if you want the iPad experience for the lowest possible price, then this is the best iPad model to get You can't find another iPad brand new for under $300. For many people, the improvements on the 10th gen iPad will be overlooked. The screen isn't that much bigger, the processor isn't that much faster, and the camera rarely, if ever, gets any use. If you already have a Lightning cable and you don't need USB Type-C on every electronics you own, and you never plan to use the iPad as a hybrid laptop, then those advantages go right out the window as well. Depending on how you use the iPad, you could just end up wasting money on features you'll never end up using. And $249 for a brand new iPad is just such a great deal.

Apple AirPods Pro with USB Type-C for $199.99

There's no better holiday gift than a new pair of AirPods. Best Buy and Amazon has dropped the price of the 2nd gen Apple AirPods Pro truly wireless noise cancelling earbuds with the universal USB Type-C connector by $50, now only $199.99. Best of all, it can be delivered to you well before Christmas, December 25 without paying any additional shipping fee. With this current gen AirPods Pro, Apple has replaced the proprietary Lightning port with the more universal USB Type-C. For people who want to bring along a single charging cable for all of their mobile devices, this is a godsend.

2nd Gen AirPods for $99.99

If you're looking for a pair of Apple AirPods and you want to spend as little as possible, then this is the best deal for you. The 2nd gen AirPods is $50 cheaper than the 3rd gen and $100 cheaper than the Pros. Best of all, they still work seamlessly with your iPhone. As soon as you take the AirPods out of their case and put them in your ear, they'll be instantly and automatically paired. They support quick Siri access simply by saying "Hey Siri", and you can easily pause, play, and skip songs by double tapping either earbud. The battery offers 5 hours of listening time, and the charging case gives you over 24 additional hours. The charging case is quick charge compatible so 15 minutes of charging will give you 3 hours of listening time.

Splendor Board Game for $18.39

Target and Amazon have dropped the price of the very popular and highly rated Splendor board game to only $18.39 That's actually cheaper than the best price we saw during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Order it from Target and choose in-store pickup if you want to receive this item before Christmas. Splendor is a 2014 release that's still considered one of the best board games for all experience levels. There's plenty of strategy here, but at the same time, the rules aren't daunting and the average playtime is a very reasonable 30 minutes. This fast game is easy enough for kids to learn but satisfying for players of all ages, making it a good board game for families.

Squishmallow Pikachu 14" Holiday Plush for $24.99

Stuffies make the premier Christmas gift for people of all ages. This particular Squishmallow Pikachu 14" Holiday Plush is especially appropriate because everyone's favorite rodent sports a cute Santa hat on his noggin. It's currently avaialble at Target for $24.99 (it's sold out at most other vendors including Amazon and Walmart). This gift will still arrive by Christmas day.

PS5 Slim Spider-Man 2 or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for $499

For those of you who have been holding out on the newer, more compact PlayStation 5 gaming console, well your wait is over. Amazon currently has your choice of either the PS5 Slim Disc Edition Spider-Man 2 console bundle or the PS5 Slim Disc Edition Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 console bundle for only $499.99 each. Not only are you getting a brand new console that's 30% smaller in volume and 18% lighter than the original, you're also getting a free and recently released AAA title while you're at it.

Nintendo Switch OLED Super Smash Bros Ultimate Bundle for $349

The best Switch deal of Black Friday is still available. Amazon is offering a Nintendo Switch OLED console packaged with a digital download of the incredible Super Smash Bros Ultimate game for $349.99. That basically means you get the game (which normally retails for $60) for free. This is the first time the Switch OLED has officially gone on sale for Black Friday or the holiday season, and in my opinion worth getting over the rather stale Switch (non-OLED) holiday console bundle.

Refurb Sonos Arc Soundbar for $509

Sonos is offering a factory refurbished Sony Arc SL soundbar for only $509.00. That's a $170 price drop from the normal refurb MSRP of $679.99 (a new Sonos Arc sells for $900). The Arc is Sonos' flagship product. This is a premium 45" soundbar with awesome sound quality thanks to the eleven precisely engineered internal speakers, including two dedicated height channels. The Sonos Arc can be wirelessly paired up with other Sonos speakers and subs to add even more sound distribution. This modularity is one of the main reasons why Sonos is so popular. The "SL" in the Sonos Arc SL means "silence", and that's because it's not Google Assistant or Alex voice compatible.

Sonos refurb products go through pretty rigorous testing (probably more so than new). They come with all accessories, manuals, and documentation and are reshipped in "pristine" packaging. Most importantly of all, Sonos stands by their refurbs enough to grant them the same 1 year warranty as buying new.

Apple iPad 10.9" 10th Gen for $349

The 10th gen Apple iPad was released in October 2022 and is currently the newest iPad model available. The price of this model has gone up significantly compared to its predecessor, but that's because there are a lot of upgrades! The 10th gen iPad features a thinner bezel, so it looks less chunky and can fit a larger display (10.9" vs 10.2") within the same footprint. The 10th gen iPad also has a faster A14 Bionic chip (vs the A13 on the 9th gen), which equates to a 20% increase in CPU performance and 10% increase in GPU performance. The 10th gen iPad also has support for the newer Apple Magic Folio keyboard, so it's easier to turn it into a mini laptop. Other upgrades include a USB Type-C port, a sharper camera, and the upgrade to Wi-Fi 6. That's a lot of improvements for a mere $80 premium.

2021 Apple iPad Mini 8.3" 64GB WiFi for $399.99

The iPad Mini may be the most diminutive tablet of the bunch, but that doesn't mean it's gimped in any way. Although it was released back in 2021, the newest generation Apple iPad Mini is still more powerful than the new standard sized iPad that was release in late 2022. The iPad Mini features an 8.3" Liquid Retina display with True Tone and Wide Color, a very capable A15 Bionic processor, universal USB Type-C port for fast charging, and Apple Pencil 2 compatiblity. If you're looking for the most portable iPad, this is your pick.

2022 Apple iPad Air 10.9" 64GB WiFi for $499.99

The newest 5th generation Apple iPad Air was released in March of 2022 with a $599 MSRP. Yes, it's substantially pricier than the original iPad, but it upgrades virtually every aspect of its hardware. It boasts the larger 10.9" found in the newer iPad but it's a nicer display that supports both True Tone and P3 wide color. It has the same powerful Apple M1 chip found in the 2021 iPad Pro. Despite the more powerful hardware, the iPad Air is roughly the same size as iPad but is thinner and weighs less, and has a USB Type-C port.