CNET: Best gaming gifts for 2023

Gift shopping for gamers can be a mind-boggling experience, especially if you're unfamiliar with the video-game realm. It can also become quite pricey -- the must-own gear is never cheap. While many items featured in our guide of the best gifts for gamers come with a heavy price tag, we've also included options that appeal to budgets of all kinds.

Here we offer three of CNET's top picks of the latest game platforms.

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Valve Steam Deck handheld

A handheld for PC gamers

CNET TAKE: Valve is the company behind the hugely successful Steam online game store, and its Steam Deck handheld comes closer than anything we've seen to nailing the openness, flexibility and scale of PC gaming that devoted WASD gamers have yearned for.

Before opting to gift the device, make sure you know your recipient. It's a handheld AMD-powered PC running Linux (with an overlay called Steam OS), and it plays many, but not all, of the PC games on the Steam online store. As long as they're prepared to do some tweaking and experimenting with settings, and feel comfortable with general PC game troubleshooting (versus the plug-and-play ease of living room consoles), the Steam Deck is a fantastic gaming device.

The company just launched a new, higher-end model with a larger OLED screen, bigger battery and a 1TB solid-state drive. It's more expensive than the older models, starting at $549, but it's worth it for the upgrades. You can still get the original 256GB model for $399, though.

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Nintendo Switch OLED handheld game console

Best of the popular Switch line

CNET TAKE: This fourth iteration of Nintendo's Switch hybrid handheld has the biggest, best built-in display (the OLED screen in its name), plus a redesigned kickstand and TV dock. For anyone looking to give a first Switch or add a second...