Best mobile gaming gadgets for Christmas 2012

Gamers on the move are spoiled for choice these days, with smartphones, tablets and dedicated handheld consoles all taking gaming out of the sitting room and onto the bus. Here's some of the best kit for mobile gamers this Christmas.

Nyko PlayPad for Android

£40, sainsburys.co.uk
Ideal for the Android gamer in your life, this pocket-sized Bluetooth controller is designed for compatibility with all the games in the Nvidia Tegrazone Android app store. That means you can use its Xbox 360-style control layout with console-quality games like GTA III and Shadowgun. The Nyko Playground app lets it play nice with any of your other games, too. It's iPhone-friendly, too, with an iCade compatible mode.
Read our review

Hex3 Apptag

US$60, hex3.com
For the more active gamer, the Hex3 Apptag turns an iPhone or Android smartphone into an IR light gun – with single-player and multiplayer AR games using AR tags to kit you out with new weapons, ammo and health packs. Now no-one can complain that you don't get any exercise playing a first-person shooter.

Turtle Beach Ear Force M5 Mobile Gaming Headset

£35, asda.com
If you don't want to share the rattle of gunfire and the squawks of Angry Birds with your fellow commuters, you'll need a decent set of headphones. These cans are designed for gamers on the go, with noise-isolating ear cups, 40mm drivers and an inline mic for when your gaming session is interrupted by a pesky call.

iCade 8-Bitty

£30, roobix.co.uk
Fun as the iCade is, it's a bit… bulky for gaming on the go. Fortunately, Ion Audio has released this gloriously retro Bluetooth controller, complete with boxy NES-style design and 80s-style wood-effect surround. It plays nice with all iCade-compatible games – including Atari's Greatest Hits, Paper Monsters and AirAttack HD.

Nintendo 3DS Circle Pad Pro

£15, zaavi.com
Absurd-looking it may be, but the Nintendo 3DS Circle Pad Pro really does improve compatible games no end, adding a second circle pad and trigger-style shoulder buttons to the dinky console. Zaavi also sells an exclusive box set which bundles the Circle Pad Pro with Resident Evil Revelations – one of the key titles which takes advantage of the extra control pad.

See all Stuff's Christmas gift guides

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