Christmas gears up with new games consoles, guitar accessories, and gadgets to track the kids

The serious business of summertime play is upon us, with Nintendo launching a new console and plenty of gaming and hi-tech gadgets to keep all occupied.

Jamstik musical tablet accessory.

New Nintendo 3DS XL

Nintendo / 4/5 / $249.95 / nintendo.com.au

New Nintendo 3DS XL games console, released this month.

Don’t let the name fool you. This is a fresh 3DS XL machine and it comes with an important addition: Super Stable 3D. This feature uses the console’s front camera to track your eyes and deliver 3D even if you move your head from side to side. In practice, it makes 3D significantly more fun and less effort. The new console also offers new controls, including a small “C Stick” for right-hand movement, and two new triggers at the back. 3D rear cameras still features, as does wi-fi and a large touchscreen. Users must unscrew the back panel to add a memory card in this model, however, and its format has changed to the smaller Micro SD.

Jamstik

Zivix / 4.5/5 / $399.95 / www.iworldonline.com.au

Jamstik musical tablet accessory.

This is not just a simple accessory; this is a device with some seriously cool features that could take your music to the next level. Connect this to your Mac, iPhone or iPad and the infra-red light of the Jamstik detects your finger movement, allowing the app to tutor you through learning the guitar. If you’ve never picked up a guitar, this will quickly get you through the basics. If you’re already a guitar player, you can use this with GarageBand to create your own music. It’s a bit fiddly to set up for the first time but the terrific potential of this device more than outweighs that.

LeapFrog LeapBand

LeapFrog / 3.5/5 / $60 / leapfrog.com.au

LeapFrog LeapBand activity tracker.

Think of the LeapBand as being an activity tracker combined with a Tamagotchi-style virtual pet. Aimed at four to seven-year-olds, the child starts by picking a personalised pet from a stable of eight options. It rewards children for periods of activity by giving them jewels (or, Joules as they’re called in the game) which can be used to buy more games and pets. A voice talks the child through various games (parents might want to tune out to the constant audio prompts). It has a small colour screen, a rechargeable battery and is splash proof. Young kids are likely to find it fun although the unit is larger than some adult smartwatches and will certainly look huge on a small wrist.

Skylanders Trap Team

Activision / 3.5/5 / $99.95 / activision.com

Skylanders Trap Team gaming pack.

The latest episode in the augmented reality series Skylanders reverses normal play. Instead of putting toy characters into the virtual game, players set traps to draw villains out of it, using a portal and two traps contained in this Starter Pack. Once trapped, players can step into the shoes of a villain inside this game in a fight for good. The Pack also includes the game, a collectors tray, two figures, trading cards and stickers. Unlike other iterations, where users are encouraged to collect intricate figurines, this game makes collecting less interesting plastic pieces more desirable.

Astro A38 noise-cancelling wireless headphones

Astro Gaming / 3.5/5 / $239 / bluemouthdirect.com

Astro A38 noise-cancelling wireless headphones

Astro is known for making a range of gaming accessories but these headphones are more suited to your daily commute. The come in handy carry case, have Bluetooth and NFC connectivity and are noise-cancelling so as to block out the world on your morning public transport commute. They don’t look very fashionable at first glance but you can personalise them with a range of optional tags to attach to the cans. They have more than 20 hours of battery life but are a tight fit and won’t suit every head.

Originally published as Christmas gears up with new games consoles, guitar accessories, and gadgets to track the kids