Portable LP to MP3 Turntable Converter
Sticking with the musical note, you may have a friend with a sizable vinyl collection. He or she may have these irreplaceable records, but no way of actually enjoying those tunes in the car, at the gym, or while at the office. That’s where the portable LP to MP3 turntable comes into play (no pun intended).
This compact device will take vinyl records (both 33 and 45rpm) and play the music inside through its integrated two-watt stereo speaker. Perhaps more importantly, there is a USB connection included that lets you “rip” the record into WAV format (which you can then convert to MP3). Rounding out the package are FM transmission, line-out port, and your choice of using either six AA batteries or the included AC adaptor.
Find the portable turntable at Hammacher Schlemmer for $149.95 US.
Nintendo Wii GoldenEye 007 Video Game
To some people, the Nintendo 64 isn’t quite retro enough and they’d rather go all the way back to the NES or even Colecovision. However, one of the biggest classics from the N64 has been given new life and it’s well worth a nostalgic mention.
We saw the Nintendo Wii remake of GoldenEye 007 while at E3 earlier this year and now it’s available for purchase. The developers have taken arguably one of the best first-person shooters to ever grace Nintendo’s last cartridge-based system and converted it to the modern era.
Some of the graphics have been updated, to be sure, but they’ve left more than enough of the old school appeal for those who grew up on the N64. From Oddjob to Jaws, the multiplayer extravaganza can be a lot of fun. For single-player, they’ve swapped Pierce Brosnan (from the original) to Daniel Craig.
GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo Wii is sure to be a hit at your holiday party, especially if you happen to pick up the special gold Wii Classic Controller Pro to go along with it. It’s not quite an N64 controller, unfortunately, but it has its own golden appeal.
The game bundled with the special controller retails for $69.99. Alternatively, you can gift the software alone for $49.99.
Stay Puft Quality Marshmallows (with Caffeine)
I went into producing this retro-infused holiday gift guide with the intention of finding gadgetry and toys that would appeal to fans of yesteryear (however far back you choose to define “yesteryear”). However, I just couldn’t help but to include an item on this list that isn’t a gadget, game, or technological product at all. It’s just too awesome.
What you see here are Ghostbusters-inspired Stay Puft Marshmallows that have been infused with caffeine. They’re marketed as the world’s first caffeinated marshmallows and they’re made with all-natural ingredients. The box is kinda squishy too.
We ain’t afraid of no ghosts. Pick up some Stay Puft marshmallows for $19.99 from ThinkGeek.
It’s the Thought that Counts?
They say that giving is better than receiving… so you might as well give the best possible gift. From hard drive-infused Deloreans to replica Star Trek phasers, from classic cameras to caffeinated marshmallows, there’s definitely something out there for the retro geek on your holiday shopping list.