Top Holiday Gifts for the Avid Video Gamer

We all have an avid video gamer in our lives. Many avid video gamers reserve the games before they are released so often it hard to find a title that they want and do not already have. And if you ask them what they would like, don't be surprised it's a game that is scheduled for release a year from now. If it is your goal to give a gift that will wow your video gamer, you'll have to explore the place they call home: The video game specialty stores. Yes, Wal-mart and Target have video games, but they only carry the pedestrian goods. The hard core gamer is well beyond such fare.

The Game Stop and EB Games are two great places you'll want to start your search for the perfect gift. Staff members at these two stores are jackpots of information about video games. You may want to bring a friend along; the people that work at these places are hard core gamers and will talk at length about your questions, then go on a tangent about a specific game. With out a friend to equalize the conversation, you will end up silently wondering why a 35 year old man is still play Star Wars online and what he could have accomplished in life if he didn't suffer from a video game addiction.

Two days ago, I accompanied a gamer into the Game Stop to learn what tops the list for holiday gifts for the avid gamer. This season, it is all about hardware and accessories. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo all have new systems out on the market in time for the holidays.

XBOX 360 by Microsoft

The XBOX 360 was released earlier this year. It still tops the list as a must have for gamers with out one. There are two versions of this system: XBOX 360 Core and XBOX 360 Premium. The Core system is basic and the XBOX 360 Premium has the bells and whistles. For the serious gamer, only the XBOX 360 Premium will satisfy their gaming needs. Save the core system for the kids. The XBOX 360 Premium retails for about $400 and comes with a wireless controller, hard drive, head set, and all the wires needed for game play.

There are some must have accessories for the XBOX 360 every gamer would love. First must have accessory, a second, third or fourth wireless game controller. The system only comes with one. Official Xbox wireless controllers retail for about $50 each. There are also unofficial wireless controllers available at a lesser cost. Your gamer will also love to have the Play and Charge Kit. It charges the wireless controllers so they can continue game play when batteries are low. The official Xbox version retails for about $20. The last must have accessory is the XBOX 360 Universal Media Remote. Your gamer will need one in order to play DVDs. It retails for about $30.

Wii by Nintendo

The Wii is scheduled to be released in North America on November 19th in time for holiday shopping. There is much talk about this console. It will be able to play Game Cube formatted games and connect to the Nintendo DS hand held game system. It will have wireless internet capabilities. The remote controller on this new system is touted by Nintendo as revolutionary. The Wii controller looks like a television remote. It has sensors to relay movement. Instead of hitting buttons to represent actions in a baseball game, you would swing the controller like a bat. The Wii controller has an optional Nunchuk add on that has a control stick. The Wii is expected to retail at about $250 making it the least expensive new system on the market. Before running out and purchasing this system on November 19, throw an open question at your avid video gamer. Ask them what they think of the Wii system. Many gamers are not thrilled with the game controller.

PlayStation 3 by Sony

On my visit to Game Stop, the new PlayStation 3 was a hot topic and opened a can of worms on the debate of which system is the best video game console. The Play Station 3 didn't receive rave reviews. It was deemed to be a carbon copy of the technology that the XBOX introduced and much time was spent complaining about potential problems requiring patches. This system will best be suited to the die hard PlayStation fan, since popular opinion deemed the XBOX 360 premium system the superior console and at a much better price.

The PlayStation 3 is currently due for release in North America on November 17th. I was told at the Game Stop to expect a shortage of this hardware. Unless you plan on camping out in a parking lot, you will not be landing a PlayStation 3 to give to your loved ones. There will be two versions of the system: A 20 GB HDD and a 60GB HDD. The base system will retail for about $500 and the premium system will retail for about $600. Throw in the shortage of available units; expect to see this on EBay for $1500.

Just like the PlayStation 2, this new system will be able to play formatted games from the older consoles in addition to DVDs and CDs. It will also interact with Sony's hand held PSP. The PlayStation 3 will also have redesigned controllers designed to be one with the gamers' body. For those who enjoy having their controllers vibrate, this will be bad news. Duelshock is not on the new controllers.

The top holiday gifts for avid video gamers this holiday season is all about hardware: The XBOX 360, Nintendo Wii and the PlayStation 3 are the must have items. The XBOX 360 is widely available. The Nintendo Wii and PlaySation 3 will be a little harder to get your hands on. The secret to getting your hands on the Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 will be putting a system on reserve at a video game specialty shop or camping out in the parking lot of your preferred discount retailer.