As we write these words, millions of Americans are tucking into their Thanksgiving turkeys, and you know what that means: an inconceivably small number of shopping days until Christmas! Whether you celebrate that particular festival or just want to buy some gifts for your loved ones to mark the season, we've got you covered with the AllGamers holiday gift guide 2017. We've broken things down into a few categories that will hopefully cover off just about every gaming allegiance, and we threw in a few game recommendations too. Enjoy.
PlayStation gift guide
If you're looking for something for the PlayStation-loving gamer in your life, we've got some incredibly obvious suggestions as well as some more thoughtful ones.
PS4 Pro
$324-449 depending on bundle
Retailers are starting to do their holiday thing and throw consoles together with games, download codes and accessories to create the perfect package to find under the tree on Christmas morning. The advantage of PS4 Pro is that it works with 4K TVs, but it's worth choosing this model whether or not you've taken the step up to 4K so you're futureproofed. We think the white model looks a lot nicer than the regular black one, so if you can find that Destiny 2 bundle anywhere, opt for that.
PS4 Slim
$199-299 depending on bundle and hard disk size
If you want to save some cash but still deliver your loved one unto the current generation of consoles, you can't go wrong with a PS4 Slim. The catalogue of titles available now is huge and the revised hardware format and 1TB hard disk mean this is a nice piece of kit compared to the surprisingly noisy launch PS4. If you know someone who regularly has to haul their PS4 between lounge and home office, home and university, or similar, you could even pick this up for them as a secondary system.
PlayStation VR
$299-349 depending on bundle
Sony is making a minor update to the PS VR hardware at the moment that will replace existing PS VR stock, and it looks like retailers are taking this as a sign that they need to offload existing units, because we're seeing holiday discounts already. Virtual reality is still in its infancy, despite the never-ending hype, and there are only a couple of lengthy adventures playable in VR - Resident Evil 7 and Skyrim - while everything else is a stunning throwaway experience. Sony showed a lot of upcoming VR titles at Paris Games Week, though, so picking one up for Christmas along with Skyrim VR and something like Rez would be an awesome gift that could keep on giving.
PlayStation Plus subscription
$39.99
Realistically we all need PS Plus subs. As with Xbox Live, your console works fine without it, but features like online multiplayer are pretty fundamental to modern gaming, so we all pay the annual tax. At least the benefits are great, including new infusions of free games every month and all sorts of exclusive discounts. This is the kind of gift that seems a little boring on the surface but is bound to be appreciated.
Games
PlayStation 4 has been around for over four years at this point, so there's no shortage of games to choose from. Depending on who you're buying for, we'd definitely recommend Horizon Zero Dawn, which is heavily discounted by now, as well as Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (or Uncharted 4 if they haven't played that yet). Gran Turismo Sport keeps getting better, too, with a new single-player campaign mode going into it next month that will mean it's a more substantial offering by the time Santa cralws down the chimney. Finally, we absolutely adore Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy, which brings three brutal but classic platform games bang up to date. If your 'giftee' has deep PlayStation roots, consider picking it up.
Xbox gift guide
Microsoft has been pulling out all the stops to catch up with Sony in the last couple of years, and while Xbox One still feels light on big games from first parties compared to PS4, there's definitely some good stuff in there, and backwards compatibility is a huge boon.
Xbox One X
$499
The world's most powerful games console (if you don't type that, they send in the heavies) is an incredible piece of engineering, smaller than the PS4 Pro and absolutely bursting with potential. If you have a 4K TV or plan to buy one, this should be a no-brainer. Check out our guide to the best 4K games to play on Xbox One X to see which titles have updates available, but if you want to save a bit of cash on top of this expensive console, a few classic Xbox 360 titles would be a nice little extra - many of them have updated 4K visuals now and look fantastic.
Xbox One S
$189-249 depending on bundle
The precursor to the X was also a great piece of engineering, bringing the hefty power brick inside the console and reducing the form factor considerably. It looks particularly nice in white. Similar to the PS4 Slim, this is a great system for anyone not ready to make the jump to 4K and it also works well as a second system for anyone who likes to game in multiple places. The price on this has fallen considerably and there are now some terrific bundles doing the rounds, but make sure you go for the 1TB model if you can - that hard disk will fill up faster than you think.
Xbox Design Lab controller
Starting at $64.99
If there's one thing Microsoft has always gotten right - with the possible exception of the original "Duke" controller for the OG Xbox - it's the Xbox controller. The Xbox 360 pad became everyone's default, and the Xbox One improved on that design. Now Microsoft celebrates one of its peaks of industrial design with Xbox Design Lab, where you can create beautiful, customized and monogrammed controllers, choosing colors and finishes for every separate part of the pad. If you have a good sense of your friend or loved one's taste, this could make for a very special, one-of-a-kind holiday treat.
Xbox Live Gold subscription
$39.99
As with PlayStation Plus, this is a superficially boring gift with hidden depths. For one thing, you're giving someone the gift of not spending $40 at some inconvenient period next year when they suddenly realize their subscription is about to expire. For another, you're giving them monthly access to Games With Gold titles - December's include Child of Eden and Vermintide. And of course you're letting them play online. Can't argue with those perks.
Xbox Game Pass subscription
$1 introductory rate!
Microsoft's Netflix-style subscription services gives you instant access to over 100 games, including corkers like Halo 5 Guardians and the entire Gears of War series. What's more, they've slashed the introductory price of the sub to $1 for the holidays (it usually costs $9.99 per month) and you can now gift it through the Xbox store. Why not hit that button on Christmas morning and give someone a pleasant surprise when they fire up their console?
Games
Xbox One is steadily building up a solid catalogue of titles following some lean early years, and Forza Motorsport 7 is a particular recent highlight, despite its predilection for loot boxes. Cuphead is also exclusive to Xbox One at the moment and is a fine indie title. If you're looking for some back catalogue gems, you could probably pull together Gears of War 4, Halo 5 Guardians, Sunset Overdrive and Rare Replay for less than the price of most new games, giving the lucky recipient a smorgasbord of options for the holiday.
Nintendo gift guide
What a year it's been for Nintendo. After the humiliation of Wii U - a fun console that nobody understood - came the triumph of Nintendo Switch, a console that fits everybody's lives perfectly and has some of the best Nintendo games in generations.
Nintendo Switch
$299, but spend a bit more for extras
Srsly. If your giftee hasn't got one of these and you have the readies, don't delay. This is the best show in town. You'll want to throw The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in on top as a minimum, and we'd recommend a carry case and screen protector so they get the full benefit of the system's portability without the fear of leaving scratches on the surprisingly delicate front surface. This is the holiday gift, if you ask us.
Colored Joy-Cons
$79 or more depending on availability
You may need to hit the auction sites to find the ones you want, but the Splatoon 2 Joy-Con or the Neon Yellow versions are very nice upgrades for anyone in your life who already has the Switch bug. They have the added advantage of resolving the early issues that sometimes affected the left Joy-Con at launch, too.
Switch Pro Controller
$69
You know, we're a bit partial to slouching on the sofa, one Joy-Con in each hand at our side, almost entirely limp as we luxuriate into Switch gaming at home. Not only does it feel good, but it also acts as an amusing riposte to the healthy living espoused by the more energetic Wii a decade ago. However, we recently gave in and tried the Switch Pro Controller, and, wow, Nintendo has gotten its mojo back with this stuff. The Pro Controller is a great way to play Switch games at home and saves you having to constantly unclip the Joy-Con. If the recipient is lacking this piece of kit, they will definitely thank you.
Games
There seems little chance that anyone with a Nintendo Switch doesn't already own The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, so don't go with that, but Super Mario Odyssey is an absolute shoo-in, and if you fancy getting a little more exotic, the recent ports of Skyrim and LA Noire offer something very different to the core Nintendo titles, and it's a pleasure to be able to take these experiences on the go. Anyone who gets them this holiday will thank you.
Bonus Round: Nintendo 2DS XL
$149
Nintendo Switch may have taken over as the default portable games system in our lives, but Nintendo's other handheld is still a fantastic platform to own, with a catalogue of titles that grew to include a brilliant Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga remake just recently. The 2DS XL is a superb refinement, released earlier this year, that is compatible with epic numbers of games past and present.
TVs, Headsets and Storage
Now is a great time to transition to the next generation of Ultra HD screens, while there are also great gifts to be made in storage and headsets. Here's some recommendations.
4K TV - LG OLED E7 (OLED65E7)
$2700-3000
If you want to be someone's best friend forever this Christmas, look no further than this top-of-the-line 4K TV from LG. Using the best OLED technology, this will keep the recipient futureproofed for some time and bring the absolute best out of their new 4K-compatible gaming hardware. You can spend less and get a pretty amazing picture, but OLED is the best option available. Is now the right time to buy? It's kinda always the wrong time to buy a new TV, with something amazing always round the corner, so why not? It's Christmas.
External SSD - Western Digital My Passport Ultra 4TB
$125
1TB might sound like a lot on paper, but with 4K textures to worry about nowadays you'll soon find it fills up. If you want to avoid constantly deleting and reinstalling games to suit your mood, then you'll want to invest in some extra storage. Sadly there's no such thing as a great value multi-terabyte internal hard disk to throw into your PS4 Pro or Xbox One X, so your best option may be to pick up an external drive. Thanks to advances in USB tech, you can happily run games off an external SSD, and the WD My Passport Ultra 4TB offers great bang for your buck. (It also makes us feel old - we remember spending this much on 64MB RAM sticks back in the day!)
Headset - HyperX Cloud Revolver or CloudX
$69-89
Obviously we're biased, but if you need a new pair of cans to hear things with the same fidelity you'll be viewing them, we recommend the HyperX Cloud Revolver or CloudX depending on your taste. If you're serious about making progress in twitch shooters like Call of Duty, Battlefield or Overwatch, you can't beat a dedicated gaming headset.
Retro gaming gift guide
You've heard plenty about the future in the AllGamers holiday gift guide, but if you're buying for someone who still yearns for the good old days, why not bring the past right to them?
SNES Classic Edition
$99-149
You'll almost certainly need to hit the auction sites for this one, despite Nintendo's claims that you'd be able to find stock in time for the holidays. (We'd be extremely happy to be made to eat these words in the next few weeks, by the way.) But for anyone who doesn't have one, the SNES Classic Edition is a phenomenal gift. Over 20 fantastic 16-bit classics, two controllers, save-anywhere tech and a rewind feature? Even at inflated auction site prices, and perhaps because of its rarity, this is a very special gift.
Hyperkin SupaBoy S
$84-99
If you're buying for someone who already has a bunch of Super Nintendo games, the Hyperkin SupaBoy S is a very cool gizmo. Essentially it's the guts of a Super Nintendo in a portable format, capable of taking cartridges from all around the world so you can play on the go. It even has a USB-rechargeable battery. The downsides with this are a pretty firm grip from the cartridge slot - it shouldn't damage your carts, but feels worth noting - and a slightly oddly formatted screen. If you can find the older original SupaBoy with its proper 4:3 screen, that might be an even better choice.
OG Xbox
$39-99 depending on what you get
We are big fans of the original Xbox and firmly believe now is the time to start collecting for the OG Xbox, as it's known. You can pick one up in great condition alongside a slew of classic games for very little, and if you know someone who used to have one back in the day, you could make their Christmas with this thoughtful trot back along memory lane.