AllGamers gaming gift guide 2017

The best gifts for PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo-loving gamers.

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.

Editor-at-Large

Tom is probably best known for the 15 years - FIFTEEN YEARS! - he spent at Eurogamer, one of Europe's biggest independent gaming sites. Now he roams the earth, but will always have a home here at AllGamers. You can try and raise him from his deep, abyssal slumber through tom.bramwell@allgamers.com or he's also on Twitter.

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