10 Christmas gift ideas for gamers in your life, from souped-up consoles to VR headsets and game remasters

Up-to-the-minute, old-school or retro, there are plenty of hardware choices – and if they’ve got the kit already, go for games both new and remastered

Tribune News Service

Published: 1:00pm, 7 Dec, 2016

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Where do you start if you have a video gamer on your gift list this holiday season and are overwhelmed with choices? Here are 10 ideas to get you started.

New choices

The two main consoles, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, have been around long enough that souped-up versions are now available. The PS4 Pro and Xbox One S add ultra-HD muscle for more vivid and detailed graphics on TVs with 4K capability, whether playing a game or watching a show. The PS4 Slim, a trimmed-down model of the standard PS4, also is out.

Right on target

Most war games go for a modern or hi-tech feel, but Battlefield 1 (for PS4 or Xbox One) travels back more than a century, to the first world war to deliver visceral thrills. Dirigibles and biplanes soar overhead as enemies charge with bayonets and lob deadly gas canisters. With mind-blowing visuals and terrifying realism, the game will dazzle your eyes as it frazzles your nerves. There’s no better combat experience now on consoles.

Latest craze

Virtual reality is all the rage this year. By donning a boxy headset, users can totally immerse themselves in a 360-degree virtual environment. At the top end, the Oculus Rift and HTC VIVE use a PC to drive them. The mid-range PlayStation VR connects to the PS4, while the Samsung Gear VR uses your recent-model Samsung phone as the engine for a more casual experience. Games cost extra, of course.

Next-generation virtual reality headset made by tiny team in Tokyo is challenging Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR

For an intro to this new world – and a great stocking stuffer – try Google Cardboard, a no-frills way to turn any smartphone into a VR portal.

7 games you must play on PlayStation VR

Better than before

Favourite games from the previous generation of consoles (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) have been remastered with improved graphics and new game play for the PS4 and Xbox One. Recent standouts include Batman: Return to Arkham (which combines Arkham Asylum and Arkham City), Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (which comes as a bonus with the new Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare: Legacy Edition) and the essential BioShock: The Collection .

Old school

Nintendo’s NES Classic Edition revives the system’s ’80s heyday with revamped connections for modern TVs. The console fits in the palm of your hand, but it uses regular-sized classic controllers. Great games such as Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, Castlevania and 27 other classics come preloaded, plus one controller.

Really retro

If you want to confuse a millennial, break out video games that are pushing 40. Atari Flashback Classics , Vols. 1 and 2 (for the PS4 and Xbox One), each boast 50 games for the vintage Atari 2600 system, along with a few arcade classics such as the addictive Lunar Lander and Millipede.

Atari games buried in landfill net US$37,000 on eBay

Despite the primitive graphics, there’s nothing like having a multigenerational battle over late-’70s/early-’80s home-gaming gems.

Gather around

For the best modern take on offline multiplayer gaming – you know, playing with people who are actually sitting next to you, not across the world – nothing beats Rocket League. The wild cross between rocket-powered miniature cars and soccer is guaranteed to please all ages at holiday gatherings. Available previously as an exclusive PS4 title, the game also is available for the Xbox One.

Fun to go

Unimpressed by news of Nintendo’s planned spring launch of Switch, which will combine console and portable systems? Well, its handheld standby, the Nintendo 3DS , is now heavily discounted. Its latest hits include Mario Party Star Rush, Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon.

Fancy dressing

If a console doesn’t really fit in with a home’s decor, dress it up with real wood covers from Toast. The stick-on panels for the PS4 or Xbox One come in finishes of walnut, bamboo, ebony or ash. Classy.

Virtual present

A gift card might seem like a cop-out but not in our digital age, when many gamers simply download what they want from their system’s network. Gift cards for the PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo online stores can be bought online.

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