Best Gifts for the Avid Xbox Gamer

Do you have an avid gamer in your life? Are you planning their birthday, or preparing for Christmas early? It can be daunting deciding exactly what to get them, especially if you aren't a gamer yourself. Not to mention, the console wars are very much a thing, and if you're buying a gift for someone who loves all things Xbox you need to make sure that it'll work! Sometimes gaming peripherals such as headphones or controllers are universal, but often they are console locked. We're here to ensure that you get exactly what you're looking for to put a smile on that gamer's face. To help you narrow down your choice and enhance their gaming experience, we've picked out some of our favourite items that will do just that.

Xbox Series S

First thing's first, we're bringing out the big guns. If you're stocking up on gifts for Christmas and you need that wow-factor, nothing says "I know you" than getting them a brand new console. If they've been playing on an Xbox 360 for a while now, then getting them a more powerful upgrade so they can join their friends in all the latest AAA games is the perfect answer. If you're not looking to spend too much money, the Xbox Series S is the console to look at. For as low as £249.95 you can pick up the Xbox Series S: Gilded Hunter Bundle. Included you will find the titular console, one Xbox Wireless Controller in Robot White, a high speed HDMI cable and Gilded Hunter add-on content for Fortnite, Rocket League and Fall Guys.

But what if white isn't their colour? Not to worry, we also have the Xbox Series S with 1TB of storage in Carbon Black available for pre-order! This console comes with a matching Xbox Wireless Controller and a high speed HDMI cable for just £299.95. If you're asking yourself "But why is this console more expensive than the white one?" then fear not, the reason for this is a standard Xbox Series S console comes with 512GB of storage, so your paying for that extra bit of space. With most AAA games nowadays, that's not a lot in the grand scheme of things. So unless the gamer you're gifting to is an avid player of Fortnite, Rocket League or Fall Guys then the Carbon Black console is the winner here.

Headphones

If there's one thing that every gamer can agree on, it's that audio is important. Some gamers have even trained their hearing to be able to pinpoint directions where their enemies are coming from, which is impressive! The problem we find is that so many headphones nowadays are upwards of £100 for even a glimpse of Dolby Atmos surround sound. But luckily for you, shopping on a budget isn't impossible! There are plenty of headsets that will give your gamers the edge, whilst not breaking the bank. One of our favourites is the HC9 Stereo Gaming Headset from Gioteck. For only £24.95 you get a super lightweight headset with enhanced 40mm drivers, 180° pick-up mic, and a suspended headband and athletic mesh cushions for comfortability during those intense gaming sessions. This is the perfect gift that gives exceptionally enhanced sound with crisp highs and punchy lows.

Play & Charge Kit

Nothing is worse than being in the middle of an intense clutch-or-kick situation, it's the deciding round for who wins and there's just one enemy left. You see them, turn to shoot and-! Your controller has died. Xbox Controllers are well known for eating batteries for breakfast, and in these gaming situations we want to make sure that we have the best advantage possible. That's where the Play & Charge kit comes in from PDP. For just £18.95, this kit allows you to have rechargeable batteries in your controller at all times, avoiding having to steal from the TV remote or your dad's torch, and you don't have to stop to change out batteries mid-round! The Play & Charge kit comes with two batteries and four battery doors which allow for different console controllers and a 10ft long cable - meaning you don't have to sit inches from your TV screen to charge!

Now all that information may be daunting, so what exactly does this Play & Charge kit do, and why should you use this instead of rechargeable batteries? For starters, this kit means you don't have to constantly swap out batteries and figure out which ones are fully charged or not. A handy LED light on the kit tells you the status of the charge, and it doesn't take long for these batteries to be up and running! Not to mention that the included 10ft (3 metres) Micro USB charging cable allows you to sit comfortably whilst gaming if you have forgotten to charge up your packs. Compared to other battery kits, the Play & Charge Kit is a no-brainer for serious gamers.

Thumb Grips

One of our favourite products are the Gioteck Thumb Grips for Xbox. They come in a range of colours and sizes for every gaming need, and they're only £9.95! That's an affordable way to win the game. There's 4 different colour combinations, with both tall and short grips. This pack also includes some trigger grips to ensure your fingers don't slip when that all-important shot is being taken. But there's a lot of chatter surrounding the benefit of thumb grips. Do they actually work? What is the benefit of them? Why are they so tall? Well, we're going to answer those questions for you.

• What is the benefit of thumb grips? The first major benefit of thumb grips is it extends the life of your thumb sticks. Those covers will protect the padding of the thumb sticks from wear and tear, meaning you don't have to replace the whole controller when you get down to the plastic frame. But that's not all, there's actually some science behind thumb grips.
• Overall comfort: Because your thumb sticks are now technically taller, there's less movement and force required to move in and out of the controller dead zone. Your hand will thank you, because less work for the muscles and wrist means you won't feel those aches and stiffness if you've been playing all day.
• Smooth Control: With the raised thumb grips, there's now an increased arc when using the thumb sticks. The field of movement is larger, meaning you can fine tune your aim and your accuracy will improve. Essentially, the larger the arc means the quicker you'll hit your target, giving you the edge over your opponent.
• Improved Accuracy: You will see a huge increase in your accuracy and KD. This is because you can increase your in-game sensitivity allowing for quicker, more precise movements that will make your opponents do a double take when you win the fight and leave them in the dust.

Xbox Remote Control

Did you know there's a quick and simple way to access all your favourite movies, TV shows, music, videos and apps? No more fumbling around with thumb sticks, scrolling eternally through your menu until you inevitably miss what you were looking for and have to scroll back up. With the Xbox Media Remote from PDP you can have the comfort of a TV remote whilst watching on your Xbox console. This remote features backlit buttons to help you find what you need in the dark, and an optimised battery life to ensure your binge-watching sessions go uninterrupted. It's sleek, it's compact and it's only £22.95!

We hope there's something here that caught your eye! Keep a look out for our Nintendo Switch and PlayStation gift series, and for more gaming essentials be sure to click the button below!