Video gaming is a huge cultural phenomenon, and Xbox is one of the most recognizable brands of the lot. There are tons of ways you can help friends and family enhance their Xbox experience this holiday season, and here are just a few of the best!
Great games
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Undoubtedly, the best gift for any Xbox One owner this holiday season is great games, and thankfully, the Xbox is crammed with them. Always try to find out if the owner has the game already before purchasing! Here are just five games you should consider for this holiday season, but we have a much more expansive list you can check out using the link below.
The best Xbox One games so far
Gears of War 4
Gears of War 4 is the latest entry in the Xbox-defining shooter series. Take on JD Fenix and his crew to kickstart a brand new saga, against a horrific new threat. Gears of War 4 is an excellent gift because it packs piles of value into a single title. A strong campaign, frenetic multiplayer and persistently updated co-operative Horde Mode will keep Gears of War 4 fresh for months to come. If you're buying for a Gears of War fan already, check out our Gears Gift Guide over here!
Battlefield 1
Battlefield 1 is arguably the greatest shooter available for Xbox One now, and it makes for a truly epic gift this holiday season. Battlefield 1's 32 vs. 32 multiplayer is unmatched for explosive, tactical combat, which persistently as rewarding as it is enthralling.
ReCore
One for the younger friends and relatives, ReCore is a vibrant action-platformer from Microsoft Studios. Join Joule and an eclectic cast of cutesy robots on a quest to discover what went wrong on the planet of Far Eden.
Xbox Gift Cards
No way to find out what games your friends and family have? Let them decide which game to buy for themselves with an Xbox Gift Card!
Xbox Gift Cards can be redeemed either on the Xbox Store, the web, or the Windows 10 Store, and they add credit to your Microsoft Account to be spent on any Microsoft site or service.
Using the link below, you can purchase gift cards for various monetary amounts. The cards are also available in many markets through your local Microsoft Store website.
Groove Music Gift Card
Until we (hopefully) get Spotify on Xbox One, Groove Music is an awesome alternative that beats Spotify in a number of ways. Groove Music subscriptions also come with 100GB of OneDrive storage, which also allows you to store MP3s you own in the cloud for streaming to any device. A Groove Music Gift Card would make an excellent gift for Xbox One owners who are also big music fans.
Xbox One Elite Controller
Probably the best gift for any Xbox One owner is the Elite controller. Trigger locks allow you to shoot faster. Interchangeable joysticks allow you to play at higher sensitivities without losing precision, and the configurable paddles add an all-new dimension to play.
Complete with a premium carry case, tons of additional parts and next-level build quality, the Xbox One Elite Controller isn't cheap at around $150, but it is guaranteed to make any Xbox owner a happy gamer this holiday season.
Turtle Beach Elite Pro Tournament Headset
This is another expensive item, but if you're in the market to improve a loved one's audio experience, this setup is simply unmatched. Still, there are tons of other great headsets on the market, and if you're looking for something different, we've rounded up some of the best headsets right over here.
Turtle Beach's Elite Pro Tournament headset combined with the Tactical Audio Controller provides unprecedented control over your sound experience on Xbox One. Manually adjust party chat levels, noise cancellation, surround sound modes that allow you to emphasize enemy footsteps, and much more. The Elite Pro Tournament is also one of the most comfortable headsets money can buy, with a floating headband with adjustable tension, gratuitously cushioned ear cups with airy, high-quality fabrics.
The Turtle Beach Elite Pro Tournament with Tactical Audio Controller comes in at around $400, or separately for around $200 each.
Nyko Charge Block
If you're buying for a fan of wireless controllers, then consider the Nyko Charge Block!
Not only does the Block allow you to keep your controllers neat and tidy, but it also passively charges special batteries that come with the product. You can either purchase a dock for two controllers, or just a dock for a single controller.
Seagate Xbox HDD
Seagate makes some excellent Xbox-branded USB-powered hard disk drives that are crucial for expanding storage on the lower-end consoles. As video games get more complex with updates, and libraries grow, the base storage available with Xbox consoles simply isn't adequate for most.
Thankfully, Seagate makes some great storage options. With 2 TB and 4 TB configurations, the Seagate Xbox HDDs will future-proof a loved one's console against getting full prematurely for around $100 and $150.
Kinect 2.0
Since Kinect is no longer bundled with the Xbox One or Xbox One S, it makes a worthy gift for any Xbox owner. Kinect combines a HD camera with motion tracking capabilities and powerful microphones, granting access to a wide array of games and powerful voice commands for your TV.
Using Kinect and the Xbox One's HDMI pass-through, you can control your TV using natural language, issuing commands like "volume up," and "watch BBC1" to change channel. It also comes with the option of using Cortana, giving you access to even more commands. Note: If you're purchasing Kinect for an Xbox One S owner, they will also need an adapter.
Happy Holidays!
What gifts will you be picking up for Xbox loving friends and family this holiday season? Are there any items on this list that you think should be added? Let us know in the comments!
