Tech gift-giving used to be so easy. Toss an iPod or a new computer game at your favorite geek and you were done. These days, however, tech gifts aren't just for the nerdy. Your Aunt Mabel, whose VCR was blinking 12:00 for 20 years? She's eyeing a Wii and she'll be ready to school you in Tennis as soon as you've digested your Christmas dinner. And with more gadget options than ever before, holiday shopping can lead to major headaches.
Save yourself the trouble of stocking up on Tylenol. Read on to find out what PC World's staffers are getting for their wired (and wireless) relatives, and what they're hoping to find in their own stockings this year.
Games
Photograph: Chris MannersThe three console platforms are well-represented on our editors' lists. Ed Albro's got his eye on Nintendo Wii. "This is the box that my kids are really bugging me for. The difference comes down to the motion-sensitive controllers that make the games make sense to them in a way that keyboards and regular game controllers never have."
Harry McCracken already has a Wii, and is hoping Super Mario Galaxy will actually be available in time for the holidays.
"People have been waiting for Super Mario Galaxy since before there was a Wii. And when I attended the E for All gaming show in October, there were so many people waiting to play it that I gave up. But I got enough of a peek to get excited about the new Mario adventure's visuals, gameplay, and characters," McCracken says. He's thinking of asking for it for Christmas, which is a personal milestone in itself: "It'll be the first time I ever requested a piece of software in my stocking."
Meanwhile, Eric Dahl's leaning toward Microsoft's XBox 360 Elite, because "between Assassin's Creed, Beautiful Katamari, Halo 3, Mass Effect, and Rock Band, now is the time. Actually, a year ago was probably the time, but I still don't have one yet." Patience (or procrastination), it turns out, is a virtue. "At least now you get a couple free games with their holiday bundle."
Photograph: Chris MannersNarasu Rebbapragada's already got a Sony PlayStation 3, but Assassin's Creed is her must-have. She says the action-adventure title is "based on the Crusades, so it's of some historic value." Still, we'd recommend that history majors check with their profs before assuming it counts for extra credit.
PC World's Game On blogger Matt Peckham is looking for something that will keep his PC gaming experience running smoothly. His preferred stocking stuffer is Nvidia's 9800 GTX, which he describes as "the 'rumored to be coming imminently' but still not formally announced $550-$650 PC video card" that "follows the Nvidia 8800 GTX for absolute top-line PC 3D video card performance."
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