Christmas Gift Guide 2017: 16 gift ideas for Xbox gamers

Xbox Design Lab Controller (from £69.99)

The video game industry is almost as bad as Batman when it comes to colour schemes. They can’t think of anything other than black, white or the occasional silver. Fortunately, Microsoft has given us creative freedom by allowing players to customise our own Xbox One controllers. All we need now is for Xbox to give us creative powers for its video game production.

Master Chief Hooded Zip (£29.99)

Attempting to coax your friend outside since they acquired the Xbox One X? With it getting chilly outside, you’ll have a tough task doing so. This fleece-lined hoodie should do the job, though, keeping them extra toasty, while also tickling their geek spot since it’s designed to look like Master Chief’s armour. And if that doesn’t work, try telling them that real life has even better visuals than 4K.

Xbox One X (£450)

There are certain people who will refuse to play any game that doesn’t have ultra-realistic visuals. Sorry Minecraft, but you’re blocky textures just won’t do.

With the 4K-powered Xbox One X console, though, graphics are so convincing that you’ll be able to trick your grandma into thinking you’re watching a documentary.

Lego Minecraft – The Mountain Cave (£259.99)

Minecraft – the video game that replaced Lego as the ultimate creative tool for children – is now available in Lego form. That’s right, we’ve now gone full circle. Still, this is an excellent gift for Minecraft obsessors, with the Lego kit complete with a mine cart track. Best of all, the included Creepers aren’t capable of real explosions, so your creations should be safe and sound.

Official Xbox One Media Remote (£15.99)

While your Xbox One controller may be perfect for gunnin’ down aliens and Nazis, it’s not quite as practical for Netflix navigating and TV browsing. This remote provides a handy alternative which is a pro at seeking out season two of Stranger Things. Take note, though, to use the remote for controlling your TV and volume, you’ll need the Kinect sensor. It has its uses after all.

Xbox One Digital TV Tuner (£5.95)

Make that Xbox One work for its under-telly space by turning it into a media centre. Stick this USB tuner into the back and you’ll be able to receive live broadcasts through your console – no more faffing with switching the input.

It’s no dumb box, either: it’ll do ‘live pause’ – for those urgent coffee breaks – and it’s also possible to ‘snap’ the TV streaming app whilst gaming, so you can enjoy Forza 7 and re-runs of The Great British Bake Off at the same time. Need we say more?

Displate Gaming Posters (£34)

As much as paper posters are great for personalising your bedroom they can also be incredibly annoying. No matter how much Blu Tack you’ve stuck on the wall, the poster will always find a way to sag or flop. These videogame-themed Displate posters, however, are made from metal and attach to the wall with magnets.

Custom Xbox One Decal (US$19.99)

Still slumming it with an original Xbox One when everyone else is upgrading to an X?

Redress that boxy inbalance with a custom decal from DecalGirl. Simply create a design or select one of the pre-rendered skins, then have it shipped straight to your door. It beats a brown paper bag, any day.

Razer Wildcat (£69.99)

Razer has long produced some of the best peripherals in the PC gaming market – and their effort for Xbox is no exception.

If you fancy custom gaming kit without the price-tag of the official Elite controller, give the Wildcat a go. With four programmable buttons on the rear, as well as a built-in control panel for switching profiles, it’s also been sculpted to be as comfortable as possible to hold during those long button-mashing sessions.

Turtle Beach Elite 800X (£159.99)

Want cable-free, 7.1 surround sound for your gaming cave? Turtle Beach’s 800X cans are truly opulent. Foam cushions mould to your head while complex drivers deliver 360-degree sound to ensure you get the jump on enemies coming from any direction.

Chat volume also automatically adjusts itself to be heard above oscillating levels of gameplay noise and you can even hook up your mobile phone in order to take important calls while simultaneously smashing the competition. It’s not cheap – but then luxury rarely is.

Venom Twin Charging Cradle (£14.99)

"Two at once? You’ve got to be joking!"

We’re not – and neither is Venom. Put paid to DualShock 4 envy with this power solution for your controllers. With two rechargeable battery packs included, it’s as easy as sticking your handheld friends in the space-efficient dock. They’ll be juiced before you know it.

Evil Controllers Xbox One Controller (US$164.99)

Sure, the official Xbox custom controllers look pretty lovely. What’s the problem? You can only change the colours.

Evil Controllers will allow you to add extra buttons, increase the sensitivity of the triggers, and even remove the rumble motors if you think they interfere with your fragging.

Better still, it has loads more customisation options than Microsoft too. Want a lurid sticker bomb design with pink thumbsticks and a gold d-pad? It’s yours, just think about having your eyes tasted after Christmas, eh?

Halo Fireteam Osiris Belt (US$15.05)

"Ah, Fireteam Osiris! Those were the ones in Halo 5 what went on that big mission to find Gregg Wallace!"

They were looking for the Master Chief, not Master Chef, fool.

Anyway, yes, this belt is inspired by the squad led by Jameson Locke – and now you can show your true dedication to the cause by kitting up, too. If your allegiances lie elsewhere, there’s also a Blue Team version available for the same price.

Turtle Beach XO One Amplified Stereo Gaming Headset (£29.99)

Some might say it’s a litte miserly of Microsoft to ship the Xbox without a headset (unless you get one of a handful of specific bundles). The good news is that getting a decent one doesn’t have to cost and arm and a leg.

Turtle Beach’s XO One is a brilliant balance of price and features. It’s even got an on-board audio controller that plugs into the bottom of your controller, allowing you to easily adjust the game/chat audio balance on the fly.

Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller (£104.77)

Free yourself from the shackles of prescribed button placement: build yourself the controller you deserve.

Or, rather, tinker and tweak this Elite controller until you’re happy with the layout. Fully customisable, with swappable thumbsticks and D-pads – including a new, faceted D-pad for greater control – it should allow any player to find their perfect fit.

Paddles on the rear are perfect for racers, whilst hair-trigger locks make this a doozy for fans of shoot-em-ups.

Seagate 2TB Game Drive for Xbox (£82.18)

A hard drive might not seem the most exciting gift to give your dearest Xbox gamer this Christmas – until you realise it’ll carry more than 50 of their favourite games.

USB 3.0 connectivity means they shouldn’t be kept waiting, whilst plug-and-play portability makes it a cinch for them to hop round Kevin’s for a mega-game fest. Until tea time, that is.