Gifts for the video game eliteWhat do the heads of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have on their holiday wish lists?NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- I've always taken great pride in finding just the right holiday gift for people, but it's proving to be a challenge with those darn video game executives I've got on my list. I mean, these are the people who are in charge of the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. They know from good gifts! Take Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aime. Reggie made himself known in the gaming world two years ago by declaring at a press event he was about kicking ass and taking names. Trust me - he is NOT someone you want to buy the wrong present for.
But see, Reggie does things differently than most people. (It goes beyond the Wii's unique play style, too. This is a man who bobsleds to work, even in the summer. And where you or I might have a dog, he's got a pet Wolverine - named Kirby.) That's why I'll be picking him up an Entertaible. Made by Philips, this quirky table blends board and video games - and it's meant to be used by several people simultaneously. It's centered around a 30-inch LCD touch screen (which Reggie should love, since he leads the charge on Nintendo's "Touch Generation" campaign). Philips (Charts) says the device will let players use real world objects to manipulate the virtual world. Imagine a soccer game, where you use a physical pawn to boot a computer generated ball around a field onscreen. The price, which Philips didn't give, is bound to be high, but that's the least of my worries. The trick is going to be finding an Entertaible. The system is just set to begin pilot testing at bars and restaurants, though the company won't say where. Never fear, Reggie, I'll keep looking! Now the easiest video game exec to buy for - hands down - is Microsoft's (Charts) Peter Moore. Peter, you might not know, holds the world high score for "Burgertime". He simply can't get enough of those old school games. (Doubt it? Take a look at the number of classic games on Xbox Live Arcade.) So when I saw Dream Arcades' 100-inch home video arcade center, I grabbed it. With over 125 games pre-installed, including "Centipede," "Pac Man" and the ever-popular "Sinstar," this is a literal smorgasbord of classic gaming. And the 100-inch screen will make you quickly forget the paltry displays of the quarter gobblers from the 1980s. It's even wireless - which is a big thing in Xbox-land these days. And the added light-gun is just plain cool. (Hey, how else are you going to recreate the "House of the Dead III" playing experience in your pad?) At $4,500, it's just a drop in the bucket. But Peter, this gift comes with a condition. You've got to invite me over so we can finally settle - once and for all - which of us is the better player at "Root Beer Tapper". Then there's Kaz Hirai over at Sony (Charts). Appearance is important to Kaz, both personally and professionally. He's always impeccably dressed and there's no disputing that his PS3 puts out some sharp pictures. He also likes to think big. So I think he's going to like the 103-inch plasma TV I've picked up for him. Measuring roughly 7.5 feet by 4.2 feet, this monster has a 1920 by 1080 resolution, so it'll be a good showcase for the PS3's games and Blu-Ray movies. The price tag is a steep $70,000, but since it will serve as both a holiday present and a congratulatory gift for his recent promotion, I'm not worried. I just hope that when he has me over next, he won't make me watch his home movies on it. (Kaz loves to show those home movies.) I also hope that he won't notice the TV's from Panasonic (Charts) - and not Sony. There's one thing that disturbs me, though. Even though it's the season of peace and joy, my three gaming executive buddies have been saying some mean things about each others' companies for the last few months. It's the sort of thing that would make Santa weep. Since they're all gamers, I think the best solution is to invite them my holiday party aboard the Gamer Bus in Virginia. This 37 foot RV comes with 16 23-inch HDTVs and some comfy chairs to relax in. Kaz and Reggie might be a bit upset that the Bus only has Xbox 360s in it, but I suspect they'll get over it. After all, as with all of my parties, I'll be inviting my beloved Angie Harmon to join. And if they want to beat Angie and me in some multiplayer "Gears of War," these three execs are going to have to work together. Morris is Director of Content Development for CNNMoney. Send him an email at chris.morris@turner.com |
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