iPig iPod dock ($140)
from Speakal
A rare novelty iPod dock that also packs some legitimate sonic punch. Granted, not every gamer wants a pig on their desk even if it does remind them of Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. But for those who appreciate a truly kawaii accessory, this will put a smile on their face without forcing it into a grimace the minute they hear the sound quality. It's cheaper through Amazon and available in white, pink, yellow, and a black and white scheme. It also works fine with other devices like a Zune, a PC, or an iPod that doesn't fit the slot (some models don't) - that's because there's a second input in the rear, which accepts any sound source. Don't be crude. But yeah, there's totally a Deliverance joke in there somewhere.

GameCom 777 headset ($110)
from Plantronics
These headphones offer both cushy comfort and valuable versatility, equally at home blasting your eardrums with games, music, or 5.1 surround-sound movies (which is, technically, expanded stereo and not pure 5.1). We love the large, insulated earcups and the fold-away microphone, and even the bass response isn’t half bad. Our sister site Maximum PC recently endorsed them, and we absolutely see why. However, if you really want to spoil the folks on your list and you barf money, keep reading. And also hold still while we stick our finger down your throat...

A40 Audio System ($250)
from Astro Games
This two-piece headphone and mixer combo is, quite simply, the ultimate gift you can give a gamer’s ears. It would literally take most of this article to chronicle all the small details that enable these cans to blow every other set away.  Suffice to say Astro has packed this thing with more fantastic small details than you can imagine.

The microphone can be attached to either side of the headgear. They sound phenomenal. If you take them off, the earcups rotate to lay flat on your chest instead of squeezing your neck. The separate Gaming MixAmp accepts all sorts of sound sources, from your computer to a console’s optical audio output to a baby monitor. They can also be daisy-chained together, so everyone in the room can have a unique team-chat channel regardless of what the game you’re playing provides. It can do a damn good approximation of surround sound when given a stereo signal, and it can process real 5.1 if given a real 5.1 signal.

If this all makes sense, you know this is worth getting excited about. If it doesn’t, don’t worry about it – Paris Hilton isn't very bright either and she's a super-famous bazillionairette! Isn't America the best? Or at least better than Portugal?

Rokit Studio Monitors ($150 each) and RP-10S Subwoofer ($299)
from KRK Systems
We’ll admit up front that we didn’t listen to every set of speakers out there. But we didn’t need to. These look fantastic and sound drop-dead, earball-splitting gorgeous. Yes they’re expensive. But that’s because they’re professional level audio equipment, the kind you’d buy at Guitar Center. We tried the 5” model – that’s the speaker diameter, not the size of the whole unit, and they also come in 7” and 8” – and it rocked us. Then we added the RP-10S with a sub and thought the building was going to fall down around us. Just make sure you have a power strip handy, because each speaker is self-powered and thus needs its own outlet.

Video Games Live: Greatest Hits Vol 1
available on Amazon
If your gamer hasn’t seen the Video Games Live concert series, they really should. It’s fantastic. And if they have, they’ll know that this varied collection of game soundtracks, from Halo to World of Warcraft, is like a sexy oil massage for their ears but without the resulting awkward discussion about who used all the Q-tips and why. It’s proof that game music is just as majestic and moving as any other orchestral tunage. And it tends to have more of a pulse.

Anything by Jonathan Coulton
available on the artist’s website
Jonathan Coulton may forever be known as “the guy who wrote that song from Portal”, but he’s no one-hit wonder. His brand of clever, poppy nerd-folk shines brightly, and you really can’t go wrong with any of his stuff. You could grab it from Amazon if you like, but it’s better for the artist if you go straight to Jonathan’s own website. Our link is to CDs, but there are digital downloads there as well. Even perfect-quality FLACs for those of you with superhuman ears. You know, like your dog. He can use a computer, right? No? No Best of Show trophy for you, then.

Anything by MC Frontalot
available at artist’s website
Perhaps the most prominent nerdcore rapper in the world today, Frontalot is an acquired taste for some. Namely, you need to like rap and you need to be smart enough to get what he’s talking about. If the gamer on your list has these two qualities, look no further.

Game soundtracks from Sumthing Else
We’ve been singing the praises of Sumthing Else a lot in our podcasts, and for good reason: No other label we know of outside of Japan has taken such an interest in delivering top-notch video game soundtracks. Gears of War 2, Fable II, the Halo trilogy, Crysis, Alone in the Dark, Devil May Cry 4, Dead Space… it’s all good. And if you'd rather give virtual music instead of a CD, you can download the albums on MP3 instead. It's a great choice if you want to save on wrapping paper – or if you’re classy like us, the grease-stained newspaper. Hey, it's not the wrapper that counts, it's the present. At least, that's what we tell our girlfriend every time she starts talking about us needing new underwear. Then we both laugh. But she laughs harder - we're not sure what that's about, actually.  

Yep. Sometimes gamers get to feeling all analog and want to touch the things they’re reading. Don’t’ act like it’s so hard to believe. How do you think gamers all got so much smarter than you? Books. Well, and also because we’re all superheroes who can absorb knowledge with our minds. But mostly books.

By the way, most of these books are cheaper than list price at Amazon. Check the links!

Gears of War Aspho Fields ($13)
by Karen Traviss
Few game-related novels can really be called “eagerly aniticipated” – mostly because they tend to reek – but this one is definitely one of those chosen few. It fills in the back story between Gears’ hero Marcus, buddy Dom, and Dom’s brother Carlos from childhood up until the Pendulum Wars. Don’t know who any of those guys are? Your 360-owning gamer does, and they're going to mock the crap out of you. Be ready.

The Art and Making of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed ($30)
by Hayden Blackman
The  game itself may have had some rough spots, but the art, story and design of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed was inspired. Learn all about how designers better and smarter than you do it with this hefty, art-packed tome.

Arcade Mania: The Turbo-charged World of Japan’s Game Centers ($20)
by Brian Ashcraft
We technically shouldn’t include this in a gift guide because it doesn’t ship until at least January 09, but we’re making an exception because this is a book gamers have been wanting for years and won’t mind waiting a little longer to get. It’s written by Brian Ashcraft, the excellent Japan-side correspondent for top-tier gaming blog Kotaku, and given what we know about Japanese arcades (i.e.: That they’re insane) it’s practically a sure thing that this will captivating. And not that potentially disastrous, Britney Spears at a music awards show kind of captivating. More like that couldn’t get any better, Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show just added an oil wrestling pit and 15 widescreen TVs showing movies and football games captivating.

Rogue Leaders: The Story of LucasArts ($60)
by Rob Smith
Few game companies anywhere have the history and pedigree to compare to LucasArts. Point-and-click adventures like Sam & Max and the Monkey Island series are still rightly loved to this day, and we’re thinking there were a few memorable Star Wars and Indiana Jones games in there as well. This massive tome, written by GamesRadar friend and Editor in Chief of PlayStation: The Official Magazine in the US Rob Smith, tells the tales behind the tales. From the early days of BallBlazer and Rescue on Fractalus (it’s okay son: only one person at GR is old enough to remember those fossils) to modern triumphs like LEGO Star Wars, this is the best possible kind of fan service: That which is richly deserved. And the four-frame lenticular cover with Darth Vader, LEGO Indy, Guybrush Threepwood and that tentacle dude is pure awesomesauce. Don’t let the list price fool you, either: It’s less than $40 at post time.

Obsessed with Star Wars ($30)
By Benjamin Harper
Not just a book, this is actually an electronic trivia game. The pages are filled with multiple choice questions – 2500 of them, ranging across all six movies – and a small electronic brain mounted in the book’s lower corner is the key to them. You can type in the number of the question to get the answer in Question Select mode, but we’d rather let the book run the show with Random Question Mode. It gives you the number of a question to answer, you tell it which answer you think is correct, and it makes fun of you for not knowing what color Nelvaanian fur is. No, wait, we do the ridiculing. That’s right. Not that we know all the answers either – lots of these questions are severely hardcore.

Oh, and the fur is blue. You’re on your own for the other 2,499.

Orcs ($15)
by Stan Nicholls
Opinions are mixed on this collection, which is actually three books in a series rolled into one. But we found the different perspective – it’s written from the point of view of those drooling savages gamers always seem to be beheading by the thousands – to be a fun switch even if it isn’t quite Tolkien. Or, in terms of today's book market, even if it doesn't have totally sissy, melodramatic vampires falling in mushy love with normal girls and then crashing into a stupid, baby-having ending several books later (seriously, what is wrong with today?)