Transcripts

"Gifts and Gadgets" Part 3 - Gifts for Gamers

SUSIE GHARIB: When it comes to holiday gifts, video games and video game consoles are still among the must-have items. As we continue our series "Gifts and Gadgets," Scott Gurvey reports that one of the year's hottest gifts is one of the hardest to find.

SCOTT GURVEY, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: The big thing in video games this year is the game called where is the WII? The WII is Nintendo's game console and it has been selling as fast as it arrives in stores. This is partly because it is less expensive than Sony's Playstation 3 or Microsoft's Xbox 360. But it is mostly because of the WI1's unique controller, which reacts to your hand motions which many say makes the games like bowling more fun. There is also a new version of Mario for the WII this year and the short supply also helps fuel demand. Nintendo says it did not plan this. It simply underestimated the market. Players like Keith Scott McDonald, who decided to give himself a Christmas gift, are just happy when they find one in stock.

KEITH SCOTT MCDONALD, WII BUYER: I read an article online that said if you see it or think about getting it, just buy it. If you see it for retail price of $250, it's as simple as having to go to eBay.

GURVEY: There is still a market for Sony and Microsoft, with Xbox sales running ahead of Playstation 3 for the first time ever, driven by the success of the game Halo Three. Part of the allure of these more powerful systems is their online component. People are increasingly playing with others in massive multi player games, with everyone connected by the Internet.

Game giant Electronic Arts has its usual line up of sports games. Each year these get more realistic to the point where you forget you're not watching a live game on television. But the big sellers are music oriented, Rock Band which EA distributes for MTV and Guitar Hero by Activision, which comes with a special guitar controller. Activision CEO Robert Kotick says the market for electronic games is expanding.

ROBERT KOTICK, CEO, ACTIVISION: Half our market is 18 to 35 year olds. And I think that's what's happened is whether its production value or the addition of the social element of gaming or with Guitar Hero the physical interface with the Nintendo WII, having this physical interaction with what you see on the screen, this has now become a much more mass market form of entertainment.

GURVEY: Fans of Flight Simulator for the personal computer will find an exciting new add-on this year. Vox ATC (ph) lets you to talk back to the air traffic control operators, greatly increasing the realism of the simulation. No, we have not forgotten the iPhone or the other mobile devices, which are also hot sellers this season. We'll take a look at those tomorrow. Scott Gurvey, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, New York.