Report: Games Are Most Popular Consumer Tech Holiday Gift Category

Consumer electronics gift suggestion service Giftmeister reports that video games and consoles are the most popular category of gifts being sought out by its 20,000 users this holiday season. A full 38 percent of Giftmeister users purchased a video game or console over the past 30 days, according to the company's data as reported by Mashable, beating out technology such as smartphones, cameras, MP3 players and e-readers. Digital cameras were the most popular gift category for female recipients, however. Giftmeister recommends gifts based on the recipient's gender, age and personality type, as well as the giver's budget. Recommendations are available on the official Giftmeister web site or iPhone and Android mobile apps. The Xbox 360's Kinect 3D camera controller was the third-most popular 2010 purchase among Giftmesiter users, while the Sony PlayStation 3 was number five. Apple's game-playing iPad and iPod Touch finished in second and sixth, respectively, among Giftmeister purchases in 2010 thus far. Despite the strong performance for these high-priced devices, a majority of Giftmesiter users -- 66 percent -- are looking for gifts under $100, according to the company. Only 6 percent looking for a gift above $500. In October, an NPD report found only 15 percent of consumers planned to buy a video game console this holiday season, down from 20 percent last year. But a September survey by the Consumer Electronics Association predicted high demand for game systems would drive sales of over 18 million units this holiday season, which would beat the industry's fourth quarter performance in 2009.