Wii U

Who makes it: Nintendo

What it costs: $300-$350

Why we like it: At a time when competitors such as Microsoft and Sony have been scrambling to morph their consoles into movie-and-music-laden home-entertainment centers, Nintendo has doubled down on gaming. The Wii U introduces something new to the mix, a tablet-like hand-held controller called the Gamepad that includes its own color touch screen. Use it to change gameplay point of view in multi-player games, or to play something solo while someone else is watching TV.