By Patrick Avenell

The best games and gadgets of 2008 are to be honoured by new awards handed out by the technology TV show Cyber Shack. Imaginatively titled The Shack Awards, the gongs will be handed in late December.

According to the organisers, this is the first time that Australian consumers will be able to nominate and vote for their favourite products, and winning models will be hoping for a sales bump in the lead up to Christmas.

In the Gaming category, awards will be handed out for best gaming hero, most realistic game play, best party game, most life consuming game and most talked about games. Gadgets will be recognised for portability, sex appeal, necessity, entertainment value and for use in cars.

“With hundreds of new gadgets and games jostling for your attention we thought it was about time the best ones were recognised and rewarded. Shackers will be able to cast their vote to see who will win the console war, what games will rise to the challenge and which gadgets will display the ultimate in cool factor,” enthused a Cyber Shack spokesperson.

Importantly, these awards will be presented on TV, essentially giving suppliers and retailers a free advertisement for the products. The presentation episode is set to air on Saturday 21 December 2008.