Yes, it's time to start thinking about new toys for Christmas! (Post cool gadgets only)

[- Ω -]

Every year around this time I treat myself to at least one new item for my den.  This year I gotta keep the price to a minimum as I've gone 'berzerk' this year on acquisitions.  So, what do you guys plan on getting?  Since I had to cheap out this year, I decided to go with << THIS ITEM >>

[CrossBow]

Hmm... this is tough for me because I don't really plan on anything I get for my game room. Just kinda find something that interest me and get it if I'm able at that time. But... I do have some recent stuff I've bought that I haven't mentioned here. I did mention the little Dell opti 9020 micro PC I picked up for cheap and currently have in a temp location in the game room for streaming and recording game footage. I also got one of the Zelda game and watches and that is in the display case in the game room with other Zelda related stuff. But that is it for the game room. 

[RickR]

21 minutes ago, CrossBow said:

the little Dell opti 9020 micro PC

I got one like this for my wife about a year+ ago, and it's been rock solid.  We both love it because it makes no noise and doesn't take up much desk space. 

 

[Justin]

I'm hoping for a pinball machine 🤞 And a new Neo Geo? I'll report back in a month

[RickR]

My holiday list this year is all clothes and candy.  I've worn out a lot of my casual stuff over the last couple of years and hey, this fat ain't gonna maintain itself! 

 

[CrossBow]

9 hours ago, RickR said:

I got one like this for my wife about a year+ ago, and it's been rock solid.  We both love it because it makes no noise and doesn't take up much desk space. 

 

It is an older model from like 4 or 5 years ago. But it has 16gb of RAM and I went ahead and installed a 500gb m.2 SSD internally so along with the 500gb spinner it already had it has a full 1TB of storage in it. And it seems to be decent enough at streaming 1080p provided my upstream on the ISP is good.

And yes, it is very TINY and pretty quiet although mine can get to being heard once I've been streaming for a few minutes.

 

[Atari 5200 Guy]

Well, I found a PC in our dumpster about a week ago and while I had no interest in the ITX motherboard I did claim the wireless card and 1 TB Toshiba HDD.  Those were put in my gaming rig and working perfectly.  My brother in law is part of some kind of a testing program and gave me a brand new HP x32c computer monitor.  I'd say my Christmas has come a bit early.

The biggest thing is we are moving across town from a 1 bedroom to a 3 bedroom apartment.  I'm not quite sure how long it will take to move but hopefully we will be settled before Christmas day.

If I was to wish for anything I believe I would have to wish for our new place to be a blessing and not a burden.  That and maybe finally get our own washer and dryer.  I have plenty of video games to last me the rest of my life.  Yes, there are some I'm after, especially for the Japanese consoles I imported, but if I didn't get any more video games I'd be happy with I have.  I have a pretty good library of games.  If I could I'd gift myself a PS3.  That's the last one I'm after.

[- Ω -]

Well it arrived, but I'm running out of room to put stuff...

 

Edited December 3, 2021 by - Ω -

[TrekMD]

A Pixel 6 Pro, a Nest Hub, and a Pixel wireless charger.  😉

[- Ω -]

9 hours ago, TrekMD said:

A Pixel 6 Pro, a Nest Hub, and a Pixel wireless charger.  😉

Nice, but the lens arrangement on that unit gives me pause.  First it's not flush, it sticks out, which looks like it could possibly get caught on something and get all scratched up which would degrade photo quality over time.

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by - Ω -

[TrekMD]

That's why I use a case.  It protects the lens.  Also, this is using the latest Gorilla Glass, which is pretty hard to damage.

[RickR]

1 hour ago, TrekMD said:

That's why I use a case.  It protects the lens.  Also, this is using the latest Gorilla Glass, which is pretty hard to damage.

I purchased a Pixel 4a about 4 months ago (I know, old phone, but it was in my price range and I love the small size).  It also has a camera lens that sticks out a bit.  A simple silicone case is all it took to protect that.  My last several phones were Samsung.  And while they worked ok, I hated the Samsung bloatware that hogged all the storage and you couldn't uninstall.  Google phones don't have anything like that.  I love the phone so far, and I really like the huge 128GB storage.

Both of my kids decided to buy the iPhone (whatever the new version # is, but they got the small version).  They like it very much. 

I hope Santa brings you that Pixel 6pro, and if he does, please let us know how you like it. 

 

[TrekMD]

I got both my parents the Pixel 5a.  They've needed better phones and that is a good phone that will last them several years. 

[intellicolecovisonary]

Every year I ask Santa for one of these but no dice yet.

[greenween]

I know my wife bought me the Zelda Game and Watch as well as an 8 in 1 Asteroids counter cade. Pretty excited for both! 

[- Ω -]

<< This is one gadget >> many could use on their "Retro Consoles" to make videos.  Plug it in, record the output then stick the SD card in your computer to edit.

There is one drawback (for the price), it'll only do 720 X 480 SD like what the retro video games and VCR's used to output.  You'll have to scale it in the editing software.  I can see the convenience of taking the tiny device to the game machine instead of tearing everything down and moving the consoles to the computer.

 

 

[- Ω -]

Besides Composite, it'll also take S-Video which makes me wonder, if it'll work with UAV output on my 5200?  It  has HDMI output too, so it APPEARS you can stick it in-line with the newer TV's that do NOT have S-Video, so besides that. you can record your playing 'skillz' for all to witness in the online contests.

There is a review video on YouTube...

 

 

Edited December 10, 2021 by - Ω -

[- Ω -]

HOLD THE PHONE!

I found a cheaper alternative under a different "brand" (Diamond).  So if you don't need the editing software and USB stick, try <<THIS LINK>>.  Also it has a better review as well...

 

[- Ω -]

Here is my first "find", it's currently on special for $50.00 at Amazon << HERE >>

 

Edited October 11, 2023 by - Ω -

[- Ω -]

Kinetic Swinging Sticks on Amazon << HERE >>

Okay, this one is cool, and they've been around for decades, but it's expensive and has a 5 year warranty.  One should know though that they all eventually fail.

[Jinroh]

Giga Pet just released the new interesting virtual pet if you feel like the 90s. Most so far have been rehashes of 90s pets. I was surprised to see Cryptids. Pretty unique idea. 🙂 Here.

[- Ω -]

Does your coffee get cold before you drink the whole cup?  Why not cover the cup... WITH A STIRLING ENGINE?  << HERE >>

Not only will your coffee stay hotter longer, you'll be able to tell when it starts cooling down by the speed of the flywheel!

 

This one was too good to pass up!

Edited October 11, 2023 by - Ω -

[Jinroh]

This and the Tube clock are neat. I do not understand the second one though. 😅

[- Ω -]

22 minutes ago, Jinroh said:

This and the Tube clock are neat. I do not understand the second one though. 😅

Yeah, I probably should have posted a video on this one...

 

[- Ω -]

Also if you want to buy some inexpensive stocking stuffers, how about a "kickstand" for your cell phone?  This way you can finish that movie anywhere without having your hand go numb.  << HERE >>