help me please my bloke this christmas!

pavlovs_dog

once again, im turning to you techno wizards for help and advice!

my OH is a nightmare to buy for. he likes strange kung fu flms with japanese names i cant pronounce, and gadgets, and electrical stuff.

whilst i know he likes the presents i get him, this year i'd like to get him something he will LOVE - and hopefully this is where you will be able to help.

amongst other things im getting him some wireless headphones, as his old ones broke. not a massive geture of love but something i know he wants and needs.

but i'd love to surprise him by getting him a games console, but i dont know which one. given that we are talking about a guy with a full blown lifesize, working multi-arcade machine emulator, i've got my work cut out for me. our house is currently home to 6 PCs, the aforementioned arcade machine, a PS2, an x box, game cube, nintendo 64, and various other incarnations of games consoles from years gone by.

now he mentioned the other day that his PS2 is on the blink. so i could buy him a black one (to match his controllers/ remote control etc), or buy a silver one (so it will match the tv/dvd player etc etc - thats the girl in me coming out you see )

that said, i know he would love a PSP/nintendo ds/x box 360. the only reason he has refrained from buying himself one is that he says there are no games out that interest him at the mo.

having never played a game on those platforms, i have no personal preference, nor fore knowledge - and i have no idea where to begin

in terms of games, he seems to enjoy RPG type stuff (final fantasy, hour of darkness and so on), although is currently enjoying a very retro "viewtiful joe" (dont know if this info will have any bearing on what console would be best for him?)

i'd love to hear your comments and advice?

as a techno bloke who likes funny films and video games, what would you want off your misses for christmas?

bobobrussel

For the VERY latest in unusual gadgets and gizmo's, check out http://uk.gizmodo.com/

eco21

Hi,

First of all, I like the geek in your OH, and I want a cool different present and think this might interest him.

Its called a GPX2 Game System, its just released in Japan at a price of around £100, which will be more due to delivery and import tax, but I assure you he will love it.

I dont want to bog you down with all the terms and what number this is etc, but I will post a few pics at the bottom and explain the main bits

High Speed Connection To PC
Linux Operating System (Means can install all software for free, like he may want a english to spainish translator, he can get it for free)
Internal memory and external memory (SD - same ones for camera)
Connect up to TV
Plays alomost every dvd format AND mp3 format,
FREE EMULATORS: Imagine SNES, NES, GB, GBC and GBA, Sega Mega Drive, Master System, Spectrum, C64, Atari, PC Engine, MAME, MSX, Neo Geo Pocket, Game Gear. You can emulate these games onto this device, so you can play a classic atari game on this, WELL COOL
8 hour battery for video, 14 hour for audio

Links to buy it: http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=126&products_id=7728

I know it is a risk, but seems like hes got everything except a xbox 360 when out but I think you should get him to have a wee peek at this, as these are almost unheard of over here, so I dont want you bying it and he not liking, but im thinking this coud be the present for him

You can buy it in the uk from here: http://www.gbax.com/ordergp2x.html

pavlovs_dog

blimey eco21, that looks interesting!

the thing is, his arcade machine thingy is an emulator - he has just about every classic arcade game and all the rest on the pc which the arcade machine is run off...would this GPX2 not just be a handheld version of the same thing?


and can you buy games for it, or has it been designed to be backwardly compatable with all the classic nerdy games? (because i know he wont use it for music, and definatley wont use it for film (refuses to watch them on anything smaller than the massive widescreen tv, and i doubt the photo thing will interest him either )

its certainly a more cost effective option....but having seen the X box 360 today, i realsied how "pretty" it is, not to mention the specs - i can half understand why people are prepared to pay so much for it!

pavlovs_dog

bump ....................

tryingtosave_3

I'm not one for video games consoles either, but one interesting thing about the PSP is that you can watch videos on it as well. Are any of the 6 pcs you have set up as pvrs - personal video recorders? If so - or if he has lots of DVDs etc - a PSP could double as video-on-the-move device. You'd need to get a larger memory stick to go with it - 1 gig should be okay for a film or perhaps 2 (it's all about the compression ...).

On a more philosophical level, re. your question to the audience "... what would you want off your misses for Christmas?". For me, despite my love of shiny expensive gadgetry, my answer is not a gadget. Multiple reasons, not least of which that part of the fun of gadget shopping is the research / choice phase. It's kinda cool to get what you feel is the best product and get it for the best price.

None of the major present buyers in my life (wife/parents) are keen on buying me things I've specified - they like to surprise me. So that rules out gadgets - it's much more about personal taste than people realise. I keep receipts if I buy people clothes as presents, but people don't seem to think about that with gadgets ...

Not a useful answer I know, but I think people should give presents they peronally like ... I'm sure your husband will love a PSP or an xBox 360, but without asking, you'll not actually know which one he'd have bought. I know that perhaps misses the point of present buying ...

I'm not explaining myself well, sorry. It's probably just a personal, control freakery thing ... all I know is I wouldn't want someone spending £200 on me unless they were 100% sure it was exactly what I wanted (or had kept the receipt!!).

PS. If you're keen on wireless headphones, Argos do a pair of Sennheisers for £59.99 which are apparently excellent (I bought the cheaper ones though ...)

Donnie

Have you got him the Ong Bak DVD? He will like that if he hasn't already got it.
http://www.ongbakdvd.com/main.php

iwanttosave_2

2 words "ann summers" you can then buy him the earphones and model them wearing something special, he wont forget it.

If he is a bit retro and hasn't already got one buy him a megadrive, i recently bought one for DS and he hasn't had a chance to get on it, i forgot just how fun the games were.

pavlovs_dog

Donnie wrote:

Have you got him the Ong Bak DVD? He will like that if he hasn't already got it.
http://www.ongbakdvd.com/main.php

he bought it on monday, along with the ltest star wars dvd :rolleyes:

and there was me all excited because there was something new and unique i could surprise him with!

greyster

World of Warcraft???? It is a RPG PC computer game which has been #1 in several countries. It remains in the #10 in most countries.

You may have seen it in the news. Its a Massive Multi Role Player Game. You must have an internet connection to play. 5.5 million players.

https://www.wow-europe.com

You buy the game in the shop and then pay £8.99 a month subscription. They [game manufacturer] keep adding to the game to keep you entertained.

pavlovs_dog

he doesnt seem to buy into the realtime virtual games thing (that i know of), but a good suggestion all the same thanks