It’s Beginning to Look a lot Like Gadgets!

It’s that time of year again, when gadget geeks all over the world hope and pine for the latest and greatest in electronic gizmos and when Santa (i.e. loving spouses and parents) go nuts trying to figure out what to get their incorrigible little gear-heads. Of course I’m here to help you with my second annual holiday gear buying guide, because that’s the kind of guy I am. No thanks are necessary, it’s worth it just knowing that I’m helping to bring a smile to a little gadget geek somewhere.

I do have to say though that this year is much harder than in the past, due to the fact that there hasn’t been anything really big and new this year. Mostly, we have just seen incremental upgrades or significant price drops from last year. If you held off from buying some of the hottest gear from the past couple of years, the manufacturers have really sweetened the deal with some serious bang for your buck this year.

So here it is, my list for some of the best gadgets and gear for the holiday season.

Game Systems: Nothing really new here per se, but 2008 saw some significant upgrades to the current generation of game hardware and in some cases, some serious price drops. We have also had more than a year to add some incredible games to libraries of all of these systems, making a game system pretty much a no-brainer – if you don’t already have one.

Xbox 360: A huge price cut and a bigger hard drive, plus some free games to boot? I would still argue that the 360 is the dominant game console of the generation, perhaps not in total numbers sold – that honor would go to the Wii – but definitely in overall game experience and bang for the buck. The 360 Arcade version is now the cheapest game system at only $199 and while it doesn’t have a hard drive, it does come with some great games for kids and it gets you into the next generation on the cheap. The 360 Pro version is, in my opinion, THE system to own because $299 buys you the unquestionable system leader for the hard-core gamer, with the new 60GB hard drive and two free games (Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda, the first of which is awesome, the second… not so much). There really is no reason to shell out another $100 for the Elite version unless you really need another 60GB of hard drive space or really want a black Xbox.

Also, by the time you read this, Microsoft will have released the New Xbox Experience which adds some decidedly Wii-like game avatars and a completely upgraded interface. Unlike the previous software tweaks, the new Experience really is a game changer both literally and figuratively. With support now for you to rip your game from the disk to the larger hard drive, you can eliminate the need for the system to keep the disk spinning in the drive which drastically cuts down on system noise and can speed up load times (though you still need the disk in the tray to play it). Also, if you have a Netflix account, you can stream your movies straight through your Xbox now, totally eliminating any need to get off the couch or even leave the house for that matter! Finally, Xbox Live! remains the leader in online play and with the latest crop of games, your little gamer is going to be fragging n00bs from all over the world, w00t! (For a translation, read the Oct 08 G&G).

Playstation 3: While the PS3 has come down in price over the last year (now $399), I would argue that should be expected when you actually take stuff away from the console. The system is no longer backwards, compatible with literally hundreds of games from the PS1 and PS2, and they have removed some of the card inputs from the 1st generation, though admittedly those were pretty useless in the first place. While the PS3 does push out some beautiful visuals, it still has not delivered in the games department. There are only a handful of truly awesome games that can only be played on the PS3 and the Playstation’s online system still has not delivered on its promised upgrade that was supposed to be out this time last year (showing that while the PS3 online service is free, you get what you pay for). Also, one of the most compelling reasons for buying a PS3, the fact that it was the cheapest Blu-Ray player you could buy, is no longer the case. The PS3 is a very good game system; it’s just not the best (that would be the Xbox 360).

Nintendo Wii: The Wii has not come down in price or added anything really new, but why should it, since for the last two years Nintendo has been able to sell every Wii system it has been able to crank out. The undisputed leader in terms of total number of units sold, it is still by far the weakest system as far as performance and quality of games goes. Now, there are some Nintendo fan-boys out there that will squawk about Super Mario Brothers Galaxy, but for every must-have game for the Wii, I can put up five must-haves for either the 360 or even the PS3. Still, for $249 you do get a cool system with some thoroughly cool games to play with friends and family, but serious gamers will be left wanting.

If you already have one of the above systems or are looking for some games to go along with your new system, here are my picks from this year’s crop (game rating in parenthesis):

Fallout 3 (Mature): From Bethesda Softworks, the makers of the 2007 smash hit, Oblivion comes a game that can best be described as a post-apocalyptic Oblivion. Don’t worry if you or your little gamer (well they shouldn’t be too little since this IS a mature-rated game) never played Fallout 1 & 2 (though they were great), this game stands on it’s own with an awesome story and fabulous game play. I have already lost several days of my life to this game! (360 and PS3)

Dead Space (Mature): In space, no one can hear you scream, but my wife has no problem hearing me scream like a little girl whenever a necromorph springs out of the shadows to scare the bejeezus out of me. This is the sleeper hit of 2008 (much like Assassin’s Creed was last year) and will go down in history as one of the scariest games ever. (360 and PS3)

Lego Indiana Jones (Everyone 10+): Anyone who loves the Indiana Jones movies (we’ll ignore this year’s movie) will love this game. Yes, it is cutesy with all the Lego characters running around, but it delivers in both gameplay and in sly humor for those adults who are fans and are paying attention. This game is one of the few games for which I have a perfect score, because I wanted to explore every nook and cranny. (360, PS3, PS2, and Wii)

Tom Clancy’s Endwar (Teen): For your armchair generals, this game will suck up hours upon hours of their life. This is one of the few games to really use voice commands and really do it well. You can pretty much play the entire game without ever touching the controller; though that does mean that you are going to have to hear your little general yelling ‘Team 1, attack Hostile 2!’ which may or may not be such a good thing. (360 and PS3)

Little Big Planet (Everyone 10+): Arguably one of the cutest games of all time, this one also has a lot of creativity going for it, to which you can add your own by custom designing levels for you and your friends to play. (PS3 only)

Gears of War 2 (Mature): I really wasn’t a fan of the first Gears game but I do have to give it praise for its superb graphics and frantic gameplay. I am an outsider on this one, virtually 99% of all gamers love this game, but for some reason it just did didn’t grab me, though there is a very good chance that your gamer will love it. (360 only)

Metal Gear Solid 4 (Mature): The Metal Gear series will go down in history as one of the best game series of all time and rightfully deserves the reverence that people reserve for movie classics such as ‘The Godfather’ and ‘Schindler’s List’. This is supposedly the last chapter of this sometimes strange but always engrossing story, and it unfolds through bleeding edge graphics that will make your High-Def TV whimper for mercy. (PS3 only)

Cameras: 2008 has seen some decent upgrades to some top cameras of the past few years and here are my picks for best camera in each of the different classes:

Compact – Sony Cyber-Shot DSC T700: Sony has always been one to make stylish cameras and the T700 is no exception. With its incredibly thin form factor and brushed aluminum casing, you would be hard pressed to find a sleeker camera. The real beauty of this camera is the fact that it can also double as a portable picture album. The memory of the camera has been bumped up to 4GB which pretty much eliminates any need to buy a separate memory card and allows you to hold literally thousands of pictures in the camera. With its 3.5 inch touch screen on the back you can then show off all your photos to friends and family right there on the back of the camera. One drawback to the touch screen, as is the case with virtually all touch screens, is the fact that you will have a ton of fingerprints on the screen. Carry a screen cleaning cloth with the camera though and you have a great camera and portable photo album all in one.

Superzoom – Canon SX10 IS: The current king of the superzoom class with a 20x zoom on it, the SX10 is the first real upgrade to this series of camera since they were created. With a 10 megapixel sensor, a 2.5 inch screen that can be rotated so that it is protected by the camera body, and a zoom equivalent of 28 – 560mm, you really would be hard pressed to find a better all-in-one travel camera. Granted, you are giving up some photo quality by packing that much zoom into one lens but you are also cutting out about 15 pounds of camera gear at the same time, if you were to try to cover the same range with an SLR camera. Though the Panasonic FZ-28 (which I also mentioned in last months article) is also a serious contender in this class, I gave the SX10 the nod mostly due to the 20x vs. the 18x zoom and the better ergonomics (the FZ-28 is a bit small even for my medium sized hands).

Entry Level D-SLR – Canon Rebel XSi: With its 12.2 megapixel sensor, 3 inch screen, blazing speed, and huge lens line-up, the XSi is easily the best of the entry level D-SLRs. There may be others that are a little bit cheaper, or may have a higher resolution screen on the back, but none can match the whole package that Canon put together in the XSi. Now I fully expect Nikon, Sony, or Canon themselves to come up with something that will blow the XSi out of the water some time next summer, but until then, and even after, you would be well served by the outstanding Canon Rebel XSi.

Semi-Pro D-SLR – Nikon D90: Being a Canon fan-boy myself, it pains me to say this, but Nikon handed Canon their rear-end in this class of cameras. My Canon 40D and even the newer 50D have been trounced by this beautiful camera. While the 50D might have outdone the D90 in terms of the quality of the LCD screen on the back (and just barely at that), everything else about D90 trounces anything Canon has put out in the same class. While the D90 might have a smaller megapixel sensor than the Canon 50D, that is actually not a bad thing because I think that both the Canon XSi and the D90 have proven that 12 megapixels is the sweet spot for this class of cameras (remember more pixels does not necessarily mean better). This camera almost makes me want to switch to Nikon… almost.

Professional D-SLR: Canon 5D Mark II: While Nikon really stepped up their game in the full-frame sensor arena with the D3 and the D700, the Canon 1Ds Mark III blew the D3 out of the water (if you can get a second mortgage to afford it) and the 5D will do the same to the D700. The 5D Mark II trounces the D700 and in some ways even the D3 with a huge 21 megapixel sensor! 21 megapixels I tell you! That is up there with the medium-format cameras that the professional fashion photographers use in their studios. For those photographers who need a full frame sensor, the 5D Mark II is a no-brainer even when compared to the 1Ds Mark III because you can use the $5000 you saved on some sweet lenses!

MP3 Players: I’m going to make this one easy, just go get an iPod will you? I don’t care which one, because quite frankly your little geek is going to be happy no matter which one they get.

iPod Touch: With the software upgrades to the Touch this year and the boosting of the memory up to 32GB all with a decreased prices, you will not find a better all-around media player. Cover Flow is still the coolest music interface and watching TV and movies on the Touch is still stellar. Also, now that the Touch can use programs from the Apps Store on iTunes, you can get some of the cool new programs that the kids with the iPhones have been playing with, including some really neat games.

iPod Nano: The Nano went back to its slender form of the 1st and 2nd generations but added a widescreen display, a better interface, and a cool new oblong body. While the screen is still pretty small, you would be surprised how easy it is to watch video on it even for extended periods. Something new is the ‘Shake to Shuffle’ feature that puts the Nano in shuffle mode just by shaking it vigorously (don’t worry, you have to really try to put it in this mode, it won’t just do it from normal movement). Also, you can get the Nano in a bewildering choice of colors that would even make a peacock stand up and say ‘whoa’ (that is if they had lips to make the whole ‘w’ sound, but I digress). That and an overall increase in memory for the same price, makes this the go-to iPod.

iPod Shuffle: With the increase in memory from 1GB to 2GB (though you can still get the 1GB for about $20 less than before), this remains my pick for best gym music player, heck for just plain all-around music player for that matter. Out of all the music players I have ever owned (and that’s a lot), the Shuffle is still my favorite and most used player EVER. While the Touch is cool to show off, the ease of use and diminutive size of the Shuffle just makes it my all time favorite music player.

So, that’s it for this year’s gadget buying guide. I could have gone on forever on a ton of different items (flat screen TVs, headphones, GPS units, cell phones, etc.) but I only have so much so much space in which to write. If you have any specific questions on some gadget this holiday season, please feel free to write me at jeff@healthandleisureonline.com. Have a great holiday season!