OT - Gift Season

Submitted by JeepinBen on

Since football season is over, if the Mods have decided that nominal "OT" season is OK, I propose discussing something that's not Hoke and Harbaugh.

What does everyone want to receive as a gift for the holidays? I'm very bad at suggesting gifts for myself and wouldn't mind some crowdsourced ideas as well as hearing what the MGoCommunity is expecting/hoping to receive in their stocking/under their Menorah/next to the Festivus Pole/[whatever your holiday tradition is].

Is an XBox 1 worth it? Does it need the new Kinect?

Will this thread get 70 replies that are "All I want for [my holiday of observance] is Harbaugh"???

 

Wolverine Devotee

December 1st, 2014 at 3:39 PM ^

I've heard the PS4 is actually better than the new Xbox 1.

This is my first Christmas with the Maize tree and Blue lights that I bought awhile ago. Can't wait to see how it looks finally set up. There will be no green anything that belongs to me. 

 

rob f

December 1st, 2014 at 9:08 PM ^

but that tree is hideous.  Let me instead suggest a nice Blue Spruce.  There's a tree farm along I-94 around mile marker 158, close to the Chelsea exit, that has some trees so blue that they must spray them that color. 

Or maybe Mabel might be able to match you up with a nice white Pine (or any other color, if that's your thing).   

;-)

mmjoy

December 2nd, 2014 at 8:28 AM ^

I'm looking for a good, portable/small record player for around $100 for my girlfriend who is pretty new to the vinyl scene. As in she doesn't have any yet but wants to start. Any suggestions? She loves the looks of the Crosleys but from everything I have read, I don't know if I want to go that route.

goblueram

December 1st, 2014 at 4:53 PM ^

Just got a turntable a few months ago on Craigslist for $15.  I've started building a small vinyl collection, and it's been fun.  I've enjoyed looking for deals at garage sales, resale shops, etc. and have discovered some great old and classic albums. 

Good luck with your collection!

MgoBlueprint

December 1st, 2014 at 3:46 PM ^

I have both a ps3 and xbox 360. I used the ps3 a lot more than the 360 over the past few years. So naturally, I initially opted for the ps4 and returned it a few days later. I waited a couple of months before getting the xbox one. I bought it because best buy had the xbox one madden bundle for $350 with a free game and gamers club unlocked ( 20% all new games).

I couldnt be happier with the xbox one. 

O S Who

December 2nd, 2014 at 9:21 AM ^

i got the xbox one as well, and i love it.  the xbox one has a ridiculous amount of features.  the more features you use the more its worth it.  even if you dont use a lot of features, its still a nice device for gaming and streaming.  I had a 360 and it does everything i did with the 360 and more (with exception of hbo go, but that was just added to xb1 last week, so nothing missing for me now).

in terms of the kinect, i really like it, but i wouldnt say its needed.  it just depends how you use it.  kinect sports rivals is a fun kinect game.  i will say this though, once you get used to not having to use a remote to turn on and off your tv, or pause/play netflix, its hard to go back.

 

Setshot

December 1st, 2014 at 3:51 PM ^

Just bought mine a couple of months ago. I made the switch from playstation when I went from the PS2 to Xbox 360 and I'll probably always buy the Xbox from here on out since I loved the 360 so much. I love my One, but I will admit it does have its bugs. The party chat seems to struggle at times (although it has seemed better as of late) and some of the better games aren't the best running games out there. Destiny is what I play most right now and it has a few issues (after the last update, when in party chat, the game lags like crazy), and I bought Halo Master Chief collection as well and that is pretty much unplayable at this point. They have a lot of bugs to fix with that. So that is disappointing.

But as an overall system and all of the features outside of gaming have been great. My Xbox is on pretty much all evening and all night and it runs smooth and quiet even after being on for 8 hours or more. I don't have the kinect and have never felt the need for it either. Unless you want to be super lazy, the kinect isn't necessary in my opinion. I don't plan on ever buying it. 

Side note, if you have Xbox Live Gold, as of last night you could download Worms Battlegrounds for free. Wanna have a good time playing a free game? Play some multiplayer with some friends. It's even better while intoxicated. I'm not sure I've enjoyed my Xbox more than I did last night playing that game.

JeepinBen

December 1st, 2014 at 4:58 PM ^

Try out an iPhone (4? 4S?) which was great minus the antenna design that wouldn't let it make calls if you held it like a phone.

Sold in droves. And hey, even (eventually) came with a free case!!! (to mask the giant design flaw).

Just imagine if a car company made a great car, but the gas pedal wouldn't work if you held the steering wheel wrong...

Setshot

December 1st, 2014 at 5:08 PM ^

The gaming overall has been a great experience. Probably not quite as good as the PS4 based on what I've heard, but still very enjoyable. Every system is going to have a few minor issues, and Destiny and Halo will get their bugs fixed soon. But there is much more to the Xbox than just gaming. I use my Xbox for gaming maybe 20% of the time. Maybe even closer to 10%. So it has been everything I could ask for and more for what I use my Xbox for say 85% of the time, and very good for the other 15% of the time.

I just put that second paragraph in there to make the point that the system does a phenominal job doing the things I use it for most. I sure as hell wouldn't be satisfied and recommend it to someone if I didn't think it was well worth the money that you put into them. 

If you want something strictly for gaming, get a good PC. Don't waste your time with an Xbox or Playstation. 

oriental andrew

December 1st, 2014 at 5:36 PM ^

Xbox One was a gift last year. We have a few games but I'm not a huge gamer and, well, my wife and daughters (6 and 9) are even less so. I do love Madden, Titanfall, and FIFA; kids love Rayman, Just Dance (although man some song lyrics in 2015 are just not age appropriate), and Zoo Tycoon. 

Also a big user of the apps (Watch ESPN, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Skype, etc.). There are enough free features to keep it interesting. 

We also have Kinect and definitely useful for certain games. Obviously can't do Just Dance without it (if you're into that game) and some of the voice commands work pretty well. 

Funny thing - whenever that Xbox One commercial came on and the guy would say "Xbox on", our Xbox would turn on. 

Danwillhor

December 1st, 2014 at 3:52 PM ^

as I don't even play games anymore but there is a reason the XB1 is practically being given away (even before sales season). A year ago it was $500. In roughly 5 months they lowered it to $400.....then $350. There is a reason and the reason is it's inferior. Year one doesn't show much difference but given time it won't even be close. This gen was over before it began but I think it'll be a quick gen (5 yrs or so). Yet, buy what you like! Again, no fanboy. If you LOVE Halo, only one place to play it (maybe PC). If just a general gamer, my opinion/advice would be PS4 or maybe even one of those Steam/Alienware machine things if they ever actually come out. I stopped receiving gifts a long time ago. I'll take family, food and football just fine. Yet, if I did I'd ask for a new TV or something. I'm still on an '07 Samsung 720p 32". I'd like a 1080p smart tv. Nothing huge. Just same size and small upgrade in looks. That'd be cool.

JamieH

December 2nd, 2014 at 3:13 AM ^

IMO it's less that it's inferior (it is definitely miniorly less powerful, but when playing most games it is hardly enough to be noticable unless you are recording the games and playing them back to nitpiack about graphic details) and more about the fact that they originally bundled it with the Kinect hardware and charged a ton for it.  Kinect is a cool piece of hardware that adds very little to the overall experience.  Microsoft MASSIVELY dropped the ball with it, because there have been absolutely NO killer apps that showcased Kinect in any meaningful way.  So for the most part you were paying $100 so that you could turn your XBox on via voice instead of via your wireless controller.  Ok yeah, there are a handful of mediocre games that use it.  Zzzzzzzz.



So Microsoft cut Kinect out of the bundle, dropped the price a ton (Kinect was about $100 of the price of the XB1 supposedly) and then had to cut the price more because PS4 had so much momentum due to the massive launch blunders Microsoft made.  So Microsoft is playing catch-up the only way you can, but undercutting Sony on price.  Competition is a good thing for consumers looking for deals. 



Supposedly XB1 dominated the Black Friday weekend sales because of the price cuts, so I suspect you will continue to see most games come out on both consoles for this entire generation.  It's not like XBox is going to fold up and go away or something.  I personally prefer the exclusive games on XBox, and the minor power differential, while a really stupid and somewhat inexplicable misstep on Microsoft's part, isn't going to keep me from enjoying my box. 

Danwillhor

December 2nd, 2014 at 3:40 AM ^

but exclusives are huge. If you can only get one console THAT is the decider. For me, I loved the Naughty Dog games on PS3 along with God of War, LBP, Resistance (1&3), Killzone (3, esp), Heavy Rain, and more. No fanboy but on that bit I'm heavily in Sony's corner. Never much of a Halo guy. Gears seemed cool but I hear that may be coming to PS4. Not a huge car guy so won't debate Forza vs Turismo. Basically, as you said, it should come down to what games you can only play on one console and which of those games you prefer. Halo/Fable/Gears fan? Go with Xbox. Uncharted/Last of Us/GoW fan? Go with PlayStation. That said, it's already seen but as time goes on multiplatform games will be better on PS4. Last gen was opposite until late when devs got used to the difficult PS3 architecture. Most last gen multiplats ran better on the 360 but the reverse is already true this gen and will only get wider with time as is a hardware issue, not a coding issue like the PS3. My question is how did Nintendo mess up the WiiU so badly? Haha. Why didn't they stick to the "less is more" formula? Old folks rocked Wii but then the controller became a tablet & they couldn't bowl anymore. If not for Mario "X" they'd be Sega right now.

O S Who

December 2nd, 2014 at 9:54 AM ^

sorry but i completely disagree with you on this statement:

 "Year one doesn't show much difference but given time it won't even be close."

I mean you are right, but in the opposite way.  Xbox One is going to blow away the PS4 over time.  Microsoft is a software company at heart.  Sony is a hardware company at heart.  If you are using the same console for the next 8 years, whose console do you think is going to improve more when hardware cannot change?  360 had better improvements in its lifespan than ps3 and i expect the same for this gen. 

plus unless you are using the system completely for gaming, its not even close in comparison of bang for your buck because the xbox one is loaded with features that are both continually improving and being added.  the largest reason the xbox one is not doing as well as the ps4 is because they botched the release in terms of marketing/pricing/communication of features.

also what you said above about them dropping the price is complete BS.  they didnt dtrop the price from 500 to 400.  They added a new tier of pricing so it was 500 WITH KINECT and 400 WITHOUT KINECT.  Then from 400 to 350.  So really they have only dropped the price 50 bucks.

 

LSAClassOf2000

December 1st, 2014 at 3:54 PM ^

Much to my wife's chagrin, there is the dual tradition of her Christmas tree and my Festivus Pole, so both are in various corners of the family room as I type. As for gifts, we just go the kids their own Kindle Fires - I got them early so I can set them up, of course. We're considering a multi-person gift of an XBox too. After many years of having a Wii and a PS3 and a lot of indifference hooked into the back of a television, we're going to get something that might actually get used. 

MikeCohodes

December 1st, 2014 at 3:59 PM ^

If you're into nerdy stuff and/or video game stuff, thinkgeek.com has some good gift ideas and today for cyber monday they're doing free shipping. I'm hoping for some of their polos that I can wear to work or on the golf course. They have ones with logos from zelda, portal, star wars, and more.

mgoblue0970

December 1st, 2014 at 5:58 PM ^

I was just gonna chime in with the Q5.  If one could road test the Q5 v the X3, without having any bias whatsoever, the Q5 wins hands down -- I've driven both.  

The X3 is like that hot grad student you meet as an undergrad and have a ton of fun with.  The Q5 is that gorgeous, got-her-shit-together, woman you meet when you're grown up.

gopoohgo

December 1st, 2014 at 9:52 PM ^

They are luxury SUVs...almost an oxymoron.

Promised myself my 1st luxury car when I turn 40 (next year).  Stipulation is that it must have 4 doors.  Thus, looking at the Audi A7, BMW 640XI GC, Mercedes CLS550 4matic, possibly a base Panamera.

Currently, tinkering with my gift to myself, a GoPro3+ Silver for our next dive trip.

TIMMMAAY

December 1st, 2014 at 4:27 PM ^

The handling and overall drive experience aren't even in the same stratosphere. Plus, the BMW is built like a tank. Not sure how they compare on gas mileage, but if you value the driving experience even a little bit there is no choice to make. Just do it. 

Michigan Arrogance

December 1st, 2014 at 5:21 PM ^

Problem is, I really don't need a 3rd row. But, I like the flexibility of the room the Lexus RX provides. It's basically the biggest 2 row SUV out there and gets the best reviews (from US News rankings, Edmunds, etc). It's my 1st forray into the luxury market so I don't anticipate the driving experience to be a huge deal to me. Not looking at mileage (looking for a 7500 mile/yr lease).

funny thing is, I almost posted an OT thread a few days ago over the holiday, but didn't