What To Get A Millionaire Gamer For Xmas?

Thanks to CNN Money for their article discussing gifts for the obscenely rich videogamer, as they buck the trend of budget-conscious holiday game shopping and try to pick "the nifty gifts the uber-wealthy will receive this holiday season from their uber-wealthy friends." Picks include Tsunami Visual's TsuMo Deluxe, a $20,000 arcade game which has an adapted version of Crimson Skies as a game option, and Hanaho Games' $5,000 ArcadePC Deluxe, an officially Capcom-licensed 50-game arcade machine which is apparently "extraordinarily popular among professional athletes." If money was genuinely no object, what gaming goodies would you buy for yourself and your friends this holiday season?

Comments

A problem indeed!

[Phredd]

I dont know about you guys, but this problem comes up time and time again and just haunts me! What to do, ohhh, what to do?!?!

Re:A problem indeed!

[BiggestPOS]

I wrote an article about this on my website, AskaDick.com. Dick's Holiday Gift Guide The list includes such gems as Xbox+Modchip and GBASP+Flashcart. More of a practical guide in my opinion than this one, with some humor thrown in. Check it out.

Ride in a Russian Jet.

[torpor]

No questions about it. If money is no objection, I would get my game-geek friend a bit of 'outside time' and put them in a Russian MIG for a bit of reality...

Re:Ride in a Russian Jet.

[Anonymous Coward]

You used to be able to buy uncomforatable MiG office chairs $20 grand, and they will sell people the actual fighters too. A few years of flight lessons and a twin engine supersonic fighter with support contract strikes be as a better than perfect gift. Which would only cost maybe twice as much as a ride in space.

Re:Ride in a Russian Jet.

[Firehawke]

While the fuel to keep such a thing operating would be expensive, it WOULD be cool to have one for the good ol' cross-country commute. Go home to see the family for the holidays in style!

Simple.

[userloser]

I'd hire a ground team to dig up all those lonely E.T carts.

space ride

[ghettoreb]

that $20 mil space ticket sounds too good to be true, for example...

DDR

[Mynt-E]

I'd buy myself a DDR 8th Mix machine, then make my friends pay to play.

Re:DDR

[Yorrike]

I'd get a DDR machine a lose 40 pounds, just like all the DDR fanatics claim to have done. I've played DDR, and I like it. Havin gone in-house, as it were, would be fantastic. I've even considered building a proper metal base and plugging it into a PS2, but that's something to think about if I ever have money AND free time.

Re:DDR

[Saige]

It would be cheaper to just get a pair of Cobalt Flux platforms, and hook that up to a PC with Stepmania, or even a PS2 with DDR MAX/DDR MAX 2.

Though a full-sized DDR machine would be cool as hell to have!

Re:DDR

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you missed the point of the article. The point was that money isn't an object here. I think I just bit troll bait tho...

It's big and white and fast

[Andy Smith]

If I use it to take a picture of a video game, does this count?

Re:It's big and white and fast

[ls -lR]

Retail? Phffft. You could pay about a quarter of that price on eBay. (Yes, I know it's used. Presuming it's clean do you really think that matters much?)

Flight Sim.

[ThetaPi]

I could always get one of those realistic flight sims the government uses to train fighter pilots.

Re:Flight Sim.

[gabec]

Along those lines, I'd probably buy myself a new monitor. :)

easy

[hitchhacker]

Two chicks at the same time.

Re:easy

[mo^]

at least throw in the flights to amsterdam!

the chicks only cost $30 a piece............

Re:easy

[Anonymous Coward]

If you know a millionaire who can't get that for himself without spending money, get him a copy of Swingers and tell him that in the movie of his life he was already played by Jon Favreau.

And point him to this website.

Re:easy

[*weasel]

'that's it? If you had a million dollars, that's what you'd do, two chicks at the same time?'

'damn straight, always wanted to do that. I figure if i were a millionaire i could Hook that up. Chicks dig money'

'Lawrence, not all chicks dig money'

'the kind that would double up on a guy like me do' /at least i caught the reference

Re:easy

[egomaniac]

Coincidentally, that's what I'm getting for Christmas this year.

Now I just need to work on the "millionaire" part...

Re:easy

[mobby_6kl]

Oh come on, at least one ;P

I'm thoroughly confused

[The-Bus]

Why am I, the non-millionaire, getting gifts for the millionaire gamer?

Can someone forward this list to a couple of millionaires and let them know I'd like these things? Hell, I'll be happy with just a Gamecube and a copy of Double Dash.

"What to get the man who has everything?" A Post-It note saying "Give away some of your stuff you greedy buffoon."

Re:I'm thoroughly confused

[GeckoX]

Best answer this topic will get I'm sure!
I'd mod you up if I could ;)

Re:I'm thoroughly confused

[BTWR]

so a millionaire is necessarily greedy? interesting perspective you have...

Re:I'm thoroughly confused

[Anonymous Coward]

A millionaire isn't greedy. But a millionaire demanding $5000 video games is.

Re:I'm thoroughly confused

[SamSim]

See sig.

what to get....

[XiC]

How about a life ?

What to get a millionaire gamer if money...

[lincarnate]

...was no object? The same thing I'd get any gamer if money was no object;

A box of N-Gages, and a sledgehammer.

Re:What to get a millionaire gamer if money...

[Divide By Zero]

By buying a whole box, you'd likely triple their count of units sold, thus leading Nokia to believe that their $100-and-three-free-games incentive is actually worth pursuing.

Punish Nokia's poor design and planning - Wait till they make like ET and bury the units in a landfill or somesuch, then dig 'em up and perpetrate your beatdown.

Re:What to get a millionaire gamer if money...

[JFMulder]

Funny, I was just thinking the other day how it would be cool to just record someone sledgamming the N-Gage and then posting it on the net. I'm sure the guys at Penny-Arcade would love it.

Duh! A Cave

[lovebyte]

A Cave, with all the graphics systems (Linux available from SGI), will set you back a few units of currency more than 20K. I have seen a demo of Quake on this thing, so there is at least one game you can play on it.

Quake

[AtariAmarok]

How about a live-action full-scale Quake arena?

Re:Quake

[tiled_rainbows]

Er, you want to send him to Baghdad?

Re:Quake

[Anonymous Coward]

I read a short story about that. I think it was called, "The Most Dangerous Game"

Cannon

[AtariAmarok]

That's the first device I've seen that looks like both a Canon and a cannon.

Re:Cannon

[blincoln]

All of the Canon equipment I've seen from the past couple of years on looks like it was designed as a prop for a sci-fi film. Finally the 21st century is really starting to look the part.

An Alternative Approach

[fuzzybunny]

The way I see it, we should be encouraging people who can afford it not to play games, but to do the real-life thing! So, here's my cost lineup:

1 Full-auto paintball gun with outfit: ~$500
1 Over-under shotgun and hunting clothes: ~$3500
1 Hunting club membership: ~$2000
1 Set of golf clubs and membership: ~$15,000
1 2003 Ferrari Enzo: ~$645,000
1 Tank of 99 Octane gas: ~$75
1 Private jet lease to go drive on the autobahn:: ~$15,000
1 Slightly used MiG-29: ~$250,000

Watching the look on the guy's face as he gets nailed by customs trying to get all this shit into the country: Priceless.

Re:An Alternative Approach

[Firehawke]

Mmmm.. I'd suggest dumping the paintball gun in favor of something like.. oh.. THIS.

Relatively inexpensive...

[dewc]

How about Steel Battalion for the Xbox? Sure, it's *only* $200.

I know

[Anonymous Coward]

How about a big pile of shit? Thats all a rich asshole deserves anyway.

Re:I know

[Anonymous Coward]

I bet you are a liberal! You think anyone that is wealthy is an asshole? My guess is you are poor and jealous. Get out there and make some money instead of complaining about someone elses hardwork and efforts that have PAID. You sir are the asshole.

Re:I know

[Anonymous Coward]

I have no problem with someone having more money than me. If they work twice as hard, they deserve twice the money. What I have a problem with is people who work less than me and get 8x or more pay than I get. Rich people like to scream "wealth redistribution" when they have to actually pay taxes. Well how did they get rich in the first place? Wealth redistribution, they put their grubby fingers into my pockets to get rich (actually they prevented me from getting paid what I deserve in the first place).

Re:I know

[Anonymous Coward]

You could buy him an election and let him play president. If Bush Jr. doesn't put in another quarter.

Re:I know

[Anonymous Coward]

You have three things WAY wrong here:

Wrong Assumption #1:

You assume that the wealthy do not pay taxes.
WRONG! We pay the lion's share of taxes. My guess is after all is said and done you don't pay any taxes worth discussing.

(http://www.allegromedia.com/sugi/taxes/)

Wrong Assumption #2:

You assume that most people get their wealth "redistributed" to them. WRONG! The majority of millionaires happen to have worked for their money. I know, Im one of them.

Do you hate me too? I can tell you that you will never join my ranks because you will always pour energy into complaining rather than becoming wealthy.

Wrong Assumption #3:

Name ONE case where some wealthy person has "put their grubby fingers" into your pockets? My guess is you are the first in line for beer, cigarettes and lottery tickets.

BTW, "rich" means you have money but still have a job --- wealthy means your time is spent managing your assets...and yes it is a full time job.

Re:I know

[Anonymous Coward]

Of course rich people pay more taxes, and they should. When someone has more money, they naturally have to pay more taxes. Many constantly try to get out of it screaming about wealth redistribution though.

I never said rich people don't work for their money. I said rich people get disproportionately more money for their work than normal people. They are in positions of power and abuse it, rather than simply taking their share. If you are a millionaire, I seriously doubt you worked 80 hour work weeks for decades to get there like it would require for someone not in a position of power.

In your "Wrong Assumption #2" you say "I can tell you that you will never join my ranks because you will always pour energy into complaining rather than becoming wealthy." Why do you assume my posts take more effort than yours? A wrong assumption I guess, even if idiotic.

In your "Wrong Assumption #3" you make the wrong assumption of me using tobacco/alcohol/lottery tickets. Believe it or not, people who make average wages do not necessarily have average intelligence, imagine that! You are showing your true colors here.

Re:I know

[bigman2003]

I'm not rich- but I'm not poor either.

I have some relatives who are in the very-rich category ($100 million plus)

I do not envy them at all. I'm not saying that I wouldn't like to be rich, but it is not the be-all and end-all. I am not suggesting that you feel you are better than the rest of us, or you feel that being rich is the most important thing- this just seemed like a good place to post this.

My rich relatives:

- Spend(and spent) most of their lives thinking about money. Thinking about how to make more- where I feel that even a tenth of what they have is 'enough'. This is one of the primary reasons they are rich, and I am not (luck and talent being others). Being rich is their primary desire. (Me? Good sex, comfortable shoes, and a warm place to go to the bathroom)

- Still get sick, have colds, and get constipated. Having really good doctors just gives them better access to pharmaceuticals. But when you are lying in bed feeling miserable, having a shit-load of money really doesn't help.

- They watch the same crappy TV shows, but on bigger screens.

- Read the same books, see the same movies, play the same video games. Once again, they may do it a few weeks sooner than me, and in nicer places, but in the end it is all the same.

- They see more live entertainment. Most of it, I hate, and the only thrill of going with them for the yearly 'Nutcracker Suite' performance is checking out the other people in the audience.

- They go on rocking vacations, and spend most of their time complaining about bad service, bad food, etc. I go on the same vacation (or on my own crappy vacations), and think everything is fantastic. I enjoy it much more. Their money just raises their expectations much higher.

- They are afraid to die. Hell, with all that money, dying would seem like a real waste. "But I haven't spent all of it yet!" I've never met people who feared death more than any very rich people. Why not just enjoy life now?

So- I don't hate rich people. I wouldn't mind being rich, but it isn't my dream. I'd love to be able to quit working, but then again, I get bored on a long 5-day weekend. So what the hell do I want...I guess it all comes back to the good sex, comfortable shoes thing...

These are just my own ramblings- I was not the intial person with the 'eat the rich' attitude.

Re:I know

[meta-monkey]

I know two rich people, and I'm working on trying to become rich myself. The two who already are rich started their own companies, with no assets and themselves as their only employees (two seperate people, two seperate companies). They worked their asses off, hired help, and expanded. 80 hours a week is like a vacation. Try 100. Try putting up with lazy employees like you, who want to get paid, but want to do a half-assed job and sit around doing nothing for as long as possible, and then whine when you want them to actually do something, and steal stuff when you're not looking. These guys took the risks, put in the hours, and earned their money. Right now, my wife and I are the only employees of our company, and we're easily working 80 ~ 90 hours a week each for very little money. Hopefully, after another decade of this, we can join the ranks of the wealthy, too. If you don't want to do all that work, and would rather work only 40 hours a week for somebody else, that's fine. But don't complain when I have more money than you do.

Re:I know

[Anonymous Coward]

Well put meta!

Re:I know

[Anonymous Coward]

Still get sick, have colds, and get constipated. Having really good doctors just gives them better access to pharmaceuticals. But when you are lying in bed feeling miserable, having a shit-load of money really doesn't help.

I had similar thoughts when Linda McCartney died and also George Harrison. You can have all the money in the world, own several huge country estates, etc. But when the doctor tells you you have terminal cancer none of it means shit. Which is to say that in the end, we're all the same: some day we're all gonna be dirt in the ground.

Of course, being desperately poor would be horrible. But after you reach a certain level of comfort (which the majority of people in the USA certainly have) you would be better off chilling out and trying to enjoy your time on earth, rather than working 12 hour days, wasting your cash on all sorts of luxury goods, accumulating loads of debt, and so on.

Re:I know

[Anonymous Coward]

Should wealthy people pay more as a percentage of their worth than poor people?

Re:I know

[Anonymous Coward]

This is more than I expected. I mean I know rich people can be arrogant - anyone can. So now, since I make average wages, it is assumed that I buy lots of beer, tobacco, lottery tickets, AND I am lazy and steal from work. What the fuck? I am just an honest, intelligent person, who enjoys the good (read: real) things in life. This mentality of you and the other poster are part of the problem. "I work my ass off for this company, and my employees are so lazy, I deserve more than them! They are just going to waste it on beer anyway. Besides, they steal so much that I might as well take it out of their pay." Get a grip man!

Like another poster here has said, I just like to have some decent food and a warm place to take a dump. There are only so many things you can do with money. My car gets me from point A to point B just as good as any limo. Other than a newer CD-R, I haven't upgraded my computer in over 5 years. It's not that I can't afford to, its just that throwing money at my computer isn't going to make it do any new tricks. I know where money is useful, and it usually isn't. I end up saving quite a bit of it. It does bother me that I am not making as much as I deserve, but I am not bitter about it. I go to work, do my job, then go home and LIVE. I don't slack off, I don't steal.

I am not saying this is fact, and I am not making any specific claims about you. This is just my humble opinion. I think your goal is only to work hard for a while, build something up that has it's own momentum, then ride it (with the employees doing all of the pushing at this point). You talk about all of the work now, but surely you are doing it now so that you can slack later right? Is slacking only ok when you own the company?

Go ahead. Work your ass off for the possibility of money and power. Ride this dream of wealth. If it all comes crashing down on you because someone with more power undercuts you, dont expect any pity. They are just playing the same game as you. People get arrogant when they look down, and then tremble with fear when they remember to look up.

Re:I know

[Anonymous Coward]

They should pay at least the same percent as others, with no cut off at any point. No silly tax breaks either. Anything after that and you get into the whiney wealth-distribution i-stole-it-fair-and-square-or-at-least-legally type arguments, and I am not interested in that.

Re:I know

[meta-monkey]

I never said you were lazy or a thief. I said my friends' employees are often lazy thieves. One of my friends is a landscape contractor. His employees mow grass for a living. Most of them are on drugs, and most of them stand around doing absolutely nothing when a supervisor isn't watching them.

Now, your attitude about your work is just fine. You want to work 40 hours a week, make a modest living, and enjoy it. Great. I want a little more than that. I want to be my own boss, own my business, and set my own salary. I do not like people telling me what to do and when to do it. That's just me. In the process, I'd also like to make a lot more money, so I can retire early. Actually, I don't think I ever will retire, as I really love my job. Regardless, what works for you does not work for me, and vice-versa. What DOES bother me is your previous posts, where you accuse all rich people of having stolen their wealth from you, and not deserving it. Does that mean you deserve it instead, despite not having taken the risks and put forth the effort they did? How about this: you live your life the way you want to, and be happy, and let others live theirs the way they want and be happy for them. You act like you're happy with your life, but then, why are you so pissed off at and jealous of people who did better than you did?

Re:I know

[Anonymous Coward]

Shut up and get back to work! :)

Re:I know

[Anonymous Coward]

Try putting up with lazy employees like you...

And then

I never said you were lazy ...

OK, maybe it was a slip, no hard feelings. Lets see..

Try putting up with lazy employees ... who want to get paid ... and sit around doing nothing ...

And then

I'd also like to ... retire early.

What, you mean get paid to sit around and do nothing?

I want to ... set my own salary.

In other words, when the money comes in from the projects you and your employees completed, you will take what you please, and let the alcoholic-thieves have enough to pay their bills and eat some food. If they wanted more than enough to get by, they should start their own business. You tell em!

I do not like people telling me what to do and when to do it.

In other words, you aspire to become what you hate. Cute!

What DOES bother me is your previous posts, where you accuse all rich people of having stolen their wealth from you, and not deserving it. Does that mean you deserve it instead, despite not having taken the risks and put forth the effort they did?

Absolutely not. I do not deserve to be rich any more than them. I think they should not set their salary wherever they please. I think it should reflect the work they do. What you appear to be saying is that since you don't like living under tyrants, you will become a tyrant. I am not jealous or bitter, but at the same time I won't give rich people a thumbs up. If they were their own employees, they would hate themselves. Doesn't that say anything about this way of life?

Lets get back to your friend. You say he is rich and his employees are worthless. Do you think that, just maybe, he let the workers get paid a decent cut of the pay, that he could hire some decent workers?

I stand by my original statement. Rich people deserve nothing more for christmas than a pile of shit.

Re:I know

[Anonymous Coward]

This conversation opened my eyes, and it kinda makes me feel ill. :( This is what I get out of it.

Why does someone who took a risk need to be rich? This country isn't perfect, but its pretty damn cool. Its cool because some people risked their lives to make it that way. They didn't turn around and declare themselves kings. They declared themselves equal. That deserves respect, not greedy people who only risked money.

The other thing I noticed is a cycle. Someone doesn't like their work situation and they start their own business to create an environment just like it. Exactly like the child abuse cycle (thats the part that makes me ill). Break the cycle, or at least quit gloating about how great you are.

Re:I know

[anthony_dipierro]

Should wealthy people pay more as a percentage of their worth than poor people?

No. They should pay the same as a percentage of their worth as poor people. But that's a big difference from paying the same as a percentage of their income as poor people.

Re:I know

[Deflagro]

I agree completely. If i won 50 million dollars, i would make my whole family rich, etc... If i quit working, i don't know what i would do. I would have to work, i can't spend 3 days out of work without going stir crazy. I just want to be comfortable, the rich always seem to end up with problems. Don't know, i just really liked your point of view, refreshing.

Re:I know

[Anonymous Coward]

Or wait till you live in your precious gated community before you gloat. Its a cheap shot, but somebody had to say it! lol

Re:I know

[meta-monkey]

Sorry about calling you lazy.

When the money comes in from the project my employees and I created, I pay all the expenses associated with that project, pay the employees what they agreed to do the work for, reinvest some of it, and keep what's leftover. If the employee agreed that he'd work for $40k/year, why should he get any more than that?

Now what happens when the money from the project doesn't come in? I still have to pay the employees. When they screw up, I still have to pay them. See, that's the tradeoff they accepted. They accepted that they might not make as much, but they'll get a paycheck every two weeks. I'm self employed, so I don't have a steady paycheck. Sometimes I get a huge paycheck. Sometimes I go two months without a paycheck.

What happens when the money really doesn't come in, for a long time, and the company goes under? My employees are out of a job. They go get another one. I've lost my whole company, and my whole career. I invested all my money in it, I took out loans, I worked harder and longer than any of my employees, I created something out of nothing, and then it all fell apart, and I get less than nothing. I get debt.

So why the hell shouldn't I keep more of the money when things are going well? I took all the damn risks. My employees risked absolutely nothing. There are many reasons I work for myself. However, I'll tell you right now, that if I didn't have the chance to make significantly more money than I could working for somebody else, there is no way in hell I would open my own company. So, I'm supposed to take everything I own, open a business, work nights and weekends for years on end, handle all the stress and responsibility...and then get paid exactly the same as the guys working 40 hours a week, who risked precisely jack shit to earn their paycheck? Hell no.

As for my friend the landscaping contractor, it is quite obvious that you have never worked in landscaping. I have. It is a shit job, that nobody wants to do. Most people in town pay $8 ~ $12/hour for labor. My friend starts his employees at $12, and they can go up from there. I think his crew chiefs are making $18 ~ $20. He gives them company trucks to drive, cell phones, health insurance (which none of them take advantage of, because they would rather keep the $5/month it costs to enroll in the program). Hell, he even has a 401(k) plan for them. By all accounts, he already pays his guys more than anybody else in town, and he still can't keep employees. Like I said, almost all of them use drugs (mostly pot). They come to work on drugs, or run off to use drugs during their lunch break. They steal parts from him. They get into fights over who controls the radio station in the truck. When one crew gets a new edger, the other crews break their edgers on purpose, so they can get a new one, too. They drive like idiots, and cause traffic accidents, which my friend has to pay for. Then, sometimes, they just decide to not show up for work. They don't feel like doing it that day, and they don't really need a check right then, so they'd rather just stay home. Of course, grass still needs to get cut, trees need trimming, and plants need planting. When that happens, my friend the rich landscaping contractor can be seen out there, riding the mower on a Sunday himself, because it's gotta get done. If I've got the time, I go help him.

You are completely ignorant of what it takes to run a business. Hell, successful business owners don't make enough in my opinion. How about, instead of a pile of shit, you give your rich boss a nice fruit basket (if you can afford it) and say, "Thank you, sir, for risking everything you had, and working all those nights and weekends when everybody else went home, and sweating out those sleepless nights when business didn't look so good, so I could have a paycheck, and insurance, to support my modest lifestyle. Thank you."

Re:I know

[Anonymous Coward]

I know nothing about your friend's business but what you tell me. It is really hard to comment on it when I know what the employees make but not him, since my argument is that business owners usually keep too much for themselves. My opinion is that if he gives them a decent cut, there is no reason he shouldn't be able to stock up on some college kids. It is all going to depend on where the business is located. If everyone in the area is rich or from a rich family and "above" jobs like that, I can see where problems would come in. Just because he is paying them as much or slightly more than his competitors do does not automatically mean he is giving them a decent cut. I don't have the details though.

Bad workers are just about as bad as bad bosses. The complaints from both sides are almost identical. Both claim the other is lazy, etc. Each situation has to be looked at separately. Sometimes the boss is the lazy one, sometimes the workers are worthless. Sometimes the boss pays crap because the workers suck. Sometimes the workers slack because their pay sucks. Sometimes both happen at the same time. I have my opinion, but I am not there with your friend. Hopefully the situation improves. Guess thats all I can say. On to the meat of the discussion.

Of course money needs to be taken out for overhead, reinvestment, etc. Especially during the beginning, or when things get rocky, paying employees what they agreed to is simply the way things need to be done. This is one extreme, and if it is to be covered, the only fair thing to do is cover the other extreme.

How much do you want to bet that every single munchkin from the wizard of oz struggled to get by simply because they had no idea the movie was going to be such a success? They probably just got what was on their contract. "Sure, you played an important role in the film, but your well-being is much less important to me than fancy gizmos and vacations I don't enjoy." Does there ever come a time in a successful business when you just say, "I technically don't have to, but it would be wrong not to." I am sure it happens on occasion, but it seems extremely rare. In just about all other parts of life it is so normal that it barely needs consideration, but in business it is a rare exception.

So, I'm supposed to take everything I own, open a business, work nights and weekends for years on end, handle all the stress and responsibility...and then get paid exactly the same as the guys working 40 hours a week, who risked precisely jack shit to earn their paycheck?

We are looking at this from very different angles, and I don't fault you for this, but I thought I already covered that with

If they work twice as hard, they deserve twice the money. What I have a problem with is people who work less than me and get 8x or more pay than I get.

and

I think they should not set their salary wherever they please. I think it should reflect the work they do.

In other words, I think that you, having clearly done more than your employees, clearly deserve more. At the same time, if your business is successful, I think that you should reach a point when you feel like you have been compensated, and guarding the profits like a wolf with her cubs becomes unnecessary. In the case of our munchkins, I don't think MGM or whoever did that movie would have risked going under by setting aside a fraction of the profits for them (and the non-munchkins that made it happen). The money was certainly there, and it is still flowing in from that movie. The bottom line to them was probably "don't have to, not gonna". Pile of shit for christmas!

I have a problem with rich people who can't think about anything but getting richer. People struggling to start a business don't fall into that category. If they are successful, they usually end up in that category though.

Custom software

[presearch]

You could buy them 235,000 offshore programmers...

And what?

[Kibo]

Make them into a sculpture of the Goatse.cx guy and leave it on Spielberg's driveway with a big bow around it?

Re:And what?

[Thodan]

OMG - A post the mentions Goatse.cx that is NOT modded to -1 :P

Re:And what?

[Guppy06]

I really don't want to know where the bow would go...

Always In Season ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Orphans!

Gaming goodies?

[Apreche]

Well, there is one thing I would get.

A solid 24 karat gold Zelda 1 NES cartridge. If one doesn't exist I'll have it made.

Also, I would get the ultimate racing game. Or the other ultimate racing game.

Or the extremely rare Virtua Racing 2 machine. I know I played it at least once at Epcot Center.

OOh, Ooh, one of those ms. pac-man galaga machines. Those are hot!

Re:Gaming goodies?

[WebGangsta]

"OOh, Ooh, one of those ms. pac-man galaga machines. Those are hot!"

(Ignoring the soon-to-come MAME commentary for the time being...)

No big deal - you can pick one of those up brand-new for around $2500-$3000 from any arcade game distributor in your local area. Or the new Space Invaders unit. Or the Centipede/Millipede/Missle Command combo. Of whatever they'll be coming out with next.

Or you could go to an arcade auction and try to buy an original game unit for much less. Some example prices:

• Ms Pac Man - $500
• Galaga - $500
• Golden Tee - $800
• Medieval Madness pinball - $4000

Obviously, prices will vary based on the condition of the machines and the availability/demand for each title, along with the quality of the bidders and the auction company running the show that day. Working vids are going to run in the $300-$1000 range, and pins in good condition usually run $500-$3000.

Generally speaking, Ms Pac Man and Galaga are the most popular machines at these things, and if you're willing to put in a little elbow grease, you might be able to get one much much less. Repairing vids isn't that difficult; rebuilding pins is a bit more complicated but not impossible (hell, if I can figure out how to fix my pinball machine, anyone can).

Getting your friends to actually put quarters into the machines to play instead of demanding the machines be set on Free Play is an entirely different matter and an exercise left for the student.

Re:Gaming goodies?

[Anonymous Coward]

"A solid 24 karat gold Zelda 1 NES cartridge."

Sounds very convenient. Stick it in your NES, and it inserts/locks itself by merit of its own weight.

Re:Gaming goodies?

[djdavetrouble]

yeah, that was always my fantasy, real authentic arcade games in an arcade room. When that ridiculous show Silver Spoons came on, I was most impressed that little ricky schroeder's new digs had arcade games.
I could finally master Defender and Stargate!
Essential games I would have are:

Asteroids
Berzerk (just so i could hear those robots talking)
Defender
Stargate
Robotron
Dig Dug
Paperboy
Tempest
Pac-Man
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Jr.
Gauntlet 2
I'm sure you'll think of your favorite game that should be on the list too.

It would also need several pinball machines, I liked
8 Ball Deluxe for good old school action
Dark Knight of course
The Addams Family was a hoot, and you got to hear Hammer all through the game.
You'd need at least 10 pinballs to make sure you didn't get bored, and would have to tune the tilt thresholds to allow for 'english'.

On the non video game tip, it would have to have not only foos ball, but an air hockey table, those things are fun.

Anyway, stupid piece but always fun to talk about ultimate game setups....

Easy!

[jarnot]

Duke Nukem Forever... :-p

Re:Easy!

[Anonymous Coward]

Not even a millionaire and buy something that doesn't exist. ;)

Give him an indenpendant (personal) reviewer

[WarDancer]

Just get me:

1. A good pc for gaming
2. One of each current consoles. Maybe more than one to test lan play, might need additional TVs too. I mean you can't be too cautious.
3. A copy of every newly released game

And I will give our little millionaire gamer buddy plenty of unbiased reviews of games without any kind of hype. I won't even charge him for my time.

Think of it as a priceless gift for a gamer who doesn't know how to spend his money and time.

Re:Give him an indenpendant (personal) reviewer

[memco]

Why only current games and consoles? I'd go for a copy of every game and every console. You've got an unlimited budget. Though the guy in the article seemed to forget that (he only spent 42k).

I'd bet...

[Karem Lore]

Place a bet on Duke Nukem Forever coming out...The odds must be REALLY good on that one...

Karem

So many games, so little time

[MMaestro]

I'd get him a time machine! I don't know how you guys do it, but with all the RPGs, mods, and tons of unlockable features in more recent games (most notably in racing games) I'd get him a time machine so he'd have time to get through them all. Without cheating.

Money no object? Easy...

[Torgo's Pizza]

Now, I'm twisting the original question around a little bit. I'd set up the long awaited National Video Game Museum of History. This way, I can have every video game ever made on the planet and be altruistic by sharing it with every fan at the same time. It would be Christmas 365 days a year!

gt4+sparco setup+50" plasma

[nsda's_deviant]

logicool, the japanese arm of logitech just released the ultimate drive game setup for crazies. Look here. The setup features an actual Sparco seat from the Italian manufactuer with mounted petals and wheel setup from Logicool's new 900 degree GT Force Pro wheel. The whole setup costs a cool $850 US, if you throw in a Plasma and a dedicated PS2, you can have the ultimate driving simulator for under 5k. And by ultimate I mean that profressional driving schools use a similar setup to train for driving line, applied breaking techniques and 4wheel drift. Note the 30 so inch HDTVs here. The whole setup may 'only' be 5k but with games like GT4, R: Evolution the whole setup beats the pants of most arcade driving games (the only thing lacking is force feed back seats). Even millionares can't drive 500+ cars (not to mention the fantasy drift of the Ridge Racer games).

Why not get a game development team?

[AltaMannen]

If you're looking for an extravagant christmas present for the richo gamer freak, why not put down the cash for a decent game developer. US$9 million should get you your own GTA or half-assed RPG game developer, you'd be able to give the kid EXACTLY the game it always wanted to have!

Obscenely rich gamer?

[Anonymous Coward]

For the gamer that has everything, nothing is more precious than a good book.

Stimulates the imagination and takes you away from everything, but doesn't require a power strip and will be enjoyed on a whole other level. I'm a serious gamer, but nothing pleases me more than stepping away from it all to sit down and read for a while.

Thanks everyone!

[Anonymous Coward]

Time for me to call my personal shopper. ;-)

OT: Cost of the ArcadePC Deluxe

[gozar]

How can Namco get $2,772 for a machine that plays Space Invaders when an arcade operator could spend a little more and get the ArcadePC Deluxe and 50 games? (besides breaking the licensing).

Re:OT: Cost of the ArcadePC Deluxe

[toast0]

cause the space invaders machine works well?

seriously, I've played on those ArcadePC's and some of the games work alright, but a lot of them have video issues (rolling, etc)... and you don't get to see the game's attract screens, which is pretty lame

unlimited money?

[anthony_dipierro]

If money was genuinely no object, what gaming goodies would you buy for yourself and your friends this holiday season?

If money was genuinely no object? I'd buy Microsoft.

Re:unlimited money?

[Anonymous Coward]

Merry Christmas. I tried to make it a surprise, but those damn SEC reporting regulations gave me away.

"Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles"

[Tired_Blood]

See here.

The ultimate Gamer gift

[l0tu53at3r]

A lifetime lease of some office space, filled out with weekly upgraded or replaced UGM's, and all the networking gear needed for however many systems can comfortably fit. Don't even have to have rich friends for this one, just maybe a bus pass for them to get to this office space.

At least thats what's on my christmas list this year.

Money's no object?

[Anonymous Coward]

Buy me 3D Realms, id and Valve so I can get their asses in gear!

Brain sensors--not ready for the masses.

[Thinkit3]

That story on sensors that hook up directly to your brain seems appropriate. It would work now to control games, but it's not a mass-market thing. Sure, it may be a $99.99 "control cap" years from now, but a superior customized setup should be doable now if you've got the cash.

If money was no object...

[FauxReal]

I'd just rent time in one of those air combat games where you fly real planes. Or maybe just permanently hire pilots that will be housed at my private airstrip and fly my planes whenever I want to play.

Pinball!

[Krellan]

Why not buy a pinball machine?

The new "Lord Of The Rings" game is out, and it's available for roughly $4,000.00 from local distributors. It's said to be the best Stern pinball game to date (Stern is the only pinball manufacturer still standing).

http://www.sternpinball.com/LordoftheRings.htm

It's the perfect antidote to looking at video screens all day. Pinball is popular here in the Bay Area because so many people stare at monitors all day and don't want to be entertained simply by staring at another monitor!

And, in a dark room, the gentle twinkling of the pinball machine's lights (when it isn't being played) is almost like a Christmas tree.... :)

Re:Pinball!

[Anonymous Coward]

"The greatest adventure of all time is now Stern Pinball's epic pinball machine..."

An epic pinball machine? What is it exactly that makes a pinball machine epic? And how many references to pinball were there in RotK anyway?!

HOLD ON A SEC.

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you sure those prices are right? a MiG-29 for less than half the cost of an Enzo?

Neogeo!

[segafreak]

Shockingly i've noticed no suggestions of neogeo hardware. With games like Metal Slug ($2750 approx), Winning 11 ($5000 approx) and Kizuna Encounter ($11000 approx) to buy surely a millionaire gamer could easily be catered for? Admittedly you'd have to actually find the games, but NeoGeo is surely the rich-mans 16-bit dream?

easy question

[hytmal]

this is an easy question:
if i knew a millionaire gamer, i'd give them the free tote bag and lanyard i got from E3 last year.

out.

Re:Duh! A Cave

[Darth Fredd]

You forget: Quake's source is freely available, and could therefore be modified to be playable on this CAVE. What other games are like this? The only one I can think of is UT.

So, there you go. You can play Quake and UT. Happy with that?

Re:Duh! A Cave

[toast0]

how about descent, I think the whole series is open source, closed data now

Perfect!

[Darth Fredd]

Thats not a bad idea. I have Descent 1 right here by my left elbow: I never finished it, it proved too hard for me. I always thought it would benefit from some sort of VR immersion system-descent *does* support VR goggles (which I have never used, known anyone who has, or seen any. 90's fad, I do believe)

The CAVE is..PERFECTION!!!

Re:Perfect!

[toast0]

one of the VR technologies you can use, split the screen in half... the left half was to go to the left eye, and the right half to the right eye... I think there was something in the FAQ about building a mirror contraption to fake goggles for that.

Re:Perfect!

[Darth Fredd]

Yes, but then you'd have to throw in some gyros to detect movement of the head. (the whole point of this is a "real world", right?).

And anyways, isn't that what those goggles did, anyways?

I like the idea of a CAVE because you don't have to have anything strapped to your head.

Re:Perfect!

[toast0]

Some of the googles had display elements in them, so you'ld connect them directly to the vga card.

I know current 3d glasses tend to alternate blocking one eye or the other (synched to the refresh rate, hopefully), but I'm not sure if those were supported in descent.

Re:Perfect!

[Darth Fredd]

Allow me to clarify: Goggles would make it so wherever you looked, you see what you would have seen if you were in the game. In descent, this would save having to turn, and keep you from getting disoriented.

But how is the display [driver] going to "know" where you're looking? if the goggles don't have gyros on them to detect head movement? (unless you had one of those things that "watches" your eyes, detecting where they look. I think they used lasers, and are now probably considered dangerours).

So thats what you'd need gyros for.

And so why are we talking about this, if its already been implemented?

And who wants to strap something weighing 10+ lbs to ones head?

Not me.

Something to power my games...

[illumina us]

An Athlon 64 FX-51, 4 GB DDR500 RAM, 5x 1TB Drives in a RAID 0+1 array, Sound Blaster Live! Audigy Platinum 2, Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 speakrs, and a Radeon 9800 XT to power my gaming habits. :) Of course, money is a problem, so maybe nothing :(

Slashdot loves that dude.

[Anonymous Coward]

Mentioning him as part of a joke will always get you modded up. Linking to nero-online, well the karma flows an entirely differrent direction.