Worst Christmas Ever For Gadgets?

An anonymous reader writes, "CNet says this will be the most disappointing Christmas ever for gadget-lovers. The Playstation 3 is delayed across most of the world, the Zune MP3 player is cancelled for everyone outside the US, Vista won't be out for home users before the big day, and even Final Fantasy XII won't reach Europe in time. From the article: 'It's enough to make you slit your wrists with the shards of a smashed Christmas tree bauble... Santa fails to deliver on almost all of his Yuletide promises. Most of the major technologies that were supposed to be ready for purchase have been delayed until next year.' The writer goes on to suggest phrases to use over Christmas dinner when the offending companies' products are mentioned. To reduce the pain of a Zune-less party, he suggests remarking: 'Imagine the stability and usability of Windows migrated to an MP3 player. In short, imagine a small portable version of Hell.'"

Comments

Wii!

[skeib]

In one word - Wii!

Re:Wii!

[Zigg]

Yeah, holy crap, what's TFA got against Wii? You can point at your TV to play games. Instead, we're going to whine about the incrementalist PS3?

Re:Wii!

[jawtheshark]

PS3 versus Wii . For those that didn't see it yet, I found it hilarious.

Maybe it's time to go low tech

[locksmith101]

seems like it's high time for an unplugged Chistmas - how about we all go back a few years back in time and forget about all that never ending search for silly gadgets that have a life time span of 3 minutes...what ever happened to pets? to imagination? to communication skills?

Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech

[MustardMan]

Pets? Do you have any idea how many animals end up at shelters because some jackass thought "hey a puppy would make a cute christmas present"? Buying (or better yet, adopting) a pet should be an informed decision involving everyone in the household, not a surprise.

Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech

[binkzz]

Tell that to my pet turkey

Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech

[dptalia]

what ever happened to pets?

Got hungry and ate them!

Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech

[Kadin2048]

Mod parent up; seriously.

Anyone who's thinking about getting somebody a puppy, or any other animal, as a surprise for Christmas ... do them, you, and not least of all the poor animal a favor and get them a Wii instead.

If you get tired of playing with a video game system, it just sits in the closet. Chances are, if people get tired of that puppy, it'll be sent to a shelter to be slaughtered.

Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech

[bcat24]

Yeah really, what about the Lego NXT?

Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech

[Fallon]

Probably the best present my parents ever got me and my brother was our cat, and later over the years hamsters, gerbils & guinea pigs. However they made an informed decision and planned for all the responsibility that went along with it. Pets help build immune systems in growing kids, don't ask me why, google it, there have been studies. It amazes me how much companionship, stress relief and quality of life improvement pets can bring to a family They also provide a good education on responsibility if the parents properly supervise the kids taking care of the pet.

But remember:

• Pets need constant attention. You can get away with leaving a cat home alone for a day, maybe 2, but dogs, especially some breeds need somebody around all the time. I've seen several neighbors leave their dogs alone all day only for them to spend the whole day howling for attention.
• Get your pet fixed, or be ready to deal with a lot of puppies/kittens/whatever
• Puppies and kittens are cute, dogs and cats aren't. Not only do you have to deal with "the new wearing off" like any other toy, but baby pets are always cuter and more adorable than when they grow up. Don't forget you'll be caring for this animal for upwards to 20 years (possibly longer than you'll be responsible for your kids)
• Make sure your pet is properly cared for. Kids can care for them at certain ages, but parents need to make sure everything is done right.
• Pets are messy. YOU or possibly your kids will be doing a lot of cleanup after them, especially dogs, and especially when they are young.
• Dogs in particular needs lots of training (cats not so much, they usually end up training you). Sit, Stay, No, etc. don't come naturally, it will take a lot of time and effort to get your dog to behave properly. And an untrained dog makes a very poor pet.
• Do some research on the breed or species of pet your going to get. Some are MUCH MUCH harder to train than others. Some may look cool, but just don't have good dispositions for being a pet.

If your unsure about your ability to care for a pet properly, don't do it. Start small if you need to, goldfish are about as low maintenance as you can get, if you or your kid can't keep one alive, the ASPCA would be after you if you got something furry and four legged. If you can handle a fish, then think about a hamster, they are cute, reasonably easy to care for, and not as longterm of a commitment as a cat or dog.

My wife and I are in Afghanistan for the year, and leaving our kitty was probably one of the harder things to do. However she is being well cared for by my in-laws who already had a couple cats that our kitty grew up with.

Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech

[lowrydr310]

How about K'NEX? They've been around for a while but unfortunately I never got to play with them. My five year old nephew saw them and seems very interested, so I might get a set for christmas (for the both of us to play with). The best part is they're made in the USA!

Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech

[deinol]

do them, you, and not least of all the poor animal a favor and get them a Wii instead.

Or at the very least, get them Nintendogs if you have to!

Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech

[MustardMan]

The vast majority of goldfish, are, in fact, not taken care of properly. A goldfish bowl does NOT cut it. In a proper enviroment, the common 10 cent feeder goldfish can live decades and grow to over a foot in length. Most fancy goldfish should have several tens of gallons of water per fish and a MASSIVE filtration system, as they are one of the largest waste-producers of any fish, and more naturally shaped goldfish like comets, shubunkins, or wakins require even more water. The best environment for goldfish is a pond containing hundreds to thousands gallons of water.

Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech

[markana]

>Most fancy goldfish should have several tens of gallons of water per fish and a MASSIVE filtration system...

Not if you swallow them while they're still fresh from the store.... :-)

Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech

[Kadin2048]

By buying a puppy from a pet store (which is where, I suspect, most of the "christmas gift" animals come from, because most shelters are more careful than that) you create a vacancy which can be replaced with a new one from the puppy mill. So effectively you fund an inhumane and degrading system, and in all likelihood, later put the dog into the shelter, where it costs money and diverts resources from other animals, until eventually it's killed.

There's no good being done there. There are a whole lot of people making money on the flow of animals from factory breeding farms, through pet stores, to homes where they're not wanted, to animal shelters, and finally into incinerators; that's the cycle 'gift animals' are funding, in large part.

If you think somebody wants a pet, then get them some sort of physical good that they're going to need once they get it. Food, a pet bed / scratching post, leash, whatever. Having a pet is a bit of an expensive proposition, I'm sure they'd be happy to get something that helps them. And then offer to take them down to a shelter or and pay for the adoption or vaccination fees, if you really want to "get them" the animal. (Perhaps animal shelters should sell 'future pet certificates', that you could give as a gift, that would cover the cost of an adoption later on; thus allowing people to give a gift that people could exercise when they're ready.)

I own pets (well, I live with cats; they choose to stay because the food is good, I suppose) and agree with you about all the benefits and satisfaction of living with animals. However, I would never push that on anyone; it's a decision and realization that people need to come to themselves.

Re:Maybe it's time to go low tech

[dasimms]

1: Keeping pets is barbaric
Let me ask the opinion of the happy, well-fed, joyful bulldog sharing my home. Sorry, I can't ask him right now because he is asleep on my lazy boy and he gets cranky if i wake him up. But I guess since you think keeping pets is barbaric, I should turn him loose to scrounge garbage bins for food, get hit by a car, and have no love or care the rest of his days. Maybe it will work out for him. He can find other dogs to run around with and with a pack he should have no problem bringing people down for food. Maybe he'll get lucky and feast on you!

Not that upset, really...

[meringuoid]

The Playstation 3 is delayed across most of the world

I'd rather have a Wii.

the Zune MP3 player is cancelled for everyone outside the US

I'd rather have an iPod (if I wasn't perfectly happy with my Rockbox'd iRiver).

Vista won't be out for home users before the big day

I'd rather have a lobotomy.

and even Final Fantasy XII won't reach Europe in time.

Never mind that, when's Final Fantasy III coming out for DS?

Re:Not that upset, really...

[oc255]

Insightful indeed, from a consumer standpoint. However your quick run-down hints at the fact that all these things are sequels. Zune is the Ipod II (never mind design differences). I respect the videos I've seen of the Zune, they seem to have done a good job. However, it's not until you play with a MS product all the way through until you see the missing 10%.

Back on topic, FF12 is absolutely incredible. Star Wars (love it or hate it) is the big-production sci-fi series. LoTR is the big-production fantasy movie. Princess Mononoke (and his other films) is the anime "combination of Star Wars and Lawrence of Arabia". FF12 reminds me of all these media leaders. It's fun, it's huge and it's evidence that developers can crank out neat tricks on the PS2. When the 360 and PS3 have been out for 5 years, we'll see the same thing happen as all the problems and tricks already exist and developers can reuse work/knowledge.

The first boss in XII had me jumping up and down in glee. It wasn't even significant, it was just super believable. "That's what Thunder 1 looks like!? How wonderfully subtle!" I peer into the game design and my experience doesn't get ruined. If you appreciate gamedev work, it's a reference piece (although 100% scores on the Internet is going overboard).

FF3 was really great on the NES (although my translated rom got garbled 1/2 way through). The DS port looks ever-so faithful that I might have to go back and see the dialog that doesn't look like ASCII hearts and British pound symbols.

Not many gadgets for the first Christmas

[Mostly a lurker]

this will be the most disappointing Christmas ever for gadget-lovers

Unless the archaeologists have missed something, there appear to have been precious few items available for gadget-lovers circa 5 AD.

Re:Not many gadgets for the first Christmas

[krell]

"Unless the archaeologists have missed something, there appear to have been precious few items available for gadget-lovers circa 5 AD."

Yeah, I remember. The iPods back then were the size of a phone booth and only held 128K worth of iTunes. Coal-fired CD burners, too. Yeah, those were the days.

Re:Not many gadgets for the first Christmas

[Moofie]

Um, there also wasn't a Christmas until several hundred years later. But thanks for playing!

Re:Not many gadgets for the first Christmas

[Hoi Polloi]

Actually the iPods back then were a donkey pulled cart that had a small band on it that followed you around. If you wanted to hear a tune you'd just ask them. "Hey, do you guys know the theme to 'Shaft'?"

Re:In summary...

[imdx80]

Sucks to be you, Europe!

in other news sony have revised the number of PS3s being distributed to 5, 3 to North america and 2 to Tokyo

I don't care much about gadgets...

[mrjb]

...as long as Duke Nukem Forever is released.

Re:I don't care much about gadgets...

[Lanoitarus]

...and while im dreaming, Id like a pony.

I'll take the coal, please

[cpuh0g]

What kind of person says "I really want Windows Vista for Christmas"?? For that matter, what kind of dork asks for any specific operating system for Christmas anyway? I can see wanting a new computer, but a specific OS, for Christmas?

Regarding the Zune thing - aren't there already like 50 different MP3 players on the market - not counting the iPod family? So again, who the hell cares? What a stupid article.

Final Fantasy XII

[Karaman]

I am from Europe and two of my friends have already done Final Fantasy XII on PS2. The game is yet not playable on emulator, cause you need 2 analogs to navigate the heroes through the terrain. The game is the greatest FF for PS2 so far.

Re:It'll be the best Christmas ever

[aetherworld]

It might be! :)

I'm certainly looking forward to the Wii! And maybe to upgraded Mac Minis (Core 2 Duo). And to Samsung's SPH-M8100. No honestly, it might be a nice christmas. And because there is no Vista and no PS3, less people will bring their christmas presents back to the shops to get something else instead.

What ever happened to pets?

[krell]

"...what ever happened to pets?"

Wha.... OH GOD!!! I'd forgotten! Fluffy! Sure enough, I found that skeleton behind the couch. Thanks a lot, way to make my day!

Look at the bright side

[jawtheshark]

You can use that skeleton for a real nice case mod ;-)

No, I'm New Here

[New Here]

No, I'm New Here

Re:No, I'm New Here

[Impressively Nerdy]

No, I'm Impressively Nerdy. New Here is a friend of mine.

Re:It'll be the best Christmas ever

[chrismcdirty]

Apple is slightly behind with that technology.

Back away from the tinsel, we're here to help...

[mogrify]

It's enough to make you slit your wrists with the shards of a smashed Christmas tree bauble...

Is it just me, or is the list of events requiring ritual seppuku getting a little crowded?

Title is misleading

[MrCopilot]

Title hould Read: Worst Christmas Ever for Gadgets in the UK

Here in the US all these gadgets will be here. Good Luck laying your hands on one of those overpriced-ForcednewMedia-PS3s though.

Speaking of the PS3. I just realized this High Price, Low Volume, pre order only console strategy is a valid strategy. A strategy to sqeeze one more Xmas out of the PS2. Selling at 129 for the slimline/bundle, it is the Wii's only real competition. And they managed to sneak it up on us. And I thought they were Idiots.

No Problem! Make Your Own!

[mrs clear plastic]

Look at this in another way! Take this opportunity to make your own gifts.

I have not done Christmas 'shopping' for close to 10 years now.

Every year, I make my own gifts for my family.

Popular opinion says that it's far better and more deeply personal to hand make your holiday gifts. By making my own gifts, I also give a part of my own self with each family member.

I have three hobbies that bless me with thie freedome. Sewing, electronics, and glass. I have made a variety of gifts for the family, ranging from unique rainwear; unique clothing crafted from upholstery and drapery fabrics; glass art; and this year, very unique burning mane inspired clear plastic rain bonnets lines with el-wire, or what some of you know of, as glow-wire and cold-neon.

Surely, all of you must have some creative energy and spirit. Let it flow free. Give it a try!

Luv

Re:No Problem! Make Your Own!

[Throtex]

Can you make me a PS3?

Re:No Problem! Make Your Own!

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

"Look at this in another way! Take this opportunity to make your own gifts."

My family is well off enough that if they want something, they can pretty much get it on their own. I spent several stressful Christmases trying to find something they'd really respond to. One year I decided instead of trying to find them gifts, I went the charity route instead. There was a Christmas tree at the mall that had several cards on them from kids who were asked to make a Christmas wish. I went through the requests and found the ones I thought would resonate with various family members. I sent a letter to my family, detailed which item I got for which child, and explained why I thought of them when I did it. For example: One child asked for a bicycle. My dad got a note detailing a fond memory I had of him getting me a bike when I was a lil'un, and that I wanted to pass that joy on to another kid.

I apologize if it sounds like I'm tooting my own horn, here. I can imagine there are quite a few people here in a simliar situation and I just wanted to throw this idea out. Not only did it feel really good to get these gifts knowing they'd be extremely appreciated, but my family was VERY touched by the gesture.

Re:No Problem! Make Your Own!

[Lumpy]

I actually do the same thing, but to the horror of my friends and family.
I spend the first week of December super gluing random crap together from my basement. I spray paint it a color and then wrap it.

Then I give the gift, wait for them to open it and ask, "do you like It? I spent all year sculpting that for you. The gold leaf was really hard as well. I so hope you like it!"

then I get the joy of asking for the next month, "hey where did you put my scupture I gave you for christmas? when we show up at the house."

I so lenjoy torturing those I love. Problem is I think they are on to me... so I need to mix things up this year.... Strange foods might be a good one!

Re:In summary...

[91degrees]

One of them is a box, a couple are posters, one of them is a PS2 with the 2 crossed out and 3 scrawled on, and another is a PS2 taped to a PS1. The other 2 are imports.

Wha?

[Rob T Firefly]

What a silly article. Personally, I feel it's high time there stopped being one or two overhyped "must have" gifts every holiday season that everyone suddenly wants, filling the pockets of whoever crapped out the flashiest ads. Whatever happened to getting people thoughtful gifts you know they'd like, out of the large number of things possible to actually get without a second mortgage and a sideline dealing heroin to metal bands?

There are pantloads of gadgets and non-gadgets out there I'd love to receive this holiday season, chances are you've never seen a television commercial for any of them, none of them will cost you a week's pay, and if you know me you can guess what they are. And I hope whatever I give you is just as appreciated.

Re:Wha?

[The PS3 Will Fail]

"What a silly article."

Amen to that. Not only does it not saying anything new or interesting, it fails in even coming close to evaluating the thesis of the piece. Is it the worst gadget Christmas ever? Who knows, they've done nothing to put the situation into historical perspective.

If you're going to say something is the worst ever, it's important to actually describe how you are judging and why other entries are so much worse. For instance, did they consider the dredded gadget year of 1998? Let me take a stab at being as shallow and without journalistic merit as the author of this article by saying, 1998 was the worst gadget Christmas ever!

Who gives:

[Upaut]

Who gives gifts of several hundreds of dollars in electronics? One can geek out in holiday shopping without breaking the bank. Thinkgeek sells fine geeky gifs at a great range, for example.

Or a good book? "The Ascent of Science" by Brian Silver is quite a nice read. Buying for an eight year old? May I reccomend a reprint of "the Golden Book of Chemistry" (Go to LuLu books. Several versions of differing quality. Some are very good labors of love, others not so much, yet still useful.).

Or a subscription to MAKE, CRAFT, National Geographic, or some other magazine?



Or if you are going to break the bank on a gift, how about something not obsolete in a couple of years. How about a chemistry set? The CHEM C3000 doesn't suck. And given todays "chemistry sets", that is high praise. Or go all out if its a son/grandson/daughter/granddaughter. Buy a nice shed, build a chemistry workbench. Cover it in bronze sheeting (or copper. or brass). Buy some surplus glassware and an inkwell burner at American Science Surplus. And a lot of mason jars of varying sizes. A golden book of chemistry. A pack of three moleskin notebooks for their notes, and to top it off, privacy if they want it. Or get involved in their lives. Make it fun. Bond.

Re:In summary...

[minus_273]

and one of them is a P-P-P-Ps3

How about we cut consumerising Christmas?

[Hamster Lover]

So there isn't any compelling must have Christmas gadget this year, well, that is readily available (I am talking to you PS3). Boo hoo. How about sitting around the Christmas dinner table with your family and friends and give thanks for your good health, good friends, a place to live, a job and a full stomach?

Since I became an adult I am far less worried about what gifts I receive at Christmas and far more thankful for the gifts I already have. Not all gifts come wrapped in pretty paper and bows.

Merry Christmas!

Good Christmas After All

[GooberToo]

Vista won't be out for home users before the big day

Sounds like it will be a good Christmas after all!

But...

[tsa]

I thought Christmas was about being together en caring about other people. We must be happy that all these gadgets are delayed and/or cancelled, because that leaves us more time to spend with our loved ones!

Emo :'(

[__aawdrj2992]

"It's enough to make you slit your wrists with the shards of a smashed Christmas tree bauble..."

Wow... emo.

Re:I have 4 comps in my house, + a server

[mrchaotica]

I'm the one that's going to tell them to wait for vista to be loaded on the machine... it's the only advice I can feel safe giving a neophyte right now.

Recommending a Mac would be safe too, you know -- in fact, it's almost certainly safer!

Re:Oh the humanity

[molarmass192]

I have to agree with you there ... heck ... the Hitachi Gigabeat (essentially the Zune minus the decal) has been out for a while and it's certainly no iPod killer. The Zune will have the same margin of success as the Mercury Mountaineer has compared to the Ford Explorer. Note to MS marketing, the next killer gadget will never be a rebranded existing gadget, early adopters simply don't work that way.

Re:Oh the humanity

[HoboMaster]

It always seemed to me like if you REALLY wanted to make money, you'd just sell hotcakes. The profit margin on them has to be great. Plus, imagine how well they would sell!