:Clear Skin Blog

There’s nothing that sparks my interests like useless gadgets that I don’t really need.

I guess my ultimate useless gadget at the moment would be a really good virtual reality headset, nowadays called a head mounted display (HMD). I’ve been reading up on the EMagin Z800 (there’s a nice review here), one particularly new and high-tech HMD that looks like it would be a blast to play Half-Life 2 with. There things have come a long way since the Virtual Boy (which I still regret not buying), and are now compatible with many PC games currently out. The technology is still far from perfect (not all graphics cards and features are supported), and they still cost an arm and a leg (the Z800 is about $800), but there’s really nothing else like experiencing a true virtual environment. The feeling of being able to reach out into a game is just so much cooler than just staring at a flat 2D screen. It’s pretty impressive that the technology is even possible given that these games are not really designed for HMDs. The new HMDs are also a lot more lightweight and comfortable that those huge headsets and goggles that we used to see at the mall, they sit on your forehead and flip down like a pair of sunglasses. I’m not exactly running out to drop $800 in the mail, but it’s exciting to imagine that this could become a lot more mainstream in the near future (Japan is actually pushing for VR television by 2020).

I also discovered a great website for gadgets called ThinkGeek.com. Honestly, I don’t think I’m that much of a nerd, but I can’t help salivating at the idea of the Flash Memory Swiss Army Knife!

Now that’s just cool. And you know I love Nintendo’s new GBA Micro, even though it doesn’t really add any functionality to the GBA I already own. Who cares! It’s small, what more reason do you need! Of course, for all the time I spend thinking about useless things to buy, I don’t really buy much of anything. Must be because of all the money I spend on those vitamins…