Best products from r/giantbomb

Got a sweet pair of headphones for less than the sale price thanks to Amazon credit.

The Team GFB Play date was super AWESOME!!! Really enjoyed myself and enjoyed playing with friends. I was ElcaminoColt in game and feel free to add me on Xbox or PSN (same name).

Working on my back log of games before I get new ones. So Tomb Raider and SFV for me.

Had a fun time with getting set up for the play date. Had a Blue Yeti mic from a year ago but I didn't notice it didn't have XLR input so the mixer I got in was worthless. So instead I bought a AT2020 mic and received it that Tuesday. Well my stand I got for Christmas was for a small neck mic so off to the store I go. Got a new stand and put the mic on it and plug in the XLR to the mic and mixer but wasn't getting audio. Research showed that I was a idiot and I needed another cable and a power supply to supply phantom power to it. So went to guitar center picked it up and was good to go, thank goodness for tax return.

Was totally worth it. I am okay with it as I'm setting up my studio in my living room, I'll do light streaming but going in on Video and Audio Production, with heavy push in game programming.

Hope you all have a great weekend!
-Colton

Drew uses a lot of stuff I've used or am currently using!

The headphones are the Sony MDR7506, or the Sony MDRV6 and they are ultimately the same thing. I have both, I haven't been able to tell the difference, and from what I've researched, they use the same parts internally, so the only thing different is the cosmetics. I know the Vergecast also uses these headphones in their studio.

While I don't have the Focusrite 2i2 like Drew was using, I do own the Focusrite 18i8 (Gen 1), and the Focusrite 18i20 (Gen 2) and both are phenomenal. They are more expensive than a standard USB Mixer, but the pre-amps make up for some of that cost, plus the ease of use.

I have never used the Shure SM7B, but it's the same microphone that Kinda Funny Games uses. I use the Electro Voice RE20, which is the same Microphone that Giant Bomb West and East uses, as well as, the Vergecast. I would love to hear Drew's opinions on both mics. Both mics are exceptional review-wise and very popular in audio recordings, but having Drew compare the two would have some value.

And just because I have listed all the equipment Drew has used. Here is the Anker 10-Port Hub he was using. Anker is a great brand for USB/Computer accessories. They have an outstanding warranty and customer service department.

Note none of these links are affiliate links, this post was simply to make it easy to find the gear Drew was using.

Video Games. It's been a long three weeks.

Games were either played, completed, or outright ignored.

Played

Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited

Played wayyyy too much of this. I confess, I've never finished an Elder Scrolls game. But I've been having a lot of fun running around with other people in Cyrodil, which is the main world pvp zone.

Alan Wake

This was sort of based on Remedy's Holiday Video they put out. Alan Wake is so good guys. Really hope they get around to making another one.

Axiom Verge

Played this back when it came out on PS4 and didn't get too far... probably because of Bloodborne maybe? Who knows, 2015 was a blur. Anyways, the PC version is great and boy is that soundtrack great. But I agree with the GOTY talks, it probably gets a little stale if going for 100% map completion.

DOTA2

... I played a few matches... I don't want to talk about it...

Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin

Haven't played any of the DLC. Consider this a COMING SOON.

Completed

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (second playthrough)

RULES OF NATURE. Also, Armstrong 4 President 2016

Ignored

Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII-2

Bought these on the steam sale. That's about far as I got.

Ori and the Blind Forest

Looking forward to playing this!

All in all, not a bad few weeks. I'll probably be playing some more ESO this week and the foreseeable future. Hope every had a good new year.

MAJOR EDIT: I'd be remissed if I didn't mention this. I bought my first gunpla kit. Also I started watching the series known as Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Everyone, let's thank for /u/Lukensz for showing me a new way to sate my mech addiction.

> Playing

I'm still plugging away at Fire Emblem: Three Houses and just started back into Dragon Quest XI. I don't have a ton of new thoughts on either, but I'm playing them and hoping to get through Fire Emblem fairly soon. Hey guess what, that guy what likes JRPGs really likes Dragon Quest go figure.

I bought a 8Bitdo Sn30 to help expand my rotation of controllers. It's a neat little controller with a killer D-pad. The D-pad is so good, in fact, that it kinda makes me worse at the games I've been playing, namely Celeste. I've gotten so used to the kinda squirrely nature of the Joycon analog stick that trying to play with an honest to god D-pad made me fail repeatedly. I played a few SNES games with it and they all felt great, though Super Mario World was a lot harder than I remember.

> #content

Podcasts and catching up on old videos

> This week

I have a busy week ahead of bullshit work retreats, so we'll see how much time I have in the evenings.

Learning to make Japanese food at home great! If you're interested in doing more, I highly recommend grabbing yourself a tamagoyaki pan off amazon. Learning to make tamagoyaki is super fun and rewarding, and is a great jumping off point into other Japanese cuisine.

Ok, here comes the text tidal wave.

The best way to get into FPV flying is with a type of drone colloquially known as the Tiny Whoop. Basically people were taking a common micro quadcopter called the Blade Inductrix, upgrading the little motors, and adding a camera/video transmitter combo. Tiny Whoops live up to their name; they're palm sized and the props are fully ducted, so you can crash it into stuff and bump off walls with minimal property damage. They're pretty much strictly indoors because they are so light, but buzzing around the house is the most fun. Once the Tiny Whoop craze took off, Blade released their own FPV version of the Inductrix. It's not as featured or as speedy as a custom build from hobby grade parts, but you can get it with a controller and a screen for $180. I don't think it's a very good value, but it's the easiest name-brand way to get in the air.

You could also start with a $20 Chinese clone of the Inductrix, without any FPV gear, learn how to fly it line of sight and then upgrade it yourself. I think this is the way to go, because it comes with a barebones controller and you have the option of getting yourself an affordable FPV headset instead of being stuck with the overpriced screen that the Inductrix FPV bundle comes with. Using a screen on the controller does the job, but it's vastly inferior to having the video goggles on your head.

These aren't for taking nice pictures or HD video. These little things are strictly for experiencing flight. They transmit analog video signals over 5.8ghz, so the image is low resolution but the latency is extremely low compared to drones that transmit video over WiFi (like Jeff's drone).

There are quality hobby-grade kits like the Acrobee or prebuilt like the Beta65S, but these end up being a greater investment if you don't already have a radio and a headset. The performance from these would be the best out of all I've mentioned so far though.

Lastly, I stumbled accross this cheap bundle that has everything for $99. I can't speak for the quality or capabilities of this version, but damn the price is right. I wish we had this when I was starting a couple years ago.

I don't remember him talking about headphones, but I love my Koss Portapros. They fold up tightly and fit in my bag, and have excellent audio quality. They also don't mess up my hair as much as other over-ear headphones tend to. Here's a [link] (https://www.amazon.com/Koss-PortaPro-Headphones-with-Case/dp/B00001P4ZH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484145123&sr=8-1&keywords=koss+portapro). $39.99 on Amazon. They also have a lifetime guarantee.

Found some extra items to add to his list:

1. A book to help him use his biological voice instead of the chain-smoking Kermit the Frog voice he uses: http://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Voice-Finding-Natural/dp/0879804416
   
   (That Thanksgiving podcast where he skyped in and you could barely hear him was the best one yet - he didn't dominate the conversation with his droning monotone microphone-swallowing voice that happens on the rest of the podcasts.
   
   
2. This next Amazon item would help Alex to stop making terrible jokes like "that's a thing" or others where he basically reduces creativity into a Jon Lovitz-style "It Stinks!" soundbyte which sounds hilarious to only him. http://www.amazon.com/Complaint-Free-World-Complaining-Enjoying/dp/0770436390
   
   Edit: Downvote away, I'm not joking. Alex ruins podcasts with his affected voice and endless pursuit of negativity. As Giant Bomb transitions into a source of entertainment from a source of information, these two books would help him with two areas where he detracts from entertainment. Take solace, Alex: In the words of the Beatles, it's a fool who plays it cool while making his world a little smaller. Rejecting 99% of everything doesn't make you more interesting.

I bought the white joy cons direct from amazon, pre-modded: https://www.amazon.com/Nintendo-Switch-Custom-Joy-Cons-playstation-4/dp/B079SL83WH/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Considering the price of the joy con and the price of the replacement shells, you're ultimately paying someone $20 to mod it for you. I bought them last fall after watching a bunch of videos of people talking about how this isn't "baby's first mod."

The woofing is probably because its a watergate joke not a gamergate joke but Austin expresses that even if they intended to make a watergate joke then they should be more aware about the gamergate stuff too. Concerning the reference there were 5 watergate burglars and the book about it is called Watergate Exposed, just like how toad is joking about Sufflegate Exposed

Dan Ryckert is a video game "journalist"/video content creator who works at the website giantbomb.com (aka nuke.com, videogames.com, giantasshole.com, bone.city). He has had a very strange life filled with implausible events, often involving close contact with celebrities and companies which he has no business being in contact with. Many of his bizarre adventures have been chronicled here, though he has shared many other remarkable stories through the internet.

He loves Taco Bell more than anything that's not Metal Gear Solid or wrestling, and he has practically no reverence for the seriousness of a wedding, so the odds of him actually getting married in a Taco Bell are astoundingly high.

If you'd like to experience Nose Tork for yourself, you can find it on Amazon. Great stuff!

> https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-FreeFlow-AUTOSEAL-Insulated-Stainless/dp/B07G1YCDX5

Does it have Tested Stamp of approval that's what really matters.

I upgraded from the Zojirushi to this about 6 months ago and it is better in every way. https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-FreeFlow-AUTOSEAL-Insulated-Stainless/dp/B07G1YCDX5

I'm not Dan, but you can get it on Amazon right now.