Google Nexus 7 (Price: $199-$299) Here at DashHacks, we talk quite a bit about the tablet market in terms of Apple, but sometimes you just can't forget about the competitor. While a Cupertino fan can feel free to substitute in an ipad Mini here should they choose to do so, my personal pick has to fall within the Android realm this time around. 1 / 10
Just like plenty of other options, this is a seven inch tablet that works as a pretty strong companion to your laptop, but Google has quite a bit more working for it too. After all, we are talking about hackers on this site, and hackers want an operating system that let's them customize their device the way they want. Android in particular tends to offer you at least a little bit more freedom in this regard. You don't need to jailbreak (and break the law) to install your favorite emulators, because there's no added handholding here. The scene might not be quite as big, but that's only because there's a lot less of a battle to be had, which should make your life easier. In terms of specs, both processor and graphics offer a pretty comprable experience to the ipad Mini at a much cheaper price. Think about it: the least expensive ipad Mini with no 3G at all, clocks in at $330. Should you go Google's way, you can get four times the storage capacity and HS PA+ for still $30 cheaper. As far as money goes, I don't have to tell you where the better value lies. I know people are going to have their opinions on this, (and I encourage you to express them) but if you're looking for an awesome hackable gift that isn't going to shatter the bank account, the Nexus 7 paired with the growing Android ecosystem is a strong holiday pick. This was a safe gift idea to start with but now its time to look at something a little darker...in fact black. 2 / 10
Call Of Duty: Black Ops II (Price: $59.99) Ah yes, another item that is sure to hit a bone of contention with some people. Still, maybe you should hear me out first before you begin your attack. A huge part of the reason that I picked 3 / 10
Black Ops II specifically is because there's no question that it is one of the most far reaching multi-platform series around. Whether you're a more tried and true PC gamer, or you were lucky enough to just pick up a Wii U, Call of Duty: Black Ops II will be there for you; and so far the reviews are looking pretty darn awesome. Obviously as the numeric sequel number implies, this is the follow up to the original Call of Duty: Black Ops that set the world on fire just a few years back. Whether you like it or not, every year around November, Activision puts out a new entry in the catalogue, and for this game in particular the crowd seems a lot less divided. It is true that for the most part the basic mechanics and engine for the Call of Duty games hasn't changed in quite some time, but genre fans would argue that there isn't much more you can expect from a shooter. With a strong single player campaign with plenty of trophies and even some multiplayer rewards there's a lot you can love about this game even if your console happens to be banned from Xbox Live or PSN. However, we all know the real shining star here is multiplayer, and luckily there will be a whole mess of new modes and ways to make that happen. The Create A Class option is particularly interesting, allowing you to mix and match any ten items to allow for the creation of a completely custom fighter. With all the options you have to help you with that, the combinations are more or less endless. If that's not enough, League Play will match new and veteran players with gamers of their skill level and allow for all of the in-game items to be unlocked at once. If you aren't a fan of getting in on the action, you can even watch streamed matches to bring a more sports-like feel to the gaming universe. Again feel free to substitute any top notch title you want here, but this is my pick. If Black Ops II isn't up your alley then how about going rogue and turning assassin? 4 / 10
PS3 Assassin's Creed III Bundle (Price: $299) 5 / 10
In my last go at the whole holiday gift list, I included the premiere Xbox 360 system option, so I figured why not make things fair and show off what Sony has to offer too. If you've been following the scene at all, this system in particular has come to be known as the PS3 "super slim" because it is the smallest version of the console that Sony has managed to pump out. That being said however, while the machine itself is tiny, it certainly hasn't lost any of that robust power that Sony unleashed onto the world six years ago. Essentially despite a few cost-cutting hardware alterations, you're still getting that same GPU and CPU that will power all of your games. If that idea isn't enough for you however, why don't we consider what this bundle includes. First off, we have Assassin's Creed III. Unless you've been sleeping under a rock, you know that this game in particular is one of the biggest releases of the year. I will be honest and say that quite a bit of the reviews weren't as high as many were hoping, but even to get within the realm of eights and nines isn't exactly a slouch. Almost all publications agree that this is one of the most ambitious games that consoles have ever seen, so there's little doubt you'll enjoy a good part of it at least. If you're looking for more, I can give you that too. Along with the game you'll also be given a free Dualshock controller, USB cable, and a thirty day trial of PlayStation Plus. To round it all out, stick a whopping 500GB of storage space in this puppy and you've got a console that is sure to hold a good amount of digitally downloaded games for years to come. Sure hacking these things can be a bit of a mess, but if you follow the scene you just might be surprised. Now you've got some good games and its time to enjoy them in all of their true glory. 6 / 10
Samsung PN51E550 (Price $797) 7 / 10
If you're going to be playing games this holiday season, why not do that on a top rated but reasonable priced TV? This is a plasma TV that performs with strong black levels, and great picture quality. Oh and did I mention that the screen is fifty inches? Yup, you did indeed read that right, you are getting a high quality fifty inch plasma TV for just $800. I'm sure there are going to be some pretty crazy deals coming up for Black Friday, but if you aren't able to bust that door down as well as you had hoped, then this might be a pretty solid place to settle on. As if the price wasn't good enough to keep you drooling, I should mention that it also has a lot of the standard features you would expect from a top of the line TV plus a few more. For one, this display does indeed have 3D capability, so if you want to take that for a spin you can do that here too. There are also a whole bunch of smart TV apps to boast on this set. You're going to get access to all of your favorite services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, but Samsung also has exclusive access to HBO Go as well. Should your cable provider allow it, you'll be able to stream pretty much any HBO show ever made right to your TV. Not to mention even as browsers go, ratings indicate that this has been one of the best ways to look at the internet while watching your favorite shows. Gamers love gadgets and new ways to experience their games. This TV is a good start. I told you I'd have something in here for hackers. This last one is for anyone considering hacking their console. PS3 Hardware Flasher (Price Varies) 8 / 10
To again reference my last article, I showed you guys one of the easiest ways to hop into the PS3 scene. For about the same price as the console bundle I showed you before, you can go to sites like Ebay and get yourself a used 3.55 or CFW device without having to handle any hassle. Still, I know there are some of you that are much more experienced with technology and have 9 / 10
no problem opening up their system if they want to get the job done themselves. For about sixty dollars, you can reflash your system with the use of specialized hardware and then be able to hop right into the great community of hacks and homebrew that this site in particular loves to support. A lot of the custom firmware options out today will allow you to flash directly to their own version software, but if you don't feel comfortable doing that, the standard procedure has always been to downgrade with the flasher, and then head to CFW. However, even if you already have a hacked PS3 a hardware flasher isn't exactly a bad investment either. You never know when you might install something improperly or development issues might brick your console. When you have a hardware flasher on hand, you'll be able to revive your PS3 from any sort of death that many happen. In a sense, you can hack with at least a little less fear knowing that you'll always be able to fix things. I can't say much for specifics here because every system variant requires different products, but they all essentially work the same. To find out which one you need, this post from Wololo should help. Just be sure you stay away from the PSN until Sony decides to lift the banhammer! Once again, if you would like to sound off, the comments section is here for you. What gifts are you looking forward to most? Happy holidays! 10 / 10