Tag: 2022 Gaming Haul

GeForce RTX 3090: Finally Winning the Scalper Lottery

Hardware Review · Purchased September 30, 2022 · $1,752.18 CAD via Amazon.ca

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 graphics card
GeForce RTX 3090. Photo: Nvidia

The Setup

Nvidia’s Ampere-generation flagship, launched all the way back in September 2020 with 10,496 CUDA cores, 24GB of GDDR6X VRAM, and a 350W TGP. Buying one in September 2022 means buying it two years late and at the tail end of the worst GPU shortage in recent memory — crypto miners and scalpers kept 30-series pricing well above MSRP for most of its life, and it took the Ethereum mining crash earlier this year to finally bring prices down to something resembling sane.

The Review

Even two years on, this is still an enormous amount of GPU. The 24GB of VRAM is honestly overkill for most gaming, but it means genuinely comfortable headroom for 4K and even 8K with DLSS, plus real utility for anything creative or productivity-related that actually uses that pool. At 4K it demolishes basically everything I’ve thrown at it, and the cooler manages to keep noise reasonable given the performance tier it’s competing in.

None of that changes the fact that this is a genuinely poor value proposition if you’re gaming at 1080p or 1440p — the gap over the cheaper RTX 3080 barely shows up at those resolutions. The 350W power draw meant a PSU upgrade was non-negotiable, and the dual/triple-slot cooler is a hard no for any small-form-factor build. Buying it two years after launch, well past the shortage’s worst point, is really the only way this purchase makes financial sense at all.

What I Liked

  • Still the fastest consumer GPU available to me at 4K and beyond
  • 24GB VRAM gives genuinely comfortable headroom for demanding workloads
  • Cooling keeps noise reasonable for the performance tier
  • Bought well after the worst of the shortage-era pricing finally cooled off

What I Didn’t

  • Poor value at 1080p/1440p — only really makes sense at 4K and up
  • 350W power draw forced a PSU upgrade
  • Massive cooler rules out small-form-factor builds entirely
  • Two years late to the party by the time I actually got one

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Genuinely excellent at 4K, and only worth it now that the shortage-era pricing has finally settled down.

Where to Buy

Philips Hue Lightstrip: The Small Purchase That Finally Justified the Sync Box

Hardware Review · Purchased August 22, 2022 · $470.00 CAD via Amazon.ca

Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Lightstrip
Hue White and Color Ambiance Lightstrip. Photo: Signify

The Setup

A flexible, cuttable, extendable-to-10m LED strip delivering up to 1,700 lumens and 16 million colors with tunable white from 2000-6500K, running standalone over Bluetooth or through a Hue Bridge for full smart-home integration. Bought specifically to actually put the Sync Box from a couple weeks earlier to real use.

The Review

This is the piece that made the whole Hue ecosystem investment click into place. Run behind the TV and synced through the Sync Box, the color and brightness range genuinely elevates movie and game nights in a way that’s hard to go back from once you’ve seen it. The strip itself is easy to cut and extend to fit the exact space behind the TV, and having it work over Bluetooth alone (no Bridge required) makes it approachable even before you commit to the wider smart-home setup.

The full sync effects and multi-room automation do need the Bridge to unlock properly, which is an additional cost on top of an already-expensive strip, and the adhesive backing is showing some early signs of losing grip in a warmer spot behind the TV. It’s IP20-rated, so indoor-only use is a hard requirement, not a suggestion. Between this, the Sync Box, and the earlier Bridge purchase, the total cost of “a light strip” ended up being a lot more than the strip itself — but the end result, finally fully assembled, is genuinely great.

What I Liked

  • Full 16-million-color range plus tunable white
  • Works standalone over Bluetooth, no Bridge strictly required to start
  • Cuttable and extendable to fit an exact space
  • Finally gives the Sync Box something worth syncing

What I Didn’t

  • Full sync effects and automation still require the Bridge as an added cost
  • Adhesive backing shows early signs of weakening in a warm spot
  • Indoor-only (IP20) with no flexibility on that

The Verdict

Rating: 4.5/5

The piece that finally made the whole Hue ecosystem purchase worth it — expensive as a system, but genuinely great as a finished setup.

Where to Buy

A Projector Screen Is Not an Exciting Purchase, But It’s the One That Made Everything Else Better

Hardware Review · Purchased August 17, 2022 · $70.00 CAD via Amazon.ca

Manual pull-down projector screen
Manual pull-down projector screen. Photo: Newegg

The Setup

A straightforward manual pull-down home theater screen — wall or ceiling-mounted, spring-roller mechanism, flat white MaxWhite-style fabric with roughly 1.0 gain, pulled down and locked at whatever height you need, then retracted fully out of sight when you’re done.

The Review

This isn’t a flashy purchase, but it’s genuinely the thing that made every projector movie night noticeably better — a flat, wrinkle-free, purpose-built surface makes more difference to image quality than most people expect until they see it side by side with a wall. The pull-down mechanism is smooth and quiet, and it disappears completely into its housing when not in use, which matters if the room needs to do double duty as anything other than a theater.

The height-lock notches aren’t finely adjustable, so you’re picking from a handful of preset stopping points rather than dialing in an exact height, and the screen material had a few faint wrinkles when first unrolled that took a bit of time to fully settle out. Mounting it up near the ceiling by myself was also more of a wrestling match than I expected. None of that changes the fact that this is the unglamorous purchase that quietly improved the picture quality of everything else in the setup.

What I Liked

  • Flat, wrinkle-free surface makes a real, noticeable difference to picture quality
  • Smooth, quiet pull-down mechanism
  • Fully retracts and disappears when not in use
  • Large image size for an immersive home theater picture

What I Didn’t

  • Height-lock notches aren’t finely adjustable
  • Minor wrinkles when first unrolled took time to settle out
  • Awkward, one-person ceiling installation

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Unglamorous, but this quietly did more for movie night picture quality than most of the flashier purchases on this list.

Where to Buy

  • Search “manual pull down projector screen 120 inch” on Amazon.ca

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box: Turning My TV Into a Light Source

Hardware Review · Purchased August 9, 2022 · $302.07 CAD via Amazon.ca

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box
Hue Play HDMI Sync Box. Photo: Signify

The Setup

A 4-input, 1-output HDMI passthrough box that analyzes video and audio in real time and syncs Philips Hue color lights to whatever’s on screen, across dedicated Video, Music, and Game sync modes. It needs a Hue Bridge and Hue color lights already in place to do anything — this is purely the brain that reads the content and tells your existing lights what to do.

The Review

The syncing itself is impressively accurate and responsive — explosions, scene changes, and color shifts on screen translate to the room lighting fast enough that it never feels laggy or disconnected from the action, which matters a lot for the Game mode specifically. It auto-switches inputs the moment a connected source powers on, so day-to-day use is genuinely hands-off once it’s set up.

The catch is the total cost of entry: this box alone is pricey, and it’s useless without a Hue Bridge and a set of Hue color bulbs you may not already own, which stacks up fast. It also only works with wired sources plugged into it directly — your smart TV’s built-in apps get no sync benefit at all — and it won’t pass through lossless audio formats like Dolby TrueHD. If you’re already invested in the Hue ecosystem, it’s a genuinely great addition; if you’re starting from zero, the real cost is much higher than the box’s price tag suggests.

What I Liked

  • Accurate, low-latency color syncing that works well even for gaming
  • Auto-switches inputs when a connected source powers on
  • Supports HDR10+/Dolby Vision passthrough
  • Genuinely enhances movie and game nights once set up

What I Didn’t

  • Expensive on top of needing a Hue Bridge and color bulbs already
  • No physical remote included
  • Doesn’t sync a smart TV’s built-in streaming apps, only wired sources
  • Doesn’t pass through lossless audio formats like Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD MA

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Genuinely impressive syncing, but budget for the full Hue ecosystem before this box — it’s the smallest part of the total cost.

Where to Buy

The Quarry: A Nearly 200-Ending Slasher Movie You Actually Control

Game Review · Purchased July 12, 2022 · $90.65 CAD

The Quarry key art
The Quarry. Photo: Steam

The Setup

Supermassive Games’ follow-up to Until Dawn drops nine teenage camp counselors into one supernatural night at the isolated Hackett’s Quarry summer camp, mixing monster-movie horror with slasher tropes and a genuinely star-studded cast including David Arquette, Lance Henriksen, and Ted Raimi.

The Review

This is cinematic, choice-driven storytelling done at real scale — branching decisions and quick-time events across an 8-10 hour story that reportedly has close to 200 possible endings depending on who lives, who dies, and what you decide along the way. The performance capture and voice acting carry a lot of the weight and mostly earn it; the story holds attention for its full runtime, which isn’t something every game in this genre manages.

The accessibility options are a standout — Death Rewind lets you undo a fatal mistake, which is a genuinely welcome addition for a game this branching, though it does soften the tension if you lean on it too much. The character animation dips into uncanny-valley territory in some scenes, and the creature design doesn’t hit the same memorable highs as some of Supermassive’s other work, but as a big, well-produced interactive horror movie, it delivers exactly what it promises.

What I Liked

  • Engaging, well-paced story that holds interest for the full runtime
  • Strong performance-capture acting from a genuinely notable cast
  • Near-200 possible endings give it real replay value
  • Death Rewind and other accessibility options are a welcome touch

What I Didn’t

  • Character animation dips into uncanny-valley territory in places
  • Creature/monster design is less memorable than in prior Supermassive games
  • Death Rewind can undercut the tension if overused

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

A well-produced, genuinely replayable interactive horror movie — the near-200 endings alone make a second playthrough tempting.

Where to Buy

Sony WF-1000XM4: Import-Priced Earbuds That Still Justify the Premium

Hardware Review · Purchased June 20, 2022 · $358.39 CAD via Amazon.ca

Sony WF-1000XM4 true wireless earbuds
Sony WF-1000XM4. Photo: Crutchfield

The Setup

Sony’s flagship true wireless earbuds, built around a 6mm driver and the Integrated Processor V1 chip for noise cancellation, with LDAC hi-res audio and 360 Reality Audio support. Mine is the “International Version” — a grey-market import SKU with the same hardware as the retail version, just without region-specific packaging or the standard local warranty path.

The Review

The noise cancellation is the headline feature and it lives up to the reputation — genuinely class-leading for a true wireless earbud, helped considerably by the memory-foam tips forming a much better passive seal than the silicone tips most competitors ship with. LDAC support is a nice bonus if you’ve got hi-res audio sources to feed it, and the Qi wireless charging case is smaller and more pocketable than the previous XM3 generation’s case.

The out-of-box tuning leans bass-forward enough that I ended up reaching for Sony’s EQ app to balance things out, and call quality in windy or noisy environments is a genuine weak point — the ANC that makes music so good works against the microphones during calls. Battery life is merely average for the class, which is a little disappointing given how good everything else about the ANC implementation is. Buying the international version saved some money over full retail pricing, with the only real downside being a murkier warranty situation if anything goes wrong.

What I Liked

  • Class-leading active noise cancellation
  • Memory-foam tips give a noticeably better passive seal than typical silicone tips
  • LDAC hi-res audio and 360 Reality Audio support
  • Compact Qi wireless charging case, smaller than the previous generation

What I Didn’t

  • Bass-forward tuning out of the box needed EQ adjustment
  • Weak microphone quality in windy or noisy environments during calls
  • Battery life is average for the class despite the excellent ANC
  • International version carries a murkier warranty path than retail units

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

Still one of the best-sounding, best-ANC true wireless earbuds around — the import savings were worth the warranty trade-off.

Where to Buy

The Plus-Size Tallneck: Vonado’s 7,401-Piece Answer to “What If It Was Bigger”

Toy Review · Purchased April 14, 2022 · $450.00 CAD via Vonado

Giant Horizon Tallneck brick build
Plus-Size Tallneck, C7809. Photo: HeroToyz

The Setup

LEGO’s own official Tallneck (76989, more on that one later this year) is a nice little 1,222-piece set. This is not that. Listed on Vonado as an “Ultimate Collectors Series” Tallneck, it’s actually an unofficial, fan-designed “plus-size” clone build (item code C7809) that runs a full 7,401 pieces — roughly six times the official set’s piece count — with no LEGO branding or affiliation anywhere on it.

The Review

This is, without question, the single biggest build I’ve taken on from Vonado to date, and it shows in every part of the experience: multiple evenings of dedicated building time, a PDF manual that takes real effort to follow at this scale, and a finished model that genuinely dwarfs the official LEGO version sitting near it on the shelf. The posability holds up well across that much bulk — the neck and legs articulate believably, and the machine reads as unmistakably a Tallneck even from across the room.

The trade-offs scale up right along with the piece count. There’s no printed manual, no minifigures, and the clone bricks show some color and clutch-power inconsistency across a build this large — more noticeable here than on smaller Vonado sets simply because there’s so much more surface area for it to show up on. At $450 for something six times the size of LEGO’s own official take, it’s a genuinely different proposition than the official set — less a toy, more a room centerpiece.

What I Liked

  • Genuinely massive, impressive scale that the official set can’t match
  • Posability holds up believably across the whole model
  • Unmistakably reads as the Tallneck even at a glance from across the room

What I Didn’t

  • Multi-evening build with a PDF-only manual that’s hard to follow at this scale
  • Color and clutch-power inconsistency more noticeable across this much clone brick
  • No minifigures included, unlike the official set
  • Takes up a serious amount of shelf or floor space once finished

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

The biggest, most ambitious build in my Vonado collection so far — not a toy so much as a statement piece, and it earns that distinction.

Where to Buy

  • Discontinued/varies by reseller — search “C7809 Plus-Size Tallneck 7401”

HUANUO Triple Monitor Stand: Reclaiming My Desk From Three Separate Bases

Hardware Review · Purchased June 16, 2022 · $187.25 CAD via Amazon.ca

HUANUO triple monitor desk mount
HUANUO triple monitor mount. Photo: HUANUO

The Setup

HUANUO’s triple monitor mount is a desk-clamp arm system holding three 13″–27″ monitors via VESA 75×75/100×100 mounting, using gas-spring arms for tool-free height, tilt, swivel, and rotation adjustment. The pitch is simple: consolidate three separate monitor bases onto a single clamp and get the desk space back.

The Review

The gas-spring arms are the whole selling point and they deliver — one-finger height and angle adjustments with no tools involved, which makes it genuinely easy to reposition monitors on the fly rather than fighting with a stand. The aluminum build feels solid for what it costs, and the full range of tilt, swivel, and rotation covers pretty much any setup you’d want to configure.

Getting there took some patience, though. My lightest monitor needed a solid 10-15 minutes of spring-tension calibration before it stopped drifting downward on its own, and the single center-pole design has a bit of wobble on my desk, which isn’t the sturdiest surface to begin with. Once dialed in, it’s been reliable, and the desk space reclaimed from ditching three separate stands is a genuinely bigger improvement than I expected going in.

What I Liked

  • Tool-free, one-finger height and angle adjustment via gas-spring arms
  • Solid aluminum build quality for the price
  • Full tilt, swivel, and 360° rotation range
  • Frees up a meaningful amount of desk space versus three separate stands

What I Didn’t

  • Lighter monitors needed real spring-tension calibration time to stop drifting
  • Single center-pole design can wobble on less stable desks
  • Desk clamp installation took some trial and error to get level

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

A little setup patience required, but a genuinely good value way to consolidate a three-monitor setup and get real desk space back.

Where to Buy

The UCS Snowspeeder: A Retired Set That Still Holds Up

Toy Review · Purchased May 4, 2022 · $300.00 CAD via Lego Store

LEGO UCS Snowspeeder 75144
Snowspeeder, Ultimate Collector Series 75144. Photo: LEGO

The Setup

Set 75144 is LEGO’s Ultimate Collector Series recreation of the Rebel Snowspeeder from the Battle of Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back, at 1,703 pieces. It first released back in 2017 and had been periodically restocked through LEGO Stores before finally retiring, which is presumably how I managed to grab one in 2022.

The Review

This is UCS design at its best: an opening cockpit, a posable harpoon gun and towing cable, and a display stand with an informational plaque, all built with genuine LEGO precision rather than the clone-brick compromises I’ve gotten used to from my Vonado purchases. The build itself is absorbing without being punishing — detailed enough to stay interesting for the full 1,703 pieces, but never confusing.

Having spent a lot of this year building unofficial oversized clone kits, going back to a genuine, officially-licensed UCS set was a genuinely nice change of pace — the fit and finish, the printed manual, the color consistency are all just better, in ways you don’t fully notice until you go without them for a while. At $300 it’s not cheap, but for a retired UCS vehicle it’s an easy recommendation if you can still find one.

What I Liked

  • Genuine UCS build quality, fit, and finish throughout
  • Opening cockpit and posable harpoon gun add real interactive detail
  • Display stand and plaque give it a proper collector’s-piece presentation
  • Absorbing, well-paced build across the full piece count

What I Didn’t

  • Retired, so availability is already inconsistent
  • Premium UCS pricing for the piece count

The Verdict

Rating: 4.5/5

A genuine UCS classic, and a great reminder of what official LEGO fit and finish actually feels like after a year of clone-brick builds.

Where to Buy

Yoda’s Hut: A Small, Cheap Set That Punches Above Its Price

Toy Review · Purchased May 4, 2022 · $100.00 CAD via Lego.com

LEGO Star Wars Yoda's Hut 75208
Yoda’s Hut, 75208. Photo: LEGO

The Setup

Set 75208 is a compact, 229-piece recreation of Yoda’s swamp hut on Dagobah from The Empire Strikes Back, including a fold-open interior, small jungle terrain details, and Yoda and Luke Skywalker minifigures.

The Review

Picked up on the same order as the much bigger UCS Snowspeeder, this was the perfect quick palate-cleanser build — done in under an hour, but genuinely charming for it. The fold-open hut design lets you display it either as a closed exterior or an opened-up interior scene, and the swampy terrain base with its little jungle details sells the setting better than I expected from such a small piece count.

Nothing about it is ambitious, and it’s clearly built to be an easy, affordable entry point rather than a display centerpiece. But for $100, getting both Yoda and Luke minifigures plus a nicely detailed little diorama is a genuinely good value, and it displays well as a small companion piece next to bigger Empire Strikes Back builds.

What I Liked

  • Fold-open design lets you display it as a closed hut or an open interior scene
  • Includes both Yoda and Luke minifigures
  • Swampy terrain details sell the Dagobah setting well for the piece count
  • Quick, satisfying build for a change of pace

What I Didn’t

  • Small and simple — not a set that holds attention on its own
  • Works best as a companion piece rather than a standalone centerpiece

The Verdict

Rating: 4/5

A small, affordable set that punches above its price — a great quick build and a nice companion to bigger Star Wars displays.

Where to Buy