I’m choosing to believe this is how Gendo handles payroll.
“Thank you for preventing the apocalypse. Here’s some money you can’t spend.”
Jokes aside, this is a weirdly appealing collectible. No practical purpose—just a small piece of EVA nostalgia that you could tuck into a display case.
What’s the most ridiculous EVA item you’ve seen and immediately thought, “yeah, I kind of want that”?
I saw a post today from someone who had played on Xbox for 25 years and finally moved to PC. It got me wondering what makes a new setup feel familiar, beyond getting the games running.
If you've made that switch, did you dive straight into mouse and keyboard, or keep a controller within reach? What was the first thing you changed once the initial excitement wore off?
It could be something practical, like a more comfortable headset or a keyboard you actually enjoy typing on. Or something personal: a character-themed keyboard, a controller in your favourite colourway, or one small piece from a game you love.
You don't necessarily need a fully matching setup. Sometimes one item is enough to make the desk feel less like a display in a shop and more like your own space.
What's the one thing you would carry over to a completely new setup—and what did you buy that turned out not to matter?
I used to think matching your peripherals was mostly just an aesthetic thing.
White keyboard.
White mouse.
White headset.
Matching desk mat.
Maybe a little anime/game theme on top.
But the more setups I see, the more I get it.
A clean theme can make a desk feel more personal, even if none of the individual items are technically “endgame.” Sometimes the setup just feels better because everything belongs together.
It’s not always about having the most expensive keyboard, the lightest mouse, or the highest-end headset.
Sometimes it’s about walking up to your desk and thinking:
“Yeah, this feels like mine.”
Do you care if your gaming gear matches, or do you just buy whatever performs best?
A. I love a fully matched setup
B. I care a little, but performance comes first
C. I only care about specs/value
D. I accidentally ended up with a theme
E. I collect themed gear even if I don’t need it
Everyone talks about their best pickups, but I’m more curious about the opposite.
What’s one gaming or tech purchase you regretted almost immediately after buying it?
Could be anything:
For me, the most dangerous purchases are the ones that look amazing online but don’t actually fit into daily life.
What was yours?
Transparent keyboards always look incredible in product photos, but I’m curious how keyboard people actually judge them.
This Hatsune Miku board has the exact collector problem:
It looks too good to hide away, but it also feels like something that might show dust, fingerprints, scratches, keycap wear, and desk grime faster than a normal board.
So what would you do?
- daily-use it
- use it only for a themed desk setup
- keep it display-only
For keyboard people: what would decide it for you?
- typing feel
- layout
- keycap wear
- cleaning / dust
- sound
- whether replacement keycaps exist
- whether the theme still looks good after months of use
For Miku fans: does actually using it make it more special, or would you rather keep it clean as a collector piece?
I think this is where anime collab tech gets interesting: if it is too precious to use, is it still a good keyboard?
Handheld gaming is in a weird place right now.
On one hand, the hardware is getting seriously impressive: bigger batteries, better screens, stronger chips, improved cooling, better grips, and more console-like software.
On the other hand, some handheld PCs are now pushing into laptop-price territory.
At that point, I feel like the question changes from:
“Can this run my games?”
to:
“Would I actually choose this over a gaming laptop, Switch 2, Steam Deck, or just streaming from my main PC?”
Personally, I don’t think raw FPS is the only thing that matters for a handheld. I care more about:
Battery life
Comfort
Fan noise
Sleep/wake reliability
Good controls
A screen that makes games feel alive
A design that makes me want to pick it up
If a handheld costs $900–$1,500+, it needs to feel special, not just powerful.
What matters most to you in a handheld?
A) Best performance possible
B) Battery life and comfort
C) Console-like simplicity
D) Unique design / collector value
E) Lowest price that still plays most games
Everyone talks about the same few devices: Steam Deck OLED, ROG Ally X, Legion Go / Go S, MSI Claw, GPD, AYANEO, OneXPlayer.
But I’m curious about the handheld that actually surprised you after using it.
Not necessarily the most powerful one, or the best spec sheet. I mean the one where you thought:
“Okay, this is better than people give it credit for.”
For people who have owned or tried multiple handhelds, what ended up mattering most?
My hot take: the handheld space is getting crowded enough that “best overall” is less interesting than “best for a specific kind of player.”
What’s your underrated pick?
A comment here made me think about something I see a lot with anime / game collab gear.
Some people buy one item and struggle with the same problem:
It looks too good to use, but buying functional gear just to leave it in a box also feels kind of pointless.
Then there is the collector solution:
Buy one to actually use, and one to keep clean / display.
At first, that sounds excessive. But for limited collab items, I can understand the logic.
If it is something like a keyboard, mousepad, controller, phone, or bag, using it is part of the value. You get to see it every day, build your setup around it, and actually enjoy the design.
But if it is rare, expensive, or tied to your favorite IP, keeping one in perfect condition also makes sense.
For me, buying two only makes sense if:
I probably would not do this for every collab item. But for something like a Miku keyboard, a limited glass mousepad, an EVA controller, or a Wuthering Waves phone, I can understand why some collectors would.
Would you ever buy two of the same collab item?
One to use, one to keep clean?
Or is that where collecting starts to go too far?
Not all anime collab merch feels the same to me.
Some collabs feel like the product was actually designed around the character or IP.
Others feel like a normal item with a logo, a color swap, or a few cheap extras added just to make fans pay more.
I think the difference matters.
A collab item feels worth it when:
It starts feeling like a cash grab when:
For example, I think there is a big difference between a themed phone, keyboard, bag, mouse, controller, or earbuds that actually changes the whole look and experience, versus a basic item with one small printed graphic.
But maybe that is just how I look at it.
What makes an anime collab item worth paying extra for?
Is it the character, the design, the rarity, the packaging, the usability, or just the feeling of owning something tied to a series you like?
I think this is where a lot of collab products get judged very differently from normal tech.
If you’re buying a regular keyboard, mouse, headset, or phone, most people look at the specs first and ask whether the price makes sense.
But with collab products, that logic gets a lot messier.
Sometimes the specs are good, but the real reason people want it is because the design actually feels special. Not just a logo slapped on something generic, but something that really looks like it was built around the IP.
And honestly, I think that matters more than some people want to admit.
Because if a collab design really lands, people will forgive a lot.
If the design feels lazy, then even strong specs don’t make it that interesting.
So I’m curious where people here stand.
If you had to choose, would you rather pay for:
- better specs and performance
- or a collab design that genuinely feels special
And where’s the line for you?
Does the design only matter if the base product is already good, or can the collab itself be the main reason to buy?
