Light Start – Nike PlayStation, Star Wars book, TaylorMade smart putter, and Britannia
Brett Venter
Meet the Nike PG2, the shoe inspired by the Sony PlayStation
All ussight PS fanboys, we’ve got just the shoe for you. This is the Nike PG2, designed with NBA player Paul George in mind and based on the Sony PlayStation. As if the logo on the tongue of one of the shoes wasn’t enough of a hint. The logo, as well as Paul George’s own logo on the other foot, lights up in blue but this can be turned off if you’re actually trying to keep a low profile. The batteries for this function, as well as another meant to simulate the motors of a DualShock controller, are contained inside the shoes and cannot be changed so you’re going to have to use the 150-hour powered-on time wisely. The shoe colours are based on Sony’s branding and the starburst soles are based on Sony’s console wallpapers. Availability? Not yet, but expect them to cost you more than R1,500 and that’s only if you manage to snag one of this limited run before resellers grab them and start selling at a markup.
For the Star Wars fan who has everything, here’s the NY Times coffee table book
Okay, okay, we’ll admit it. The New York Times‘ Star Wars book is something we’ve never even considered before and now we’re going to have to get one for Toby. The book features the historical coverage that Star Wars has received in the New York Times from 1973, to date. And because these sorts of gifts are for serious fans, you can have the book personalised with their name on the cover. Let’s see someone top this with a set of Star Wars Lego. Okay, the Death Star kit is hard to top but the book’s (called In a Galaxy Far, Far Away) $80 (R970) isn’t going to break the bank — while remaining very impressive present fodder.
So you want to get better at golf, do you? Better play with the Spider
Golf is a weird game — the quicker you finish, the better you are, and there are no bonus points for trick shots. That bird collision was intentional, dammit. For more serious players, a lot of time and effort is put in to shaving strokes off their game and this is where tech comes in. TaylorMade has a new putting aid on the way called the Spider Interactive (powered by Blast), which is able to use motion capture and a range of movement telemetry tracking to help you improve your putt. Using an app, because you have to have an app these days. The TaylorMade Spider Interactive is not up for pre-order at the moment (though you can sign up for updates) but it should be going on sale from 23 March. If you want one, you’re going to be plonking down at least $400 (R4,850) to up your game. Given the price of some of the better clubs, that’s probably a small price to pay
Looking for some blood and violence while you await Game of Thrones in 2019? Here’s Britannia
So you’re waiting for Game of Thrones but your liking for violence and alternate civilisations has you rewatching Spartacus for the seventh time? It might be time to switch over to something new – Britannia, a series based on the Roman conquest of the region in question. Almost like Vikings but with Romans (but you can’t call it Romans because that’s a pizza place), the show looks to slake most thirsts for blood while still being at least a little educational. It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that the Romans chilled out and became the Italians and Roman history is often confined to specialised classrooms, Asterix comics, and Russell Crowe movies. Maybe it’s time to change that. The show is slated for Amazon Prime, which should mean that it’s available for local audiences with a subscription. You already have one of those for The Grand Tour, right?
