When I was last on Digital Foundry Direct, we talked shopping and what we’d each personally picked up for Black Friday. Rich talked about the massive hard drives he’d bought for himself and John, to back up their video projects, Alex told us he’d abstained (good boy) and I mentioned my new bean-to-cup coffee machine (which I’ve just about got to grips with after grinding a few kilos of coffee).
There was one more purchase that I didn’t mention because it hadn’t arrived yet – but after a few delivery mishaps, it’s gone from a Black Friday dark horse to my overwhelming favourite Christmas gift to myself: wheels for my gaming PC. No, not a racing wheel, like… literal actual wheels.
It sounds a little weird, but it’s the genuine truth – and I’ll explain exactly why below. Later on in this episode of Will vs Weird Tech, I’ll also share an adorable new Game-Boy-sized and Linux-powered gaming PC I received in the post and my continued mission to get gaming-grade wireless installed at home. Let’s get into it!
Another benefit is that the PC is off the floor, so the bottom intakes aren’t choked by the carpet. Plus, with an Arduino and a direct drive motor, I could conceivably get my computer to drive itself around…
I’ve always had a thing for massive computer cases – they look cool, like monoliths from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and there’s tons of room inside so building in them is a joy. Unfortunately, they also mean your computer weighs a ton, and moving them requires adherence to a strict core training regimen. That’s why, three months after moving my work PC into the cavernous Corsair 7000D Airflow, I ponied up £12 (plus £4 shipping and handling) for Ikea’s Uppspel, which is essentially four castor wheels on a metal platform that you clip onto the bottom of your PC.
Thankfully, the Uppspel is every bit as revelatory as I hoped. It’s now dead simple to shift the PC forwards and back, if I need to reach around to plug in a new gaming keyboard, and I can even unplug everything and wheel it over to the opposite side of the DF Bristol HQ where I’m testing a 34-inch ultrawide monitor. Previously, this was enough of a strain that I had to think very strategically about whether I was going to play long enough over the weekend to move the PC over, but now it’s the work of a few moments – no back pain required.