If it counts, definitely the Steam Deck. With that and emulators, it's like having almost every game I've ever owned in one portable machine.

A bidet 💪 even a cheap one is nice.

Probably it doesn't quite count as a gadget, but repurposing my old PC as a home server. Firstly it makes a great mass storage solution making all my media accessible from any device, no matter what architecture it is and what apps it can run. I also self-host Home Assistant, Syncthing, Radicale, Navidrome, Jellyfin and UrBackup. The ten years old 2 core Pentium with 8GB of RAM can do it all, it's much cheaper to run than half a dozen subscription services and I have total control over my data and privacy.

Bidet for sure. A good one in the $300-400 range. It is such a gamechanger to always have a clean ass. And without TP, the toilet never clogs and you aren't spending extra on TP. Also helps with hemorrhoids if/when you get those, as TP is really rough on your asshole/not good for you.

I still have some TP for guests, but with the dryer built in, it really isn't needed.

Also, a bidet is a lifesaver if you like extreme hotsauces. Basically, it's the only piece of daily furniture that makes me go "God, I'm so glad I bought this" for literal years since I got it in the pandemic. No cold toilet seat during winter. Heated seat that doesn't slam. Hot water. Hot air blow dryer. Self-cleaning.

A countertop water boiler. It turns out I go through just about 4L of tea a day and now I spend a lot less time boiling water. And when you refill it and it comes to temperature it plays Fur Elise

edit: typo

would a raspberry pi count? i've been self-hosting a nextcloud instance and my RSS feed for a while now and i've really been enjoying it

Steam Deck. Without question. I don't think I would have been able to cope with the last year and a half of my life without it. This year has been very rough and I have been able to escape life while still spending time with my family. Top-tier psychological maintenance for me.

This one seems silly, but one really useful cheap thing I bought that I use much more than I thought I would is an electric kettle. (I should point out I'm in the US) I use it to make iced tea, my wife uses it for hot tea, and we both use it for boiling water for whatever cooking project needs it. We have a gas stove, and it takes about twice as long to heat up a liter of water as this kettle. It uses a normal US 120v outlet and I think it draws 1,000w. (Edit: I looked it up and it's 1,100 watts)

A good pair of headphones and a decent amp and dac to power them. It's like discovering music all over again.

My personal recs: Modhouse Argon Mk3, Hifiman Sundara, Sennheiser hd6xx

A home server. Originally a Dell R710, now a custom built desktop.

If I can possibly self host something now I will do that over using big tech proprietary services. I feel free.

Last time I needed new headphones for going out, I bought a Shockz bone conducting headphone.

While the specific one I bought was the wrong choice (the Run I got is slick but needs a proprietary charging cable instead of the USB-C the Move uses, and they sound 100% the same), overall the concept is really good. I enjoy hearing people around me, for someone who more listens to podcasts and radio shows not music the quality is perfect, and I can wear these on my bicycle without having to worry I won't hear something.

Also, since they don't sit in the ear not enclose it it's easy to semi-forget them there as they're so comfortable, no stuffed feeling or sweaty ears. I sometimes just use them at home instead of shifting a podcast onto the sonos speakers. Just easier.

Flipper Zero - I'm not being devious with it. Yet.

Kidding - I bought it since I am a ham and I can find a dozen uses for it in the field.

Robot vacuum. Autistic and ADHD and could never keep on top of keeping my floor clean. But I can now!

Y'all this sound crazy, but the Bug A Salt is fucking awesome.

It's worth it if you can get a black Friday deal or something under 30$ because it's just a little salt when you shoot it and there's no guts on your wall, no dirty fly swatter, no chasing, no jumping, no reaching, and you feel like a sniper hitman.

Its not a toy. That shit hurts when you get hit lol

A wedding ring. Enlightens my life every day.

Cordless vacuum was a costly one but certainly made that chore a lot more easy and kinda fun. I planned to store it in a closet but I'd take it out every few days so eventually I started leaving it on the floor, it's not in the way there either.

3D printer. At any moment in time I could just print something out and it would be ready by the time I finish eating. The possibilities are endless, plenty of free models online or just learn how to design yourself.

Edit: I currently use an Elegoo Neptune 4 Pro

Mobile telephone. Does all kinds of fancy stuff, it's even got a torch!

Bone conducting ear phones, I have tiny narrow ear canals and can't get any type of ear bud to go in my ears, the bone conductors are a revelation for listening to audio books, radio and music when I'm out and about

InstaPot. It makes a lot of things so much easier to cook. Rice, lentils, potatoes, eggs... I use it mostly for that. No need to stand there stirring, looking at the clock. Fire and forget and always perfectly cooked.

Refillable Salt and Pepper-Mills. I can "feel" now how much Salt or Peper I add to something.

Its kind of silly, but VR. I like hanging out in vrchat with my internet friends and it makes me feel a lot closer to them. Even when we're just talking and goin to cool worlds.

The cheap (est, I think) fitbit. Dropped a 100lbs and it was a big part of the motivation.

My espresso machine. They're expensive. I do not know why they are, but they are. I hemmed and hawed for years about us getting one and finally decided fuck it. Im an adult, I want one, we can afford it.

In 2+ years the only times I have not made myself a cappuccino are when I have not been home to do so. It is one of my most used appliances. Espresso owns.

Not for everyone obviously, but I developed a synthesizer habit some years ago, and right now is probably the best time ever for a beginner to get into it. Korg's Volca series, Roland's Aira compact, teenage engineering's Pocket Operators, Arturia's Microfreak, and Elektron's Model series are all affordable and a great way for a beginner to start making some cool-ass music. Beware developing a habit though. It only stays affordable so long.

The Panic Playdate. It’s just a really nice gaming console that is getting a lot of support from game devs. It’s one of the very few truly portable handhelds as it can easily fit in a pocket and the battery lasts forever too.

Swapped out the head unit on my 2016 car for a touchscreen that supports Android Auto. I got spoiled using a similar one in my friend's rental car. It was only $600 installed at Best Buy. It's so nice not to have to fight with keeping my phone in a display holder where I can see the map, and now I can control my phone-streamed music with my steering wheel controls. Makes driving so much more pleasant.

My super automatic espresso machine. Dead simple to use and so much cheaper than operating a keurig. I bought it because I’m awful at real coffee machines and need to have a single serve option. Being able to use whole beans has made it pay for itself in the 3 years I’ve had it.

I bought a semi professional meat slicer , and a decent dehydrator. Now I make my own beef jerky and saving tons.

A soil moisture measuring device to tell when plants need watering. 2 for $10 on amazon.

Paramotor

Edit: And you should get a paramotor too so I have someone to talk to about it on Lemmy lol

Hanklight D4K for $50 was my first portable enthusiast flashlight. I'm currently 4 hanklights deep and they're loads of fun out in the country for spotting wildlife and general use with the open source Anduril 2 firmware (yes, flashlights can get firmware updates).

Link to Hank's Site

A smart switch for my espresso machine so it turns on a timer each morning so it's ready for when I get up, it takes about 25 minutes to fully warm up. Also I can turn it on or off using voice controls, great when I want another coffee later in the day.

I got a mechanical keyboard for Black Friday this year. So much better than scissor switches. I think I got one with a yellow switch. Feels quite cushiony while still having the clickity clack.

Honestly?

A fidget cube.

Fidget toys got a bad rep, especially after Fidget Spinners became trendy for the younger generation.

But just having a little thing I can toy around with has been great for my pens and game controllers, as in the before times my grabby hands would fiddle with them whenever I was thinking about shit and it was bad for their durability.

For less than a dollar? (ay, currency exchange rates) Yeah, one of the best things I bought.

Lemmy needs a community dedicated to pointless debate over which flashlight is best. I'm about to permanently borrow somebody's ThruNite T1 but it's too heavy, I miss the mini Maglite I used to carry. Phone flash is fine, yes, but I miss a flashlight/torch without a fucking login procedure involved for fuck sake.

A bedside arm for mobile phone. No more uncomfortable phone holding for bedtime youtube session.