Tag: extras

Making My Own Merch! HTVRont Button Maker Review

I recently got reacquainted with the Amazon Vine program where I am finding all sorts of cool gadgets to explore. This one isn’t electronic necessarily, but it does let you make your own button pin merch for your YouTube channel so it qualifies! You can see my full review on here.

I first of course made myself a “Lon for President” badge and was impressed by how easy this was even for somebody inept with craft projects like me. I then figured out a way to print my logo out and make some official Lon.TV buttons.

The button maker, surprisingly, worked quite well. It’s not without its flaws, but for a beginner like me, it was a fun experience.

Inside the box, you’ll find enough supplies to make 110 buttons. Given that there’s a learning curve, the extra supplies are handy for any mistakes you might make. The kit also includes some paper for your designs and a cutter for use on things you might print out. A word of caution: the cutter is sharp, so it’s definitely not for kids. I’d recommend getting a cutting board to avoid damaging your surfaces.

Creating a button is relatively straightforward. I found some online templates for a 58mm button, which I used to design my own. The cutting process requires some precision, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes easier. After cutting out the design, the next step is to assemble it in the machine.

The machine has two molds. You start by placing a flat metal piece, your design, and a plastic piece on right-hand mold. After rotating the mold under the press and pressing down, the design gets stuck in the press, ready for the final step. You then attach the pin piece, press down again, and voila! You have your button.

While the process is simple, achieving perfect alignment between the front and back can be a bit challenging. But for a beginner’s kit, it’s a fun way to get started. If you’re looking to create buttons for an event or even a fun personal project, this button maker is a great place to start.

Disclosure: this product came in free of charge through the Amazon Vine program. I had no contact with the manufacturer, no one reviewed or approved this video before uploading, and no other compensation was received.

Extra’s Video: Unboxing and Initial Impressions of the Steam Deck

After almost a year since I put down a deposit my Steam Deck finally arrived in the studio! You can watch me unbox it and hear my first impressions in my latest Extra’s channel video.

Valve has attempted a number of different hardware products over the years including the Steam Machines, Steam controllers, VR headsets, etc. Their devices have always been a little hit and miss to me, there was always something lacking. It feels like all of what they learned from past mistakes resulted in this product. It’s great.

The performance is excellent although as pointed out by my friend Metal Jesus Rocks having only a 1200×800 display vs. something higher resolution helps there. But the overall software interface and hardware quality feels on par with anything we’ve seen from Microsoft and major PC manufacturers. The fact that Valve is controlling the whole stack here including the OS is impressive, especially given how polished it all feels.

It also corrects some of the wrongs of past SteamOS iterations insofar as Windows compatibility is concerned. Thanks to its Proton layer most of your Steam library is likely runable although some games not verified “on deck” might have some issues. Valve does a pretty good job pointing out what to expect on those.

In a livestream I did yesterday I was able to get Windows working through an external drive. I’ll have a little bit more on that topic soon.