What should I get myself for my birthday?

Whatever you do, DO NOT START PLAYING MAGIC THE GATHERING. It is a horrible, horrible moneysucking leech.

New 3DS is probably a good investment.

But the art for Magic the Gathering cards are so cool!!!!!

How do your friends play MTG? It can be the most expensive hobby in the world. I probably spent over €1000 on cards which are now worthless and the majority of them I never used for anything ever. I'd advise against it unless they play very casually as in they buy a single pre-made deck box from a store once in a while and just play with those. If you start playing in FNM or constructed tournaments you'll spend so much money you'll be horrified when you realize it.

I own a PS4. Right now there's not a lot on it worth having it for. I guess if you really like the idea of Bloodborne maybe get one for that, but also just wait for reviews.

New 3DS is probably nice, but do you own one already?

My advice? It's boring but take a hundred dollars and have a good day or night out with some friends. Put the rest into your bank or a savings account until you decide what you really want to do with it.

@jesus_phish: I've only seen them play once but two of them both put in 50 bucks each and bought this huge box of booster packs and just started tearing boosters packs open and started making a deck from the cards they liked I guess.

New 3DS and a juicy steak. :D

I voted for MTG since you already have games and it's more fun to spend money on spending time with people. I then, however; read the first responses which make MTG sound like yacht racing or space traveling so maybe not? I dunno.

I voted PS4 but really only if you want to play Bloodborne, and/or if you don't have a PC for the Witcher 3.

There's more cool games out for 3DS, and more exclusives. The way I see it that if you have a PC, a PS4, or an XBone, these days the way everything is multiplatform you only really need one of those (unless you're a Souls fanatic). Get a 3DS.

Or, forgot, if you're a fighting game fanatic then you'll need a PS4 or a PC because SFV will be on those and SF is kind of the backbone of the U.S. FGC these days.

@witzig: That's sort of what they call a draft format. You get a full box of boosters and split them up between people and play. If they do that once every set comes out, that's not too expensive if it's between the three of you. A new set comes out every couple of months I think. But if you start going to pre-release events, buying boosters every week, buying individual cards for constructed decks and going to things like constructed tournaments the game gets real expensive and fast.

Maybe do that and see, buy a booster box with them and try it out. Or ask them first how much they spend on it. Since they're your friends its safe to assume you'll likely spend around the same amount. *EDIT* Nah forget that, don't do it man.

But yeah, magic gets really expensive which is a shame because it can be a decent game at times.

*EDIT*

Funny/sad story about someone I know who played Magic. He played it for years without his girlfriend knowing. He cheated on his girlfriend with another woman. He was genuinely more worried about her finding out how much money he was spending on MTG than he was about her finding out he'd cheated on her.

@witzig: I'll give you that...but you can easily see all of it online, in much better quality.

(For real though, speaking as a recovering addict, Magic is like real world microtransactions and your wallet would be much, much happier to stay away)

A clue.

OHHHHHH BURN, SON! TAKE IT! WHERE YOU AT?!

Also yes, do not start playing Magic with your jerk friends unless you know you have more income than them. You might think "oh, my friends aren't jerks, they won't" but yes, they will! They will open their wallets to make sure that your ruination is massive and total. All established rules of human interaction go out the window when it comes to collectible card games. This is how Pokemon card tournaments turn into Asian kids throwing human feces at each other in a hotel lobby.

I voted for a new 3DS. The PS4's great, but if you've got an XBO you should be fine for consoles. Personally, I like one major console and one handheld for my gaming needs.

If you've got people that would play board/card games, I'd get into something that isn't such a money sink like MTG. Look into stuff like Summoner Wars, BattleCON: Devastation of Indines, The Duke, Smash Up, etc. There are amazing board/card games out there that give you a tonne of replay in one box.

Considering you've got an XO I don't see a need for a PS4. I mean, what are you gonna play on it? Knack? Driveclub? Killzone? I just don't see the need for it. Now that Rock Band is coming along and I want my DLC library I'll probably end up getting one but I really don't want to.

3DS is a pretty good option.

If you want a good card game to play, see if there's people in your area playing Android: Netrunner. FFG recently relaunched it and it's pretty great. Instead of buying boosters you buy a pack of cards that contain enough copies of every card for legal decks. It's designed by the guy who designed Magic The Gathering (Richard Garfield) and he's said before that Android Netrunner is the game it is because of the mistakes he made with MTG.

When I had $500 on my birthday, I bought myself a modestly powered PC. But out of those options, I would go with a 3DS.

Can't decide if Magic the Gathering cards or PS4 is the more expensive choice here....

Majora's Mask? Pffft! BE CONSUMED BY MONSTER HUNTER! DO IT

@jesus_phish: I wouldn't say the most expensive hobby, but it certainly is the most wasteful. At least with other expensive hobbies like photography you get something tangible with the money you spend. I played Yu-Gi-Oh for half a year awhile ago, and sinking money into packs and boxes and getting shit all was akin to gambling.

To OP....DON'T BUY MTG CARDS.

Buy 100 copies of Jerry Maguire obviously. I'd say a PS4 is probably the safest way to waste your money assuming you aren't really into handheld consoles. If you're interested in card games then try one of a huge number of online ones.

Out of those options I would choose the 3DS but also get Monster Hunter 4 for it. All the leftover money I would put in a savings account or invest in some stuff. That's always fun.

If you have an Xbox I don't think there's a whole lot on PS4 to justify owning both as of right now. If you're a huge Souls fan I guess you've got Bloodborne really soon, but otherwise I don't know.

Take it from someone who has invested in a lot of card games and do not fucking get into them. It sounds like you've already got a social circle of friends to play and trade with so it would probably be really fun for awhile, but I don't know man. They're dumb things you will spend a LOT of money on and someday you'll be like "Why the fuck did I buy these?"

So I guess that leaves the 3DS, which is probably my choice of those three options. It's got a pretty nice library of games to play at this point. Pokemon ORAS and Majora's Mask 3D are awesome games.

Alternatively if you've ever had any interest in PC gaming you could probably build a pretty nice entry level machine for about $500. (Assuming you don't already have one)

If you have any interest in Bloodborne, get a PS4. If you already have a 3DS, you don't need a New 3DS. It's a totally optional upgrade.

Buy a whisky older than yourself, buying a ps4 for the exclusives seem like a bad move atm, a 3ds makes more sense, lost of games for that system, do not even touch mtg, it's a huge money hole.

Dude, if you don't have a 3DS and you have $500, you can get nearly every good game for the system. With $300 you could easily pick up MH4U, Super Mario 3d Land, Majora's Mask, OOT, FE: Awakening, Pokemon OR/AS, and Smash Bros. There's more niche stuff like Kid Icarus Uprising and SMTIV, as well as eShop stuff, but you'd be able to buy pretty much the entire catalogue of universally recognized fantastic games for the system with $500. I love my PS4 but if you already have an XBONE I wouldn't pick one up. Bloodborne is going to be rad but the exclusives lineup is still not worth it if you already have a current gen system. I'll also echo the other sentiments in this thread; trading card games are a horrific money pit and MTG is perhaps the most egregious offender.

The only fun I ever had with magic were sealed deck tournaments with friends, you don't need $500 to do that.

PS4 is great but you already have a xbox, I'm guessing you already have a regular 3ds so I voted get something else.

Buy a black rock monitor lizard or something equally gigantic so i can live vicariously through you. Otherwise if you want to be realistic definitely the new 3ds and a few games. Happy early birthday duder!

Magic is easily the most fun / rewarding game I have ever played. It's a rabbit hole that goes pretty much infinitely deep. I have had more fun and spent more time playing MtG in the last two years than I have every other game combined. Magic is unique; a game that's been fine-tuned by the fiercest competitive players for over twenty years into (imo) the greatest game of all time. There have been dozens if not hundreds of imitators, but MtG is still at the top of the heap, and for good reason. It's also more accessible now than it's ever been.

There are a ton of different ways to play magic and many of them (specifically booster draft) are not too expensive to dip your toes in and extremely fun. Magic has been so rewarding to me, personally, that I can't help but recommend it.

That said, people are not kidding about the cost of Magic. Magic is a far more expensive hobby, by the hour, than video games. Even playing a draft a week ($~10) adds up quickly, and playing tournament-style magic regularly is extremely expensive: we're talking an outlay of at least $100 to start, and then that again every six months or so as new sets come out.

As the Brad/Jeff often say on the podcast, at a certain point in your life, (hopefully) you have more money than time. My friends and I started playing magic as adults as we transitioned from college to the working world. The money we used to spend on beers and bongs started being spent on cardboard instead, and our jobs generally pay better, so the cost of magic doesn't detrimentally affect our lives. We talk and play magic constantly and have a great time.

If you are interested in playing MTG, take an honest look at your overall financial situation and ask yourself 'if I spend $500 and get bored of this in 1 month, or 3, or 6, will this hurt me?' If the answer is 'yeah', then please, save your cash. Don't go bankrupt over cardboard. If your answer is 'no, not really', then please, join us, it's awesome.

Personally I'd go with hookers and cheeseburgers but that's just me.

Maybe a 3DS in your case? Or a PS4? Probably not a PS4 though if you have an Xbox to be honest.

I support the 3DS choice, but might I suggest Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate as well?

A kitty cat ?

I know this one guy who can get you, like 15 large pizzas for it.

So, uh.... you should probably send me that money.

Seriously, though - get a new 3DS and maybe Monster Hunter with it.

I'd use that money on traveling. See new places, meet new people.

What's your PC situation like? I'd probably rather put that money towards a new GPU than a PS4. The 3DS might be a good option if you don't have a current handheld.

I have a New 3DS XL with Pokemon Alpha-Sapphire and A Link Between Worlds. Both are awesome and addicting. Strong recommendation.

A PS4 might be good if you're eager to play Bloodborne. Both consoles are looking light as we head into Spring and the Summer doldrums. You might want to hold off until the fall for a new console. At least, until after E3 to see what's shipping the latter half of the year.

Of the above Magic - expand your interests and try out a CCG.

Alternatively get a set of Terry Pratchett novels or a set of graphic novels.

Or invest in knowledge the greatest gift of all (by that I mean find something interesting and buy some books and start learning the subject).

If you get the 3DS I would get A Link Between Worlds ahead of Majora's Mask. It is a great, great game and the 3D will look amazing on the new hardware.

Also do you need anything like a new phone? Because investing in something that will improve your day to day life would be nice. But if not, get the 3DS! And then play Pushmo.

get a PS4, and then between your Xbox One and PS4 you will be able to get most current games

Not Magic.

I voted on PS4, the reason - Bloodborne.

Just curious, what did you end up getting?