When the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs square off at the Super Bowl LVIII set for Feb. 11 at 6:30 ET, you’ll be able to watch it on CBS and even Nickelodeon if you’re really in demand of a kid-friendly, slime-covered Bubble Bowl, of sorts. However, if you’re the type who wants to make the day as memorable as possible, you’ll need food. You’ll need friends. And you’ll need stuff. Unfortunately, if you’re like me and you live in a small, two-bedroom apartment, the one thing you can’t necessarily get more of is space.
If you’re trying to gauge where to watch the Super Bowl this year, look no further. If you’re looking specifically for a screen, Gizmodo already has you covered. Last year, we offered readers ways to watch the game without ever having to leave the couch. But what if you’re the more active sort? What if you’re the overachiever who wants to have a Super Bowl bacchanalia like you never have? Well, you’ll probably drop a fair bit of dough on that endeavor, but at least it will be interesting for everyone involved. And hell, you may be able to pull it off if you don’t have a kitchen island or a living room the size of Steve Jobs Theater.
For watching the game with the best picture quality possible
For the sake of argument, let’s say you’re like me, and you have a moderately-sized apartment that isn’t meant for a TV the size of Mount Olympus. If you still want quality, you can’t go wrong with OLED, and the LG G3 is simply great. It’s tried and tested and comes in four sizes: 55, 65, 77, and 83 inches. If you’re absolutely set on buying a new TV to replace your old one, you’re gonna end up spending close to $2,000 on the G3, depending on where you get it, but it will maintain a quality display for long after Super Bowl LVIII has come and gone.
For watching the game without any annoying subscription
So you don’t want to stream the big game by any of the more standard digital means? Fair enough. In that case, you best pick up a digital antenna. Just like last year, the best antennae you can get are from Mohu, and the Mohu Leaf is a great example of what you can get for much less than $100. Once you hook it up, you can hop on CBS for all the game’s delights, including the ads, if that’s what floats your boat.
For showing off the Super Bowl without a screen at all
You know what? Screw TVs. You never needed one. Why should you shell out for a massive screen when your entire living room wall could be the canvas for watching dudes slam into each other repeatedly? Of course, you don’t want to be rolling in a massive projector setup like you’re a member of your high school’s AV club. Instead, we would suggest a smaller projector like the Samsung Freestyle Gen 2. You can stick it anywhere, and it will support a 1080p resolution display and go from a bare 30 inches to a full 100 inches on any wall or even the ceiling. You won’t get the best picture quality possible with this setup, but it could also be a great option for a second screen showing the game somewhere unique. Perhaps you could stream it on the ceiling.
For bringing the game to every room in your abode
Let’s say you want to show the game in multiple rooms of your home, but you only have one or no tablets or laptops lying around. Instead of spending hundreds on a whole new touchscreen, let me introduce you to small, portable monitors. The ASUS ZenScreen 15.6-inch is a nice, relatively inexpensive 1080p monitor that does what it says on the tin. It has a built-in kickstand, so just set it up on the kitchen counter, and you won’t have to worry about propping it up on a jar of pickles. If you have something like a Chromecast dongle, you should be able to cast to the miniature TV without much fuss. Still, this and other small screens only support USB-C, so you may need to do some pretty impressive cable management if you want to stream the game on multiple devices from the same source.
For cooking up hot food as fast and flavorful as possible
As much as they seem like fad kitchen implements, air fryers truly are versatile machines capable of banging out well-heated and surprisingly crispy snacks without doing any unnecessary and frankly party-dangerous fry-ups. If you want wings quickly, an air fryer is the way to go. The Instant Pot Vortex is a quality choice due to its 6 QT capacity compared to its relatively slim size.
For cleaning up without breaking out the loud vacuum
You don’t need to break out the broom every time your brother’s kids knock over a bowl of chips. In fact, you’ll want something that won’t make much noise while being able to survive when somebody inevitably drunkenly stumbles on your autonomous cleaning maid. The Eufy Robovac 11S is relatively cheap compared to the competition, but Wirecutter especially noted it’s a workhorse that can take a few licks. You can’t control it with an app, and you’ll have to dump it manually, but you probably didn’t want a loud base station suddenly interrupting the kick-off with a loud “whoosh” sound anyway.
Best way to keep your open bottles cool all-day
If your hands are getting extra hot and sweaty as you death grip your drink watching the latest play, you may need to invest in something to keep you and your friends’ drinks at pre-luke temperatures. You also probably want something more capable than that branded koozie dumped on you at your job’s last Christmas party. The CamelBak Horizon is a good tradeoff of quality for its price for smaller cans. Otherwise, you could go for Hydro Flask’s version, which will also definitely sport your average-sized bottle.
For getting quality game sound with limited space
You’re going to need some quality sound to complement the nice picture quality. The best way to maximize space for quality is a sound bar, and for that purpose, you can’t go wrong with Vizio’s Elevate. It’s packed with 13 speakers and supports Dolby Atmos to maintain at least a portion of that surround sound feeling.
For when you want to show off your team’s colors without cheap LED string lights
You can do a lot better than a cheap strip of Christmas lights if you want to make your place look really game-day festive. For illuminating your house with programmable illumination, we suggest Govee’s LED strips. They’re not as expensive as other quality strips like Philips Hue, and you could set them up to show off your favorite team’s colors. Or, if you’re a fan of chaos, grab two sets of friends together, one who supports the 49ers and the other the Chiefs, then light up two sides of the room differently to really sell the antagonism.
For keeping food warm after it’s cooked.
I do not believe in any warming pot requiring specific stainless steel pots or pans. That takes up more space and is more annoying to stow away. Instead, why not just go for a full-on warming tray from MegaChef? Lay out your food on your own plates, and suddenly, you don’t have to worry about food getting cold or any excessive cleanup other than what you already would have to do when your uncle devours 20 hot wings in under an hour.
For when you want to make cocktails without hiding behind the bar
Unless you’re a truly dedicated mixologist, nobody wants to be the one stuck behind the bar as your friends and family order endless screwdrivers. The Bartisien might be your best way to get good cocktails on command without needing to mix and remix every drink. The drinks come in Keurig-like capsules that plug into the top, so yes, there’s an unfortunate amount of waste involved. At the same time, it mixes everything for you without having to add splashes of bitters or muddle any herbs. You can also set it to make you stronger or weaker drinks, depending on how annoying your cousins are acting at the moment.
To keep the snacks going without running to the kitchen
Popcorn is truly the gift that keeps on giving, especially if you can pop it without having to jump over to the stove or, worst of all, resorting to microwave popcorn. We’ve said it before, but those old nostalgic Coca-Cola brand Hot Air Popcorn Poppers are just a nice way of serving the snack without needing to leave the couch. Keep water ever salts or seasonings you want nearby to coat once it’s done.
For letting all your friends charge their phones at once.
Inevitably, your friends and family are all going to come at you all at once, demanding precious power cord space. You don’t have to deal with that. Instead, tell them to stick their cord into your massive, 90W SIIG charging station. It has room enough for 9 USB Type-A ports, one USB-C, and a Qi wireless charging station. There are handy shelves to keep all devices separated. Just know this thing is large and in charge, and it will turn one corner of your room into a crowded hotspot if everybody wants to check their charging device all at once.
For watching every other past Super Bowl before this latest rendition
Want something to put on the TV while your family and friends gather before the 6:30 ET kickoff time? Pluto TV has a full channel dedicated to all the past Super Bowls going back years and years. It’s fully free, and you can relive some of the highlights of yesteryear. Want to watch the last time the 49ers battled the Chiefs four years ago? It should be up in the days before their 2024 rematch.