Looking off the cutting bleeding edge

Today marks the launch of “Halo 3” — the biggest game for the Xbox 360 and perhaps Microsoft’s saving grace in the ongoing console wars. My contribution to the brouhaha can be found here.
Many of my technology stories cover the latest and the greatest, but it’s interesting that I rarely, if ever, use the products I cover. This ranges from “Halo 3” to the iPhone.
It can lead to some product envy. Sure, a new iPhone would be nice, but is it practical on my budget?
It’s also challenging to sound knowledgeable, but I hope I held my own against the hardcore fans of a product. I don’t need to have played the “Halo” games to know the basic premise or to know the impact the first-person shooter has had on the industry. At the same time, I feel I’m missing a little bit by not playing the game.
I guess it’s not too much different than covering a band or a TV show or an event that I don’t frequently partake in. It just seems different for an item someone can take to the checkout line and buy.