The Christmas and New Year celebrations may now seem like a distant memory, but if you're somebody who likes to host house parties all year round, then you may be interested in the ROXi music entertainment console, described as the "ultimate 'made for TV' music entertainment experience for the home."
We got the chance to put ROXi to the test over the holiday season, to see if it could live up to the lofty expectations we had after watching all of the glamorous celeb-studded ads and promotional material. Is it worth the price tag, or are we better off singing into our hairbrushes and simply running a karaoke sing-along video on YouTube?
From Spandau Ballet to Stormzy; Lemar to Robbie Williams; there's something for everybody in this huge catalogue which includes thousands of artists who you can choose to duet with, or go it alone in ROXi's latest addition, traditional karaoke. Both provided countless hours of tone-deaf and shockingly tuneful fun across the holidays, but the experience isn't one without its bumps.
Sometimes, lyrics for songs will rush ahead of the tune's actual tempo, meaning the words displayed on the screen aren't the ones you should be singing at that given time. This isn't too much of a problem if you're somebody who has the words and beat of the song down to a T, but for those relying on those on-screen prompts, it can cause confusion.
There's also the inclusion of music games, such as Guess That Song, where you gain more points the faster you can identify a song from four multiple choice options. It's a great party game, but also one you can play on your own if you're feeling quizzical and up for a challenge!
Other features include world radio, and therapeutic audio, as well as unlimited music to stream from the device. It's a unique alternative to your usual streaming services, but one that is affordable, with a whole bunch of alternative additions you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.
Music is something that brings people together, so it's easy to identify the lofty goals and ambitions of those behind creating ROXi. What they've done here is take a favourite pastime of parties - karaoke - and taken it to the next level, so that it's not just another typical karaoke machine. For that, they have to be applauded.
If you're constantly hosting parties and getting your groove on, then ROXi is a smart purchase. The features are stellar and the interface is easy to navigate; there's nothing to sign into upon launch, other than your own WiFi, making it extremely quick to launch. If you're only going to use it once or twice a year, then perhaps sticking to YouTube karaoke videos is the best option.
ROXi is available in blue, red and charcoal for £99.95, which includes a one-year Premium Music Pass, from buyroxi.com. An additional ROXi Microphone can be bought as an upsell with new ROXi's for £19.95.