Seems like Ben's night vision/DBAL lends itself more to identifying and possibly engaging targets around his rural property outdoors at night more than CQB. If I ever get into NV in a serious way that's where it would fall for me too. At the moment my only (low-end) night vision is a monocular that can attach to a scope. Utterly useless for CQB, and unlikely to benefit much from a DBAL, but still could be handy to eliminate nocturnal pests in a pinch.
Yeah, the CQB gun for in/around the house is my Sig Canebrake with a can, RD, and weapon light. I've thought about getting one of the weapon lights with a visible laser, like the TLR that I have for the house pistol, but that's it. For a home invasion scenario, I can't see putting on the helmet and everything else that goes with "night ops" while someone is breaking down my door.
The PWS MK111 that's next to the Canebrake is indeed for outdorsy stuff since it gets pretty pitch black out here once I step a little ways away from the house.
The thermal scope is not yet mounted on a rifle. I use it as a handheld a lot (again, when letting the dog out) at night just to look around and see all the stuff that I can't even see with the NVGs. Taking it out nearly every night in all kinds of weather and temperatures has taught me a lot about both the abilities and disabilities of thermal. I might put it on my MK116 at some point and enlist it in my current war with the racoons.