Getting to know the ins and outs of the San Francisco bay area rail system never looked so groovy thanks to this Super Mario World styled map.
A morning work commute can be a dreadful experience, as anyone who has had a 9-to-5 job in their lifetime can attest. But a little sugar can make the medicine go down as the Disney tune goes, and that’s exactly what graphic artist Robert Bacon has done with his Super Mario World interpretation of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system.
This isn’t the first time that Bacon has Nintendo-fied a city’s transportation map, he’s done similar illustrations, either in the style of Super Mario, Zelda, and even Donkey Kong, for New York City and Chicago, both of which – along with his latest BART map – are available for sale through riptapparel.com.
As for Bacon’s BART map, it is totally brightly in-tuned with Mario’s popular first outing on the Super Nintendo, and also includes many similar landmarks from the game. Giant smiling trees, stars, castles, and even power ups from Super Mario World make their inclusion on this excellent map that should certainly make for a nice print to hang on one’s wall.
The arcade fun of the Neo Geo meets the antique stylings of this lovely looking home console.
The Analogue NEO is a handcrafted console version of the Neo Geo MVS (Multiple Cart System), an arcade machine fondly remember for it’s big red cabinet and – as the MVS name describes – hosted a round of selectable SNK games, which arcade owners could interchange for other carts via a simplified slot-inserting system.
Analogue, who have ventured into the high-end retro console field – a field they currently share alone – with the NES/Famicom-playing Analogue Nt, has reimagined the monolithic arcade cabinet into lo-fi masterpiece that can easily sit on a mantle. The rectangular console is made from 100% ash wood and finished through a process of ebonizing.
Basically, the end result is a beautiful console complete with the ability to play the full library of SNK games (you can even use the original MVS memory cards that were made for the system) on a high-def television or if you’re a true purest, through a CRT monitor like the good old days. The NEO even includes the iconic rainbow-colored four-button layout that most Neo Geo machines fashioned proudly since their introduction in the early 1990s.
Analogue will be producing a limited run of 20 NEOs, individually numbered and signed, that will be shipped to your door front just in time for Christmas. Price? $1499 USD. Not surprising for something in a limited run and made from quality craftsmanship.
I’m sure in the near future Nintendo will roll out a diverse roster of Amiibo figures that would delight any collector, but in the meanwhile handy dandy do-it-yourself-ers have taking upon themselves to invent as many unique figures from within the Nintendo universe.
Yes taking a page out of “doing what Nintendon’t”, fans have been either repainting several figures – such as the “Metal Mario”, “Light Suit” Samus, Dark Link, and blue-colored Yoshi examples you see here – or make-shifting and inserting items to transform the friendly Villager of Animal Crossing into his not-so-friendly-super-creepy form.
Hmm, I’m not so sure if that last one will ever make it to the product line, but as for creativity? It’s absolutely great. I’m sure we will see more custom Amiibos as the time goes on. With a little ingenuity, a glue gun, and paint, the number of different custom Amiibos could be endless.
Witness the combination of Xboxes past and present in this laptop gaming mod.
What’s better than a Xbox One console mod? A Xbox One and a Xbox 360 console mod. Gadget enthusiast Ed Zarick has done just that with his Xbook Duo, a console laptop mod that has built-in capabilities for Microsoft’s current and previous console offerings, which can be played on a collapsible 22? 1080p Vizio LCD monitor.
Stylish as it may be, I imagine the Xbook Duo would be a behemoth to lug around. Not surprising when you consider how bulky the Xbox One already is… Then you try to force (precisely, of course!) another console in such a relatively compact space? Well, it would be like trying to fit a walk-in closet’s worth of clothes into a tiny suitcase.
Tight fit, huh?
Logically, I very much doubt bulk was much of a consideration in the design phase. Getting that slick combo working together was at it’s forefront, and in that case – a laptop case (haha!) – the Duo is fantastic. CD loading trays for both console can be found on the side, and while you can’t operate both at the same time, switching between either is as simple as a press of a button.
You can settle it in Smash. And you can also settle it in Smash on a calculator through an awesome port made by a TI-83 homebrewer.
Super Smash Bros. will be making its triumphant debut this week on the Nintendo Wii U, but silently on another orthodox platform too. Omnimaga forum member, Hayleia, has been busy making a version of the all-star Nintendo bash, called Super Smash Open, for the Texas Instruments’ TI-83 series of calculators that’s available for download right as we speak.
Why would you opt for a version of Smash Bros. that you can only pick two characters, Fox and Falco from Star Fox, and none of the frills that come with the Wii U one? Well, you wouldn’t. But it is an amusing port for all things. One that is being continually worked on by Hayleia, and who is currently seeking for more folks to help with its further development.
The project is both free to download (it even has a two-player mode, albeit one where you have to share a calculator to play) and free to improve, so if you’ve got the programing know how, you might be able to expand the roster and fix it up with a few more gaming options.
Similar TI-83 calculator portings of Portal and Pokémon have been made in the past from devoted homebrewers of the hardware, and you can find more of their projects over at TI-Planet, a website dedicated in rounding up similar homebrew software for the TI-83.
Vampire hunters a like will love this fan-made board game devoted to the popular monster-slaying video game series from Konami.
As a Castlevania die-hard, I would probably do anything to play this fan-made, board game version of the classic Konami action-platformer. Redditor XsimonbelmontX has done his best in recreating the monster-fest into a working table-top game that features the recognizable hallmarks from every Castlevania entry.
From the start, you and your compadres can choose from up to 11 heroes/heroines from the Castlevania universe, from legendary vampire-hunter Simon Belmont to son-of-Dracula Alucard, as you make your way through Count Dracula’s famous mansion.
Along the way players must all work together, leveling up their character by defeating monsters or gather up distinct power-ups, collecting the five body parts of Dracula scattered throughout the castle (much like in Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest), and then finally summoning the lord of darkness to then defeat him and thus win the game.
Of course the game itself is only one of the main draws, because the amount of Castlevania love in every facet of this board game is something else.
The board itself is basically the level layout of the original NES game, 8-bit pixely and all; the play cards have art and descriptions from every Castlevania title up to date. And XsimonbelmontX even created snazzy suitcase to store the game up once your done! In fact, it looks like a suitcase right out of a Hammer Flim’s production of a Dracula movie.
You can find more pictures of this Castlevania board game from XsimonbelmontX’s own imgur account. It’s a shame only he and his friends will able to whip their way through Dracula’s castle in this inspiring creation. I’m sure as the night is a horrible time to have a curse that many Castlvania fans, retro gaming enthusiasts, and even board game collectors would love to own such a terrific board.
DIY tech blog Adafruit shows us the combined beauty of 3D printing, micro controllers, and the nostalgic gaming retro skies of Super Mario Bros.
The blue pixelated skies of the original Super Mario Bros. is as nice a view as they come. And if you could wear it around your neck? That would be better, and is exactly what you can do with Adafruit’s 3D printed pendant, which plays an animated scene of the Super Mario Bros. clouds.
Shaped in the appropriate visage of a Nintendo Gameboy, Adafruit inserted their custom-made microcontroller, the Pro Trinket, as the base for this unique piece of jewelry. The Pro Trinket measures 1.5″ x 0.7″ x 0.2” around. Tiny, but featuring enough processing power to run the 1.44? LCD display that’s playing the looping animation.
The process requires a little soldering know how, along with the use of a 3D printer, but Adafruit’s simple step-by-step video can easily guide you into rocking your own pendant.
VIDEO TO ADD [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqcTEZpB780]
Don’t underestimate these furry assassins, they’re purrfectly trained bounty hunters.
Our geeky love for cosplay has now caught on with our feline friends. From the website that brings the Internet an endless daily supply of “the cute” from the animal kingdom, Cheeszburger.com, is a cast of kittens donning the shadowy robed figures of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed.
How effective would a legion of kitten assassins be in eliminating their target? Well, in this following video (made by YouTuber Mr.TVCow), apparently good enough to take out a bunch of British Redcoats. And in the most adorably possible way, too! Leaping off tiny ledges, jumping into small mounds of hay, and parkour-ing through rocky terrain.
Now, I’m not so exactly sure how they take down their intended mark without having accurately-sized weapons (or how they would even hold them without opposable thumbs for that matter), but I’m going to guess their target’s have strong cat allergies. Anyway, take a look!
The next software update for the PlayStation 4 comes this week, and includes new features like Share Play, USB Music player, and more!
This week the PlayStation 4 will be getting a serious overhaul thanks to Software Update 2.00. Codenamed “Masamune”, possibly a reference to the great Japanese swordsman of the same name, the latest software update has long list of improvements coming to the PS4’s operating system, and importantly among them all is Share Play.
That feature alone is just the tip of the “software update 2.00” ice burg when it goes live on Tuesday (October, 28th), as the list of additions also include Custom Themes, the ability to play music via a USB memory stick, exporting videos to YouTube, and the whole lot below provided by the official PlayStation Blog:
Share Play – A “virtual couch.” PlayStation 4 will create an online local co-op experience by allowing you to invite a friend to join your game, even when they don’t own a copy of it. You’ll be able to play games with a friend just as if you were together in the same room. This way, you could play local co-op modes with a friend even if they aren’t at your house. Share Play also lets you jump into a game to assist a friend, taking over their controller.
USB Music Player: PS4 owners can play their own music in the background while playing a game using USB Music Player*. After inserting a USB stick loaded with music into the PS4, a new option for USB Music Player will appear. Supported filename extensions include MP3, MP4, M4A, and 3GP.
Themes & Colors: Personalize your home screen background with select themes and colors. As a big thank-you to the PlayStation Nation, we want to kick-start your dynamic theme options by giving away a theme for two of the biggest titles gamers will be playing on PlayStation 4 this fall; Destiny and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Both themes will be available for download on Tuesday.
Players You May Know: PS4 will now suggest players you may know as potential friends in the ‘What’s New’ section.
Enhancements to Live Broadcasting: Masamune brings a variety of improvements to live broadcasting on PS4. In the Live From PlayStation app, PS4 owners can now select a Featured channel, which includes official broadcasts from PlayStation, broadcasts from people on a players friend list, and any game channel that the player has followed. Additionally, Live From PlayStation now has filters for searching broadcasts on a specific game, as well as support for archived broadcasts.
YouTube: Upload your gameplay highlights directly from PS4 to YouTube by clicking the “SHARE” button on DualShock 4. In addition, a YouTube app for PS4 will be available to download from the PlayStation Store.
Content Area and Library: PS4’s Content Area, which shows the latest games and apps a PS4 owner has used, has been redesigned to help make it easier to quickly find and access content. It now shows 15 of a player’s most used apps or games, and additional items will be added to a player’s Library. The Library on PS4 has improved filter and sort functions to help organize contented by type (game / app / TV & video), name (a – z or z – a), recently used, or install date.
Enhanced Voice Commands: The ability to control PS4 using voice has been improved. Players can now say ‘PlayStation’ to begin commands, and ‘All Commands,’ to see a list of all voice command options available. New voice commands were added for live broadcasting, including “Start broadcast,” “End broadcast,” and “Find face.”
Add To Library: The monthly free PlayStation Plus games will have an ‘Add to Library’ button in the PlayStation Store. This button will add a game to a PS4 owner’s library without downloading it – saving space on their hard drive.
Sony also has other software updates planned for the PlayStation Vita, PlayStation TV, and PlayStation smartphone app this week, most of which lend some of the exact features above to each gadget, and you can learn more about them at the PlayStation Blog.
A Replica Prop Forum user uses a 3D printer to create an amazing cosplay of Nintendo’s popular gaming heroine, Samus Aran.
Need some last minute Halloween costume inspiration? Perhaps you should take a look at what Replica Prop Forum’s member Talaaya has created in two years time using a friend’s 3D printer, a fabulous recreation of Samus Aran’s Varia Suit from Metroid Prime 3.
As many keen-eye Metroid fans might know, the Varia Suit has been the choice outfit worn by Nintendo’s famed space-bounty hunter through many of her adventures, and Talaaya has done an excellent job of making her own cosplay-version.
Talaaya modeled and printed her suit after a Garry’s Mod 3D file, which was created by a Facepunch member called medrop, and the materials used are fairly common to find; the suit’s rad paint job is actually car paint, to give it that lovely metal shine.
The Varia Suit’s assembly was still a tricky one overall, getting the individual model pieces to look right – particularly, the chest and shoulder pieces crafted from silicone – which took a little trail and error on Talaaya’s part, but in the end came together amazingly.
Here’s a snippet of video of Talaaya trying out her Varia Suit:
You can find more pictures of Talaaya’s Varia Suit cosplay, both of the finished product and its assembly, over on her WordPress blog. I would imagine if Talaaya ever showed up at any Halloween costume parties, she would have no trouble winning; I know she would have my vote!
