Technabob » coffee table

NES Controller Coffee Table Really Plays Games

Conner Flynn — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:30:24 +0000

This isn’t the first Nintendo controller coffee table, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still look sweet. I like the fact that it is natural wood colored and it makes it look like this NES mated with an old Atari 2600. Everyone needs a good coffee table. The problem is that most are boring. Not this one. This one is all geek class.

It’s made by The Bohemian Workbench, using maple, mahogany, and walnut with dovetail joinery, so it not only looks good. Just remove the glass and it actually plays games when you hook it up to an old NES. It is built with quality as well. This table means serious business. It’s about 42″ long by 18.25″ wide, and stands at about 18” tall. It also will cost you $3,500(USD), plus shipping - but it looks worth it to me.

You are paying for quality materials, electronics, and of course workmanship. You can choose from four different versions (made from different woods or cheaper composites.) If I had the money, I would buy it in a heartbeat.

Fortunately for you, the guys over at DudeIWantThat managed to score one for a sweepstakes, so you could win one for your living room if you’re lucky enough. The contest ends on April 27th, so be sure to drop by for a chance to win.

[Etsy via redferret]

VHS Coffee Table: Be Kind, Rewind (and Keep Your Feet off of It!)

Technabob — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:45:53 +0000

VHS tapes might have gone the way of the dinosaur, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fond memories of the dominant video format before the rise DVD, Blu-ray and streaming. Kick back, relax, and remember the days when you had to rewind your movies and keep them away from magnets with this awesome handmade VHS tape coffee table.

While it’s not made out of actual VHS tapes, this stack of three giant wooden VHS tapes is way cooler than that. The limited-edition VHS tape coffee table from Amsterdam’s T76, and is handcrafted from teak wood in Indonesia.

The table features intricately carved details from VHS cassettes, including those windows that let you see through to the reels, and handwritten titles on the labels. Since each cassette seems to have multiple titles, and the write-protect tabs haven’t been punched out, I can only imagine these are bootlegged copies of these classic movies. Quick, call the MPAA!

The VHS coffee table measures appx. 49″ (W) x 25.5″(D) x 16″ (H), and weighs just under 80 pounds, shipped. It sells for $1980 (USD), plus shipping, and can be ordered from t76 by emailing them at order[at]t76design.com. Just make sure not to pop open the side and pull all the tape out of it. I know you want to.

[Thanks for the tip, Tom!]

Nintendo 64 Coffee Table Needs Matching 64DD Shelf

Lambert Varias — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:30:29 +0000

Keenan Bosworth’s Reddit name is doesn’t_give_upvotes. I’m not sure if he really doesn’t give upvotes, but I’m sure he makes damn good presents. Bosworth made this sweet coffee table using a huge replica of the Nintendo 64 logo as the base. Which once again reminds me how much the Wii logo sucks. No one should make a coffee table out of it.

The table was a birthday present for a very lucky friend. It’s actually the second N64 table that Bosworth built; the first one was a Christmas present for his brother. The base of the table measures 18″ on each side and is made of ~~polygons and pretty colors~~ pine. It’s not functional like the NES controller table, but Bosworth’s neat paint job makes up for it.

There are a lot more pictures of the table and its construction on Bosworth’s Imgur gallery. He’ll also be making an Instructable about the project, so grab some pine and paint and keep checking his thread for updates.

[via Reddit via The Penny-Arcade Report]

Starship Enterprise Coffee Table: Bean Me Up, Scotty!

Technabob — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:00:34 +0000

Trekkies, have I got something for you. If you’re thinking about redecorating your living room in a Star Trek motif, you’re going to want to seriously think about incorporating this bit of furniture into your game plan.

This bit of geeky awesomeness is the Starship Enterprise coffee table. It’s a one-of-a-kind handcrafted hardwood model of old NCC-1701-C, carefully placed under glass to protect it from phaser attacks (and spills.) It was made by wood artist Barry Shields, who couldn’t have a more appropriate name, unless it was Joe Nacelles, Steve Photon Torpedo, or Harry Warp Core.

Barry says it took him over a month to build it just the way he wanted, and it shows. I love how he even made the glass on top match the lines of the Enterprise. The base lifts the ship off the ground, making it look as if it’s hovering above the thick-pile planetary surface (rug) below.

It’s made from cherry, ash and poplar wood, along with steel supports and the aforementioned glass top. Barry doesn’t list the exact dimensions of the Enterprise itself, but the glass is 34″ x 54″, and the table is about 17″ tall, so it’d definitely a full-size coffee table. If you want it, beam yourself on over to Etsy, and get your credit card out – since it’s going to cost you a cool $3,100 (USD) if you want this in your home. Frankly, I think that’s a small price to pay to own the coolest coffee table in the neighborhood.

[via SUATMM]

The Ultimate NES Controller Coffee Table

Technabob — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 03:39:31 +0000

Way back in 2008, I featured a coffee table that looked a heck of a lot like a giant Nintendo NES controller. The thing was used for storage and actually worked as a controller for an NES console. Well, it’s two years later, and somebody has finally bested that achievement.

The guys over at 10up Deluxe have gone over the top with this precisely 10:1 scale NES controller table. Not only does the thing look awesome, the buttons and D-pad are much more faithful to the originals, loaded with custom springs and micro-switches to make sure it plays brilliantly. And they went one better than the original, placing a functional NES inside the table. No detail was spared – even the product details were carved into the back of the controller – in case anyone ever flips it over.

Check out the Extreme NES Coffee table in action in the video below:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Kudos to the guys at 10up Deluxe for this major accomplishment. It truly is a spectacular work of retro gaming art. And I’m sticking to my story from back in 2008. Someone needs to mass-produce these.

[Thanks for the tip, Sam!]

Surface Tension Arcane Arcade Table Rocks Your Living Room

Technabob — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:31:15 +0000

Why go with an ordinary coffee table, when you can get one with a complete media center PC and arcade gaming system built-in?

surface tensions’ Arcane arcade table not only looks great, it’s got a hidden Shuttle XPC, and an LCD screen (19″ or 26″) under the table’s toughened glass surface. The system loaded up with over 100 licensed games from Taito, Midway and Atari. Of course, it’s compatible with MAME, so you can run all of your personal favorite arcade classics too. The beautiful handmade table is available in walnut or oak and has a hidden drawer which contains high quality arcade controls including Sanwa joysticks and buttons, and a Happ light-up trackball and spinner.

There’s also a built-in sound system, with stereo 30-watt speakers. They’re also offering an optional Sonos Zoneplayer, so the table can be used as a music playback station from a Sonos base station. Of course, if you’ve got the computer inside the table turned on, you can just use Windows Media Center, iTunes or the music manager of your choice to play tunes or movies.

The Arcane arcade table starts at a rather pricey £3299 (appx. $5061 USD), but you can shave off a little more than $1000 if you BYOPC and software. Full specs are available here.

Vhs Coffee Table: My Betamax Table is Better

Range — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:56:55 +0000

Just like me, you’ve probably got a bunch of VHS tapes in storage somewhere. Let’s be honest, some of us just can’t throw away some of this stuff. That’s why I really like this coffee table, made up of of old VHS tapes.

Luisa Montealegre used 92 VHS tapes to make this cool coffee table. Luisa also decorated the tapes before using them in her project. It’s a good idea and it recycles some tech that will usually find its way to the garbage heap. It’s such a simple concept, but I’ve never seen anything quite like it before.

What do you think, will you hack your VHS tapes into something useful? What will you make with yours?

[via Make:]

Bughouse Scratch Dj Coffee Table Won’T Play Your Records

Technabob — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:18:13 +0000

Fancy yourself a DJ Hero? Looking for a new coffee table? I may have found the perfect thing for your living room.

The Scratch DJ coffee table from Bughouse features a distressed image of a pair of turntables and a mixer under its glass top. As an added bonus, you can customize it by placing your favorite records on top of each platter. Too bad it won’t actually play your music. It’s available from Bughouse Art + Design for $850 (USD).

[via A criação via NOTCOT]