Technabob » gp2x http://technabob.com/blog Cool Gadgets, Gizmos, Games and Weird Science Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:15:10 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Tiny Donkey Kong Arcade Cabinet Even Plays Pac-Man http://technabob.com/blog/2011/05/06/tiny-donkey-kong-arcade-cabinet/ http://technabob.com/blog/2011/05/06/tiny-donkey-kong-arcade-cabinet/#comments Sat, 07 May 2011 01:40:43 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/?p=55519 Donkey Kong… machine, but never one that was this accurate – and that actually plays. All it needs are tiny Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell dolls to go with it and it would be perfect. A modder going by]]> I’ve written about some tiny arcade cabinets before – even a Donkey Kong machine, but never one that was this accurate – and that actually plays. All it needs are tiny Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell dolls to go with it and it would be perfect.

tiny donkey kong arcade game by bender 1

A modder going by the name of Bender (who didn’t tell us to bite his shiny metal ass for once) created this 8.25″ tall Donkey Kong cabinet. Not only is it a perfect 1/8th scale replica of the original, it’s fully playable.

tiny donkey kong arcade game by bender 2

Okay, the joystick and buttons are disproportionately large, but you wouldn’t be able to play it if he made those to scale. Under the hood of this tiny marvel is a sliced and maimed GamePark GP2X Wiz, loaded with MAME. That means Bender could actually play just about any arcade game he wants on this thing too. I dare him to play Donkey Kong, Jr. on it. That’ll show ‘em!

Check out the world’s smallest working Donkey Kong machine in the video clips below (and yes, he does play other classic arcade games on it too), as well as a bunch of detail on how Bender bent built it.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Thankfully, the machine doesn’t require tiny little quarters to play.

[BYO Arcade Controls via Engadget]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2011/05/06/tiny-donkey-kong-arcade-cabinet/feed/ 1 Pandora Open Source Handheld Design Gets Updated http://technabob.com/blog/2009/02/11/pandora-open-source-handheld-design/ http://technabob.com/blog/2009/02/11/pandora-open-source-handheld-design/#comments Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:50:58 +0000 Technabob http://technabob.com/blog/?p=8918 Remember the Pandora open source handheld gaming console? Well after a long wait, it looks like the portable gaming system is getting closer to production from the looks of this revised design rendering I spotted over on the Open Pandora blog.

pandora render

While the design hasn’t changed dramatically from the original renders, there have been some notable refinements. For starters, the keyboard has improved ergonomics, with rounded edges and better spacing between the keys. Power and volume controls have been moved to opposite ends of the console (presumably to decrease the likelihood of accidental power-offs). Another subtle change is the rounding of square corners on both the display and the case. And yes, the serif font on those keys is just a placeholder, and will probably change before the final production run.

pandora back render

And if you have any doubts that the Pandora is for real, here’s a recent video of a working prototype running Ångström Linux on its sharp 800 x 480 4.3″ LCD touchscreen.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

And here’s another more thorough walkthrough, with Pandora playing some game emulators:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Yeah, it’s all a bit clunky at this stage, but if you’re into game emulation and the homebrew scene, the Pandora is definitely one to watch. All signs point to a first half of 2009 release for the Pandora, but given some false starts back at the end of 2008, there isn’t an official launch date yet. More details can be found on the Pandora website.

[via Open Pandora]

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