Check out the video. I love the way this thing moves and lights up. This is a hack that any Invaders nerd will want to do, but only a few of us will ever answer the call. Grant Gibson, we salute you.

[via Make:]

The videos were uploaded by YouTuber homer49. In the video below he demos the hack using Battlefield 3. One neat feature of the hack is that lets the user map the L2, R2, L3 and R3 buttons to the rear touch panels. That’s great news because it means all controls are accounted for – something that wasn’t possible with the PSP – making an official version of this feature much more possible.

That said, homer49 says that you can’t access a PS3 game’s online features when streaming to the PS Vita. There is also a very noticeable lag between button presses. Combine the two and this hack is all but pointless for a huge number of games. Then again, this is an unofficial implementation. Who knows what Sony and video game developers could come up with if they set their minds to it.

In the video below, homer49 explains how the hack works. Unfortunately it’s in Spanish so I can’t tell you exactly what he said – and that annoying creaking sound in the background doesn’t help – but he did say in the description that it requires the custom firmware version 3.55 or 3.41 for the PS3 and a jailbreak program called Multiman. You’ll then have to register the PS Vita on the PS3 as a mobile phone in order to connect it.

I am really hoping that Sony would release an official version of this hack, but there are a number of reasons why they might not do it. Aside from the lag, functionality and power management issues, there’s the issue of cannibalization. If this feature was made official some gamers might opt not to buy PS Vita games and use the handheld primarily to stream from the PS3 instead. Why buy NBA 2K13 for the PS Vita if you can stream the console version?

On the other hand, if the PS Vita had a feature like this when it launched, I’m sure it would be flying off the shelves for years. Skyrim on the toilet? Shut up and take my money! Then when the PS Vita games arrive some of those who bought the handheld for streaming will still end up buying those games. Assuming they’re worth buying of course. I also doubt this feature would work via 3G – homer49 was streaming via Wi-Fi and the lag was still there – so it’s not like gamers can stream games all the time. That’s another reason to buy PS Vita games.

You can speculate with me in the comments, or head to homer49′s channel for more videos of the hack in action.

[via The Verge]

The controls had to be tweaked a bit and a custom Doom menu was created to make it different from the plain DOS version of the game. This is one small step for games, one giant leap for calculators.

This port is packaged with the Ndless program, allowing you to unlock your hardware and perform your own hacks as well, but you won’t have time since you will be busy playing Doom. In color! On a calculator!

[via Hack a Day via Slashgear]

I’m anxious to see what else people can do with the PS Vita when it is available in all regions.

[via Tiny Cartridge via Kotaku]

The dangerous looking contraption has at its heart a single Coolidge Tube, which is a vacuum tube capable of producing X-Rays when 75 kilovolts of power is applied to it. Thankfrully Grenadier is experienced with high voltage gear, so that was no problem for him to provide ample current to power up his X-Ray tube.

The left-hand box provides an Arduino-based controller, and cool looking gauges to check amperage and voltage, as well as a Nixie display which shows exposure time. The right-hand box contains the tube and all high voltage components, so it can be placed at a distance from the controller. Since Grenadier doesn’t have any X-Ray film lying around, he’s managed to rig up something called a “scintillation screen”, a plastic sheet which fluoresces when exposed to radiation.

This let him see through any object he fires the X-Rays at. As you can see from the photos here, the results are pretty awesome. However, this is one time that I can most definitely say “Do not try this at home. EVER.”

Hopefully, Grenadier has taken precautions to protect himself from the radiation with a lead shield of some sort, and he never tries to X-Ray the cat. You can read more details about the DIY X-Ray machine build here.

Nintendo needs to take heed of this awesome mod. If they released something like this themselves they could have mega-sales – especially if they updated it with modern hardware. I know I would buy one.

[Bacteria Forums via Ubergizmo]

The flaw is supposedly so significant that a nefarious user who exploited the issue could force the mobile phone to call or text a specific number. If the flaw were to be exploited, hundreds of thousands of mobile phones could be forced into calling for texting premium numbers in a short time, racking up huge money for the hacker at the same time.

The researcher talked about the flaw at a security conference in Berlin. Thankfully, he didn’t outline the details and give the hackers all the details they need to take advantage of the discovery. However, the researcher, Karsten Nohl, head of Germany’s Security Researchers said that it could be merely weeks before the hackers figure out the flaw themselves.

On the plus side, Nohl believes the issue could probably be fixed through software updates, though he doesn’t indicate if that would be at the network level or at the device level, and how he exactly plans on sharing the details of his findings with mobile phone carriers.

[via Reuters]

Apparently, the new iOS update doesn’t encrypt the system files that are needed for Siri to work. The fact that those files are unencrypted means you can access them and port Siri much more easily than you could previously. Earlier builds required complex decryption algorithms which required a frequently changed key to avoid detection.

This is great news for the hacker community that can now work on ports without as much difficulty. It’s not clear if Apple has intentionally left the files unencrypted, or if this is just a temporary change in iOS 5.0.1.

[via CultofMac]

According to the scientist, the RQ-170 Sentinel drone was forced to land where the Iranians wanted it to using a GPS hack. First, they blocked the GPS signals to the drone placing it into autopilot. Then the GPS hack fooled the drone into thinking it was somewhere it wasn’t.

The drone then landed of its own accord when the Iranians told it to and they had the complete and working drone in their possession. The crazy part is that apparently the military knew that this exact hack could compromise the drone all the way back in 2003.

[via C|Net via Gizmodo]

Instructables contributor lvl_joe made this fire-breathing pony out of a FurReal Friends Butterscotch Pony as an entry in their Hack It! Challenge. He combined the robotic pony with a flame thrower, some Arduino boards and other items – resulting in this fiery pony from hell.

If you want to try your hand at this, the full instructions are available on Instructables.

I love the way the neck moves realistically. It looks like an awesome pony of fiery vengeance come down from the heavens to kick ass and burn things to a cinder. Let’s all band together and make an army of these things.

Jut move your right foot a few inches forward to run, and a bit further forward to sprint. Your left foot forward gives you a slow walk. Leaning left, right, or back moves the character in that direction. The hack even offers voice control. This is one sweet hack for a game like Skyrim.

For more information on how the hack works, check out the description over on YouTube.

[via Destructoid via Kotaku]

We don’t have much of information about this hack, but we know that the emulator will allow the Kindle to play at least two games: Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The controls are on the screen of the tablet.

Your Kindle Fire playing N64 games. What could be better than that? Not much I say. (Except maybe your iPad playing Nintendo games.) To see the demo video, head on over to Kotaku. Now I want to play some Mario Kart. Thanks, Internet!

He wired up an Arduino board, connected some motors to drive the dials and attached a controller. You can watch modder alpinedelta32 use it in the video. I know, I know, you’ve seen people draw with an Etch-A-Sketch before, but when is the last time you’ve them use one with an NES controller?

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

What would have been really cool is if he had modded the screen of the Etch-A-Sketch to mimic and draw a game while it is being played. Yeah, hit me up when you accomplish that one. So there.

[via NowhereElse (FR) via Engadget]

It took her over a month to complete this one and the finished product looks good enough to market, even if the color makes me think of a First Aid kit. Under the hood is a full NES (version 2) console and a 3.5″ LCD screen, powered by rechargeable li-ion batteries, as well as a built-in D-Pad and buttons.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

It is pretty cute, but ever since seeing the pic, I just want that gun to be modded along with this portable. It bugs me. I just want it to be smaller and more James Bond-like – something that a woman could use with her feminine NES portable and then conceal in her purse.

[via ModdedByBacteria Forums]

In order to complete the hack, you’ll need to replace the stock batteries with higher capacity ones. Then, the battery compartment has to be modded to accept Voltaic Systems small 2-Watt solar panels. Finally the lamp has to be re-wired to accommodate Adafruit’s MintyBoost charger module.

The resulting hack adds a USB charging port, while at the same time allowing you to still use the lamp, which is cool and that makes it even more useful. You can check out the whole procedure here.

[via Ikeahackers]

A guy in Malaysia, simply going by the screen name of “S02″ decided to try and put together a pair on the cheap, and I have to say he did a pretty admirable job. Now he had a little help from a guy who sells McFly replica blanks over on eBay for just $200, but those are just the basic shoe form. There’s a ton of additional work required to make them look like the ones Marty McFly donned in Back to the Future II.

S02 started out with a pair of the McFly blanks, then added to them a total of 32 LEDs, with 8 each in red, yellow, green and blue. There’s also a small electroluminescent panel behind the NIKE logo. He managed to carefully run all of the wiring inside of the shoes, and concealed a 9V battery under the insole of each shoe to provide power for the lights.

He also applied PVC details to add the NIKE Swoosh and logos on the sides and back.

About the only thing he didn’t manage to do is build in the elusive Power Laces – but not even Nike has done that yet. Maybe if S02 got together with Blake Bevin, they’d be able to work something out.

If you’re interested in trying this out for yourself, head on over to the RPF for more details on the build, and you can order a pair of Markpoon’s McFly sneaker blanks on eBay to get you started. Just keep in mind that those are only available in US size 9, so if you wear a different shoe size, you’re SOL. While you’re over there, grab a copy of Grays Sports Almanac to complete the look.

Thanks to a new device called the Wasabi 360 Ultra, you’ll be able to load ISOs of your Xbox 360 or Xbox 1 games directly onto any ESATA hard drive, and boot and run the games as if you had the original DVD in the tray. The Wasabi 360 attaches to your console – connecting between the motherboard and the DVD drive. Installation is solderless, but does require that you crack open your Xbox 360, and make some minor modifications to its metal shielding to allow cables to pass through.

Since the Wasabi 360 uses an ESATA interface instead of USB, it’s smokin’ fast. Games are loaded from inside the Xbox 360 Dashboard GUI, letting you quickly and easily jump between games without getting up from the couch. It even supports multi-disc games.

Here’s a demo of the Wasabi loading up CoD: Black Ops, and then Driver: San Francisco without so much as a disc in sight.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Clearly games load way faster from the Wasabi-enabled hard drive than from DVD, and not having to deal with scratched discs and “dirty disc error” messages ever again has appeal. The Wasabi guys also plan on adding the ability to rip ISOs directly to the hard drive in a future upgrade, but for now you’ll need to burn ISOs using your PC.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure that Microsoft will assume that the primary use for the Wasabi will be for game piracy – while I personally think it would be a great add-on for legitimate game owners too. I’m hopeful that Microsoft won’t stand in the way of this nifty console enhancement and potentially ban its users from Xbox Live. Perhaps someday Microsoft themselves will offer the ability for you to load your entire games directly to the hard drive, and just limit piracy by not allowing multiple copies of the same serial number to be installed on multiple consoles instead of forcing you to still insert the DVD every time like they do today.

The Wasabi 360 Ultra sells for $99.95 (USD) and is available for pre-order in both Xbox 360 Slim and Fat versions over at ConsoleSource.

The hack was made possible by app developers Grant Paul (aka chpwn), Steven Troughton-Smith and Ryan Petrich. Paul recently talked about the hack on his blog, saying in deliberately vague terms how the hack was done and why, sadly, they can’t distribute the port or share how they did it. TL;DR version: It’s illegal. There is hope though, as Paul also mentions that he’s not willing to share the details “to try and ensure that you all will be able to use it in the future.”

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

So if we can’t have it, what use is this hack? As I said, it conclusively proves that Siri can run on hardware older and less powerful than the one inside the iPhone 4S. I’m no software or marketing expert but the way I see it there are three reasons why Siri is only available on the iPhone 4S for now. First of all, it’s one of the draws to buy the latest phone. More money for Apple. Second of all, as good as Siri is Apple made it clear that the software is still in beta. It’s safer and easier this way. Finally, I think making Siri available on even just one or two other devices will tax Apple’s servers. Just adding the iPhone 3GS alone will add millions of Siris making requests, including yours truly. I guess I’ll have to upgrade before I can pretend to be a Seleção.

[via Gadget Venue]

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

So if your band needs some extra geeky sounds, here’s your new member. The kit improves the outdated Gameboy audio, adding controls for cutoff, resonance, bypass, and envelope follower. It’s hard to describe, so watch that video and turn up the volume for some chiptune fun.

A pledge of $90 will get your a bare-bones kit to do the mod yourself, while $174(USD) will get you a modded Gameboy and 6 volt power supply.

[via TechCrunch]

The idea (as the creator of this weapon sees it) is that “the zombies can be dealt with at close range while the living, which is after the food supply, can be beat away with the other end without causing death.” I like my idea better.

[GordsGarage via Hack-A-Day]