Technabob » tetris

Robots Dance in the Chinese New Year

Conner Flynn — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:00:38 +0000

Celebrating the Chinese New Year is a big deal in China. They go all out like it’s Christmas and New Years rolled into one, and millions of Chinese citizens tune-in to watch the Big-Show on TV. This year is the Year of the Dragon, so the show really poured it on with a fully robotic dance troupe.

It was a stunning performance. Fourteen robots danced to a re-mix of the Korobushka, a traditional Russian song. You might recognize it from the game Tetris. The highlight of the show was said to be how the robot army entered. The screen behind the stage showed a bunch of ‘bots walking in formation and with each step they took towards the audience a new level of risers popped up with a different part of the robotic troupe.

Robots dancing is always a good way to celebrate anything. Preferably with explosions and flashing lights. What’s truly amazing about this show is the synchronicity that they achieved with these robots all doing crazy moves.

[via Giz-China via Geek]

Tetris Soap Set Clears Dirt and Stench

Lambert Varias — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:00:36 +0000

The line piece is not as desirable as a soap as it is in the game. It’s not as unwieldy and pointy as the other Tetriminos, but in Soap Tetris the most coveted piece is the cube. Using the Z Tetromino must hurt.

These stackable soaps were made by Digitalsoaps and come in three different scents and colors, including “The Executive”, a set made of black, gray and white pieces. Because nothing says you’re a person of authority like owning video-game themed soaps.

Head to Digitalsoaps’ Etsy shop to get your own Tetris Soap for $9.50 (USD) per set of eight.

Tetris Cufflinks Geek Up Your Formalwear

Conner Flynn — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:00:22 +0000

Tetris is one of those classics that will always be around in one form or another. It’s available on the NES, the Game Boy, nearly every other console, and now your wrists. These officially-licensed accessories will compliment your shirt sleeves with just the right amount of geekiness.

You get the “J” and “T” shapes. Too bad you can’t drop more from each shirt sleeve and play a game on your arms, but I’m sure that someone is working on that dream. We might need a special shirt for that, though.

These official Tetris cufflinks are available now for about $14(USD) from Firebox. After wearing them for that special occasion you will likely feel a sudden urge to play the game again and try to beat your high score.

[via Ubergizmo]

Tetris Sideboard Concept Needs More Colorful Bricks

Technabob — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:00:24 +0000

I guess Tetris-themed furniture works well because of all of its straight geometric pieces. I’ve come across a few Tetris furniture items over the years, and here’s another one to add to the block-building collection.

Pedro Machado’s T@tris concept looks like an ordinary sideboard – until you look more closely, and you realize that it’s made up of a bunch of perfectly-stacked Tetris bricks.

What I really like about it is that the Tetris pieces aren’t simply decorative, but that they slide out to transform the piece into a small dining table for two, and also serve as storage drawers.

I could actually envision an entire series of furniture that works using the interlocking block idea like this. It would work particularly well for a desk, or maybe even bedside tables or a media center. For now, the T@tris appears to be just a series of concept renderings, but if Machado ever does produce this furniture, I hope he offers the option to get them in authentic Tetris block colors too.

Also, now that I think about it – if you did stack your Tetris blocks this well, your furniture would cease to exist, right?

[via Behance]

Minecraft Meets Game Boy Tetris

Technabob — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 00:48:08 +0000

As we already know, Minecraft is an amazing tool for building intricate worlds and other fun digital playthings. The latest creation… Minecraft Tetris. But not just any old Tetris, this is the classic greyscale Nintendo Game Boy version many of us grew up with.

The guys at MinecraftA2Z built this Tetris level using the Minecraft engine, but they did cheat a little bit. That’s because the video below was put together using stop-motion animation, and it’s not actually a playable level.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Still, it’s pretty impressive and worth checking out if you have a minute. Plus, I can never get enough of that original Tetris theme… Especially this version…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Tetris Game Controlled with DDR Pads, DDT is Born

Conner Flynn — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 18:00:58 +0000

Tetris is a classic game, so why not merge it with another classic? One that forces you to bust a move in order to rotate that Tetris piece and drop it in place. I’m talking about a six foot tall Tetris game controlled with a Dance Dance Revolution dance mat.

This combo was created by three MIT students who had an urge to play an LED matrix game of Tetris in a new way. Acrylic tubes were laser cut into pieces and attached to a frame. The LEDs inside the tubes then light up and create the game in front of your eyes.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can play by yourself or against friends, just like the original DDR. Want to try your hand at this project? If so, you can find the code here. This may lead to a new Dance TV show called “So you think you can Tetris?”

[via Technobuffalo]

Tetris Hits Android Market for Free!

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:49:15 +0000

Tetris is one of those video games that just about everyone is familiar with. The game spawned more copycats than you can shake a stick at. I used to get so frustrated at that game when the wrong parts would tumble down the screen and I couldn’t place them correctly.

If you are on the Android platform and like Tetris you can hop over to the Android Market right now and get a copy of the game for free. The free version of the game has the familiar music you remember from the original and features the marathon game mode as well.

The game uses touchscreen controls where you rotate and slide the parts around using your fingers. Tetris Free also stores your scores so you can compete against yourself and others online.

Tetris Sticky Notes: Post-it Puzzlers

Technabob — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 02:01:52 +0000

Retro gamers, here’s a great way to take notes, while at the same time playing a round of Tetris. These sticky notes come in Tetris-inspired shapes, letting you create puzzles as you write. Although I’m not sure completing a row of these actually makes them disappear from your wall.

The note pads are officially being sold as “Block Notes,” presumably so as not to offend the makers of Tetris or Post-It® notes – or at least to avoid the ire of their lawyers. Either way, I’m still gonna call them Tetris Post-Its®, because that’s what they are to me.

They come in sets of 8 pads for £7.50 (~$12 USD) , including a variety of block shapes and colors, courtesy of our friends over at SUCK UK.

[via all things cool via Colossal Art & Design]

Say “I Do” with a Puzzling Tetris Wedding Cake

Hazel Chua — Mon, 30 May 2011 21:07:09 +0000

It’s almost June and the wedding season is high up in the air. My sister and her longtime boyfriend of ten years just tied the knot a couple of weekends ago and I’m still weaning myself off the wedding bug (which makes me want to lie down in bed all day eating wedding cake. Pathetic, I know.)

But anyway, while at the reception, I overheard a conversation between some guests who were arguing about the state of marriages these days. The conversation ended with one of the women saying that she finds it puzzling as to why people still get married when a lot of them end up in messy divorces or prolonged separations.

So when I saw this Tetris Wedding cake, my thoughts went right back to those two women who were arguing the merits of marriage. I would love to have met or seen more of the wedding of the couple who decided that their wedding cake should pay homage to one of the greatest classical video games of all time. It seems like the couple went for a more literal take on the conversation that those women had at my sister’s wedding: puzzling but it’s not something you can’t figure out with time and a little practice.

The road to tying the knot can be long and arduous (as my sister’s was) or it can be quick like a whirlwind romance (like some of my other sister’s early twenty-something friends getting married after 2 or 3 months of knowing each other.) Whatever pushes people to finally take the plunge and make a lifetime commitment is, indeed, puzzling. But frankly, I don’t think that would matter much if you’re saying “I Do” (and not “I Do?”) to the person who you know you want to spend the rest of your life with.

Note bene: Excuse the writer for coming up with a sappier than usual blog post about a Tetris-inspired wedding cake. She blames it all, once more, on the wedding bug. *Achoo!*

Tetris Skull & Cross-bones T-Shirt: Pirates of the Game Boyean

Range — Sun, 15 May 2011 13:09:14 +0000

Sure, skull and bones designs are a dime a dozen, but this t-shirt has something special going for it. If you look at the t-shirt from afar, you’ll notice something pixel-like about the design. Once you look closely, you’ll see the intricacy of the design, and realize that it’s made from Tetris blocks.

It sure brings back some memories. I played Tetris for the first time on the first Game Boy, the one with the green-tinged LCD display. I remember saying to myself, one more game, and hours could pass. Everything seemed simpler back then, especially when it came to gaming. It didn’t take long for greyscale gaming to be left in the dust.

This t-shirt is available from ThinkGeek for $17.99 to $19.99 (USD) depending on the size that you order. The black cotton t-shirt sure looks menacing, but I’d like too see them in a few different colors.

Tetris Bookshelves Fall into Place

Technabob — Thu, 05 May 2011 03:07:49 +0000

Despite the frustration factor, I’ve always enjoyed Tetris. Sure, it’s old-school, but the general puzzle gameplay mechanic led to countless contemporary games, including the insanely popular Bejeweled franchise. So it’s hard for me to pass up a good Tetris post.

This clever stop-motion video uses a bunch of Tetris block-shaped elements, hand-placed into position and gradually forming a complete bookshelf. Here, check it out for yourself:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The only thing better would be to load up the bookshelves with color-coordinated books for each block. I suppose they could have used the official Tetris theme music too. Oh well, maybe next time. Sure, it’s not quite as impressive as the classic Human Tetris, but it’s still a fun video.

[via Dornob]

Tetris Played With Rubik’s Cubes: Fun to Watch But Not to Play

Lambert Varias — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 13:05:33 +0000

The thing about stop-motion videos is that they constantly remind us how time-consuming they must have been to make. Take this video by YouTube user BananaNeil for example, where he plays a game of Tetris using the tiles of Rubik’s Cubes as pixels.

BananaNeil claims that he had to manually configure the Rubik’s Cubes with each shot. Although just thinking about the process is enough to give one a headache I don’t think peeling off the colored stickers would be any easier, especially since they’re not made to be peeled off and re-applied repeatedly.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

So why all go through that trouble? BananaNeil actually made this video to promote his Facebook game, N-Tris. I’m not a Tetris fan but after seeing that video I just had to play the game even just a couple of times. It’s the least I can do.

[via Neatorama]

A Little Bit World: Classic Video Game Characters Make The World Their Stage

Lambert Varias — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:14:41 +0000

Made by Jonas and Simon Schwarzer, A Little Bit World sees classic video game characters emerge from a question mark block. It’s practically the low-budget version of Pixels by onemoreprod and Patrick Jean, though I wouldn’t call it a rip-off.

The animation is perfect, and it’s nice to see other games like Worms and Lemmings share the spotlight with the heavyweights:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

If you touch Pac-Man’s mouth, you deserve whatever happens next. You can download the soundtrack at Rams Le Prince’s website. It’s the one called Russian Stealth Fighter Test Flight.

[via Gamefreaks]

Ocarina of Tetris: A Line Piece to the Past

Lambert Varias — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:42:35 +0000

I’m quite late to Oliver Taylor’s ocarina party, but even with close to three hundred thousand views his perfect, no-look rendition – via Link – of the Tetris theme in Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a tune that still needs to be spread around.

His deadpan performance makes it all the more transfixing.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I’d like to think that he was doing some sort of Russian dance with the lower half of his body while he was playing the song.

[via Halolz]

Kinetris: Play Tetris the Way It Wasn’t Meant to Be Played

Lambert Varias — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 13:34:56 +0000

Ever wanted to play Tetris using gestures, Minority Report-style? Me neither. But hacking and common sense don’t always go together; sometimes people love to do things just because they can do it. Case in point, Conan Chen’s Kinetris project. As its name implies, Chen made a game of Tetris that is played using the Kinect.

Unlike the original game, Kinetris is easier in that the next block won’t fall until you want them to, giving you time to position or rotate the block. That advantage is all but necessary, because otherwise it’s quite a tedious way to play the game. Here’s Kinetris in action, complete with a parody of the Tetris soundtrack that you may or may not find funny:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I got tired just from watching Kinetris being played. I’m not sure if I’d want to play any puzzle game on Kinect, unless we count this one as a puzzle. Still, if you’re interested, just contact Chen and he’d probably be more than willing to share the game or its source code.

[via Le Journal du Geek]

Tetris Link Board Game More Like Connect 4 Than Actual Tetris

Range — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:37:27 +0000

How man hours did you play Tetris on your green-screened Game Boy? I played for a long time, until I passed level 12 and it was just too much for me. Now, after more than 26 years, Tetris has been turned into a board game.

Actually, it’s not the first Tetris board game, but this one at least looks sort of like the real game. Tetris Link was created by the John Adams company in the UK. They’ve had to rework the game a bit, so it can be played without any sort of electronics. Players score each time they link three or more pieces together. The opposing player places their pieces to try and block this from happening.

The game is expected to be released this spring, so look for it everywhere. The gameplay doesn’t really sound like Tetris, to be honest, but it’s an interesting take on a classic game.

[via Pocketlint]

Tetris Sugar Cubes: Level Up Your Tea!

Technabob — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 21:32:33 +0000

It turns out there’s more than one way to get rid of those pesky Tetris blocks. Sure, you can wait for them to neatly stack into a row so they vanish, or…

…you could dissolve them in your coffee or tea. As a retro game fan, I just love these Tetris-inspired sugar cubes. They were designed by Danil Zdorov, and are unfortunately just a concept at this point.

He just needs to load them with food coloring, and he’d probably sell millions of these things.

[via NCSX Blog]

Tetris: Le Film

Technabob — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 02:09:47 +0000

Everyone’s favorite block-stacking puzzler makes its big-screen debut in Tetris: le Film.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Yeah, the only French I know is “Je voudrais une omelette au fromage“ but retro games are the universal language, no? non?[via Retropaddle]

The Art of Aled Lewis: Cartoon Crossovers

Lambert Varias — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 12:26:02 +0000

London-based graphic designer Aled Lewis does a bit of drawing on the side, and when he does he says he likes to create stuff that make people laugh. His geeky art certainly does that. Take the piece below for example, which Lewis calls ‘Battle 101′:

If you lobbed a Wailord directly at your enemy, it really will be super effective. Here’s more of Lewis’ other funny pieces. You’ll notice that he loves making characters from related genres meet. The Tetris final boss is hilarious.

You can find more of Lewis’ art on his Flickr page and on his website. The awesome Dr. Who/Back to the Future crossover “It Came Out Of Nowhere” is also available as a shirt at Woot for $15 (USD).

The Tetris Theme Gets Lyrics

Technabob — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 01:43:07 +0000

With a title like “A Complete History Of The Soviet Union Through The Eyes Of A Humble Worker, Arranged To The Melody Of Tetris” and music by “Pig With The Face Of A Boy,” I at least had to give this music video one view.

Now it’s your turn…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

If I have to have that tune stuck in my head, so do you. Get the whole album over at PigFaceBoy.

[Thanks for the tip, Craig!]