Category: DIY + Hacks

When you’re playing classic games, nothing beats using the original gamepad. In fact, the good ol’ NES controller is useful for all sorts of classic games, whether or not they were made by Nintendo. It’s comfortable and familiar.

The Nintendo DS Lite boasts pretty decent battery life when fully charged… but why charge it at all? Slap a few solar panels on that bad boy and stop worrying where you left your charger. Not sure how to accomplish such a feat?

There are two things that have to be said about this custom Xbox 360 arcade cabinet: it’s big (like the original Xbox, only even bigger) and it’s pretty pricey. Only serious Xbox devotees need apply at $2250… but that is, after all, cheaper than a lot of gaming PCs, and it would take quite the pimped-out PC to match this project.

If you’re not above playing a hacked ROM or two, you can experience something truly special: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, in Latin. Or should I say Zelda II: Expeditio Linci? It sounds more dignified somehow.

Customizing arcade-style gear has become quite the popular hobby lately, with arcade tables and personalized fighting sticks springing up all over. But sometimes these projects go a step beyond the normal, as with this folding table with an inset arcade controller.

This may not be the first time we’ve seen a mix of Mario and President Obama, but it’s certainly the most interactive. Parody flash game Super Obama World replaces some classic images from Super Mario World with a grinning image of the president himself, and some of the familiar enemies and objects have been politicized.

When you think “handheld or portable game system,” you probably get a mental image of some sleek technology with pleasing lines and a good balance. But in the DIY portable community, things aren’t so simple. Here, we’re talking about cobbling together bits of consoles that aren’t supposed to be portable and trying to make them fit into a pocket… or a bag… or at least the car, without the need to haul a television around.

Explosive modder Matt purchased some decommissioned test grenades and decided that it would make for a great MP3 player shell. So does it?  Yesno. Matt stuffed the innards of a 2GB Sansa Clip into the grenade.

If you thought that 7 x 7 x 7 Rubik’s Cube was a little too difficult for your tiny brain, what with its 1.95 * (10^160) permutations, have I got a deal for you. This 3 x 3 x 1 Rubik’s Cube (aka the “Floppy Cube”) is so simple that your cat should be able to solve it – with one paw tied behind its back.

So imagine that you’re just bebopping along down the road, minding your own business, maybe thinking about picking up a mocha or pulling in to get gas, and there are road work signs. Okay, no problem.

Do you suck at Guitar Hero? Got 5 minutes to spare? Time to redeem yourself then. Sort of. Are you a Guitar Hero god? Got 5 minutes to spare? Time to return to the real world.

What does it take to be praised by modding magician Ben Heck? An all-out throwback to Metal Gear’s German counterpart, that’s what. Modder/ secret war plans stealer Sheyr got the Heckman’s nod for this sweet Wolfenstein PC case mod.

You could keep an actual toolbox around, with things like screwdrivers and hammers… or you could con your gadgets into performing double duty as home improvement devices. And sure, you may not want to pound nails with your iPhone, but I bet you have no objection to using your Wii remote as a level.

So maybe you like to play the latest and greatest (arcade) games but you don’t necessarily like the latest and greatest controllers. The answer, clearly, is to build a hybrid monster of controllers to suit your specifications.

What could say “I really know how to dress myself” more than a nice big brass belt buckle. You know – the type that’s so huge that you dare not try to bend at the waist, lest you puncture an internal organ?

For me luxury items are those that are not only ridiculously expensive but are also very impractical or unnecessary. Personally I think the iPhone is still quite expensive. I think it spreads itself too thin in trying to be too many things at once.