Filed under: Desktops

The $12 PC project just got a little more interesting — contrary to what the Boston Herald reported yesterday, the project is actually based around an off-license NES clone from China called the Victor, not the Apple II. The machine is entirely contained within a keyboard and accepts NES cartridges as well as Famicom software, so there’s already a BASIC — which might be what project members were referencing when they said that their generation had grown up programming Apple IIs. The Victor isn’t quite the machine the Apple II was, obviously, but we’re still totally intrigued by entire nations of budding console hackers — you ready for the competition, Ben Heck?

Read - Computerworld clarification
Read - Project wiki

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Filed under: Gaming, Wearables

Just as Mr. Adams wrote of the summer of ‘69, some heralded pop star decades from now will pen a smash hit recalling the summer of two-thousand and eight. Oddly enough, the tune will likely focus on the revitalization of the Nintendo Entertainment System, which has somehow wiggled into just about everything imaginable over the past few months. The latest concoction is a bit different, though, as the NES Belt Buckle doesn’t really shove NES capabilities into a buckle; rather, the NES is the buckle, which is sort of weird to be frank. Still, for $300 you can have your very own, but we’d recommend boosting your self-esteem and saving your cash by just making your own with that dusty system that’s still in your attic. Tons of laughs await you in the demonstration vid just past the break.

[Thanks, Harrison]

Continue reading NES Belt Buckle: most inelegant, awesome NES-in-a-whatever mod out there

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Filed under: Gaming

Okay, okay — we get it. So maybe there’s just not enough room in a genuine Zapper to fit all the necessary innards of a Nintendo Entertainment System into, but it’s just a bit weird to see the Big N’s antiquated console crammed into some other light gun. Similar to the NES-in-an-NES-controller mod we peeked earlier this week, this unit includes a plethora of games and all the controls you need; just plug it up to a TV, pop a few batteries in there and you’re golden. Is it any surprise this guy was tracked down on Ben Heck’s own forums?

[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

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Filed under: Gaming

Okay, okay — we get it. So maybe there’s just not enough room in a genuine Zapper to fit all the necessary innards of a Nintendo Entertainment System into, but it’s just a bit weird to see the Big N’s antiquated console crammed into some other light gun. Similar to the NES-in-an-NES-controller mod we peeked earlier this week, this unit includes a plethora of games and all the controls you need; just plug it up to a TV, pop a few batteries in there and you’re golden. Is it any surprise this guy was tracked down on Ben Heck’s own forums?

[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

This one has been around the block a time or two, but considering you have absolutely nothing else to do on a Sunday, you might as well dust off that DIY kit and get to work. What you’re looking at above is a genuine (albeit modified) NES controller playing a bona fide classic on a laptop. Amazingly, all of the software required for such a marvelously good time is stuffed tight within the controller itself. Take a step back and digest that — your very own NES emulator (with ROMs), shoved inside a Nintendo Entertainment System controller. Does it get any more awesome than that? Hit the read link to start building your own and let us know. Video of the action after the jump.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

Continue reading Modder shoves emulator, ROMs into actual NES controller

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Filed under: Gaming

We’re not quite sure how Seth Sternberger, one member of 8 Bit Weapon, was able to pull this off, but he somehow compiled a number of old parts from local shops and eBay in order to transform an NES Power Pad into an instrument of awesomeness. Click on through for a video of Micro Boogie being performed on said Pad, and don’t be shocked to find yourself immediately overcome with the need to get one of these in your own house (only to remember that you can’t dance).

Continue reading Power Pad hacked into musical controller, DDR trembles

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Filed under: Gaming

Looking to put those dust-collecting tools of yours to use here on Independence Day? Then we’ve excellent news, you introvert you. Rather than grilling up some red meat (or chicken, or tofu, whatever) and handling highly volatile explosives, we have no doubt that modder “darkeru” is spending his day playing with his brand new toy: a Nintendo Entertainment System… crammed within an NES cartridge. We’ll be honest, this one does feel a little incestuous for some odd reason, but we greatly appreciate the ingenuity. Hit up the read link for more pics.

[Via MAKE]

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Filed under: Gaming

Looking to put those dust-collecting tools of yours to use here on Independence Day? Then we’ve excellent news, you introvert you. Rather than grilling up some red meat (or chicken, or tofu, whatever) and handling highly volatile explosives, we have no doubt that modder “darkeru” is spending his day playing with his brand new toy: a Nintendo Entertainment System… crammed within an NES cartridge. We’ll be honest, this one does feel a little incestuous for some odd reason, but we greatly appreciate the ingenuity. Hit up the read link for more pics.

[Via MAKE]

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Not willing to lay out the cash required to sneak the official Super Famicom Wii controller into the States? Don’t feel like going through the insanity of making your own wireless NES and SNES controllers for the Wii? Raphaël’s epic X2Wii project might just be your ticket to Virtual Console bliss. He’s worked up an adapters for the NES, SNES and N64 controllers to plug straight into your Wii’s GameCube port, and while they certainly aren’t simple, it’s all DIY magic.

[Via Hack a Day]

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

A design masterpiece in the line of the Wooden Portable NES this certainly is not, but it’s fun to see a manufacturer taking seriously the concept of portable classic cartridge gaming, and what better place to start than the NES? The FC Mobile Portable could very well be a rebadge of something or another, and there’s obviously no telling how legitimate this eBay auction is — so proceed at your own risk — but we know we’ve certainly squandered $50 on much less noble pursuits than old school portable gaming.

[Via SlashGear]

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Filed under: Gaming, Portable Audio, Portable Video

We suppose we’re pretty easy to please: pack some NES emulation and some decent slide-out controls into a passable PMP form factor and we’re sold. Add in a 3-inch LCD, TV-out and a superfluous 1.3 megapixel camera… what more could we ever ask for?

[Via PMP Today]

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Filed under: Gaming

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Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming

Our first thought when we heard the news that there was an NES emulator in the works for the Sidekick series of text machines was one of pure, unabashed elation. The classic Hiptop form factor is pretty much exactly what the doctor ordered for effective old-skool gaming, after all — and let’s be honest, any time Nintendo playtime comes to a new platform is cause for immediate and overindulgent celebration. Our second thought was, “wait, what?” It’s pretty unclear how the emulator would be loaded with legally-obtained ROMs and we have our doubts that Nintendo signed away the rights to any binaries, so we’re a little confused about the word that this would be officially offered through the Danger’s Software Catalog. Let’s all cross our fingers, continue to pay our T-Mobile bills on time, and hope that tomorrow might bring countless hours of Skate or Die while we’re… you know, actually skating or something.

Update: While not technically fake, it turns out that this 80s-vintage action is going to remain a pipe dream (and no, we’re not talking about the NES game Pipe Dream, either). Danger’s developer tools allow arbitrary Java to be loaded into the Hiptop emulator — not just approved stuff, obviously — so odds are that someone loaded an NES emulator (like, say, vNes) and went to town with the screen shots. Official offering through the Catalog, though? Not so much. Thanks, Jim!

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Filed under: Gaming

It’s not exactly the most elegant solution, but those looking to bring their still-kickin’ NES a little (and we stress little) more in line with current-gen consoles now have a new option at their disposal, with the freshly-made Glider cart now offering downloadable content of sorts. To take advantage of that feature, however, you’ll also need to snag yourself a USB CopyNES board (available for $70), which requires some cutting and soldering in order to be wrangled into your NES. If you’re able to do that without doing some irreparable damage, you’ll be able to connect your NES to your PC via USB and download new levels for Glider, which can be offloaded directly to the game thanks to its use of flashable cart. Not exactly the sort of thing that’ll result in a spike of NES console sales on eBay, to be sure, but just imagine what your 1980s self would have thought of it.

[Via Gemaga, thanks J]

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Filed under: Gaming

Sure, we’ve already got a wooden SNES, but sometimes we want to get a little rustic on some original SMB, and that’s where Parker Dillmann’s wooden NES comes in handy. Built around the guts of a Yobo NES clone and a 3.5-inch LCD, Dillmann did some major custom woodworking to get this rig going, and he says he’s already got ideas for his next case. Tons more pics at the read link.

[Via Ben Heck]

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Filed under: Gaming

Samus grab the banjo, we’ll grab the HarmoNESica, tell Snake to bring his mandolin — let’s meet on Shadow Moses Island at sundown for some Brawlin’ good blue bluegrass. Video is after the break.

[Via MAKE]

Continue reading HarmoNESica is exactly that

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Filed under: Cellphones

We’ve seen a lot of phones float our way over the years, and some of them have had emulation capability, but it’s rare when you see a mobile phone-maker actually advocating that you pirate ROMs for their device. Of course, that’s exactly what Fly Mobile is doing when it comes to its MC100 handset. The phone has all kinds of regular features we’re sure you’d be interested in, like a 240 x 320 display, AAC, MP3 and MPEG4 playback, a microSD slot, and that handsome, “noble” dark brown finish. It all sounds good, but we know there’s only one set of qualities you’ll be laying down cash for: the phone’s ability to play SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and NES ROMs. Just remember, your favorites “can be freele [sic] downloaded frim [sic] Internet.” $270 and it’s yours.

[Via Mobile Magazine]

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Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Peripherals

Legitimate (read: legal) Famicon support for your DS Lite may seem like a dream come true for the retro gamer, but Cyber Gadget’s Cyber Famulator Lite might be a little much to ask for all but the geekiest. You have to strap on a (barely) pared down “famiclone” system onto your cute little portable, but pulling out and blowing into a dirty old Metroid cart on the go will no doubt be a privilege for some.

[Via ExtremeTech]

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Filed under: CES, Gaming, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

While a bit vague in the whole naming department, this new no-name OEM PMP51 PMP is actually packing a quite a spec sheet. The primary focus of the handheld is supposedly 32 bit gaming, but sadly SNES is nowhere to be found. But lucky for us there’s Game Boy Advance play, in addition to Game Boy, Game Boy Color and NES. The 3-inch screen should show off that emulated Advance Wars just nicely, and the addition of a 1.3 megapixel camera and support for plenty of audio and video formats round out the piece nicely. You can also add memory with miniSD and play your ROMs on the big screen with video out. No word on price or availability.

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Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

Yeah, the NES PC is old hat, but if you just can’t find the time to create one for yourself, why not pay some diligent soul for their hard work rather than living another month without one? Available via eBay, this finely crafted piece of art won’t crank through any of the latest PC titles, but it comes with plenty of horsepower (and peripherals) to handle all the emulation you can stand. Granted, Americans will have to fork over additional coinage to have it shipped in from France, but flooring a room full of nerds at your forthcoming holiday bash will most certainly make it worthwhile. Check out the auction along with an in-action video at the read link below.

[Via Technabob]

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