Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

As far as calculators go, the HP 20b Business Consultant Financial Calculator isn’t worth a second glance for someone working outside of the finance industy, but it could peak the curiosity of those who like to tinker with their gadgets. The calculator features an Atmel 30MHz, low-power AT91SAM7L128 ARM7 System on chip processor and according to Slashdot “it has a bootloader and JTAG interface to allow user applications to be written and downloaded…” HP has even released an official devkit for the HP 20b which according to the site is “designed for developers who want to re-purpose the HP 20b and reuse the platform for other purposes.”

I haven’t really come across any examples of how the HP 20b has already been re-purposed in an interesting way, but there’s an ‘HP-20b Repurposing Project‘ wiki already setup that includes guides on the calculator’s hardware specifications, what hardware you’ll need to tinker with it and even instructions on how to open the case. There’s also a handful of downloadable software demos that don’t look that exciting (SRAM resident battery level display demo) but I’m sure will come in handy for developers writing their own code.

[ HP 20b Business Consultant Financial Calculator ] VIA [ Slashdot ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’re really into multiplayer on XBox Live, you’ll embrace any advantage you can get your hands on. So you might want to check out what the people at HG (or Head in the Game) Controllers are now selling. They feel that having to take your fingers off the analog sticks to push a button is a waste of precious reaction time, so they’ve created several modded variations of the XBox 360 controller with duplicate buttons placed on the underside. These can be pressed using the fingers that are holding the controller, giving you a split second competitive advantage over those playing with a stock controller.

The HG controllers have different combinations of the A, B, X and Y buttons on the back while a Halo 3 specific version also includes a duplicate of the right shoulder button. For games requiring a specific button to be continuously pushed, there’s also a toggle switch mod that can be added to the corner or center of the controller.

The Halo 3 and 4-Button modded controllers are the most expensive at $89.99, while a 2-Button version is $69.99. The toggle switch mod can also be added to any of them for $12.50 to $17.50 depending on where it’s installed.

[ HG Controllers ] VIA [ Xbox 360 Fanboy ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Ok, so maybe they don’t take the best screenshots in the world, but the Drunken Coders have pulled off some impressive feats of hackery with the Nintendo DS. A few days shy of a year ago they released a version of Quake that could be played on the handheld system, and over the past weekend they’ve now released a DS compatible version of its sequel, Quake II.

Just like with porting the original Quake, bringing Quake II to the Nintendo DS wasn’t an easy task, particularly since the sequel stresses the CPU even further with more detailed levels, models and even textures. And while wifi multiplayer unfortunately isn’t available, the game apparently runs at a decent framerate which is the most important thing. If you want to try it out for yourself you can find the free downloads on the DrunkenCoders Quake II DS page, but you’ll also need the pak files from the full or shareware version of the game, and of course a homebrew card for your NDS.

[ Quake II DS ] VIA [ MAXCONSOLE ]

By David Ponce

You gotta love them hackers. Always frankensteining crap together to make the impossible seem like a walk in the park. In this case, a modder has managed to control an Xbox 360 through a Nintendo Wiimote (last time, it was a PC) . And not just some jerky omg-I-did-it-but-just-barely kind of controlling, but with anti-acceleration and smoothing algorithms included to make the hack playable. And how does this work? Well, here’s the gist:

• The Xbox 360 is connected to the XFPS PS2 to 360 adapter
• … which is connected to a big black box Microcontroller “with custom firmware emulating a PS2 controller”
• … which is connected to a Samsung Q1 PC with custom Wii remote firmware
• … which is connected via Bluetooth to the Wii remote itself.

If all this technical explanation still doesn’t convince you, just watch the awesome video below.

Video: Playing Halo 2 (Xbox 360) with a Wiimote

[ More Details ] VIA [ Xataka ]

By David Ponce

Both Nintendo and Sony have motion sensing controllers, so it’s no surprise that Xbox 360 fanboys would get a little envious; who doesn’t want to play games by flailing your arms around? So it’ll be interesting for them to know that Team X-Tender has developed a tilt sensor that comes with an entire replacement shell for the back of your controller. Sure, it involves prying the controller apart and soldering 5 points (which puts it out of reach for many), but once that’s done, a simple on/off switch will activate the add-on. No other configuration is necessary, as it’s a simple plug-and-play (or rather, solder-and-play).

It’s $40 and comes in black or white, depending on your degree of Elite-ness. But keep reading for a video of the device in action, as well as links.

Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew Liszewski

For anyone who’s ever attempted to open a Nintendo product and wondered where on Earth you’d find a tri-wing bit your search is over. The Zoozen Pro Tool Access Kit includes all the necessary bits and tools needed to open up a comprehensive list of gaming consoles and other electronics. This includes the original XBox, the 360, all Playstation systems, all modern Nintendo systems (including handhelds) and even most cellphones. Here’s a complete run-down of what the kit includes:

1pc Easy grip screwdriver handle
1pc Magnetic Tweezers
1pc “OneSnap” tool for opening Xbox 360
1pc Linehead nut setter (small size)
1pc Linehead nut setter (large size)
1pc Flathead bit, Long
2pcs Torx Size 6, Tamper Resistant
2pcs Torx Size 8, Tamper Resistant
2pcs Torx Size 10, Tamper Resistant
2pcs Torx Size 15, Tamper Resistant
2pcs Torx Size 20, Tamper Resistant
2pcs Hex Size .05
2pcs Triwing Bit
2pcs Phillips #000
2pcs Phillips #0
2pcs Phillips #1
2pcs Slotted 7/64

You could of course assemble all these tools yourself but since this kit is only $14.95 at Divineo.cn why go to all that trouble when somebody already has?

[ Zoozen Pro Tool Access Kit V2 ]

By Andrew Liszewski

While the ability to play Doom will probably remain the benchmark for how hackable a device is I still think Quake is an overall better gaming experience so I’m glad to see that after quite a while it’s finally available for the NintendoDS, albeit in a round about way.

This particular port was created by a clever group of programmers known as the DrunkenCoders who have been on the DS homebrew scene for as long as I’ve been following it. Keep in mind QuakeDS is not 100% complete at this time but the pre-release version they’ve made available is playable as long as you’re willing to put up with a few minor bugs or hiccups.

Now while the original Quake required at least 10 megs of RAM and a math co-processor to run the DS has neither of those (only 4 megs inside) so making the game run smoothly on the DS hardware is nothing short of impressive.

You can find all the necessary download links on the DrunkenCoders QuakeDS page and keep in mind in order to run it you’ll also need an actual copy of the game (apparently the Shareware version works fine) and a homebrew card for your DS.

[ QuakeDS ] VIA [ MAXCONSOLE ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you strongly believe that all three of the big game console makers got it completely wrong this time around then why not show them how to do it right with this DIY game console kit? Of course you’ll need to be a big supporter of the ‘gameplay over graphics’ mentality since the XGameStation console has far more in common with the Atari and Commodore 64 systems than the 360 or Wii.

This retro-inspired gaming system is designed specifically for hardware and software hackers. The system is powered by an 80 MIP RISC processor, has direct raster controlled graphics, 3-channel sound, built in programmer, and is capable of outputting both NTSC and PAL composite video. And, it’s directly compatible with vintage Atari 2600 joysticks as well as custom-designed game pads.

The real purpose of this kit is to give the user a thorough working knowledge of what all the electronics and software in a game console actually do, from transistors to firmware. The XGS comes fully assembled with all the necessary cables you’ll need and includes development software plus an in-depth eBook explaining all the concepts.

The XGameStation kit is available from Edmund Scientific for $199.95.

[ XGS Micro Kit ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If you were a child of the 80’s there’s a good chance that your first real experience with video games came not with the NES, but with the Commodore 64. I can remember spending hours on end playing classics like Impossible Mission, Radar Rat Race and Law of the West when I should probably have been getting some fresh air instead. Well actually now that I think of it those hours were mostly spent loading those games, but it was still good times.

So it’s great to see this brilliant Picodore 64 mod created by Jason Winters. It’s based on one of those all-in-one joystick games called Hummer Off-Road Racing that basically has a full Commodore 64 chipset inside. The joystick parts were stripped away and the C64 was placed into a homemade laptop box along with an old PSOne LCD screen and a hacked portable folding keyboard originally designed for a Jornada PDA. The Picodore can run off AC power or 6 AA batteries if you want to take it on the road and can even use a hacked version of one of those miniature Atari keychain joysticks for playing games. Nice work!

[ Picodore 64 ] VIA [ MAKE: Blog ]

By David Ponce

This is a cool trick you can try on your browser, right now.

1. Go to any webpage. I suggest cnn.com, but it could be almost anything.

2. Once there, delete everything in the browser’s address bar.

3. Paste the following code and press enter:

javascript:R=0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24; x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI=document.images; DIL=DI.length; function A(){for(i=0; i-DIL; i++){DIS=DI[ i ].style; DIS.position=’absolute’; DIS.left=Math.sin(R*x1+i*x2+x3)*x4+x5; DIS.top=Math.cos(R*y1+i*y2+y3)*y4+y5}R++}setInterval(’A()’,5); void(0); [For whatever reason (and I'm freaking stumped here), copying the text from this site doesn't work. Just follow the link to the Destructoid site, and copy the text from there. Then it will work. If someone can tell me why this happens, I'll have a beer on you. -Ed. ]

All the images on the page are going to start swirling around in a trippy, fascinating and frankly hilarious effect.

For all those of you little saints out there, don’t be worrying: it’s not braking anything. You haven’t hacked anyone, or hurt anything. You’re just having a little fun with your browser, so loosen up and give it a shot. And, hell, come back here and let us know which site works best.

VIA [ Destructoid ]