Kotaku has a great post this morning about the CVC, or Control Video Corporation’s GameLine Atari 2600 cart which let you download games over a phone connection, way back in 1983. The $60 cartridge was both a storage unit and modem in one, and rolled into the cost was a year’s subscription to the GameLine service which was the only way you could download titles. At launch there were about 75 games available, and the idea seemed very promising, even given what we would consider pretty dated technology at this point.
Unfortunately you’ve probably never heard of the GameLine cart because it wasn’t exactly a runaway success. The company was never able to sign any of the big game publishers of the time, and there was an additional $1 fee to download a game. A game that would actually ‘expire’ after a week’s time, requiring you to buy it again if you wanted to keep playing. (So in fact it was more like a rental service.) The crash of the video game market in the mid ’80s took the GameLine with it, but apparently many of the people behind CVC went on to form a new company called Quantum Computer Services, which also dabbled in online gaming. Never heard of them either? That’s because in 1991 they changed their name to America Online, and eventually, AOL…
The only thing that a geek could like more than Star Wars or Space Invaders merchandise is a clever mashup of the two. And that’s exactly what this ‘Space Invaders Strike Back’ tee, designed by artist Steven Castaneda, does perfectly. At a quick glance it looks like a screenshot of classic Space Invaders, but upon closer examination you’ll discover your ship is actually the Millennium Falcon, while the invaders are TIE fighters, bombers and interceptors. Not to mention the Death Star hovering at the top for bonus points. It’s available from Tshirtbordello.com in any size you could need for just $14.99, but is limited to just Navy when it comes to color choice.
Hey LG Korea. You might fool the hipsters, but you’re not fooling me. I know that ‘retro’ is just another term for ‘horribly outdated’ so I’m not going to run out and buy this Retro TV you’re hawking. It’s a clever move though. Finding a way to empty your warehouses of antiquated CRT components without resorting to dumping them in a nearby river. And you’ll probably sell quite a few of these too, with their matching old-timey tuner knobs, rabbit ear antennas and settings for full-color, black and white and even sepia effects. But I’ve already claimed the space freed up by switching to LCD TVs and monitors, and I’m not giving it back!
I’ve no idea how much they’re asking for them, but given they’ve only got a 14-inch display I’m assuming not much. And while they’re digital ready, since they’re listed on the LG Korea website they may not actually work here in North America.
As far as I know it’s not an official anniversary or anything. But recently there’s been a rash of retro Volkswagen Camper Van products. A few months ago you might remember this groovy VW Camper Van tent we brought you. And now it’s apparently LEGO’s turn. In the latest edition of their Collector Guide, Flickr user ‘Captain Eugene’ spotted and scanned this upcoming VW T1 Camper Van set, #10220 for those who keep track. Pricing and availability are currently unknown, and hopefully there’ll be some better, less halftoney pics of it popping up in the near future.
A day doesn’t go buy when I don’t find some random gadget, device or contraption that I want. I guess it’s the nature of writing about this stuff for a living. But today’s ‘WANT’ is probably even more intense because it’s something I can’t actually buy anywhere. This impressively detailed miniature Space Invaders arcade cabinet was created by YouTube user ‘vcoleiro1‘ who posted a clip of his creation online. If you’re like me, you’ll be wishing you’d taken up soldering years ago so you could pull off a mod like this yourself.
The 7-inch tall cabinet was built with 6mm MDF, painted and then decorated with official SI arcade machine graphics which were printed on glossy decal paper. The best part of the mod however has to be the tiny joystick and arcade-like buttons which were purchased from Digikey.com and eBay, and wired onto the GBA SP’s mainboard. Providing a more authentic gaming experience than previous mods that just used the GBA’s standard button layout. The back of the cabinet also opens allowing you to easily swap in other game carts, or let’s be honest here, a supercard so you can load it up with thousands of easily accessible titles.
I don’t think the fact that these miniature, keychain-sized Lomography cameras don’t actually work will stop hipsters from quickly snatching up the entire collection. Made from ABS plastic these tiny cameras are about 20% the size of the full scale versions they represent, and the collection includes some of the more popular Lomos like the Lubitel+, the Diana F+, the Fisheye 2 and the LOMO LC-A+. They can be hung from your cellphone, worn as jewelry or even strapped to the real Lomo you carry around all day. (How meta!) And to further sweeten the deal each miniature Lomo comes in a small metal tin that’s roughly the same size as a film canister. Available from Dream In Plastic for just $7 each.
The good people at Toy and Television Games have just announced their flagship launch product, the Nintendo Game Boy GBA SP Arcade Tabletop, which leaves me with exactly two pressing questions:
1. There’s consumer demand for a GBA SP permanently attached to an Acacia wood and American steel dock that took 300+ hours to design and build and features an arcade joystick and buttons?
2. If consumers have demanded such a product, they’re also willing to pay $399 for it?
Given the auction for serial #001 appears to have been originally posted on June 7, I’m assuming the answer to both of those questions so far is no. Even though the seller excitedly proclaims: “We hope to build hundreds of these over the coming years…”
If you’re looking to give your iPhone 4 the retro Game Boy look there are countless companies selling vinyl stickers that simply adhere to its smooth glass back. But not everyone is so great at applying decals, and even the tiniest of bubbles can wreck the effect. So as an alternative you might want to consider this snap-on iPhone 4 case from iPWN!. At no point do they refer to it as being an homage to Nintendo’s Game Boy, probably to keep their lawyers at bay, but it’s pretty hard to mistake the look they’re going for.
The thin, plastic case is made using IML or ‘in mold labeling’ technology so that the graphics are protected by 3 different layers preventing them from fading or being damaged by moisture. And they’re just $16.99 each, though at the moment you’ll have to settle for a pre-order as apparently the cases are so popular they’re currently on back order.
Your Flickr feed might be chock full of retro-looking snapshots, but I’m afraid you just don’t look the part when you’re out there taking photos with your high-tech looking iPhone 4. So the makers of the Hipstamatic iPhone app have created an official HipstaCase that makes your iPhone look a little more like a retro film camera.
But it’s not just about looks. The case is semi-functional too since it features a hidden slot on the front allowing you to attach an included tripod adapter. There’s even a set of holes on either side of the bottom allowing you to use an included lanyard and keep your phone dangling from your wrist, ready to snap a hipstery photo at a moment’s notice. Available May 5 for $39.95.
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