Portable Nintendo 64

Something that has become a regular trend in the modding world is to take an older video game system, and make it portable. The most popular console to do this with is the Nintendo 64 which has been molded into many different styles and variations as a hand held device. This particular version is my favorite as the person who created this system made pretty much everything down to the plastic case. 

These handheld Nintendo 64 systems are typically made with a 3.5" LCD screen and (if the case can hold it) a battery that can generally last around 3 hours. Now granted, these are made by people in their homes, so there's no real rules on how to make one of these. 

Another great feature with this particular make is the ability to play with up to 4 people just like the original N64. Of course the screen seems too small to fit a round of 4 player golden eye, but it's the thought that counts. I personally would want to integrate some sort of output for TV play, or perhaps a dock that you can slide this nifty system into. So, does this thing work? You bet!

The portable Nintendo 64 is definitely one of my favorite mods and a fantastic project. I'm going to set aside a small fund to one day make one of these bad boys myself. If you want your own portable N64 but can't/don't want to make it yourself you're in luck since a lot of the people who make these also sell them. However, you'd have to bust out your check book since most of the time the asking price for one of these nifty portables is around $1,000.

What the Hell is This?

Yeah it looks kinda cool and I appreciate the craftsmanship done on this car, but this is just ridiculous. No one's going to see the damn thing, unless the owner pops the hood for them. I can just see the conversation now: 

Douche bag owner: "Hey dude, I have a nintendo controller in the engine compartment of my Camry, sorry you couldn't be there when I put it in, wanna see it?"

Other Guy: "No, because you're retarded and I had sex with your sister last night. Sorry you couldn't be there when I put it in. But don't worry I recorded the whole thing and uploaded it to genericpornsite.com...wanna see it?

I have more dialogue, but I think you get the point. So what do you guys think, do you like the engine cap mod or not?

Quick Thoughts On Bulletstorm

Good morning to everyone in internet land! A new video game came out on the 22nd in the US (and today for anyone in EU) made by People Can Fly and EA Games. Bulletstorm is an intense 1st person shooter for all major gaming platform including the PC. Personally, I think that first person shooters are far too overdone; I mean, how many different kinds of guns and types of bad guys are there really before the games start to repeat themselves? You know no one plays these games for the campaign mode, it's all about the online play. So why do we waste our money on very similar games? Because we love it. This game actually looks pretty cool, but I'm in no real rush to go purchase it.

Vintage Nintendo Entertainment...Computer???

In staying with the retro gaming kick that I've been on the past few days, I'm posting about one of my favorite projects, the NES PC. This is another one of those projects that I never got around to, actually I did get around to starting one, but lack of funds kept me from finishing and now the hardware's kinda out of date.

In any case, the Nintendo computer is a great project that can actually build you a nice little machine. The main components to look into are an Mini ITX motherboard and a Pico Power Supply, they will ensure that you can get a whole computer into that compact Nintendo case.

NES Controller MOD

I'm reliving a video that I saw two years ago. This mod takes an old school NES controller and makes it so that you can load games off of it. It's quite handy and would make for a fun project. I've always meant to do this one myself, but never got around to it, maybe one day... Anyway, here's a working demo, hope you all enjoy it:

Duke Nukem Forever, Breathing New Life Into a Franchise?

   I had a friend over to my house the other day, among the talk of iPhone coming to Verizon, the computers that we were working on, and other awesome things, we eventually got into the fact that Duke Nukem Forever is actually going to be released. We busted out the laptop and pulled  up this trailer of the game that will potentially be into hundreds of thousands of homes later this year.

   Now at first I was excited, after all, I liked Duke Nukem as a kid, so I figured that it would be a new age take on a great game, and would therefore rock my socks. But the more I think about it, the more I doubt that's actually going to happen. Here's the thing, this game has been delayed more times than Lindsay Lohan's been in the spotlight for doing something criminal; there's bound to be some kind of issue with the game play or adaptation into today's gaming culture which has certainly progressed from the day the first game in this series came out (1991).

   This franchise lacks continuity and experience. Gearbox Software is the company that's been developing the game and 2K is publishing it. For those of you keeping track, Gearbox Software is mostly known for creating Brothers In Arms and the expansions for Half  Life respectable to a degree, however, there's no solid project title that makes me feel comfortable with just saying "of course this game will be bad-ass!".

In the age of social networking, online interaction is key to any successful video game. My major concern is that there will not be enough stimulating online game play, just a funny campaign mode. The best thing about this game right now is that it's named Duke Nukem, a feature that won't carry this game if Gearbox Software and 2K fail to deliver.