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Motorola adds a Mophie battery and a car dock to its pile of Mods
Motorola's magnetic Mods are the reason to own a Moto Z, and the company just pulled back the curtain on two more of them. If the existing bolt-on batteries weren't big enough for you, a new 3,000mAh Mophie JuicePack (with a USB Type-C port for independent charging) is now available for $80. And since the holidays are nearly upon us -- meaning lots of roadtrips to see family -- Motorola also teamed up with Incipio on a $65 car dock that charges your Z and can be used to automatically launch apps like Android Auto. Keep your eyes peeled for that next week.
Samsung blocks video of 'GTA V' Galaxy Note 7 bomb mod (updated)
Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 has been the butt of its fair share of internet jokes since it started exploding in September, but it's hard to surpass what one Grand Theft Auto V modder did when he turned the phone into an in-game grenade. Apparently, Samsung doesn't think it's very funny, though -- the company appears to have filed a totally bogus copyright infringement claim on the YouTube video showing this mod.
Xbox One S converted into a road-ready laptop
Do-it-yourself Xbox laptops have been around since Ben Heck cobbled one together from an Xbox 360, but "laptop" is a misnomer -- most are more like small desktops with screens hinged on. Modder Edward Zarick, the creator of the "Xbook One," is trying to change that (a bit), though. The "Xbook One S" is a smaller and slimmer thanks to the Xbox One S guts and a Samsung 19-inch screen. Unlike the 22-inch Vizio model used on the original, the new display has 720p rather than a 1080p resolution, unfortunately.
Burger King Game Boy toy turned into real retro handheld
At the turn of the Millennium, Burger King handed out adorable tiny Game Boy Colors with fake Pokémon cartridges. Sixteen years later and a modder, armed with a Raspberry Pi Zero, has turned one of the dummy units into a working console. Paired with a two-inch display from Adafruit and Retropie's software emulator, the title will play Game Boy Color and Advance titles with its now working buttons. Although, of course, since there's only A&B, you might struggle with titles that need the shoulder bumpers too. It's not the first time that we've seen Raspberry Pi's tiny board being used in this way, with a full-size Game Boy being turned into an emulator earlier this year. Given how many broken handhelds are available on eBay, we imagine everyone's going to devote a weekend to building their own.
Windows 95 on an Apple Watch is wonderfully impractical
The quest to put Windows 95 on seemingly everything just achieved one of its biggest -- or rather, smallest -- feats to date. Nick Lee managed to get Microsoft's classic operating system running on an Apple Watch by modifying a WatchKit app to load his own code (in this case, the Bochs x86 emulator) instead of Apple's usual foundations. The interface is incredibly miniscule, of course, but it works. While you don't have a true mouse pointer, you can use the touchscreen to navigate the Start menu and open apps.
Cyanogen's 'MOD' platform is a whole new level of Android tweaking
Android has always been the mobile platform of choice for tinkerers, a trend that also directly led to Cyanogen's success as a custom version of the OS. Now Cyanogen is launching a platform called "MOD" that'll give developers access to portions of Android they could never reach before. For example, Microsoft has developed a mod that puts Skype right into the Cyanogen Android dialer. Another one lets Cortana take voice-activated selfies. It's an entirely new frontier for Cyanogen -- which has often been described as an Android mod -- but also a necessary one.
Game Boy Macro mod breathes new life into your Nintendo DS
Your Nintendo DS is no longer the hottest handheld on the block, but that doesn't mean it has to sit in the closet gathering dust. Modder Anthony Thomas recently started up Game Boy Macro, a service that turns the DS into a giant Game Boy Advance player -- as the name suggests, it's basically a Game Boy Micro writ large. You lose the second screen (and thus native DS games), but the result is arguably much cooler. You can even specify custom case colors if you're eager to recreate the look of your old Game & Watch.
CyanogenMod gives select smartphones an Android 6 update option
Lots of folks still don't have Android 6 "Marshmallow" on their shiny new phones, but owners of some older models can now get it from CyanogenMod. The Nexus 7, LG G4, Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, LG G3 Verizon, Moto X 2014 and, yes, the OnePlus One models are all primed to receive a "nightly" version of CyanogenMod 13. There are certain caveats, however. If you're moving from a stable CyanogenMod 12.1 (Android 5.1) version, the team said to prepare yourself for a "dip in quality," due to the fact that nightly releases are considered experimental. Users moving from previous versions will also have to update their Google apps (via OpenGapps, etc.). However, if you're willing to try it you probably already know the risk -- and believe that the bragging rights are worth it.
Valve and JJ Abrams' Bad Robot made 'Team Fortress 2' football
Back when Valve and JJ Abrams' Bad Robot production company announced a partnership involving games and film projects it came as a complete surprise. That theme continues with the duo's first collaboration: a mode for Team Fortress 2 combining soccer, hockey and basketball dubbed "PASS Time." It's only in beta as of now (a concept that Bad Robot found immensely intriguing, apparently) though. The official game description is as follows: "RED and BLU face off in an epic battle to score more goals than their opponents. Coordinated passing, aerial shots, interceptions, team-based formations and plays, defensive lines and the like make for strategically chaotic play."
N64 controller modded to (sort of) work with the Xbox One
Microsoft has an exorbitant $150 controller coming this year that it hopes will make up for the Xbox One's middling gamepad, but that won't make the upcoming Rare Replay feel any more authentic when you play. The folks at Hyperkin -- makers of the Retron 5 console -- know this and set forth a challenge: mod a Nintendo 64 controller to work with Microsoft's latest game console. And they succeeded. Mostly. As you'll see in the video below, the three-pronged paddle can navigate the console's dashboard and select apps, but, since there's only one analog stick, that rules out it playing nicely with a vast majority of modern games. The wiring is a bit wonky and certain inputs trigger at random, but, from the sounds of it, the project is far from over.
Sprked does for game modders what Valve couldn't
When Valve and Bethesda introduced paid Skyrim mods on Steam, there was a huge backlash from the community. Some players were unhappy with the profit-sharing model, which only gave 25 percent of each sale to modders, while others were concerned about mod plagiarism and remixing, where contributors build on the work of others. Valve eventually killed the feature, but it left an important question unanswered: was there a better way to repay modders for their hard work? Sprked is hoping to solve the problem with a Patreon-style crowdfunding model. On its site, modders explain their work and fans can put down their cash, paid either by month or by creation, to support them. The modder's work remains free for everyone, but there are certain perks that fans can unlock for supporting, such as concept art, thank you notes and behind the scenes videos. Sprked takes a 5 percent cut, followed by a further 5 percent for its payment processors Stripe and PayPal. The idea could easily be replicated on Patreon itself, but having a dedicated site could make it easier for modders and fans alike to find one another. The challenge for Sprked now is to attract high-quality modders to its burgeoning platform -- and also ensure the site isn't abused by scammers looking for a quick buck.
Hack puts iPhone notifications on an Android Wear watch
Android Wear isn't going to officially support iOS devices any time soon, but that doesn't mean that the two platforms can never see eye-to-eye. Developer Mohammad Abu-Garbeyyeh has tweaked Android Wear to make it display an iPhone's notifications using the same ANCS technology as Pebble's smartwatches. While the creator hasn't revealed every nuance of how this modification works, he claims that you don't need to jailbreak iOS or get root access on Android Wear in order to pull this off -- apart from the notification hack, your devices could behave normally. Not that you'd necessarily want to snag a Moto 360 or LG Watch Urbane just to try this project, at least not in its current form. Even if the code were readily available (it isn't), you still wouldn't get Google Now or app support. This is more to show what's possible, not what makes sense.
'Doom' selfie mod lets you indulge your ego while slaying demons
Like it or not, selfies in games are officially a "thing" -- and they're now invading classic titles like Doom. Linguica's new InstaDoom mod lets you spin the virtual camera around to take a shot of your Doom (or Doom II) marine, complete with Instagram-like filters and the seemingly inescapable selfie stick. Yes, you can now show your friends that you've killed a Spiderdemon by striking an obnoxious pose over its body. Is this a novelty? You bet. Still, it's fun to see a decades-old shooter make a commentary on the modern obsession with narcissistic photos.
This portable laptop mod houses both a PS4 and Xbox One
Want a PS4 and an Xbox One, but don't have the space in your entertainment center? Enter the PlayBox. The laptop-style console mod, created by serial tinkerer Eddie Zarick, crams both systems into a single design, complete with a 22-inch, 1080p display. It's not sleek, but seems perfectly playable despite a few shortcomings. For instance, to keep its innards cool you can't have both consoles powered on simultaneously. Zarick says he's also had trouble with the PS4's capacitive power button, although you can always get around it by pressing the PS nub on Sony's DualShock 4 controller. Unfortunately, the Playbox was a special commission, so you're unlikely to lay your hands on one. Still, if you're desperate for something similar, you could always request a follow-up -- maybe challenge Zarick to throw a Wii U in there too?
Play original Game Boy games via HDMI with hdmyboy
A few Game Boy games still stand as enjoyable classics, but hunching over the original handheld can get uncomfortable. Sure, additional options exist in the Super Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, back-lit GBA SP or the GameCube's Game Boy Player, but the draw of using the original Game Boy can be a fun novelty. Brothers Zane Amiralis and Joshua de Haan plan to expand on that with hdmyboy, a piece of hardware that outputs 1080p (or 720p) HDMI visuals when sandwiched between a Game Boy's top and bottom halves. The hdmyboy is removable and doesn't irreversibly alter a Game Boy, but when it's installed, users can either play using the handheld's buttons or a modified NES controller. The project's Kickstarter page notes that "lots of colour palettes" will be offered, so you won't have to see the world through a green-tinted screen if you don't want to. This project is focused on the original Game Boy however – any variant from the Game Boy family other than the 1989 DMG-01 model is not compatible with hdmyboy. Should the project reach its €65,000 funding goal, the final version will be available in 2015. If you already have a Game Boy, early purchases of the hdmyboy can be made by backing the project for €115 ($143), or €125 ($156) if you'd also like an NES replica controller. Those that contribute €350 ($436) will receive a Game Boy and a pre-installed prototype hdmyboy right away in addition to the eventual final build, but whichever funding tier you choose, worldwide shipping is available. [Image: Zane Amiralis/Joshua de Haan]
EVE gives more market data tools to the mod community
EVE Online is such a mod-happy game that there's an official site for it, and it's on this site today that CCP said that it will be giving another valuable information-gathering tool to players with the advent of a new searchable resource. "We also are making available the MarketType resource. MarketTypes is a collection of all possible MarketType resources," the devs posted. Being able to search market history and orders will help modders pull in data from multiple regions and should be in the game with the Rhea content patch.
Endless Legend gets modding tools in new add-on
The team at Amplitude Studios is having a busy week, having just launched Dungeon of the Endless in full on Steam a few days ago. Now, it's offering a "Shades of Alteration" add-on for another game in its strategy series, Endless Legend. The free DLC adds a Halloween-themed quest to the 4X fantasy-strategy game called "A Tale from the Dark Season," which rewards players with an undiscolsed prize. The update also introduces modding tools to the game, allowing players to create and tweak a number of game elements to their content. Players will be able to add new faction traits, items, skills, city improvements, technology and quests to Endless Legend, as well as adding or changing resources, text and 2D assets in the strategy game using the new mod tools. Endless Legend launched on Steam in September after its near five-month stay on Early Access. The game's Classic Pack is available on PC or Mac for $35, whereas the $45 Emperor Pack adds bonus in-game items. [Image: Iceberg Interactive]
Get a new perspective on Dark Souls 2 with first-person mod
Dark Souls 2 normally gives players a third-person perspective as they roll and parry their way through its gauntlet of opponents, but ... well, you know how the modding community feels about norms. The above YouTube video, posted by user Benzoin-Gum, demonstrates a PC mod that makes DS2's journey a first-person affair, right down to battles against invading players. As explained in the video's description, the mod "tells the game's camera to permanently stay zoomed in" and allows for the field of view to be adjusted according to personal comfort. The description also notes that turning sensitivity is particularly lacking with controllers, so a keyboard-and-mouse loadout is strongly recommended. A download link for the mod is included in the video's description, but since it's from a third-party source, venture forth with the same caution you use to persevere in Drangleic. [Image: Benzoin-Gum]
WildStar's megaservers shouldn't impact addons much
Carbine Studios took to the forums earlier today to address how player addons may have been affected by WildStar's recent megaserver merge and name changes. The good news is that "most third-party addon users" will not be impacted whatsoever. For addons that were impacted by the transition, Carbine posted tips on how to bring broken addons up to par. The team encouraged those dealing with broken mods by saying that the data is still there and that recovering it won't be difficult at all. This post is somewhat technical and relevant only to addon creators, but important to everyone who's mods are borked.
Modder takes a page (and parts) from Sony, creates Playbook 4
Modder Ed Zarick, creator of an Xbox One / laptop hybrid called the "Xbook One" is back at work making this generation of consoles more mobile. This week, he shares with us the "Playbook 4," a combination of Sony's PlayStation 4, custom 3D printed parts and a 22-inch Vizio televsion. Like the Xbook One, the Playbook 4 is portable, but not entirely so - it still requires a wall outlet for power, so your options on where you can use it are limited. Still, there are plenty of outlets in the world, right? Got an hour to kill between college classes? Playbook 4. Long wait in the doctor's office? Playbook 4. Wherever you go, we imagine you'll want to take extra special care of it. The system costs roughly $1500, after all (though the price comes down to $1095 plus shipping if you send Zarick your own PS4). To see the system in action, check out Zarick's overview video after the break.
