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Amazon's latest AR shopping tool fills your space with virtual furniture
Amazon's new AR shopping tool lets you view multiple pieces of furniture and home decor simultaneously.
The Sims 3 DLC packs some bellbottoms
The Sims 3 "70s, 80s and 90s" DLC pack says it has "all-new outfits, crazy hairstyles, and facial hair," but considering each of these "new" looks comes from a decade long since past, that description is a bit of a stretch. The 70s, 80s and 90s pack is available now on Steam for $20.The 70s portion includes bellbottoms, halter top catsuits and platform shoes, along with minimalist furniture and a disco ball. The 80s bring legwarmers, leotards, headbands and shoulder pads, and the decor portion includes arcade machines and an entertainment system. The 90s remind us why "grunge" generally isn't a complimentary term, with tattered jeans, layered tops, asymmetrical handkerchief hemline skirts, and furniture in distressed and industrial metal styles. Each decade comes with the related hairstyles and facial hair.Remember, in 20 years we'll all look back on the 2010s with just as much revulsion, but with more photographic evidence of our absurd tastes.
Think Geek's latest is an arcade light switch
Because literally everything that exists in the world could stand to be a little nerdier, Think Geek now sells the "Power-Up Arcade Light Switch Plate," which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like.As shown in the demonstration above, the replacement light switch cover attaches to the wall over your existing light switch, rather than replacing the entire assembly altogether -- helpful for people who enjoy retro gaming sensibilities but aren't super keen on being electrocuted to death.Two double-A batteries power the button-triggered sound-effects and night light, but the increase in your electric bill from switching your lights on and off all day probably isn't factored into the kit's $30 price tag.
Leaderboard: EverQuest II's housing vs. Aion's housing
Everyone loves player housing, right? Oh, quiet you in the back. Look into my eye: Everyone loves player housing. It is the number one most requested, demanded, and mandatory feature of every MMO. In terms of priority, "having monsters to kill in the game" is lower than giving us sweet pads to decorate. This is the way the virtual world should be and always has been. Well, now that I've dipped into the well of delusion, it's time to emerge with my hair sopping wet and my mind open to the possibility of a player housing revival. With the advent of Aion's 3.0 update, players in this now-free-to-play game can move into a suburban dreamhouse and spend countless hours figuring out the exact decor to match the subtle majesty of the bathroom's toilet. But is it enough to challenge the de facto leader of player housing, EverQuest II? Mountains of novels have been written on this game's housing system, novels that were then used to construct a giant book fort in the middle of the grand ballroom. Because that's just how flexible that system can be. So pitted against each other in an interior design contest, which game would emerge triumphant? Cast your vote after the jump!
Houzz launches a new iPad app for home design fans
Aficionados of home design may already be familiar with the Houzz website, which offers resources for finding decorating ideas. While the site (like most any other) is accessible through the Safari browser on an iPad, Houzz has now released a free iPad app that gives tablet-optimized access to the site's features. Those features include a library of more than 60,000 photos of various rooms provided by professional designers. Users can sign up for a free account, then browse by style, room type, or region. When users find something they like, they can save it to their own ideabook for future reference. So far users have created more than 130,000 ideabooks. Homeowners can tag items, share photos with friends, or find designers to work with. Professionals, including contractors, architects, and designers, can upload photos to create their own portfolios and find new clients. [via TechCrunch]
Lost Pages of Taborea: Fun with housing
I've briefly mentioned housing in previous articles, but I haven't done any in-depth looks into it. Plus, with the addition of new house contracts, the housekeeper system, and some creative ideas I've discovered, I thought it was about time to give housing some exposure. For the uninitiated, Runes of Magic's housing is a feature that lets you have an instanced area for yourself to store items, earn bonuses, and decorate to your heart's content. I've seen some players refer to RoM's housing as Everquest II lite. Apart from a handful of boss furniture-recipes, you don't craft the majority of furniture. You can buy furniture from NPCs or select from a wide range of choices in the cash shop. Once inside your house, you'll have access to the housing interface. Your items of choice can be moved into the furniture slots and then placed anywhere you want. You can get a more detailed how-to guide on housing from the Runes of Magic Wiki. In this article, I want to take a look at some creative things you can do with furniture and housing.
Dragon's Lair wall graphics demand to be put up, up, up
Click to save the princess see a gallery To some, their home is their castle. Now it can be a dragon's lair. LTL Prints – the Philadelphia company that introduced an eye-popping lineup of Jet Set Radio Future wall graphics back in December 2009 – is unveiling its latest cling-on art today, based on the classic 1983 arcade game Dragon's Lair by animator Don Bluth and designer Rick Dyer. The graphics have been taken straight from the legendary laserdisc-based game, cleaned up and include the bumbling-yet-heroic Dirk the Daring, the hapless Princess Daphne and her captor, Singe the dragon. LTL Prints is offering the graphics starting at $14.95 for versions sized to fit laptop lids, all the way up to more expensive, 7-foot-tall prints. The look absolutely amazing -- we're just sad we can't order a 1:1 scales version of Singe. Then again, we'd need a really tall wall ... %Gallery-91613%
Show and Tell: It's-a room!
The only thing better than playing video games is pretty much living in one. When Antoinette sent this one into us, it was an immediate lock for today's fan spotlight. Not only is redoing a room all in Mario Bros. decor the ultimate in fanboyism, it's also just really cool -- and this particular take on it is tremendous. Forget the decals, folks; this is the real deal, complete with 3D blocks you can slam your head into.Check out a selection of shots from the project, or hit up her page for even more! And don't forget: we're still looking for all your Final Fantasy swag. Figures? Game collections? Cosplay? Snap a few pics and send 'em in to us at showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. Of course, we're still interested in regular submissions, too.%Gallery-27044% Show and Tell is all about your stuff, so long as it's Nintendo-related. We love to see your collections, your crafts, your frosted creations, your t-shirts and swag of all sorts. Just snap a few pictures, tell us what's up, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest.
World of WarCrafts: Banner of brutality
Every Thursday, Shelbi Roach of The Bronze Kettle guides you in creating WoW-inspired crafts using real world mats with World of WarCrafts.Show the world where your loyalties lie with this horde-riffic signage. The bold red backdrop is guaranteed to garner attention while the blood spatter technique would make even Thrall proud. Here is what you will need: Wooden Frame (I used a Make Me Frameous frame from Michaels) Wooden Letters (I used Provo Craft Carved Letters from Michaels) Acrylic Paint (deep red, black) Fine Red Glitter Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic Spray Paint Brush Click on the images below to view a gallery of step-by-step instructions. %Gallery-26732%
World of WarCrafts: Light switch cover
Every Thursday, Shelbi Roach of The Bronze Kettle guides you in creating WoW-inspired crafts using real world mats with World of WarCrafts.While it may be true that us geeks typically prefer the dark, it might be worth turning on the light just to show off one of these totally rad WoW-themed light switch covers. Take a screenshot of your character decked out in epics or your favorite NPC. You can also use a shot of your preferred locale, such as The Dark Portal, Zangarmarsh or Nagrand (as pictured).Here is what you will need: Light Switch Cover Printed Image Paper Cutter (or Scissors) Clear Acrylic Spray Mod Podge Paintbrush Xacto Knife Click on the images below to view a gallery of step-by-step instructions. %Gallery-21279% DISCLAIMER: If you are under 18, please make sure that you are supervised by your parents or an adult. We will not be held responsible if you stab yourself with an artist's tool. Stores will also require you to be at least 18 to purchase the acrylic spray.
