homebrew
Latest
Arduino binary clock doesn't care to be useful, just wants to be admired
If there's one thing we love about DIY projects, it's the feeling that the outcome is more than the mere sum of its parts. This here binary clock is a prime example, being composed of scrap plastic, some dirt-cheap parts and a homemade Arduino board. And yet, after a few licks of polish and the inevitable LEDs, it looks like a true monument to geekdom, which is only amplified by the fact you can't even use the thing without being familiar with binary code. But then again, if utility was a standard by which we judged homebrewed projects, we'd have a lot less to talk about. [Via Make]
Xbox Micro makes the Wii look overweight
Welcome to Micro Saturday at Engadget! In the absence of hard hitting stories and shocking exposés, we thought we'd turn to the lighter -- and thinner -- side of the news. Enter the Xbox Micro, a 1-inch thick celebration of all that is good and holy about the world of DIY mods. It took six months to make, with a few clever design decisions along the way, but it looks good enough to make even the ninja-black Wii suck its gut in. Comparison pics with the original behemoth are after the break, and hit the read link to see the exposed guts of this little beauty. [Thanks, Matt and Jesse]
Portable SNES mod is slick enough to hit retail
Sometimes mods go to such lengths that words like 'homebrewed' and 'DIY' no longer do them justice. Presenting the Nintendo SNES Portable. Not the first, and probably not the last of its kind, this bad boy mobilizes Nintendo's venerable console with a few buttons from a PSOne controller and a ridiculously detailed skinning job -- yes, even the packaging gets a makeover. The sheer nostalgic overload at the sight of it must be worth something to Nintendo, no? There's not a person, with both a heart and a history of gaming, that can glance at that bulky unwieldy-looking thing and not break into a wistful smile. Really, we dare you. More snaps after the break.
T-Mobile's myTouch 3G gets rooted, Questlove unavailable for comment
Looking to run the latest and greatest homebrew wares on your myTouch? Just a week after release the Android handset has been set free of its corporate restrictions, the most private sections of its kernel unlocked for you to mess with. Full instructions (and we do mean full) are available at the read link, so proceed with caution -- and don't come crying to us if you wind up with a shiny merlot brick. [Thanks, Scott]
Looks like DSi firmware 1.4 is defeated already
The site for the R4i DSi flash cart posted a video (see it after the break) demonstrating what appears to be the R4i running on a DSi system with the 1.4 firmware. You know, the firmware that was released not even a week ago, and removed flash cart compatibility? Yeah, that one. The video demonstrates a retail game ROM, which is not particularly awesome, but does serve as evidence of flash cart compatibility. The site currently doesn't mention whether this is accomplished through an R4i firmware update or through new hardware. We'll find out more as more flash carts pick up on whatever technique is in use.If 1.4 has truly been defeated, homebrew users will be able to upload photos to Facebook and play Magnetic Shaving Derby! Magical. [YouTube video via GBATemp]
DSi Facebook update available in Europe, also blocks homebrew
The good news: DSi firmware 1.4 is now available in Europe, bringing the Facebook photo uploading capability along with it, according to an announcement by Nintendo. If you want to snap pics from your DSi and upload them to Facebook (after altering them with the DSi's image manipulation stuff, if you like), awesome!The bad news: DSi firmware 1.4 blocks flash carts. If you've been using an Acekard2i or a DSTTi to run homebrew on your DSi, you should probably not download it. If, on the other hand, you've been using a DSi flash cart to play retail games, we encourage you to update immediately. Gotta have Facebook, right?
Fan gets Sonic CD running on iPhone
Yesterday, Sega solicited ideas for games to bring to the iPhone platform. Well, here's a suggestion, with a visual aid: How about Sonic CD? Using a custom engine called the "Retro Software Development Kit," Christian Whitehead put together a demo of Sonic CD running on the iPhone. It looks pretty much like Sonic CD, which is impressive considering that he rebuilt the game from scratch rather than porting the original source (except, presumably, for graphics). In fact, just about the only problem we can see from the demo is outside of Whitehead's control -- the fact that the iPhone doesn't have any buttons. A note was posted yesterday to the Sega Twitter account indicating that the company had been made sufficiently aware of the demo, with the PR rep promising to "bring it up at our brainstorming meeting." Hopefully the ideas brought up at this brainstorming meeting don't include suing this guy. [Thanks, cuteSAVAGE!]
Video: Arduino-powered touchpad mimics iPod volume control
We've seen every manner of touchpad -- multitouch, gesture recognition, no touch, LCD trackpads -- if you can think of it, somebody has probably done a version of it. Take this particular one for example, which just might rank below even the touchscreen GBA in terms of practical usefulness -- though, it's not as if utility is a prerequisite of joviality, right? If you've been neglecting that DIY muscle of late, you owe it to yourself to check out the video beyond the break, which shows that a humble touchpad can learn new tricks. Oh, and if you feel extra inspired, the read link contains another video plus the necessary code for making the light show happen. Don't say we never gave you anything. [Via Hack A Day]
Installing Pre homebrew apps: now even easier
While Palm is busily engaged in a game of domination with Apple to see which one can keep iTunes sync working or broken the longest, the Pre homebrew community hasn't been sitting idle, introducing two new and painless ways to get homemade software up in your handset. The first is a desktop app called WebOS Quick Install that works on Mac, PC, and Linux, allowing installation with just a drag, a drop, and a click. The other is called fileCoaster, enabling users to download and install IPKs right on the phone itself, plus other files too. Two great apps for fans of unofficial softwares and good tidings for a warm future of basement innovation -- only a month after the first custom apps came to light.
8-track Walkman makes the 70's portable, more funky
The evolution of portable music players toward greater storage in physically smaller dimensions is well known. Cassette tapes are now seen as a quaint anachronism from an era gone by, but what about the history that didn't happen? What about, specifically, the 8-track-playing Sony Walkman? Such are the questions that plagued the mind of one XenonJohn, who has spliced together the chunky beast you see above. Looking like something Maggie Thatcher might have used in her private moments, the portable (compared to, say, a fridge) device is composed of an audio amplifier from an old cassette tape Walkman and a dismantled car 8-track player. Another snap of the exposed components after the break, but if you must know how to recreate this great feat, or are just curious about the lengths people will go to in the pursuit of retro-glorious ideas, hit up the read link.[Via Make]
Video: GBA SP gets touchscreen hack, turns Nintendo concept into reality
The DSi seems to be getting all the cool mods and appendages these days, so we're pleased to see the other portable Nintendo gaming system getting some love. We've tracked down video of an Arduino-powered touchscreen hack for the Game Boy Advance SP that brings to life one of Nintendo's own concepts and -- while not quite on par with the GamePack -- comes with all the exposed hardware and blinking lights you'd expect from a quality mod. Though there's no interface or game compatibility to speak of, the coolness factor alone should be enough for you to check out the video after the break.
HDR imaging for the cheap and gifted
People who are seriously after HDR output tend to pony up the dough for a big and chunky DSLR, knowing they'll get the highest quality possible. But if you're short on cash, here's a homebrewed mod that combines a gutted Polaroid x530 Foveon shooter with a Viliv to produce HDR-like imagery on the cheap. Essentially, the Viliv does all the processing and control work, while the el cheapo camera is used for its ability to save to raw format. You could instead pick up a compact Ricoh CX1 and save yourself a lot of trouble, but where's the fun and tinkering in that? The homemade hardware might not be pretty to look at, but make your way past the break to see if the results are worth the effort.[Via Hack a Day]
The Pre gets PlayStation gaming and more thanks to ZodTTD (video)
If you're familiar with the emulation scene (and let's be honest, you are reading Engadget), then you know the name ZodTTD -- the brain behind some of the best jailbroken emus for the iPhone, including variations on the PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, and most importantly... the TurboGrafx-16. Now the master-hacker has brought his goods to the Pre, cooking up a version of psx4all on the Palm device, with the aforementioned GBA and TG16 ports on the way! Interestingly, he reports that the performance on the Pre is actually better than that of the iPhone 3GS, and of course he's hacked access to the keyboard, allowing for (more) proper control of games. There are still kinks that are being worked out (sound emulation, screen scaling, etc.), but it looks like we can expect big things in the near future. We at Engadget know everyone will rest a bit easier tonight knowing that real gaming on the Pre is at hand. We'll hopefully be getting our hands on a version soon, but for now hit the read link for more info, and check out the full video after the break!
Sony's Net Yaroze homebrew PS1 development community shutting down
If you've been feverishly coding away on a PlayStation 1 game for the past, say, eleven years in the hope of becoming the next Devil Dice, you should go ahead and shelve the project. Next month, Sony will finally shut down the European server for the Net Yaroze project.The Net Yaroze is a special black PlayStation console that allowed homebrew developers to run their own code on the system, interfacing with a computer via a serial connection. The mail-order-only system also included development software. Sony's servers allowed Yaroze users to discuss PlayStation development and even share their creations."We plan to make a copy of the site available for our original members," said SCEE's Paul Holman, who also said that some kind of get-together would be held for the Yaroze development community, all of whom are now left with nothing but extremely rare PlayStations.
Palm's Mojo SDK beta for webOS leaks into the wild
Palm has done its darnedest to keep the riffraff away from webOS development while it finishes up its Mojo SDK for webOS development, but the floodgates have finally opened with an opportune leak of Mojo to Torrent-vill. Naturally, Palm will still be locking out unapproved developers from releasing their creations to the App Catalog for the time being, but this should hopefully give the everyman a chance to hone apps in anticipation of a day of approval -- and should really beef up the homebrew community in the meantime. The other good news is that Palm is actually adding developers to its "early access program" at a fairly rapid pace, announcing that it doubled its membership this week, and plans to double it again next week. It's all coming together.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Update: The original leak was strictly Windows-style, but PreThinking notes that it's available for Mac now as well.
Homebrew apps come to the Palm Pre
According to Dieter over at PreCentral, real, honest-to-goodness usable apps are starting to "trickle out" for the Pre / webOS. Apparently utilizing a loophole in the operating system which allows unsigned apps to be sideloaded through email, homebrewers have taken to the interwebs with small utilities like the tip calculator (pictured above). This comes just a day after a group of DIY'ers figured out a workable solution for getting software onto the phone without rooting, so obviously Pre hacking is moving along at a healthy clip. These are -- of course -- very early applications, so don't expect perfection, and there seems to be some concern that Palm might want to patch up this hole, as it leaves the phone vulnerable to less altruistic endeavors. While the latter point is reasonable to consider, we do have a piece of advice for the folks at the front of this movement: don't wait and worry on how Palm will react to this stuff. It's important to push platforms like webOS, and the Pre needs all the love it can get on the development side right now. Read - Right now: Install a Homebrew App without Hacking Read - Homebrew Apps Tricking Out, but be careful
Pre apps successfully installed on non-rooted phone, world waits for details
There have been no shortage of custom apps hitting the Pre already, including a number of old favorites, but all have required a little bit of roto-rooting ahead of time to lay the groundwork for such non-authorized code. That might change in the very near future thanks to the work of a trio of dedicated deviant coders going by the handles xorg, simplyflipflops, and Shaya Potter. Over the span of just a few days they managed to figure out how to package and sign custom apps in such a way that anything can be installed on a completely stock phone -- the only catch is they're waiting to see what Palm has to say about it before they release a full how-to. Since the company has its own plans of making most developers wait at least a few months before setting them free we can't imagine the response is going to be: "This is totally awesome, please tell the world our secrets." But, we'd be happy to be wrong.[Thanks, Bo]
SNES USB cartridge adapter should set eBay aflame
Sick of having to use your inconvenient mouse and keyboard to do "internet searches" for ROMs of your favorite retro games? Well a gentleman named Matthias might just have the answer to your prayers -- a USB SNES cartridge adapter. The enterprising DIY'er has created a combo hardware and software solution that allows you to plug in your dusty carts directly to your rig, and see the ROMs appear as standalone files which you can then load into the emulator of your choice. Apparently there are still some kinks to work out (like getting data rates up for larger games), and Matthias already has plans underway for a multi-system solution. Still, this is impressive stuff, even if it means we'll have to repurchase any titles we're missing from reputable online auction houses. Hey, at least it'll cut down our visits to "Russian porn sites." Check out the video of the whole thing in action after the break.
DIY VR Game Gun packs built-in motion tracking, optional mullet
Homebuilt motion controllers may be a fairly common occurrence these days -- especially with the Wiimote simplifying things considerably -- but this so-called "PC VR Game Gun" takes a slightly different approach than most, and has the added benefit of a pitchman firmly committed to selling it as the greatest thing since ShamWow. As you can see above, the rig consists of a toy gun with an LCD screen attached to it, but the real secret is a Gyration Air Mouse mounted on top, which allows for some full, seemingly responsive motion-tracking in any PC game. To really finish things off, our fearless modder also ripped apart a gamepad and wired it up to the trigger in the gun, which turns out to be just the thing for playing F.E.A.R.... on the highest difficulty setting. Must-see video after the break. Update: As helpfully pointed out in comments, there's now a wireless version of the Game Gun and, of course, a new video. Check it out after the break as well.
Palm says no webOS SDK till end of Summer
So, you want to be a webOS developer, huh? That's great kid, we're excited for you, but there's a catch: Palm won't be handing out an actual SDK to most people until the end of Summer. In a post just published on the Palm Developer Network Blog, reps from the company say that although they've been cranking away on getting their full SDK in shipshape (the version given out to current devs is apparently pretty rough), they won't have anything for a broader audience anytime soon. In their words:With the Pre now in customers' hands and reports of webOS hacks in the news, we know that you are more anxious than ever to get access to the SDK and start developing for webOS.We've been working very hard on the SDK and are eager to open access on a wider scale, but the software and the developer services to support it just aren't ready yet.This should come as a bit of a blow to developers hoping to get cracking on Pre software, and will unquestionably turn those who can't bear the wait towards the fully stocked iPhone or Android platforms. However, Palm does say that they'll be opening the program up a bit wider, stating in the post that they plan to crank the number of devs with the early SDK in their hands up from "hundreds to thousands" over the next few weeks. Apparently, that's part of process the company is beginning to ration out access, building to a full release.Another bit of puzzling wordsmithing in this post comes in the form of the company's stance on homebrew and DIY "experiments" (their words) which have come to light in the past couple of weeks. So says Palm:As on any popular platform, we recognize that some developers will experiment in ways that cross official boundaries, but we believe that our formal offerings – and community efforts built around those offerings – will provide the best experience for the vast majority of webOS developers and users.So while it's not exactly a keep-off-the-grass statement, it certainly reads vaguely as to whether or not the company will lock out jailbreakers hoping to dive deeper into webOS. Further confusing the matter? Palm has just released the Linux source code used to compile the Pre's firmware, making the possibility of cooked / custom ROMs a very serious reality, and obviously opening the floor to a lot of said experimentation. Mixed messages? Yes. Our word to Palm right now? Put every effort into getting that SDK out, or you're at risk of quickly burning through all the good will you've just engendered.Update: We've added some info above which reflects Palm's statement that it will be considerably widening its pool of developers over the next few weeks with access to the early SDK.Read - An update on the early access program and the SDKRead - Open source packages
