modding
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Forget Pay N' Spray: GTA3 for Android and iOS allows proper user mods
A group of cool cats has figured out how to add new textures and other mods to cars and buildings in the Android version of Grand Theft Auto 3. The XDA Developers forum is a good place to start for mod file downloads and the files can be inserted in the sdcard/android/data/com.rockstar.gta3/files/gta3/ directory (which happens to be the same directory structure as the PC version). Click the break to see a video of one of the car mods in action and remember, your ride isn't ideal for drive-by shootings unless Xzibit says so.Update: Jim wrote in to say that the iOS version works as well!
Hacker builds allegedly pointless data network out of Lego train set
How can we appreciate bullet-quick SSDs and fiber networks without pausing -- at the year's end -- to appreciate where it all came from? We should think back to before the birth of modern computing, even before the telegraph, to a time when bits of data were forced to travel everywhere by train. A hacker named Maximilien has now recreated that locomotive golden era using Lego, Arduino and Linux, and what his system lacks in bandwidth it more than makes up for in historical relevance. A USB flash key is borne by miniature railway carriage from station to station, stopping at each one to unload or pickup information and thus creating its own barebones networking protocol. Click the source link to appreciate the full museum piece.
Bit-tech's Mod of the Year contest underway: finally, something you're comfortable voting on
Like ponies to little girls, we always have a soft spot for mods here at Engadget. Who could forget Angel OD's liquid-cooled Wii, for example? Or Peter Brands' Frankendesk of a PC, the L3p D3sk? Well, it seems like we're not the only ones whose fancies got tickled by these things, as both made the list of nominees for bit-tech's Mod of the Year 2011 competition. The contest is serving up its biggest field to date with 25 projects. Entries include a PC that doubles as a mini Warhammer Dreadnought and another computer encased in a Star Trek Intrepid Mark II Class starship replica. If your tastes lean more toward the older than old school kind, Jeffrey Stephenson's got one of his wooden mods included in the bunch, as well. Naturally, you can check out the rest of the entries (and cast your votes) at the source below. [Thanks, Antony]
Portable Jaguar modder gives Ben Heck a run for his compact gaming money (video)
We bet you thought Ben Heck's Atari Jaguar mod would be the first and only portable hack of the ill-fated "64-bit" game system you'd ever see. Well, you were wrong. User Evil Nod, over at the Made by Bacteria forums, has whipped up a rather impressive compact console using the seemingly ubiquitous PS1 screen as a display. At about 1.75-inches thick, it's a bit bulkier than Heck's build, but it also doesn't have a giant battery or cartridge slot hanging off the back -- everything is tucked neatly away inside the textured black shell. Check out the source links for a build log and a few more photos of the finished product. You'll also find a bonus video of the prototype after the break.
Skyrim Online mod aims to take the game, er, online
OK, stop me if you've heard this one before. "The Elder Scrolls is awesome, but I wish it was an MMO." Apparently some enterprising modders have similar designs, and if a full-blown massively multiplayer conversion seems unlikely, a small-scale online version of Skyrim looks very possible. GameFront is reporting on a new mod for the PC version of the game (you did buy the PC version, didn't you?) that takes the celebrated series into the online realm. According to the mod's author, it will allow you to "play with your friends, chat with people worldwide, [and] trade with other players." No word yet on lootstealing or ganking noobs. FPSWin has some early video footage of the Skyrim Online experiment which we've embedded for you after the cut. It's definitely not polished (the animations are poor and the player characters are glitchy), but there is a functioning chatbox. If nothing else, it's a start, amirite?
USB Biofeedback Game Controller lets you play Mario with your guns (video)
Those gun-show tickets you've been offering out to everyone (that nobody ever takes) can suddenly do a lot more, thanks to Advancer Technologies. It's developed an Arduino-based plug-and-play bio-feedback game controller that uses EMG (electromyography) sensors to monitor the electrical activity in your skeletal muscles and turn them into game controls. For example, a bicep twinge represents jump, a gripped fist means run forwards -- as long as you've sufficient definition for those two to be distinctive. Check out the must-see muscle action after the break, or see how it's done at the source link. [Image courtesy of Dreamworks]
Step aside Arduino, TinkerForge is the new sheriff in mod-town (video)
Does Arduino coding bring you out in a cold sweat? Perhaps what you need is the new open-source gear from TinkerForge. The modular system is designed for even novice users to whip up fully functioning robots in a matter of minutes hours. You start with a 4 x 4cm Brick, which you program over USB, but it won't do anything until you add accessories in the form of Bricklets: switches, joysticks, motors, accelerometers and LCDs. You can stack up to eight Bricks to expand the potential of your projects, including a step-down transformer and a (forthcoming) WiFi unit. If the rules-based programming software is too easy for you, the hardcore can bust out their mad C, C++, C#, Java and Python skills. The first models are available today, Bricks cost between €30 ($40) - €50 ($70) and Bricklets cost €3 ($4) - €20 ($25). Head on past the break to catch the press release and a video of some of the brilliant ways you can use this technology, including an infra-red theremin, self-positioning telescope and robots -- so many robots.
SWTOR lead designer explains item mod changes
If you're concerned about tweaks to Star Wars: The Old Republic's item modding system, you'll want to have a look at a lengthy post that just showed up on the game's official boards. The piece was written by BioWare associate lead designer Emmanuel Lusinchi and it clarifies a few things that raised fan eyebrows as the feature underwent various changes. Lusinchi's wall o' text is more than we can fully relate here, since it pretty much sums up the entire history of SWTOR's item mod mechanics. Lusinchi pays a little lip service to the original iteration of the system, but he also calls it "less than stellar" despite fond remembrances of it among members of the testing community. The ultimate goal of all the changes, Lusinchi says, is a polished system that preserves the concept of customization from earlier versions without sacrificing game balance. "To put it simply, we want moddable items to offer an alternate and optional loot system that allows players to customize their look and their stats with more freedom and without penalty for doing so," he explains.
SupaBoy portable SNES, the most fun you can have without a soldering iron
We previewed Hyperkin's SupaBoy back in the summer and loved the idea of toting 'round original SNES games without resorting to Ben Heck-style crafting. The handheld takes full-size cartridges, packs a 3.5-inch screen and a battery that's disappointingly rated for just two point five hours (best keep a power cable handy). It'll also double as a home console: there's an AV-out port and slots for two classic controllers for when you wanna kick it old-school. It's reportedly compatible with titles like Mario World, A Link to the Past and Starwing Starfox, but who needs them when we've got a mint condition copy of Tetris Attack at home? It'll cost you $80 and is available from Amazon as of yesterday -- we suggest you get to practicing blowing the dirt from the connectors, since you'll be doing a lot of it soon.
EFF working to make console modding legal
Your Humble Indie Bundle dollars at work! The Copyright Office is taking submissions about possible new exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation is petitioning the office to protect "jailbreaking" of consoles, tablets, and other devices to run software other than that supported by the manufacturer. A year ago, a similar EFF initiative resulted in an exemption on "jailbreaking" smartphones. "The DMCA is supposed to block copyright infringement," said EFF Intellectual Property Director Corynne McSherry. "But instead it can be misused to threaten creators, innovators, and consumers, discouraging them from making full and fair use of their own property." McSherry asserted that "artists and tinkerers" who want to modify their devices to run whatever they want deserve legal protection. The use of jailbroken consoles -- or any technology -- to violate copyright (by, for example, playing an unauthorized copy of a retail game) would remain illegal. But the act of modding a console itself would no longer be. The Copyright Office will hold hearings on DMCA extensions in the spring.
HandyNES mod shrinks console, makes light gun look like light cannon
Vita schmita. This red mushroom-themed portable NES is the latest gaming tribute from modder LovableChevy, combining the original Entertainment System's innards with a 3.5-inch LCD screen, built-in controls and a rechargeable battery. The tinkerer has taken the time to include an AV out, headphone jack and an extra USB port for either a light gun or a second controller. However, the old tech involved takes its toll: the whole thing weighs in at around one pound (sans game) and offers up only three hours of play from a single charge. Think you can handle this portable heavyweight? Then check out the video after the break.
Arduino-powered glove brings real sound effects to your make believe gun show (video)
The days of air-punching invisible Daleks and making your own sound effects are over: a team from Carnegie Mellon's Human-Computer Interaction course have built a glove that does it all for you. The Augmented Hyper-Reality Glove can identify upper-cuts and karate chops using flex and tilt sensors and play the accompanying sound effect using an Arduino-powered Adafruit wave shield. We can see some potential downsides -- flirtatious finger-gun fusillades accompanied by the sound of cannon fire might just ruin your date. If you're undaunted by such social faux pas, see the toy your inner-child always wanted in action after the break.
CyanogenMod 7.1 brings support for Xperias and 20 other handsets
All it took was a little love from Sony Ericsson and now CyanogenMod's latest official release includes support for a happy cohort of 2011 Xperias as well as the X8. The same goes for Samsung, which doled out a free GSII and some employment and now finds that the Galaxy smartphones are on version 7.1's list too. Wondering if your particular Droid, Optimus or Incredible can run the cyan shade of Gingerbread and its attendant perks? Then check the source link for the full roll-call of newly supported devices -- but remember, despite the increasingly friendly overtures from manufacturers, installing a custom ROM comes with certain pitfalls and can void your warranty. Got that? Now go and play some juicy FLAC files on that Arc.
Arduino-powered modder recreates 'first PC'
Before the Altair 8800, before the SCElBI, there was the Kenbak-1 -- considered to be the first personal computer by the Computer History Museum. Designed in 1970, it used Transistor-Transistor logic instead of a microprocessor -- which is one of the reasons only 40 of the units were ever sold, of which 14 are known to still exist today. That's what prompted modder funnypolynomial to produce his own using an Arduino. It may look a little more functional than the gloriously retro hexagonal design of the original, but it wouldn't take much to copy that look, too. What are you waiting for? Get ordering your blinkenlights!
This DIY Daft Punk helmet is way cooler than your DIY Daft Punk helmet (video)
Harrison Krix may never actually be invited to join Daft Punk, but at the very least, he'll likely have the coolest Halloween costume in the room for pretty much the rest of his life. It's true, we've seen plenty of folks have a go at the French electronic duo's signature headware in the past -- including one from Krix himself -- but few if any have shown quite the attention to detail as this project from the Atlanta-based graphic designer. At the center of the project is an Arduino-controlled LED with text that can be changed over WiFi with an iOS device. Relive the four month project in the three and a half minute video after the jump. And if you've ever wondered what Back to the Future might have looked like with Thomas Bangalter as Marty McFly, check out the source link below.
Arduino-modded stoplight makes the bestest server monitor you'll see this week
Keeping an eye on your server health isn't the most romantic of pastimes. That's what compelled modder mkanoap to build a computer-free monitoring system that was as cheerily simple as Xymon's red-yellow-green symbols. His solution? Install an ethernet-enabled Arduino into a stoplight and mount it on the wall of the office. On one hand, the cubicle creativity factor just has to be commended, but on the other, we're guessing it's not an entirely selfless endeavor -- it's not exactly enthralling answering those system status calls, you know? Anyone who wants to follow in his footsteps can click our source link, which includes details of where to acquire a stoplight without a stealthy, nighttime, screwdriver-assisted jaunt to your nearest intersection.
Play Wii games on your Android tablet via network streaming (video)
In case you haven't met him already, Obiwan222222 represents the minimalist alternative to hardcore modding. He's already shown us Wii games running on the PSP and iPod Touch, and now he's pulled off the same trick on his Asus Transformer. It's all done with network streaming: he loads up Super Mario Galaxy 2 on his PC using the open-source Dolphin emulator and then transmits it to his tablet via the Splashtop HD remote desktop app for Android. He also throws in an Xbox 360 controller to make things look more confusing than they really are. We'd obviously worry about lag with this type of setup, but the video after the break makes it look just about playable.
Homemade PIP-Boy 3000 does (almost) everything
Here at Joystiq, we love the idea of taking the non-existant and making it, well, existent, and we applaud the modders, hackers and crafters out there that are crafty enough to do it. Take MyMagicPudding, for instance: not content with living in a world where Fallout 3's wrist-mounted Personal Information Processor didn't exist, Mr. Puddin' took it upon himself to bend the universe to his will create a fully functioning PIP-Boy 3000. Using an HTC Desire HD, an Arduino Uno microcontroller and a custom-cast casing forged by "Skruffy," Puddin's PIP-Boy stays true to its vault-born inspiration by ignoring the Desire HD's touch-screen capabilities and instead utilizing a functioning scroll-wheel and potentiometer; the correct lights even light up corresponding to what screen you're on. Puddin's first foray into the world of electronics is a picturesque representation of one of our favorite gaming gadgets, but the sad truth is that so many components were required to produce a perfect PIP-Boy, there ended up being no room left for the owner's arm. Once again, the limitations of physical space have prevented fiction from becoming reality.
Xbox 360 modders claim CPU hack, make it party like an N64 (video)
The security system built into the 360's motherboard has more layers than an onion, which is why previous hacks have generally focused on the optical drive instead. But a couple of circuit breakers named Gligli and Tiros claim to have finally freed up the console's CPU, allowing all 360 variants to boot homebrew software while also making them invulnerable to patches sent out by Microsoft. The video after the break purports to show the fruits of their labor, including an N64 emulator running on a version of Linux. It doesn't really prove anything, except perhaps the lengths these guys have gone to: they use various hardware tools to slow down the console's CPU and then confuse it with so-called 'glitch' pulses in an effort to make it forget its normal boot-up checks. Certainly not a trick for the average F-Zero X racer, particularly when speed-boosting around copy protection like this may be shady in the eyes of the law. (One more thing: don't be put off by the video's soundtrack -- starts out weird but gets better, baby.) [Thanks, Rodolfo]
OnLive's Deus Ex pack-in code is 'Cloud game meets physical media 1.0'
People buying new PC copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution this week have likely been delighted to find codes for the OnLive version of the game in the box (unless they bought those copies from GameStop). But you can't play the same save file between the PC and OnLive versions, making the offer more of a cool novelty than something immediately useful to players. OnLive CEO Steve Perlman told Joystiq that this offer, the "first of many," is just a tentative step by OnLive. "You can think of this as cloud game meets physical media 1.0," he said. "This first version doesn't have cross-pollination between your local PC and the cloud." The main issue preventing this from being done right now -- preventing, say, OnLive cloud saving for retail games -- might surprise you: mods. Perlman said that since OnLive uses slightly different versions of the game than the retail PC, if any kind of alteration is done to the base game, it could cause compatibility issues between the versions. Cloud saving on OnLive "can be done," he said. "It requires more thought than printing a code." He affirmed that OnLive will do that, but "that'll probably be like 2.0." OnLive is planning not only to solve that issue, but to allow for mods in the streaming versions of games. "I think if everyone wants to do multiplayer where everyone has auto-aim, that's fine, but you don't want to mix games, you know?" He describes setting up rooms in which people can choose to play with mods. "This is all work that was done many months ago," Perlman noted about the pack-in code, slyly contrasting the lead time required for a retail product with OnLive's instant-on nature. He then laughed. "Oh, my god!"
