Hasta La Gadget!

Still not living up to its name, Evil Controllers is back with another invention that should be very beneficial to Xbox 360 gamers. The company has come up with an Xbox 360 controller with a built-in rechargeable battery, just like the PS3′s controllers.

I’m actually surprised that Microsoft hasn’t released a controller like this, although to its credit it has released external rechargeable battery packs that can last for an entire day of gaming. But as Evil Controllers mentions in its Kickstarter video below, a controller with an internal battery is more environment-friendly and much lighter. Plus, Evil’s version is a long-lasting Lithium-ion battery, so you can play for up to 10 hours straight without recharging. You can skip to about 1:10 in the video for the meat of the pitch:

Here’s a quick look at the controller:

If you watched the Kickstarter video then you know that Evil Controllers is very considerate with their reward tiers. Pledge at least $80 (USD) and you get an Xbox 360 controller with their custom backplate built-in, or just pledge $50 to get a DIY kit so you can install the backplate on your own controller. You know where to go.

[via Joystiq]

It’s an Arduino — you know, for kids. Or, as BirdBrain Technologies’ chief robot design Tom Lauwers put it, a “pre-Arduino.” It’s never too early to get kids into robot building — or so goes the thought process behind this nectar-loving kit. At its center is a custom controller that can be used to manipulate a slew of different sensors, motors and lights, a number of which are included in the box. Getting started is extremely simple — don’t believe us? Check the video after the break, in which Lauwers connects two wires to get the whole process underway.

The kit’s also reasonably priced at $199 a piece. On top of the controller, you get a handful of LEDs, two vibration motors, four servos and light, temperature, distance and sound sensors. The kits are currently available through the company’s site (click on that source link). Lauwers tells us that his company (which you may remember from last year’s MakerFaire NYC) is working on a slightly more affordable option priced at around $130, which scales back a bit on the in-box components.

Check out a conversation with Lauwers — and a pretty awesome cardboard dragon — below.

Continue reading Hummingbird is a ‘pre-Arduino’ for kids (video)

Filed under: Robots

Hummingbird is a ‘pre-Arduino’ for kids (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The first time we talked about the 8-bitty controller for your mobile gaming device was back in February. Yeah, we never thought it would ship either. If you’ve been waiting for that little old school Nintendo-style controller to finally ship, today is the day. As of right now you can hop over to ThinkGeek and pick one up for yourself for about 30 bucks.

The 8-bitty is a small handheld controller powered by a pair of AAA batteries. It uses Bluetooth to connect to a number of different portable devices on the market today including iOS as well as Android tablets and smartphones. The controller has eight buttons total including four buttons on the face, a select button, start button, and a pair shoulder buttons.

It also has a D-pad for controlling movement. The controller was developed using an open platform with no licensing fees or permissions needed to create apps that support it. ThinkGeek says that it is fully compatible with the Atari Greatest Hits iPad app, and any of the over 150 other games with iCADE support.

The last time we talked about the ThinkGeek 8-bitty wireless game controller for the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices was way back in February of 2012. At the time, the little old school Nintendo-style game controller was tipped to launch later this year at price of $25. If you liked what you saw in the controller, it is available and shipping right now from ThinkGeek.

The one caveat is that it’s now a bit more expensive than we originally talked about selling for $29.99. It looks very much like the Nintendo controller on my original system way back in the day. The controller is designed to fit in your pocket and supports the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. It has eight buttons with four face buttons on the right side of the control, two shoulder buttons, and a D pad for movement.

The controller uses Bluetooth connectivity and automatically turns itself off to save power. The little 8-bitty controller is a portable version of the iCade cabinet and is fully compatible with all iCade games. The controller was developed using an open platform allowing app developers to support the controller with no permission from Apple or ThinkGeek.

ThinkGeek notes that the controller is specifically compatible with all the Atari Greatest Hits games available for the iPad via an app. The controller gets power from a pair of AAA batteries, which aren’t included. Honestly, I think this is a more attractive controller for retro gaming than the big and bulky iCade cabinet.

ThinkGeek 8-bitty wireless game controller now shipping is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

“A tree is best measured when it is down,” and this applies to the video game universe as well as you can only tell just how iconic a console is when it is no longer in production. The SNES has proved itself worthy to be in the annals of console classics, and the upcoming Wii U Pro controller pays homage to its predecessor with a SNES makeover.

Newly listed, the Wii U Pro SNES controller would most probably see plenty of sales figures when it is released alongside the Wii U at the end of this year. Right now, it does seem to be limited to EB Games Australia, so we do hope to see more retailers carry the Wii U Pro SNES controller in the near future. Looking like your regular Pro Controller, it sports a classic SNES pad located right below the dual analog sticks. Bear in mind that this is not an officially sanctioned peripheral, so you might want to take into consideration its sturdiness as a third-party pad.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Iwata says 3DS can connect to the Wii U, plus other goodies, The Wii U GamePad screen will lag behind your TV,