May 25

Video: Katamari controller hack for PS2

Posted in: arduino, controller, hack, mod, playstation, Today's Chili

What better way to remember all of those people who died when the moon and the stars were destroyed by the King of All Cosmos than a Memorial Day game of Katamari? Rather than continue to half-ass it with her PlayStation controller, hackster and NYC Resistor member Kellbot has put together a real life spherical controller, utilizing such items as a large mirror ball (sadly, the Yoga ball proved too pliable to roll on the ball bearings), a mouse, a gutted PS2 controller, a digital pot, and — of course — the world famous Arduino. Interested in building your own? Hit that read link to get all the details, but not before you peep the video after the break.

[Via Hack A Day]

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Video: Katamari controller hack for PS2 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 May 2009 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 21

Komodo’s Retro Adapter brings your dusty old gamepads to your dusty new Wii

Posted in: controller, nintendo wii, NintendoWii, Today's Chili, wii
Komodo's Retro Adapter brings your dusty old gamepads to your dusty new Wii

While we hear Punch Out!! is quite good, it’s safe to say the Wii hasn’t exactly been flooded with great titles lately. The most enjoyable part of the system still comes from the Virtual Console and all the classic titles that populate it, and soon you’ll be able to pair those games with the classic controllers they were written for thanks to Komodo’s Retro Adapter. Sure, we’ve seen some rather… unsophisticated ways of making N64 controllers work in the past, and Nintendo itself hopped on the retro bandwagon with a first-party Wii SNES gamepad, but Komodo’s adapter has no exposed solders, looks like a wee N64, and even lets you use your creaky old NES pad. No official word on availability, but expect a $20 price sometime in June. We’ll be bringing you more from E3.

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Komodo’s Retro Adapter brings your dusty old gamepads to your dusty new Wii originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 May 2009 09:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 18

J Allard’s ‘Magic Wand’ patent application for Microsoft puts Nintendo, sorcerers on notice

Posted in: controller, e3, Microsoft, patent, patent application, PatentApplication, Today's Chili, xbox, xbox 360, Xbox360

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from J Allard; the man who assumed responsibility for Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division (think: Zune and Xbox) in mid 2008 in an effort to unify the experience into a centralized package. Now Microsoft’s CTO and CXO (that’s, Chief eXperience Office) has co-signed a patent application for a “Magic Wand” first filed in November of 2007 and made public just a few days ago. The patent application reads very much like a Wiimote, hand-held controller,

“The architecture can utilize one or more sensor from a collection of sensors to determine an orientation or gesture in connection with the wand, and can further issue an instruction to update a state of an environmental component based upon the orientation.”

It’s worth remembering that Microsoft has been rumored to be working on such a controller since at least August 2007. Something they’ve apparently scrapped for a camera-based solution that will allow gamers to control the action with their bodies and hand-gestures without requiring a hand-held controller — you know, if current rumors are true. How many days until Microsoft’s June 1st E3 press conference again?

[Via TechFlash]

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J Allard’s ‘Magic Wand’ patent application for Microsoft puts Nintendo, sorcerers on notice originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 May 2009 03:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 15

Guitar Hero 5 makes room for four drummers, axe slingers or screamers

Posted in: controller, Music, Today's Chili

Alright, so you know Guitar Hero 5 is on the way — that’s all fine, well and good. But, did you realize that the birth of that game will also enable you to destroy your den by making room for four drum kits? Yes, we’re serious. GH 5 promises any kind of musician mix ‘n match you can dream up, enabling gamers to play with three singers and a drummer, four bassists (imagine someone cloning Sting and replacing the other Police with artificial Stings) or four skin slammin’ drummers. With possibilities this endless, you know things are bound to get savage.

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Guitar Hero 5 makes room for four drummers, axe slingers or screamers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 May 2009 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 15

SNK fighting joysticks tempt PlayStation 3 importers

Posted in: controller, Japan, playstation 3, Playstation3, ps3, sony, Today's Chili

Got a bit of couch cushion change weighing you down? Need a little something to revitalize that PS3 love affair? You’ve come to the right place, friend. SNK has just unleashed a new duo of fighting sticks over in Japan, and both are downright drool-worthy. The new controllers are being launched alongside King of Fighters XII this July, with one featuring artwork from the title and the second boasting a Neo Geo throwback vibe (pictured after the jump) that should resonate quite well with gamers of yesteryear. The tandem is priced at ¥6,279 ($65) and ¥5,229 ($54), respectively, though we get the feeling it’ll be import or bust for us Yanks.

[Via Joystiq]

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SNK fighting joysticks tempt PlayStation 3 importers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 May 2009 03:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 14

Ask Engadget: Best Guitar Hero / Rock Band axe?

Posted in: AskEngadget, controller, Features, guitar, Today's Chili

Are you ready for this? No, seriously — can you handle yet another episode of Ask Engadget? Considering that our omnipresent intern bots are recording your head nodding up and down this very moment, we’ll just cut straight to Chad’s question:

“After viewing the special edition bass for Rock Band: Beatles (and longing for a true lefty guitar), I noticed that no one has asked which aftermarket guitar for either (or both) game(s) works better than the standard — especially for those of us who play like Hendrix. So I put it to you, which is the best RB or GH axe out there with price being no issue?”

First off, big ups to the fellow southpaws out there. Secondly, which third-party axe really is the best to rock out with? Don’t be afraid to place your modded Squier at the top of the charts, either.

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Ask Engadget: Best Guitar Hero / Rock Band axe? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 May 2009 00:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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May 01

Is This Video of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Motion Controls?

Posted in: controller, gaming, Today's Chili, top, xbox, xbox 360

The first meaty rumors of the Xbox 360 using full-body motion controls—without a controller—are pretty interesting, since Microsoft showed us their “write in the air” tech a couple months ago, complete with Xbox logo:

Microsoft showed off a “Write in the Air” system developed in China. You can write with a gyro controller or in thin air, using a camera. Is it next for the Xbox?

You can’t help but notice the giant Xbox logo there on the screen, and the researcher I talked to said that it would be a great system for the Xbox or for Microsoft interactive TV. Still, when I pressed him, he said he didn’t know of any immediate plans. Whatever, it makes sense, except maybe the part where he grabs an orange and uses it as a stylus.

If the rumors are true, the orange makes a lot more sense now, don’t it? Not that I’m any less skeptical of these kind of controls actually working for gamers in the real world. PSEye, anyone? [Giz@Microsoft TechFest]

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May 01

PlayStation 3 motion-sensing controller to be shown off at E3?

Posted in: controller, playstation, playstation 3, Playstation3, ps3, remote, remote control, RemoteControl, rumor, rumors, sony, Today's Chili

It’s now just over a month before Sony’s E3 press event and already the rumor mill is aflutter with what the comapny’s planning to debut on stage. We’ve already heard about PSP’s apparent makeover, and now comes word from Variety that the PlayStation 3’s oft-rumored motion sensing controller, closer in the vein of the Wii remote than of its relative-positioning Sixaxis pad, will be getting some time on stage. A source from Kombo late last month suggested key third-party develoeprs have already been brought up to speed and asked to implement the functionality into their upcoming titles. Like we said, this isn’t the first time we’ve been down this road, and it’s not happened infinitely more times than has, so… take that as you will. Brace yourself, this is only the beginning of the of a flurry of game-related murmurs and speculation in the leadup to next month’s conference.

Read – Variety
Read – Kombo

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PlayStation 3 motion-sensing controller to be shown off at E3? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 May 2009 01:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 29

Students build 3D computer interface using copper, felt, and lots of moxie

Posted in: controller, interface, Today's Chili

Always on the lookout for bigger and better ways to faux-scratch a record with your PC, these students at Northeastern University have developed a human-computer interface that utilizes copper pads and our beloved theory of electrostatics. This little devil is able to track the position of a user’s hand in three dimensions, without attaching markers to the body or requiring the user to hold some sort of controller. We can think of a couple theremin players that would love to get their hands on one of these things (Mike Love, we’re looking at you). But don’t take out word for it — peep the video below to groove along with these dudes as they literally rock the (virtual) bells, play some organ, and even do a little fingerpainting.

Continue reading Students build 3D computer interface using copper, felt, and lots of moxie

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Students build 3D computer interface using copper, felt, and lots of moxie originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 28

Samsung Eternity retrofitted within NES controller, has never looked better

Posted in: controller, diy, hack, mod, nintendo, phone, Retro, samsung, Today's Chili, video

Not that we’ve never had the pleasure of seeing an NES phone mod before, but there’s just something especially elegant about this one. The not-at-all-ancient Samsung a867 Eternity was chosen by one Taylor Merrill to be shoved inside of a now-defunct Nintendo Entertainment System controller. The result, naturally, is what you see above — er, half of it, anyway. For a look at the whole thing in its entirety, hop on past the break and mash play. Per usual, we take no responsibility for damage dealt to your retro game consoles, existing handsets or pride should you attempt to replicate.

[Thanks, stagueve]

Continue reading Samsung Eternity retrofitted within NES controller, has never looked better

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Samsung Eternity retrofitted within NES controller, has never looked better originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 08:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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