Dream Arcades Vision 32: 140 Classic Games + 32″ Display = 1 Nostalgia Totem

It’s becoming increasingly cheaper to make your own arcade machine, but if you’d rather leave it to the pros check out Dream Arcades’ latest offering, the Vision 32. The machine gets its name from its 32″ LCD display. It’s loaded with 140 classic games, but as an introductory offer Dream Machines is giving away more games and other freebies to early buyers.

dream arcades vision 32 arcade machine 620x1050magnify

The Vision 32 is based on a Windows XP computer with a 3.0GHz Pentium 4 CPU, 1GB RAM, 80GB hard drive, CD-ROM drive and Ethernet port. Its buttons and 2.25″ trackball are backlit. It also has side pinball buttons and a hidden keyboard shelf. Dream Arcades didn’t specify the resolution of the display, only that it’s high definition.

dream arcades vision 32 arcade machine 2 620x465magnify

The list below ticks off some of the games pre-loaded into the Vision 32. Early buyers will also get a over two dozen casino and slots games, seven clone games – including a Donkey Kong clone, a Freeway clone and a Frogger clone – plus a DVD-ROM drive. You can also add your own games, play music and videos and go online on the machine.

dream arcades vision 32 arcade machine 3 620x329magnify

Insert a coin in your browser and order the Vision 32 for $2,699 (USD) – $500 off from its regular price. The sale ends on 5/26. You can check out custom made Vision 32 units on Dream Arcades’ Facebook page.

[via Gotham News]

Wicked Lasers Flashtorch Flashlight: Yep, It Also Sets Stuff on Fire

Wicked Lasers has updated its Flashtorch flashlight to be lighter and longer lasting than ever before. The company claims that the Flashtorch is the world’s brightest and most powerful flashlight. I can’t verify that, though I wouldn’t be surprised if the claims hold up. After all, the Flashtorch is so bright that it can easily start a fire.

wicked lasers flashtorch flashlightmagnify

The Flashtorch has a 100W halogen lamp that emits 4,100 lumens and lasts up to 2,000 hours, a battery lasts up to 40min. per charge, and a heat-resistant lens and reflector that adjust the beam from a wide floodlight to a focused firestarter.

Put on gloves and goggles  and head to Wicked Lasers to order the Flashtorch. It’s guaranteed to burn through $200 (USD) before you even turn it on.

FINsix Dart Laptop Charger Targets Bulky Power Bricks

Laptops get thinner and lighter every year, but their power adapters are mostly still big and heavy. FINsix claims its Dart laptop charger is up to four times smaller and up to six times lighter compared to ordinary chargers.

dart laptop charger by finsixmagnify

Dart uses what FINsix calls Very High Frequency technology to provide up to 65W of power. You can read more about it on FINsix’ technical report (pdf), though the word “technical” isn’t there for nothing. Note that 65W won’t be enough for all laptops – for example, Retina MacBook Pros use an 85W power adapter – but that will do for hundreds of other models. You can check this compatibility list (pdf) to see if your laptop will work with Dart. Dart also has a 2.1A USB charging port, so it can also replace your mobile device power adapter.

Plug a tiny browser to Kickstarter to support Dart. Pledge at least $89 (USD) to get a Dart that works with hundreds of Windows laptops. The MacBook-compatible Dart is at a higher reward tier – $148. FINsix says that they have to buy Apple’s power adapters to get parts for the Macbook-compatible Dart, hence the significant added cost for that model.

[via Engadget]

SoulCalibur Nightmare Statuette: Throne of Souls

Professional sculptor Hector A. Arce mashed up Game of Thrones with SoulCalibur in this grisly stattuete. He calls it Throne of Souls, and it shows the fighting game villain sitting on a throne that’s “made up of the souls and swords of his fallen enemies.” Take that Aegon.

throne of souls soul calibur nightmare statue by hector a arce 620x620magnify

I was going to post about this Mario Bros. sculpture but when I got to Minty Fresh I got sidetracked by the other items for sale. Steve Minty is the Fangamer of geeky visual art. Or maybe Fangamer is the Minty Fresh of geeky apparel. I could have picked an item from Minty Fresh’s virtual shelves at random and it would have been worth sharing.  For now though I just had to highlight Hector’s masterpiece. The statuette is 12″ high and 10″ wide and is made of ceramic clay.

throne of souls soul calibur nightmare statue by hector a arce 2 620x620magnify

Wield your browser and head to Minty Fresh, where you can buy the statuette for $450 (USD). Hector priced it at $300 on his shop, but it’s not yet available there.

iOn Touchless Capacitive Switch: Wave on, Wave off

Watch out Clapper; there’s a new switch in town. iOn is a capacitive switch that lets you toggle lights and other devices simply by waving your hand in front of it. You can even extend the switch’s coverage or hide it altogether by putting a conductive object on top of it.

ion touchless capacitive switch 620x368magnify

Like most smartphone touchscreens, iOn uses capacitive sensing to work. Think of it as a much simpler theremin. Aside from waving your hand to toggle a device on or off,  you can also keep your hand in front of iOn to gradually dim or brighten a light source. Apparently you’ll also be able to control the switch via a mobile app. Finally, as I said earlier, you can also turn a conductive object into a switch by placing it on top of the iOn. iOn fits over standard US switch boxes and can replace most mechanical switches out of the box.

Wave to your browser and pledge at least $40 (USD) on Kickstarter to get an iOn switch as a reward. The switch is both practical and cool, but I hope it doesn’t consume a lot of electricity, or at least has a power saving mode.

LifePrint Wireless Photo Printer Lets You Share Photos Online and Offline

Many of us stock our photos only as digital copies, but a new company called LifePrint might get you back to printing photographs. The company’s eponymous device lets you print photos wirelessly wherever you are and makes it easy to share photos with other LifePrint users.

lifeprint wireless photo printer 620x527magnify

The printer works with iOS and Android devices and makes 3″ x 4″ photographs. You can print any image that’s on your camera roll to LifePrint, which means you can print the images you edited or downloaded from various apps. You can send photos to the printer over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or even a data connection through the LifePrint app.

For example, you can take a picture while you’re out and have a print waiting for you when you get home, or even have someone abroad within print your photo within a few seconds of capturing it. Couple that wireless capability with the printer’s battery – it can print up to 30 photos per charge – and you can even set up a mobile photo booth.

lifeprint wireless photo printer 2 620x457magnify

You can emulate LifePrint’s wireless features with a modern printer, a router and a bit of programming. But what makes LifePrint more convenient is the social network feature of its mobile app. It behaves much like Instagram where you can follow other users, except with LifePrint you can add the images of the people you follow to your printing queue. It’s a shame LifePrint can’t print out larger photos, because otherwise it would be a great way for artists and photographers to send free posters to their followers.

Thankfully, the LifePrint app lets you reject the photos shared by the people in your network without informing them of the rejection. You can also keep to yourself and stay out of LifePrint’s social network.

Take a photo of your browser’s lunch, apply some filters, and pledge at least $99 (USD) on Kickstarter to get a LifePrint printer as a reward. LifePrint will sell film packs in three variants: 10 prints for $20, 30 for $20 and 100 for $50. Shipping will be free for the $50 pack. A lot of consumers might be turned off by the price of the film, but I say that’s a plus. It’ll force them to think hard about the pictures they want to print. And it will give you a good alibi when your friends start asking why you didn’t print the selfies they sent you.

[via DudeIWantThat]

Droplet Sprinkler Targets Plants to Save Water: Sniper Medic

Traditional sprinklers simply spread water over an area, which leads to lots of water wasted and uneven watering. Droplet wants to change all that with its eponymous robot. Instead of blindly spraying water around like Bill & Lance with a Spread gun, Droplet knows where your plants are and aims at them like Mr. Mundy in Doublecross.

droplet sprinkler 620x409magnify

When you get a Droplet, you’ll go to a web app to specify the type and location of your plants. I don’t know how exactly the web app works, just that you can go through it on a computer or a mobile device and in just a few minutes. In addition to that data, Droplet will also supposedly tap into the United States’ weather station and soil sample data to gauge when and how much water to spray. One Droplet should be able to tend to a 2700sq.ft. area.

Grow a browser and head to Amazon, where you can pre-order Droplet for $300 (USD). That’s a lot of money for a sprinkler, but when you consider its resulting water savings and positive impact on the environment I think it’s worth it.

[via Digital Trends]

Mi.Mu Gesture Control Music Glove: New Wave

The very talented musician Imogen Heap and her colleagues at Mi.Mu are working on a glove that will allow you to make music by moving your fingers and hands. Think Minority Report, but instead of flipping screens around your movements create sounds. Air drumming is about to be legit.

mi.mu music glove 620x465magnify

Mi.Mu has an input and output board called x-OSC that connects the glove to a computer or multiple computers over Wi-Fi. It also has an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a magnetometer. Along with the flex sensors on the glove itself, the system can detect “the orientation of your hand, the “flex” of your fingers, your current hand posture (e.g. fist, open hand, one finger point), the direction (up, down, left, right, forwards, backwards) of your hand [and] sharp movements such as drum hits.”

You can map one or more of these movements to control music software with the help of Mi.Mu’s own application, which converts your movements to OSC or MIDI. This means you can use the glove with any software that can handle those two files. The video below shows Imogen performing (!) a song using only two Mi.Mu gloves to control the music:

As you may have noticed, the glove allows the wearer to activate multiple tweaks or sounds at once. You can also use gestures to switch between your saved mappings, which should reduce the number of movements you have to memorize for a given performance.

Pledge at least £1,200 (~$2,000 USD) on Kickstarter to receive a Mi.Mu glove as a reward. Hopefully in a few years the glove will be affordable enough, so we can wash away all the hate and society can start advancing.

[via Gadgetify]

Star Trek Captain Picard Jacket Replica: The Previous Generation

An imaginary thinking cap? Pfff. The next time you’re in a quandary, put on this replica of Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s jacket and let the cerebral hero of Star Trek: The Next Generation be your spirit animal. As soon as you put it on you’ll have at least one profound thought: “Really Captain? Suede?”

star trek the next generation captain picard jacket by anovos 620x549magnify

The officially-licensed replica is being made by Anovos, who got their hands on one of the jackets worn by Patrick Stewart in the last two seasons of the show. The company claims that the replica’s color, pattern and fabric closely match the TV show costume.

star trek the next generation captain picard jacket by anovos 2 620x620magnify

Damn. That’s a 90s show all right.

As of this writing you can pre-order the jacket from Anovos for $250 (USD). Only 100 jackets will be made, with the final 40 jackets going for $300. At those prices you’d think the turtleneck and comm badge would be included.

[via Star Trek]

Alien Warrior & Big Chap 1/2 Scale Busts: Walletbursters

Sideshow Collectibles will release two Xenomorph busts this year. Both the Big Chap and the Alien Warrior will be in “Legendary Scale”, the toy maker’s term for 1:2 scale. Unless we’re talking about a Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann scale model, I refuse to call anything that’s half the size of the original “Legendary”. That said, these busts are freakin’ scary.

alien legendary scale big chap bust by sideshow collectibles 620x413magnify

Come on Sideshow, use a banana. Get with the program. The Big Chap is 14″ high and has its trademark slimy shine, semi-translucent head and French kiss-ready mouths. It also bears a relief of a xenomorph egg and a facehugger at the back of its base. It also comes with a plate that bears the Alien movie title in its stylized font.

alien legendary scale big chap bust by sideshow collectibles 2 620x413magnify

alien legendary scale big chap bust by sideshow collectibles 3 620x413magnify

alien legendary scale big chap bust by sideshow collectibles 4 620x413magnify

alien legendary scale big chap bust by sideshow collectibles 5 620x413magnify

alien legendary scale big chap bust by sideshow collectibles 6 620x413magnify

alien legendary scale big chap bust by sideshow collectibles 7 620x413magnify

The Alien Warrior is not as slimy or imposing as the Big Chap and has its distinctive ridges. Its bust also has an egg and facehugger relief has an Aliens film plate.

alien legendary scale warrior bust by sideshow collectibles 620x288magnify

alien legendary scale warrior bust by sideshow collectibles 2 620x413magnify

alien legendary scale warrior bust by sideshow collectibles 3 620x413magnify

alien legendary scale warrior bust by sideshow collectibles 4 620x413magnify

alien legendary scale warrior bust by sideshow collectibles 5 620x485magnify

alien legendary scale warrior bust by sideshow collectibles 6 620x413magnify

alien legendary scale warrior bust by sideshow collectibles 7 620x500magnify

alien legendary scale warrior bust by sideshow collectibles 8 620x571magnify

Get in the power browser and head to Sideshow Collectibles to pre-order the busts. The Big Chap costs $400 (USD) and will be released this November while the Alien Warrior costs $350 and will be released this July.

[via GeekAlerts]