Hasta La Gadget!

The touch-friendly interface of Windows 8 led to the rise of portable computers with touchscreens. Those that run Windows 8 often have decent specs, enough to run modern PC games. The problem is that almost none of these games are optimized for touchscreens. GestureWorks wants to help solve that problem with Gameplay, a Windows 8 app that lets you make virtual controllers for PC games.

Yep, that’s Skyrim on a touchscreen. GestureWorks Gameplay has a simple drag and drop interface. You can make d-pads, joysticks and buttons of different sizes and colors, then map them to mouse buttons or keyboard keys. It also lets you map gestures, so you don’t have to fill up your screen with buttons.

As shown in the video, another convenient feature of GestureWorks Gameplay is that you can share controllers with other people. This means you may not even have to create a virtual gamepad; just download someone else’s configuration and you’re good to go.

Penny Arcade’s Mike Krahulik loves this app and uses it on his Surface Pro. I’d rather use physical controllers to play games, but as an iPad owner I know how convenient it is to play games on the go or in bed. GestureWorks Gameplay seems like a decent compromise for Windows 8 gamers. The app will launch on November of this year, but you can try and enter the open beta by registering on its website.

[via Engadget]

Remember the awesome fan-designed Mass Effect hoodies that BioWare was going to turn into real clothing? These are not those hoodies. But they’re still worth checking out because they’re reversible, which means you’re getting two designs for the price of one.

Etsy seller RetropopsugarUK makes these unofficial hoodies. Just send her your measurements and pick two from Garrus, Thane, Tali, Mordin or Miranda to be used as the designs for your hoodie. You read that right, there’s no Shepard design. I think a Grunt and Wrex combo hoodie would’ve been great too. Perhaps if business takes off RetropopsugarUK will add more designs.

Calibrate your browser for Etsy and order the hoodies from RetropopsugarUK for about $164 (USD).

[via Fashionably Geek]

Here’s a fun project that can be scaled depending on your skill level with electronics. Like the Magic 8-ball, the Executive Decision Maker Pro lets you outsource your fate to a gadget, which is just as clueless as you are but is at least more decisive.

Press the Decide button and the EDM Pro will flash either Yes or No for four seconds; press the Reset button to clear the answer right away if you need to answer another question. You can also hold the Reset button and keep pressing the Decide button for rapid fire answers.

If you took one look at the EDM Pro and you already know pretty much how it works, then all you need to do is to get the design files from Vagrearg’s website. But if you need a bit of help, you should get Vagrearg’s ready to assemble EDM Pro kit for $57.50 (USD). The kit has all the parts you need but has an unassembled circuit board. If you’re a beginner, you should pay extra for the LED mounting guide and the assembled board.  If you’re a Physics nut, get this EDM instead.

[via Hack A Day]

Writing a decent story is hard enough, but taking that story and turning it into a watchable film is even more complicated. But new software called Plotagon aims to turn anyone into a one-man movie-making machine. It uses a simple menu-based interface that helps you build a script, which turns into a computer-animated video as you’re writing it. Is it perfect? Nope. Far from it. It looks really fun though.

As you can see in the image above, Plotagon is divided into two parts: on the left is where you’ll write your manuscript, and on the right is a video player that shows you what your movie looks like. You don’t need to know the proper format for a manuscript or even have a deep vocabulary, because Plotagon cheats.

Since it would take an insanely complex program to read your mind or even parse your paragraph and figure out what you’re describing, Plotagon instead has a bank of scenes, characters, actions and more. As you pick out each element, it appears on your manuscript and is visualized in the video player almost instantaneously. It’s a bit like playing The Sims.

The only thing you can’t pick from Plotagon’s stock is the dialogue, which your digital actors will speak in silly synthesized voices. I don’t know if it supports other languages besides English though.

Plotagon is currently in beta, and is available for both Windows and OS X. You can download a free trial version on its official website, where you can also see a few short films made with the program. Plotagon will make money from its store, which will sell more characters, settings, etc. Imagine a Marvel character pack or a Star Wars location bundle. In fact, Stan Lee is going to make four new superheroes just for Plotagon. Imagine sharing co-creating duties with Stan the Man himself!

[via Mashable]

Tinkerers, hackers, makers, geeks – whatever you call them, craftsmen who specialize in electronics and software want to customize their work environment. It manifests in lots of ways: custom-built computers, hardware mods and software hacks. But unless they’re also good at carpentry, they may find it hard to personalize their furniture or workstation. That’s where the Kickstarter project called MultiMod kit comes in.

The kits are based on two simple parts: PVC-coated steel poles and clamp joints. The idea is that you can combine any number of poles and joints to satisfy your needs. Add accessories like countertops, casters and hooks and you can build anything from a small tray to a portable 3D printer stand to a multi-monitor battlestation, as shown in the images above and below. Like LEGO, you can easily dismantle and reuse the parts, which means their usefulness is mainly limited by your needs and imagination.

MultiMod is actually a bundled version of parts that you can buy piece by piece under the name Fitz Kits. Honestly I don’t why Cody Wilmer and his partners took to Kickstarter for MultiMods when they already have Fitz Kits setup. That doesn’t make their invention any less useful though.

Pledge at least $75 (USD) on Kickstarter to get a MultiMod kit. The Battlestation kit in the images above can be yours if you pledge at least $95. You can also have a look at the Fitz Kits shop if you don’t need a lot of poles and joints at once.