Retro Space Invaders headphones

Posted in Headphones by Conner Flynn on June 19th, 2008

Retro Space Invaders headphones
Who doesn’t love Space Invaders? Answer: Those being invaded of course. Say you’re chillin’ in your room, by the gentle light of your Space Invaders lamp. Just outside your window, the moonlight gently illuminates their latest message to Earth. Soon the invasion will begin. But you don’t need to worry about that. Not after selling out your entire race. You will be spared and given your own island in the Bahamas.

What better way to drown out the sound of human extinction, then by donning a pair of retro Space Invaders headphones. They can be pre-ordered and will ship in mid-late October 2008 for $19.90. They’re free to traitors.

Space Invaders get all PC with Space Intruderz lamps

Posted in Lamps by Conner Flynn on June 5th, 2008

Space Invaders get all PC with Space Intruderz lamps
I never expected that the Space Invaders would go all Politically Correct, but hell everyone else has. Probably the head Invader realized that for like almost forty years now, the invasion hasn’t exactly been working,(Merchandise aside) so they needed a new image. Invaders sounds so cold, no one likes an invasion. Intruderz is pretty much the same, but less formal, not as cold and ruthless. But the truth is I don’t think Taito knows about it. shhhhh.

I’m not telling them either, because I love these little guys. They retail for about $48 or so, and they are the perfect gift for any gamer who grew up watching these guys when they still invaded.

Dreamcade Vision 29 arcade machine with 200 games

Posted in Games by Conner Flynn on May 16th, 2008

Dreamcade Vision 29 arcade machine with 200 games
Arcade gamers have a ton of choices these days. Dream Arcades has just come out with another, called the Dreamcade Vision 29 Arcade. The limited edition gaming arcade machine has a bumped up screen size of 29 inches. That makes the Vision 29 the Donkey Kong of gaming arcade machines and it has a whopping 200 games.

If that’s still not enough, you can add more games. It also has plenty of analog game control options on its keyboard, which can be fully customized with your own color options. Other features include an MP3 jukebox so you can have some tunes while playing. It can be yours for $2499.

Play classic arcade games in spreadsheets

Posted in Games by Conner Flynn on April 5th, 2008

Play classic arcade games in spreadsheets
Normally, you could use Microsoft Excel to create that business model for your next multi-million dollar idea, or you could calculate last month’s sales for your other business, but I think the thing to do would be to play classic arcade games on it. Games should always win over business.

If you live in Japan, programming video games using Excel Visual Basic macros is kind of an art form. People over there have recreated everything from Pac-Man to Space Invaders and Missile Command. With nice detail I might add. How about a spreadsheet game of Donkey Kong, Dig Dug and Tetris? Even Arkanoid.

DIY Sega arcade cabinet is a geek’s dream

Posted in Arcade by Conner Flynn on March 28th, 2008

DIY Sega arcade cabinet
Sadly, arcade games have been replaced by consoles and the like. But there’s still a whole lotta arcade love from those of us who grew up in the 70s/80s. The story goes like this. A guy goes to Japan, sees these new arcade cabinets and of course, wants one. Problem is it costs a fortune to import something that size, so he did what any geek with a toolbox would do, he built his own.

And it looks amazing too. It has a large Sony display on top, a car audio system built in, and it houses not only his PC, but a PS3, and Xbox 360 as well. Have you wet yourself yet? Good. Me too. Now, since I’m too lazy to build myself one, any volunteers?

Tardis cabinet: For gaming, not time traveling

Posted in Sci-Fi by Conner Flynn on March 25th, 2008

Tardis cabinet: For gaming, not time traveling
Here’s an awesome replica of Doctor Who’s Tardis. This one won’t time travel and it’s not bigger on the inside then on the outside. But it does have retro gaming which is kind of like time travel. It was designed and built by ubergeek Simon Jansen. Jansen had a spare computer sitting around, a love for Doctor Who and a whole lot of time on his hands.

The Tardis has a computer inside, with arcade-style controls. The light on top of the TARDIS even lights up. If you want to build your own, Jansen provided step-by-step instructions so anyone can do it. Geeks the world over salute you sir.

Pimp your PSP into an arcade machine

Posted in PSP by Conner Flynn on March 19th, 2008

Pimp your PSP into an arcade machine
Not a full size arcade machine, of course. Your PSP screen would be really tiny inside of a huge cabinet. This might be the most useless PSP accessory ever, but it’s also one of the coolest. You can turn your PSP into a small retro cardboard arcade machine, straight out of the 80’s.

The cardboard mini game for PSP comes in a pack of two, with authentic graffiti and mall-rat trash. It only costs $12.49. This is a perfect way to relive your youth, but on a smaller scale. Personally I dig the Cosmic Intruders version.

Reverse Pac-Man game: you chase Pac-Man

Posted in Pac Man by Conner Flynn on February 16th, 2008

Bizarro Pac-Man
What the hell? A planet where apes evolved from men? Not exactly, but a twist just as mind bending. This is a world where, instead of Pac-Man being chased by ghosts, you control the ghosts as Pac-Man comes after you. That’s the idea behind this new Flash game called “Anti Pac-Man”.

Kind of a squad based version of the old classic. You use the 1 through 4 keys to select and take command of each ghost, then you use the arrow keys to guide them through the maze and avoid the yellow dot eater. Thing is, while Pac-Man is gobbling up dots, your score goes down. By keeping your ghosts alive, you can minimize the damage and keep him from chomping more. Personally I can’t help feeling a bit like Charlton Heston at the end of Planet of the Apes. It’s just unnatural.

At last: Pac-Man interior lighting

Posted in Home, Lamps by Conner Flynn on January 31st, 2008

The mighty Pac-Wall
I haven’t seen anything this cool since the Pac-Man Christmas tree in Madrid. Unlike the Pac-Man tree, this Pac-Man-inspired modular block lighting system can stay up year round.

This wall mural is on display at the Maison & Objet 2008 show in Paris. One thing you’ll notice right away is how outnumbered our yellow friend is. That’s a ton of ghosts for an 8-bit hero to gobble. They could have put some fruit in or more dots. The second thing you’ll notice is that the woman’s rear has been blocked from our view. Oh well, you can’t have it all right? We’ll always have Paris my secretive Pac-Man loving geek goddess.

Old School Upright Arcade Game from Apex

Posted in Arcade, Games by Darrin Olson on April 4th, 2007

Upright Apex arcade gamesHow long has it been since you’ve come across an upright arcade gaming machine that hosts Pac-Man, Gauntlet, Galaga or Joust? The Apex Arcade Machine has those games and 137 more built into the 69 inch tall console with a 19″ TFT monitor.

Even though the design of the machine is very arcade-reminiscent, the software that runs it is a little more up to date. The 140 games actually run on an Intel based system running Windows XP Home which can be interfaced with a wireless keyboard and mouse. Instead of a slot for …





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