Exercise Your Thumbs and Eyeballs With a Tiny Space Invaders Cabinet

dotarray writes with this piece on GamePron with a piece of game pr0n: "If you're big on nostalgia, but small on space, we might just have the solution for you. A clever gentleman has created a teeny-tiny '80s arcade cabinet that will fit happily on your desktop – and while it might look like a mere mock-up, this one actually works, playing Space Invaders on the miniature screen."

Another similar comment from yesterday

[tepples]

Yesterday's story about Donkey Kong had a comment about the same sort of machine [slashdot.org].

Re:

[Yvan256]

And vcoleiro1 is also a member of the Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forums.

What's funny is that both cabinets use the same miniature joystick, Grayhill Inc. GH7455-ND.

So, as far as scale is concerned, you can guess the relative size of both cabinets by the joystick.

Brilliant!

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

As a horribly mediocre programmer, I am currently working in systems administration instead. If we can but seed the world with these tiny geek-attractants, carpal tunnels everywhere shall be reduced to smoldering masses of scar tissue and unalloyed agony! Then I shall be the finest programmer still capable of typing with something other than his toes!

Who could have thought that the solution to tech-sector unemployment could contain so much 80's arcade nostalgia?

Re:

[rbrausse]

As a horribly mediocre programmer, I am currently working in systems administration instead.

kind of offtopic but I don't feel like I'm forced into server administration because I'm a bad coder.

both jobs are interesting and require skills and knowledge (when done well)

so what?

[TheGratefulNet]

The whole thing is just seven inches tall, and uses the electronics from a Game Boy Advance, a little MDF, some photoshopped artwork and perhaps the worldâ(TM)s most adorable joystick â" take a look.

I thought this might be some arduino ladyada article (again). at least she designs and builds things. this guy put an existing already working game into wood?

what's so slashworthy about this? I could think of 100 DIY things much more challenging or slashworthy than this.

Re:

[Osgeld]

wood

Re:

[doti]

and cute.

Re:

[tehcyder]

and totally fucking retarded

Re:

[Yvan256]

Did you call moi a dipshit?

Re:

[Moryath]

Ok, I'm gonna play devil's advocate here.

#1 - as an appearance project, it's cool. It may have been done before, but it's still cool.

#2 - You complain about having a joystick rather than two buttons for movement. Yet your "buy one here fore $25" spam link is a crapass, shitty little plastic piece of junk (I've actually seen and played one one) with a barely-functional joystick for movement.

#3 - Using the magnets for a back slipcover is actually pretty ingenious. I've often thought about doing that to some o

GBA Case Mod

[rla3rd]

Nothing to see here, please move along.

"You will be redirected in 30 seconds"

[L4t3r4lu5]

I already am redirected, straight to the W and Ctrl keys. No eyeball time for you, kemosabe!

Re:

[AmberBlackCat]

Same here. I will never know what this thing looks like unless it shows up somewhere else. Also, the domain name led me to think it might redirect me to something other than a classic video game.

Should have gone with authentic software - fail

[kobotronic]

It's a very nicel executed GBA case mod but the game on the screen has little to do with the experience of the original Space Invaders title eating quarters by the tons in the late 1970s: It had a monochrome television CRT tube (vertical orientation) and "color" achieved with translucent overlays. It is a shame that he didn't carry the effort through by using an emulator running the authentic software instead of the cutesy GBA version 20 years newer.

Cool, but...

[JustAnotherIdiot]

...my wrists are screaming in pain just /looking/ at it.