If you ever played an arcade game and wondered what was inside that joystick you were gripping, [Big Clive] can save you some trouble. He picked up a cheap replacement joystick, which, as you might expect, has a bunch of microswitches. However, as you can see in the video below, there are some surprising features that make sense when you think about it.
For one, there are plates you can put on the bottom to limit the joystick’s travel depending on the game. That is, some games only want the stick to move up and down or left and right. The knobs are quite nice, and [Clive] mentions the size and thread of the knob with the idea you could use them in different applications. You can also buy replacement knobs if you don’t want to get the whole assembly.
The mechanics are rugged but straightforward. The circuit board is surprisingly stylish but also simple. Still interesting to see what’s inside one of these, even though the schematic is extremely simple.
If you need an excuse to use one of these, how about an arcade table? If you aren’t a woodworker, grab a 3D printer instead.
Although generative AI and large language models have been pushed as direct replacements for certain kinds of workers, plenty of businesses actually doing this have found that using this new technology can cause more problems than it solves when it is given free reign over tasks. While this might not be true indefinitely, the real use case for these tools right now is as a kind of assistant to certain kinds of work. For this they can be incredibly powerful as [Ricardo] demonstrates here, using Amazon Q to help with game development on the Commodore 64.
The first step here was to generate code that would show a sprite moving across the screen. The AI first generated code in all caps, as was the style at the time of the C64, but in [Ricardo]’s development environment this caused some major problems, so the code was converted to lowercase. A more impressive conversion was done in the next steps, as the program needed to take advantage of the optimizations found in the Assembly language. With the code converted to 6502 Assembly that can run on the virtual Commodore, [Ricardo] was eventually able to show four sprites moving across the screen after several iterations with the AI, as well as change the style of the sprites to arbitrary designs.
Although the post is a bit over-optimistic on Amazon Q as a tool specifically for developers, it might have some benefits over other generative AIs especially if it’s capable at the chore of programming in Assembly language. We’d love to hear anyone with real-world experience with this and whether it is truly worth the extra cost over something like Copilot or GPT 4. For any of these generative AI models, though, it’s probably worth trying them out while they’re in their early stages. Keep in mind that there’s a lot more than programming that can be done with some of them as well.
3D printing has allowed the hobbyist to turn out all sorts of interesting chess sets with either intricate details or things that are too specialized to warrant a full scale injection molded production run. Now, the magic of 3D printing has allowed [Works By Design] to change the game by making pawns that can automatically transform themselves into queens.
Inspired by a CGI transforming chess piece designed by [Polyfjord], [Works By Design] wanted to make a pawn that could transform itself exist in the real world. What started as a chonky setup with multiple springs and a manually-actuated mechanism eventually was whittled down to a single spring, some pins, and four magnets as vitamins for the 3D printed piece.
We always love getting a peek into the trial-and-error process of a project, especially for something with such a slick-looking final product. Paired with a special chess board with steel in the ends, the magnets in the base activate the transformation sequence when they reach the opposite end.
Problem solved? If the problem is supplying enough lithium to build batteries for all the electric vehicles that will be needed by 2030, then a new lithium deposit in Arkansas might be a resounding “Yes!” The discovery involves the Smackover Formation — and we’ll be honest here that half the reason we chose to feature this story was to be able to write “Smackover Formation” — which is a limestone aquifer covering a vast arc from the Rio Grande River in Texas through to the western tip of the Florida panhandle. Parts of the aquifer, including the bit that bulges up into southern Arkansas, bear a brine rich in lithium salts, far more so than any of the brines currently commercially exploited for lithium metal production elsewhere in the world. Given the measured concentration and estimated volume of brine in the formation, there could be between 5 million and 19 million tons of lithium in the formation; even at the lower end of the range, that’s enough to build nine times the number of EV batteries needed.
There are still a lot of unknowns, not least of which is whether any of the lithium in the brine is recoverable, and there are surely technical and regulatory hurdles aplenty. But the mere existence of a brine deposit that rich in lithium that covers such a vast area is encouraging; surely there’s somewhere within the formation where it’ll be possible to extract and concentrate the brine in an environmentally sensitive manner. And, once again just for fun, Smackover Formation.
While not ones to cheer for interstellar catastrophes, we can’t say that we haven’t been rooting for Betelgeuse to go supernova these last few years. Ever since the red supergiant star that sits on Orion’s shoulder started its peculiar dimming a while back, talk among astronomy buffs was that the activity presaged an imminent explosion of the star, one that could make Betelgeuse the brightest object in the night sky for a few months, and possibly make it visible in the daytime as well. As thrilling — and foreboding, at least by ancient astronomy standards — as that sounds, it seems as if the unusual dimming recently observed has a more prosaic explanation: a “Betelbuddy” star. According to astronomers who pored over observations, after ruling out all the other possibilities to explain the dimming, it seems like there must be a smaller star orbiting Betelgeuse that’s periodically plowing a clear spot through the cloud of dust surrounding the dying star. That would explain the periodic dimming and brightening, but why have we not seen this Betelbuddy before? It could be that the smaller star is lost in the giant’s glare, hiding in its halo of incandescent gas. So, don’t hold your breath on seeing a supernova anytime soon.
Do you find password rules annoying? We sure do, and even using a password manager with a generator that can handle all sorts of restrictions like password length and special characters, being told how to generate a password seems silly, especially since the information on what characters a valid password would have seems like valuable clues to potential crackers. But if for some reason you haven’t had enough password pestering, try out the password game. You start by entering a password — we, of course, started with correct horse battery staple — and then deal with the consequences of your obviously poor choices. You’ll be asked to do all the silly stuff that only decreases the entropy of your password, which only makes it harder to remember and easier to guess. We haven’t played it through — it’s way too annoying — but we assume that if you ever actually manage to compose a suitable password, you’ll be asked to change it every 90 days.
And finally, we’ve managed to live long enough now to have cycled completely through all the major music recording modalities except wax cylinders. Having heard them all, we’ve got to agree with the hipsters: vinyl is the best. That’s especially true after watching this fascinating look at the LP record production process, which covers everything from mastering to packaging. The painstaking steps at the beginning are perhaps the most interesting, but anyone who doesn’t appreciate the hot vinyl squeezing out from the press is a cold, heartless monster. The video is only 15 minutes long and mercifully free of narration, so enjoy.
For fans of retro games, Pac-Man is nothing short of iconic—a game so loved it’s been ported to nearly every console imaginable. But the Atari 2600 version, released in 1982, left players scratching their heads – as laid out in a video by [Almost Something]. Atari had licensed Pac-Man to ride the wave of its arcade success, but the home version, programmed solely by [Todd Fry], missed the mark, turning an arcade icon into a surprising lesson in over-ambitious marketing.
Despite the hype, [Fry] faced an almost impossible task: translating Pac-Man’s detailed graphics and complex gameplay to the Atari’s limited 4 K cartridge with only 128 bytes of RAM. Atari’s strict limitations on black backgrounds and its choice to cut costs by sticking with a 4 K cartridge left the game barely recognizable. The famous pellet-chomping maze became simpler, colors were changed, and the iconic ghosts—reduced to single colors—flickered constantly. And then, Atari went all in, producing twelve million copies, betting on the success of universal appeal. In a twist, Pac-Man did sell in record numbers (over seven million copies) but still fell short of Atari’s expectations, leaving millions of unsold cartridges eventually dumped in a New Mexico landfill.
This debacle even kind of marked Atari’s 1983 decline. Still, Pac-Man survived the hiccup, evolving and outlasting its flawed adaptation on the 2600. If you’re interested in learning more about the ins and outs of game ports, check out the fantastic talk [Bob Hickman] gave during Supercon 2023.
Con fecha previa para la segunda mitad del 2024, Private Division, el sello editorial de Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. y Wētā Workshop, el estudio creativo conocido por su trabajo en la trilogía de películas de El Señor de los Anillos, revelaron ayer durante su showcase que Tales of the Shire: Un juego de El Señor de los Anillos se lanzará el 25 de marzo de 2025 en PC a través de Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S y Netflix Games.
Vuelve con Tales of the Shire a la región más acogedora de las historias sobre la Tierra Media y vive la vida de un hobbit de la idílica aldea de Delagua. Relájate en las impresionantes praderas, visita las tiendas de los lugareños y disfruta del segundo desayuno. Reúne a la comunidad y ayúdalos a conseguir el estatus oficial de aldea organizando el mejor Festival de Delagua que jamás haya visto la Comarca.
«Nos entusiasma poder ofrecerle a los jugadores la oportunidad de hacer realidad sus fantasías y vivir la vida sencilla de un hobbit de la Comarca», afirma Kelly Tyson, la directora de producto de Wētā Workshop. «Tales of the Shire aporta una nueva y acogedora dimensión a la forma en la que los fans pueden experimentar la Tierra Media, aderezada con muchas mecánicas edificantes y centradas en los hobbits para ganarse a quienes hacen sus pinitos en el género».
Crea un hobbit a medida ayudándote de una gran variedad de opciones de personalización y vive tu historia en el célebre mundo de la Tierra Media de J.R.R. Tolkien. Instálate en un acogedor agujero hobbit y decóralo eligiendo entre una gran variedad de muebles y objetos decorativos, creando tu humilde pero única morada. Luego, sal a conocer Delagua, donde podrás divertirte cocinando, pescando, recolectando y cultivando durante horas, entre muchas otras actividades relajantes disponibles en la Comarca.
Lanza el cebo a las relucientes aguas de la Laguna de Delagua para pescar deliciosas truchas y después recoge las mejores setas silvestres por la zona. Usa luego ambos ingredientes para hornear una sabrosa empanada para almorzar. Cuando hayas saciado tu apetito, vuelve a salir a explorar la Comarca y mejora tus relaciones con los habitantes de Delagua ayudándolos a construir un huerto o compartiendo con ellos alguna de las muchas comidas diarias de los hobbits, entre muchas otras actividades.
«El equipo de Wētā Workshop está creando una brillante representación de la célebre obra de J.R.R. Tolkien que ofrece a los jugadores la libertad para crear su propia experiencia hobbit en la Tierra Media», afirma Michael Worosz, director de estrategia de Take-Two Interactive y jefe de Private Division. «Los jugadores llevan años pidiendo un juego de El Señor de los Anillos acogedor y entrañable, y eso es exactamente lo que queremos ofrecerles con Tales of the Shire».
Middle-earth Enterprises ha adquirido la licencia de las obras literarias de la saga El Señor de los Anillos, proporcionando a Wētā Workshop Game Studio una amplia licencia creativa para poder hacer uso de todo el lore que hay tras los libros.
Acerca de Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game
De la mano del estudio creativo Wētā Workshop, podrás vivir la vida de un hobbit y disfrutar de la serenidad de la Comarca. Descubre, decora y comparte en este rincón idílico de la Tierra Media. Harás nuevos amigos hobbits y verás rostros conocidos en Tales of the Shire: un juego de El Señor de los Anillos.
Crea tu propio hobbit mientras te estableces en Delagua. Si bien el lugar aún no es oficialmente un pueblo de Hobbiton, podrás ayudar a que esta pintoresca población florezca. Haz de tu casa un hogar al decorar tu propia madriguera hobbit, cuidar de tu jardín, pescar en los estanques de aguas claras, recolectar frutas y hierbas o intercambiar mercancías con los lugareños. Prepara comida casera para compartir con otros hobbits y cultivar tus vínculos.
Con mucho para ver y mucho para comer, podrás disfrutar de días esplendorosos en los pintorescos bosques, lagos y pastizales. Relájate en el lugar en el que lo más importante son las pequeñas cosas. Ayuda a unir a la comunidad para que Delagua se convierta en un pueblo. Deléitate con Tales of the Shire: un juego de El Señor de los Anillos.
Características principales:
Te damos la bienvenida a casa, hobbit – ¡Personifica a un hobbit, del universo de los libros de J.R.R. Tolkien! Personaliza tu aspecto y luce tu mejor atuendo de hobbit con una gran variedad de opciones. Decora tu propio hogar hobbit y transforma el espacio para ubicar el mobiliario como más te guste, sín limitaciones de casillas. Descubre las maravillas que trae cada día a Delagua mientras te asientas en tu serena vivienda y descansas como es debido.
La comida es amor – El día de un hobbit no está completo sin una buena comida. Practica la pesca, la jardinería y la recolección para abastecer tu despensa con el fruto de tu trabajo. Cosecha los cultivos y las flores de temporada a medida que pasa el tiempo en tu morada. Disfruta de la calidez de la cocina y demuestra tus habilidades culinarias con recetas de todo tipo. Comparte un segundo desayuno u organiza una cena con otros hobbits. Comparte comidas con invitados para forjar nuevos vínculos.
Explora Delagua – Explora el exterior para descubrir claros secretos y tesoros perdidos de la Comarca. Experimenta los cambios de clima que afectan la rutina, y las sorpresas de cada estación del año. Obtén recompensas por progresar a lo largo de toda la historia. Conoce a personajes icónicos y a familias hobbit conocidas para poder intercambiar mejoras de habilidades, vestimenta, hogar y más. Únete a las misiones de los clubes para completar actividades diarias y ayudar a que Delagua se convierta oficialmente en un pueblo.
Tales of the Shire: Un juego de El Señor de los Anillos se lanzará el 25 de marzo de 2025 en PC a través de Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S y Netflix Games.
A YouTuber by the name of yipy has just finished his hilarious new project which involved turning Logan Paul’s scam-labelled game into a real thing. Interestingly, he used Stable Diffusion to generate all of the images for the game! He stated he mosty used the CGI_Animation model for generating the animals, which can be downloaded […]
AI Dungeon is a text-based game that uses AI to generate an endless, unique story based on your text prompts and decisions. It allows players to input their own choices and actions, and the AI will respond with appropriate and unpredictable outcomes. It can be used as a creative tool for writing, as well as […]
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