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Introducing the Wooden Game Boy – No Injection Moulding Here

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What does one do when they acquire a CNC router? Well, they put it to good use and create a wooden Game Boy, based on the OG case!

Physicist, coder and creative, Sebastian Staacks did exactly that with his newly procured machine, making a Game Boy out of walnut wood – thank fully based on the OG Game Boy from 1989. Sebastian has painstakingly documented the entire process on his site here and has also provided links to design files on Github – so if you have the itch to create something cool, then hop to it!

We gotta say it, this is one darn cool creation that we are in absolute awe of! Take a bow Dr. Sebastian Staacks.



Introducing Evercade Alpha – The First Evercade-Compatible Bartop Arcade

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It’s time to change the game – literally.

Attention all gamers and retro enthusiasts: the Evercade Alpha is coming later this year, and it’s going to revolutionise your home arcade experience! This sleek, bartop-sized arcade machine is the latest addition to the Evercade family and is packed with features that will transport you back to the golden age of gaming. The standout feature? Full compatibility with the extensive Evercade cartridge ecosystem.

Endless Gaming Fun with Evercade Cartridges

The Evercade Alpha doesn’t just come with a few built-in games—it opens the door to over 50 physical Evercade cartridge collections, offering a staggering 500+ games. From legendary arcade hits to home console classics and vintage home computer gems, the Evercade Alpha ensures your gaming adventures will be never-ending.

Special Pre-Order Pricing

Starting June 4th, the Evercade Alpha will be available for pre-order at a special price of £199.99 / $229.99 / €229.99, a significant discount from its regular retail price of £229.99 / $249.99 / €249.99. This offer is valid until November 2024, so act fast to secure this deal from any Evercade retailer worldwide.

Choose Your Adventure: Street Fighter or Mega Man Editions

The Evercade Alpha comes in two exciting versions, each featuring unique built-in games and officially licensed designs from the legendary Japanese publisher Capcom:

Evercade Alpha Street Fighter Arcade

Features six iconic titles from the Street Fighter™ franchise, including the never-before-released Street Fighter™ Alpha series.

– Street Fighter™ II’ Champion Edition
– Super Street Fighter™ II Turbo
– Street Fighter™ Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams
– Street Fighter™ Alpha 2
– Street Fighter™ Alpha 3
– Super Puzzle Fighter™ II Turbo

Evercade Alpha Mega Man Arcade

Boasts two arcade-exclusive games from the famous Mega Man™ franchise, alongside a selection of Capcom’s classic arcade titles.

– Mega Man™: The Power Battle
– Mega Man™ 2: The Power Fighters
– Final Fight™
– Knights of the Round™
– Carrier Air Wing™
– Strider™

Premium Features and Design

Each Evercade Alpha unit is pre-assembled and packed with top-notch features for an unparalleled gaming experience:

  • Dual Evercade Cartridge Slots: Designed to mimic a coin tray, these slots support the entire Evercade cartridge ecosystem.
  • Authentic Arcade Controls: Competition-grade controls ensure you get the response and feel of a real arcade machine.
  • High-Resolution Screen: An 8″ IPS screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio delivers sharp, vibrant visuals.
  • Light-Up Marquee: Includes three interchangeable backlit marquee panels, with more available for purchase.
  • Additional Ports and Controls: Volume control, stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack, and two USB ports for external controllers.
  • Power and Connectivity: Powered by a USB-C connector, with an international mains plug included.

Expand Your Gaming Library

One of the most exciting features of the Evercade Alpha is its dual Evercade cartridge slots. This means you’re not limited to the pre-installed games. You can expand your game library with any physical Evercade cartridge collection, encompassing games from five decades of gaming history. Whether you prefer indie games, classic Japanese titles, or hidden gems, the Evercade Alpha has something for everyone.

Instant Access to Over 500 Games

With Evercade cartridges, there are no downloads, no setup, and no fuss—just plug in and play! Enjoy a seamless gaming experience with physical cartridges that include a box and manual, just like the good old days. Plus, your save games are supported across all Evercade devices.

Don’t miss out on the chance to bring the arcade experience home with Evercade Alpha. Pre-order now and get ready to dive into a world of classic gaming fun!

Casio x Pac-Man Vintage Limited Edition Unisex Watch

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Casio sure knows how to tug on our nostalgic strings! Their vintage classic line of watches brings back the 80s, and nothing screams 80s more than a Casio Pac-Man watch!

The A100WEPC-1B Casio x Pac-Man watch is a collaboration between Casio Vintage and Bandai Namco which aims to immerse you in the nostalgia of one of the world’s first blockbuster video games. Details on the watch glass hint at the exciting chase about to unfold as Pac-Man, surrounded in the square LCD display ghost house, is poised to start running.

Laser engraving on the black ion-plated metal band lays out the game maze. The game begins above the watch face with Pac-Man eating dots as he runs away from the ghosts and continues below the face after he’s devoured a power pellet and turned back to chase them!

The Casio x Pac-Man watch is retailing for AU$299.00! We bet these go fast!

 

source: Casio Watches



The Internet Arcade – Online Classic Arcade Gaming

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Are you sick of mucking around with MAME to get your classic arcade gaming fix?

Well, if you didn’t know, the Internet Archive has you sorted with their Internet Arcade. The Internet Arcade is a web-based library of classic arcade (coin-operated) video games from the 1970s through to the 1990s. You can play all of these classics in your browser, with the emulation being in JSMAME, which is part of the JSMESS software package.

So no more stuffing about configurations and chasing questionable ROM files all over the net, the Internet Arcade has you sorted with well over 1,700 games! Well, don’t sit there and stare at this, go and play some classic arcade games.

 

Game Over: Hardest Video Games Ever

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Even though I have been gaming for over three decades, I am still your average gamer. The 80s arcade games definitely toughened me and sharpened my skills, but there were some games that no matter how sharp I was, I could never beat them.

The following list of wickedly difficult games is an admission of sorts that I never got to see the end credits. Heck, I don’t even think I saw more than a few levels (without cheating) on any of these games.

What are some of your most hardest games ever played? Let us know via Twitter or Facebook.

OUR HARDEST GAMES LIST

Contra / Gryzor / Probotector

Ghosts’n Goblins

Mega Man

Battletoads

Bionic Commando

Green Beret / Rush’n Attack

Impossible Mission

Robotron:2084

Rolling Thunder

Defender

Robocop

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

ESWAT: Ciyt Under Siege

Slap Fight

Hellfire

Rick Dangerous

Airwolf

Paperboy

Game Over

 

GAME MASTERS: THE EXHIBITION OPENS 27 SEPTEMBER 2019

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NFSA turns into Australia’s biggest video game arcade, featuring world’s greatest designers, characters & 100+ playable games!

Following a 6-year international tour and more than 1 million visitors, Game Masters: The Exhibition will return to Australia and make its Canberra debut at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) from 27 September 2019 – 9 March 2020. The ultimate experience for gamers and families alike, Game Masters has been updated to include the latest gaming blockbusters as well as Australian creations.

Game Masters is an interactive journey through five decades of video game history, offering both a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process behind the world’s most popular characters and franchises, and a chance to play them. Featuring interviews, never-before-seen concept artwork, an amazing display of vintage consoles and collectable items, and more than 100 playable games, visitors won’t want to leave!

No matter whether you played Pong at the local milk bar in the 70s, or spent last night playing Fortnite on your phone, Game Masters has something for everyone: from the arcade era through to today’s eighth generation consoles and mobile game technology, and from the most popular video games on the planet to independent games with a cult-like following.

image source: Game Masters: The Exhibition Melbourne 2012

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED IN GAME MASTERS: THE EXHIBITION

The first section, Arcade Heroes spotlights pioneering designers from the trailblazing and revolutionary arcade era, including Shigeru Miyamoto (Donkey Kong, 1981), Ed Logg (Asteroids, 1979), Masanobu Endo (Xevious, 1982), Toru Iwatani (Pac-Man, 1980), Eugene Jarvis (Defender, 1980) and Tomohiro Nishikado (Space Invaders, 1978). During this period designers were not always recorded for posterity, as was the case for the featured games Scramble, 1981 developed by Konami and Elevator Action, 1983 developed by Taito.

Leading contemporary designers who have had a major impact on shaping the medium as we know it feature in the second section, Game Changers, including Blizzard Entertainment (Diablo III, 2012), Paulina Bozek (SingStar, 2004), Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Sega Rally Championship, 1995), Peter Molyneux OBE (Fable III, 2010), Yuji Naka and the Sonic Team (Sonic the Hedgehog, 1991), Sega (Alex Kidd in Miracle World, 1986), Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy (Rock Band 4, 2015), Tim Schafer (Broken Age, 2014), Yu Suzuki (Hang On, 1983), TT Games (LEGO Batman 3: beyond Gotham, 2014) and Will Wright (SimCity, 1989).

The third chapter of the exhibition, Indies explores the pioneering and future-focussed world of independent game designers. Artists such as Jonathan Blow (Braid, 2008), Capy (Critter Crunch, 2008), Ken Wong (Florence, 2018), Halfbrick (Fruit Ninja Kinect, 2011), Masaya Matsuura (PaRappa the Rapper, 1996), Markus ‘Notch’ Persson (Minecraft, 2014), Rovio (Angry Birds, 2009), Bennett Foddy (Getting Over It, 2017), thatgamecompany (Journey, 2012), and The Behemoth (Castle Crashers, 2008) are profiled in this section.

Game Masters also features unique experiences such as a spectacular multiplayer dance stage for Dance Central 3 (2012), hands-on experiential music booths and a selection of original classic arcade machines from the 1970s and ’80s acquired especially for the exhibition, all playable in their original form.

Game Masters: The Exhibition will be open to the public from 27 September 2019 to 9 March 2020 at the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) in Canberra. A program of special events and screenings will complement the exhibition for the duration of the season. Tickets will be available from 9 August 2019; audiences can sign up for Game Masters updates and special VIP ticket offers here.

  • Where: National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, McCoy Circuit, Acton ACT
  • When: 27 September 2019 to 9 March 2020; 10am to 4pm, Monday to Sunday (except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day)
  • Tickets: $19/$15/$12 (adult/concession/junior 5-17). Kids up to age 4 free. Family passes available.
  • For more information/bookings: NFSA.gov.au/gamemasters

 

The Official Space Invaders Board Game

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We have said this a few times now, we are very very choosy what we back (and promote) on Kickstarter– so take note!

Space Invaders is one of those iconic video games that transcends generations. It is the game that keeps on giving. Having celebrated it’s 40th anniversary last year, this time around we are set to get an official Space Invaders Board Game!


source: 612 Games

We are so pumped for this Kickstarter and can’t wait to defend against the invaders on a physical board! For more info, head to the Space Invaders Board Game Kickstarter page to check out what you can get with your pledge. The campaign has already blown way past its target goal, so this is happening! Pew pew pew!

image source: Space Invaders Board Game via Kickstarter

[source story: technabob]

 

TGIF: Friday Shopping Frenzy

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Well, Thank Gawd It’s Friday, or better yet, !

Friday always feels good as it is the end of the working week and knowing that the weekend shenanigans are nigh.
To make Friday flow even easier, we thought we’d go shopping for some cool retro gaming and general pop culture stuff that you may also be interested in. Oh yeah, if you are keen on any of the gear below, just click on the pic and it will take you to the relevant merchant/store – too easy, here we go!

 

One Hour of 1980s Video Game Commercials

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Enjoy a trip down memory lane with Dave Freeman’s hour long compilation of 1980s video game commercials from the Video Game Commercial Archive that was released on DVD in 2007.

This video is jam packed with so much nostalgia, it will make you giddy!


source: Dave Freeman