Guy Makes Life-size Mike Tyson from “Punch-Out!!”

Back in the day, there was a Nintendo arcade and NES game called Punch-Out!! As far as I know, it was the first boxing game ever. The original arcade game featured fictitious fighters like Glass Joe, Piston Hurricane, Bald Bull, and Mr. Sandman. But when it eventually made it to the NES in 1987, Mike Tyson licensed his name and likeness to Nintendo, and he became the game’s final boss.

If you’re a fan of Punch-Out!! and the pixelated version of Tyson that appeared in the game, then you’ll want to check this life-size cutout of 8-bit Tyson that I spotted over on Etsy.

This 66″ tall version of the boxer was made by artist Jason Walker, who cut it from a sheet of 1/2″ plywood, then painted all the pixels to make him come to life. I imagine it took quite some time to get all of those jaggy edges just right, so it’s well worth the $300 asking price. Of course, it’s a bit heavy and unwieldy, so it’ll cost you another $130 for shipping here in the US. Then again shipping around the actual Mike Tyson would surely cost more, and he’d probably punch you in the face while you tried to cover him in bubble wrap.

This Book Celebrates Classic Arcade Fonts

Do you love retro arcade games? I certainly do. While the pixel art character sprites get a whole lot of love, the fonts used to display your score and life status deserve much more appreciation.

Typeface designer Toshi Omagari’s book catalogs dozens of the chunky pixelated fonts used in arcade games from the 1970s through the 1990s. The 272-page book is chockful of retro gaming goodness, and includes type specimens for each font, along with an example screenshot from one of the games it appeared in, including everything from Pac-Man to Shinobi to Marble Madness, along with many more obscure games.

The softcover version of book is available for order from Amazon now, while ReadOnlyMemory has a sweet, limited-edition hardcover version that ships in September 2020.

Adidas made a Snapchat game to drop limited, 8-bit-themed baseball cleats

Adidas is teaming up with Snapchat on a unique way to launch a product. The sportswear giant has created an 8-bit game you can play in Snapchat, called Baseball's Next Level, where you'll have the chance to buy its new 8-bit-themed baseball cleats. P...

8-Bit Family Signs Reduce Your Siblings to Pixels

Is there a love for video games in your household? Then consider celebrating your family’s passion for gaming with one of these fun, custom-made family name signs from Mozug Woodworking.

Each sign is laser-cut from baltic birch plywood, and features your family name prominently in a chunky, pixelated 8-bit font. Above that, you’ll get pixel people representing each of the members of your family. They feature a decorative zig-zag border in contrasting stain, with built in hanging holes at the top.

They’re available in two sizes – about 100 square inches or 200 square inches – the outside dimensions vary depending on the number of letters in your family name and the number of family members. Prices range from $54 to $80, and you can order yours on Etsy. They also make matching coasters and fridge magnets, which can be engraved with the names of family members.

 

We Want to Play this LEGO Donkey Kong Arcade Machine

LEGO makes some really cool kits, but has never released a set that looked like an arcade machine. But after seeing this awesome build by brick-building expert Frostbricks, we really hope they consider it. What you’re looking at here is a LEGO version of the arcade classic Donkey Kong.

It’s got everything you know and love about the classic Nintendo arcade game, including those wonky red girders and blue ladders, and figures of Jumpman, the Princess, and a brick-build version of that annoying barrel-tossing monkey. I hope that Frostbricks submits this to LEGO Ideas, as I’d love to see a whole series of LEGO classic arcade machines. I’d certainly buy them.

Be sure to check out Frostbrick’s gallery and Instagram page for more awesome LEGO creations and some of his sweet toy photography. I especially love the fast food stands that look like a burger, fries, and a shake.

Space Invaders Gets an Official Board Game

Space Invaders, the iconic classic video game we all know and love, just got even cooler. The popular arcade vertical shooter from TAITO is going to be a board game. Let’s just hope that the gameplay lives up to the arcade version. The game is being created to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the classic 8-bit arcade game.

40 years already? That’s crazy talk. Space Invaders: The Board Game, combines today’s popular deck-building genre with a traditional strategy board game. 2-4 players will collect Space Invaders cards and add them to their hands while moving across the board and “shooting” enemies with their laser cannons. Pew, pew, pew. Visually, the board is designed to mimic the arcade game.

Over on Kickstarter you can pre-order the standard edition for $20 to $30, or the numbered Deluxe Edition for $75. There’s also a limited Space Invaders diorama art box autographed by Space Invaders creator, Tomohiro Nishikado – that’s going for a whopping $990 though.

So if you want to relive the excitement of the classic arcade game in a whole new way, this is your chance. It looks damn good.


[via Mike Shouts]

Textiles become circuits in ‘The Embroidered Computer’

Google and others have developed smart clothing with built-in integrated circuits, but what if the textile itself formed the circuit? That's the idea behind The Embroidered Computer, an interactive installation from artist and researcher Irene Posch...

This Atari 2600 Handheld Brings The Woodgrain

Woodgrain. There was a time when all of our coolest gadgets (and station wagons) were covered in this fake veneer. I for one, think it looks awesome and wish everything from our phones to our computers was still covered in the stuff. Sadly, no gadget maker seems to appreciate this look today, but the creator of this handheld RetroPie Atari 2600 console does.

This is what Atari’s Game Boy would have looked like had they released such a thing.

Modder Christian (“TheF00”) Doran’s  handheld looks appropriately retro in black and woodgrain. Inside, it packs a Pi Zero micro computer running RetroPie so it can play lots of emulated games. I’m not gonna lie; I just love the classic design of this thing. It’s simple and elegant. The body is black plastic, with red buttons and a D-pad for controls. The vinyl woodgrain applique around the screen completes the aesthetic. It makes me feel all warm and nostalgic. I may need to play some old games today like Space Invaders or Asteroids.

If you want to print your own so you can have one, you can find the files for the 3D-printed case on Thingiverse, and the creator of this handheld has also provided a basic guide to sourcing the other parts. It’s all easy to find stuff that’s available on eBay and other places online.

[via Hackaday]

Play Hundreds of Retro Games on This Bargain-priced Console

Want to relive your gaming glory days? Check out the Retro Entertainment Console, a compact gaming system that comes pre-loaded with more than 500 imitations of classic 8-bit games so you can play your way into a nostalgia black hole for hours.

The Retro Entertainment Console looks and feels familiar as it takes its design cues from the original NES, however, it’s also small enough to toss in your backpack so you can bring it with you and set it up virtually anywhere. It comes with two controllers so you can enjoy multiplayer battles and an HDMI cable to hook up to modern HD TVs. Retro HD gaming? Yes!

The Retro Entertainment Console is just $54.99 in the Technabob Shop. Get yours today and start enjoying tons of classic gameplay.

Mini Commodore 64 Gets Another Launch Date

We’ve expected to see the tiny, retro Commodore 64 game console land for us to buy for a while now. We first talked about it back in October 2017 when it was promised for early 2018. That window later turned into March 2018, and still no launch happened. Now the 50% scale Commodore 64 called THEC64 Mini is promised for an October 9, 2018 launch.

The machine will come with a joystick, two USB ports, and the console itself. The USB ports can be used to connect joysticks, a keyboard, perform firmware upgrades, or to load your own software. When you connect a keyboard to one of those ports you can use the console like a home computer with C64 BASIC programming capability.

The system offers 720p HD output via HDMI, but a CRT filter is offered for those who want real old-school graphics. You can also save games, something we would have killed for growing up. There will be 64 games pre-installed on the console including many of the cool ones from back in the ’80s that I wanted so badly. Sadly, I don’t see the flight simulator the kids were always playing in Sears back in the day.

Pricing and retailers aren’t announced for the US yet, but in the past, it was rumored to cost just $69.99. That price, coupled with its new October release date should make this a killer Christmas gift for retro computer and gaming fans.

[via THEC64.com]