What if Nintendo made a Wario-like villain for the NES R.O.B.? The Virtual Boy looks like Darth Vader, so I went with that approach. In all honesty I was making a Virtual Boy 3D model for something else, and to me the device looked like an evil robot; low and behold another weird idea was born.
This is a smaller version of a design I posted a few years ago, this time it’s for a single HDMI-based device. It allows you to switch between several devices without having to go behind the TV.
If you’re juggling a bunch of devices this would be extremely handy. Nowadays there are many plug-and-play consoles, clone consoles, video game dongles (from AtGames and Arcade 1UP), streaming devices, single board computers, and soon: gaming handhelds with HDMI output (the upcoming Analogue Pocket). Almost all of these are powered by USB too.
Most of these devices would benefit from a power switch, especially those game dongles which stay powered-on until unplugged (seen in the example below). So I included a humorous kill switch for the robot:
The robot’s body moves like a lever, so powering off this device makes it appear as though you are also deactivating the robot. The arms are loose and swivel freely, the LED eyes indicate power.
In the past few years Kintaro and RetroFlag have released a bunch of Nintendo-inspired cases for the Raspberry Pi 3, and they are all pretty darn impressive (personally I’m holding out for a Sega Genesis version). Thought I would design a case for the tiny Raspberry Pi Zero based on the R.O.B. toy.
Continue reading ➞ Nintendo R.O.B. Raspberry Pi Case
I mentioned this design in the previous post, but I decided to actually make it a thing. I said Blaster would be better as a portable record player because his tape deck enclosure was mostly covered, save for a small window. Whereas Soundwave’s glass cover was more fitting of a stationary record player.
Transformers: The Movie Soundtrack was released on Vinyl a few years ago, making it the greatest album to ever be released in this format (sorry The Wall and Rumours, your days are over). It just needs a matching record player for a vastly superior listening experience.
His arch-nemesis Blaster would make for a good portable record player, because the tape enclosure doesn’t have much glass material.
Here’s a bottle opener that will light your darkest hour! It features a push-button LED light, so this would make for a handy keychain combo. I could also see geeks wearing this around their neck with a chain just like Galvatron, a tyrant who loves bling.
There are several Transformers-themed bottle openers currently available on the market, so this design could potentially be made in the future. I didn’t think Hasbro would allow their toy brand to be used for a beer-opening product, so color me surprised here.
Bonus: originally I was going to make this a keychain power bank and LED light combo, but a bottle opener seemed more useful to me. I have a few power banks and I never really use them.
Here’s an arcade cabinet that can transform into a driving cabinet, ideal for playing a greater variety of arcade games while saving some space in your living quarters. This is my dream gaming device, allowing me to stand up and play Pac-Man, or sit on my butt and play American Truck Simulator.
Continue reading ➞ Transforming Arcade Cabinet
Dave's Geeky Ideas 