Geek crafts often start with things you can put on your own body, or on the "bodies" of the things you care about (like your DS!). From jewelry to clothes to cases, we've seen a lot of wearables in the history of Show and Tell, so for the second week in our new format, it only seemed sensible to revisit one of the most popular types of fan-made objects. If you need a thing to put on another thing, you've come to the right place! Take a tour of our latest finds, or dip directly into the gallery below.
Show and Tell is all about fan stuff, so long as it's Nintendo-related. We love to see your collections, your crafts, your frosted creations, your t-shirts and swag of all sorts.Just snap a few pictures, tell us what's up, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest.Not a handy type, but found something neat? Send us a link instead.
These two redone handhelds -- a Phat and a Lite -- popped up on eBay, courtesy of seller rebelforever33, and since we post the occasional auctioned-DS, we thought it might be a good time to ask: have you ever considered buying one of the gussied-up systems that turn up there? We've seen some incredible mods up for auction, but redoing a DS can be a delicate undertaking.
This isn't the first time we've featured a wooden gaming system. Instead of a SNES, this time modders have turned a NES into a portable system, encasing the screen and hardware in a nice wooden frame. And to prove this modder means business, the portable NES is shown playing none other than badass title Contra.
What we would like to know is if you tried anything like this before and was it successful? Did you turn your NES into something much better? Share your experience(s) with us!
If gold is your thing -- your luster of choice, you might say -- then NDS Central's latest addition to its SHOCK! series of replacement DS Lite cases is just what you need. Unlike the Phantom Hourglass edition DSes, these Magnum Gold shells reportedly contain real gold, having actually gone through the gold-plating process. The online shop plans to release its Magnum Golds early next year and is already accepting preorders for the cases for $59.90.
If you're going to spend that much cash modifying your DS to show off your rapper status, why not go all out and glue on some gaudy rhinestones? While you're at it, you should have the system engraved with big script letters: "Doing It Big." When people ask what exactly it is that you're "doing big," you can tell them that it's your bad taste.
Many of the modded DS consoles we've posted about in the past have reallyknockedoursocksoff. But they don't all turn out so peachy. Sporting a truly appalling sketch of Suigintou from the popular manga Rozen Maiden, this poor, defenseless handheld is at the other end of the spectrum. And by that, we mean almost dropping off the other end. Seriously, we're not even sure if this level of DS abuse is legal in some parts of the world.
In case you were wondering, it's the work of one "Gto46492004," and is currently up for auction over at Yahoo Japan (where, bafflingly, somebody has placed a high bid of ¥17,500, the equivalent of $160). Clearly, console modding comes to the guy about as easily as counting backwards comes to Tara Reid. Somebody really needs to share this information with him, before any more DSes are harmed.
While we enjoy hacks just as much as the next blog, we're pretty sure we would never try this on our Game Boy. It's a treasure, to be held tightly at night as we drift off into a dream land filled with plumbers and bounty hunters. Some folk don't see it the same as we do, though, as they gutted open a Game Boy, stuffed it with 1MB of flash memory, a serial interface, and a custom ROM, turning it into the drum machine you see above.
See also: Nirvana: Plugged back in and electronicized
Rocky's ultra-modded DS Lite has gotten to the point where you can literally station it on the coastline, its LED beacons guiding ships to safe harbor. His latest hack installs LEDs under the ABXY buttons, sticking them in place with hot glue. We're not sure if the mod has any functional purpose -- save serving as a navigational aid to sailors at sea -- but it's certainly something we haven't seen done before with the handheld. Float your boat past the post break for larger photos of the DS lighthouse.
Reader Núshio is never one to hold back (just check out his comments!), and when it comes to painting his DS with his love of Nintendo, that's a good thing. He and his friend Kiwii undertook a project of epic proportions that turned this DS into a monument to fanboyism -- and that's something we can get behind.
This paint job (which looks so sweet next to New Super Mario Bros.) isn't quite finished -- the pair plans to redo the whole thing, as they noticed some discoloration after the application of a coat of gloss -- but Núshio had some great tips to offer up for those who are considering a similar project:
Get decent paint. I used 'Vinci.' Never again!
Be patient.
Be careful when disassembling the DS (he used tutorials from YouTube).
Don't get mad, get even. Keep track of every single bit and piece of plastic.
Once complete, it's a real rewarding experience.
And we'd like to add #6 -- it probably helps when you have a friend with spare artistic talent just lying about (Kiwii), and the patience to actually keep up with all those tiny pieces (our own Núshio). The finished product certainly looks rewarding, and there's nothing like displaying your love and loyalty right on the back of your favorite gaming device. Of course, now we expect all of you to go forth and pretty up your Phats and Lites, so we can ogle your work. Until then you can watch Núshio's DS undergo its metamorphosis in the gallery below.
When we last checked in with Acid Mods forumer Rocky, he had outfitted his DS Lite with a clear shell and several LEDs, wowing all the ladies and fellas with its electric blue brilliance. His latest experiment adds a sound amp chip that floods the LEDs with light in time with the handheld's audio. Don't feel like driving out to the dance club tonight? Just find yourself a dark room, load up Darude's "Sandstorm" on your DS Lite, and you've got the same experience right in your hands! Sort of.
Rocky has posted a photo tutorial of the installation process, but we're much too squeamish to replace our stock casing or do any sort of soldering. If that seems like too much hardware hacking, you can settle with just watching a video of the jazzed up DS Lite flickering along with music tracks and video game sounds after the post break. Though we can't condone his use of a flash cart to load backed up games, we won't let that get in the way of imagining how cool it'd be to play our favorite rhythm titles with this mod.
It's amazing what people are turning into computers these days, as this original Game Boy has become the case for one of the smallest Windows XP PCs we've ever seen. Complete with 2 USB ports, LAN and VGA outputs, the cartridge slot has even been turned into a Compact Flash drive. This thing is sick!
We've seen some pretty awesome and artistic DS mods, from classic to ... uh ... extra classic, but the thing of it is, we're not sure we could actually bring ourselves to hold such a beautiful item in our sweaty, grubby, jam-hands, much less put it in our pockets. Imagine if we whipped out a sweet piece like this, only to notice that bits have fallen off along the way. Tragic!
So, we want to know how you feel about mods. Would you buy a modded DS -- and if you had one, whether you made it or purchased it, would you actually play it? It probably depends on the outcome. Some are sturdier than others. And of course, we're not talking about technical mods here, or simple case switches, but those elaborate jobs that turn a beautiful DS into something even more interesting.
When aliens come to lay waste on our planet after an interstellar decree to rid the galaxy of our race before our warlike nature spreads to other solar systems, this Nintendo DS Lite case mod could be humanity's saving grace. At the precipice of mankind's extinction, the extraterrestrial army will stay its advanced armaments, realizing that any society capable of producing such an awe-aspiring object deserves to continue its existence!
Forged by the same hands that brought the Legend of Zelda-themed Wii mod to life, this gold and black beauty's metal die-cast Master Sword/Shield crest rotates to match your handheld's orientation and illuminates when being charged. Buying this one-of-a-kind DS Lite will also net you a custom charging dock, two painted styli (silver and dark blue), and the admiration of your peers and cosmic beings alike. Proceeds from the auction will once again be donated to Penny Arcade's Child's Play charity.
Head past the post break for more photos of the DS Lite mod. It's a good preview of what we'll spend the rest of our enslaved lives assembling after our alien overlords decide to spare our pitiful race.
MODD3D.com has a pretty sweet mod right now where a DS Lite is overclocked in a fairly simple fashion. Now, modded DSes are in no way new to us, but an overclock like this is something we have yet to see. The mod itself is also fairly versatile, allowing the user to set 4 different speeds for their DS Lite (ranging from .66 time speed to 1.8 times speed).
We've embedded a video of it in action past the post break.
Now this is how you play Jam Sessions. Flickr user Mr. Atrocity and his girlfriend gave their DS systems (both Phat, and we're happy to see people sporting them) custom paint jobs-- his a replica of Eddie Van Halen's guitar finish, and hers a lavender with gold details.
Not only does the gallery contain pretty pictures of modded systems, but it is a great tutorial for spraypainting your own DS, which is exactly the kind of thing you should have a tutorial for, unless you want to play New Super B Button Is Stuck Down Bros. or Trauma Center: Under the Red Blob.
Just yesterday, we were reminded to check on one of the best and brightest of all the DS modders, and we weren't disappointed. The latest case mod from Kotomi prepares a DS Phat for the rigors of urban combat, because sometimes you need to keep your gaming on the DL. We'd turn the sound down, though. Nothing gives away your position like the musical stylings of Jamiroquai.
Show and Tell is all about fan stuff, so long as it's Nintendo-related. We love to see your collections, your crafts, your frosted creations, your t-shirts and swag of all sorts.Just snap a few pictures, tell us what's up, and send it all to showmeit [at] dsfanboy [dot] com. We'll take care of the rest. Not a handy type, but found something neat? Send us a link instead.
Many of the modded DS consoles we've posted about in the past have really knocked our socks off. But they don't all turn out so peachy. Sporting a truly appalling sketch of Suigintou from the popular manga Rozen Maiden, this poor, defenseless handheld is at the other end of the spectrum. And by that, we mean almost dropping off the other end. Seriously, we're not even sure if this level of DS abuse is legal in some parts of the world.
Rocky's ultra-modded DS Lite has gotten to the point where you can literally station it on the coastline, its LED beacons guiding ships to safe harbor. His latest hack installs LEDs under the ABXY buttons, sticking them in place with hot glue. We're not sure if the mod has any functional purpose -- save serving as a navigational aid to sailors at sea -- but it's certainly something we haven't seen done before with the handheld. Float your boat past the post break for larger photos of the DS lighthouse.
We've seen some pretty awesome and artistic DS mods, from classic to ... uh ... extra classic, but the thing of it is, we're not sure we could actually bring ourselves to hold such a beautiful item in our sweaty, grubby, jam-hands, much less put it in our pockets. Imagine if we whipped out a sweet piece like this, only to notice that bits have fallen off along the way. Tragic!
