Gizmodo: child's play

Super Mario Galaxy Wii Mod Makes the Stars Mushroom With Delight

Jason Chen — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:00:00 EDT

There's little we've said about our modder buddy Ramon that we haven't already said back when he made the Zelda, Samus, Rockstar and Clerks Wii mods. This guy is talented AND he has good aesthetic taste—something not commonly found with modders. This time he's auctioning off this one-of-a-kind Super Mario Galaxy Wii mod that will benefit Child's Play, the children's charity started by Penny Arcade. Video hands-on, details and more pics after the jump.

There are 59 total LEDs, 5 custom circuit boards, 30 feet of wire, two Mario figures, a controller holder, and everything else you see is either hand-made or laser cut. There's also a custom plate dedicating this to Miyamoto for all his hard work creating a plumber that travels through pipes to a better world, giving plumbers everywhere something to strive for.

The custom console stand has an integrated Wii remote holder and a compartment for recharging the included lithium-ion batteries. Each side of the stand features a small limited edition Mario figurine. These are out of production and were only available in certain parts of Asia. In addition to the highly detailed paint job they already featured they were further touched up and clear coated for a clean professional look.

If you still haven't been able to find a Wii, this is your chance to pick one up that's both special and benefit charity. You could probably write this off as a tax deduction next year too.

[ebay]

Samus Wii Mod Tucks, Rolls, Explodes With Goodness

Jason Chen — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 13:15:56 EDT

Gizmodo buddy Ramon of Ultimate DS, Wii, and PSP mod fame is back, this time with a Samus Metroid mod for the Nintendo Wii. Not only does it have a big S on the side for Samus (or Sexy) and a Wiimote battery charger built in (!), he's painted the parts red, orange and green to match her motif. He's auctioning this off on eBay, like his previous mods, so a portion of the proceeds will go to Penny Arcade's Child's Play Charity; which works to allow one lucky little girl to eventually grow up to don a suit of armor and shoot big brains in the face. If not, what charity am I thinking of? [eBay]

Brando's Chromatic Four-Way USB Hub is Fruity-Cutie

AddyDugdale — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 06:00:06 EDT

The childish at heart will love Brando's latest four-way USB hub. Bend it into any shape you want, it comes in two different shapes and will brighten up your desk with its acid colors. Gallery, price and specs all after the jump.

4-port hub
Colourful design
USB 2.0
Plug and play, hot swapping
Low power consumption
Interface: USB compliance
Support Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP
Size: 200x40x11mm
Weight: 69g

The four-way hub is also available with round components and costs $12. [Brando]

One-Year-Old Shows Us How to Flick Through Photos on an iPhone

AddyDugdale — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:00:05 EDT

Some people may think that their child's privacy is too precious, but other's don't give a damn. Here's Chad the dad and Trey the bay-bay giving an iPhone master class. He's good. See how he flicks through his dad's photos with insouciant ease after the jump.

Let's have Trey on next year's Keynote at Macworld, eh? [TechEBlog via New Launches]

The Ultimate DS Lite Zelda Mod

Jason Chen — Thu, 03 May 2007 16:40:33 EDT

Our buddy Ramon (who if you remember, created the ultimate Legend of Zelda Wii mod) has done it again. This time he's taken an otherwise plain-Jane Nintendo DS Lite and turned it into a Legend of Zelda masterpiece that Miyamoto would be proud to use himself on the train to work every morning—that is, if he didn't have a couple of slaves picking him up in a gold-covered chariot instead.

As with the Wii Mod, some of the proceeds of this DS Mod auction are going towards Child's Play, Penny Arcade's charity for sick kids.

– Jason Chen

Auction Page [eBay]

The Gallery [Gizmodo]