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The SG-N64 Is Here!

Posted: 01/30/2016 in Uncategorized

So what seems like after months of down time and waiting, the first version of the new SG-N64 is complete! What is a SG-N64 you may ask? Well, it’s pretty simple actually. The SG-N64 is a Single Game Nintendo 64 Portable Console. Created by the desire to “Immortalize” some of the greatest games of all time, the SG-N64 takes the greatness of a timeless classic and preserves it in a body designed solely for the purpose of playing it.

Alright, that was the dramatic version, but basically, I love Legend of Zelda as a series but Ocarina of Time has always held a certain claim to my devotion to Nintendo and now retro gaming. I dare say that this game may even compete with my all time favorite game “Final Fantasy VII” but in the interest of comparing apples to apples, for Nintendo, this game is it.

So I decided I wanted to try something that could preserve the legacy in a way that I haven’t seen before. Yes, there have been single game N64’s made in the past for TV, but to my knowledge, this may be the first fully portable system dedicated to a single game, but it won’t be the last. I’ve got plans for two more that will take my top 3 favorite N64 games and turn them into their own portable shrines!

That being said, though I love this system, I built it so I could…well…sell it. My CNC machines are still down and to make sure my now $2k investments don’t turn into a massive paperweight, I need to get them running again an this is the best way to do it! Check out the video below for more info!

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System Specs:

1 – Original N64 Motherboard, Trimmed with trimmed jumper pak.
1 – Original copy of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Hardwired
2 – 3.7v Lithium/Polymer batteries w/protection circuit and 8.4V Smart Charger
1 – PTH08080WAZ 3.3v Step Down Regulator
1 – Custom Audio Amp by RDC
1 – Custom N64 Controller by RDC
1 – 5″ 16:9 or 3:4 Ratio Display
2 – 40mm Mylar Speakers
Custom Printed Casing, Buttons (exception C, B&A from a Super Pad)
1 – PS3 Joystick on Custom Breakout Board
1 – Charging Jack
1 – Head Phone Jack w/on-off kill switch
1 – Video output jack & Cable to TV.
Back-lit Tri Force Logo

Final Fantasy VII Remake Announced!!!

Posted: 06/18/2015 in Uncategorized
Tags: Final Fantasy VII, remake

18 years…18 years since a life changing experience was first laid on me at my friends house. I was never much of a PlayStation fan, owing to my Nintendo roots that went deep, but once I got sucked into the story line and game play that was Final Fantasy VII, I like millions of others wanted a PlayStation just for this one title.

In case you didn’t guess, this game has had a profound effect on my life, raking up well over 500 hours of play over the years and becoming my internet persona. With that being said, for years now I’ve looked into ways to update and change the game play to a more modern experience. A few years ago I stumbled upon a community that did just that, taking the PC version of the game and replacing the graphics with high-def and modern characters and of course I had to make a post about it.

Well three years since then, all of the sudden, my site started getting tons of hits on a page that I didn’t have a link too. And that’s because at E3 a couple days ago, Square Enix announced that the dream that millions have been waiting for has finally come true! A Final Fantasy VII Remake is now in production for the PS4!!!

Lets just say…well no lets not, just let it soak in that this could either be the biggest win in two decades or the biggest disappointment since Episode 1-3. But if it’s the first, than I guess I’d better start saving up for a PS4, even though this has probably a good two or three years to go before it hits the market. Time will tell, but I will be watching this with great interest over the next few years.

RIP Bacman forum

Posted: 04/27/2015 in Uncategorized

For those who were looking for an answer as to why the Bacman Forums closed up, found this today that shows his last post. Make your own conclusions.

DesperateNerdLife

Sad news for the modders: probably the best forum has been shut down for good recently.

This was Bacteria’s last message to the forum

I have decided to close the forum today.
The main site http://www.bacman.co.uk/home/ has already been updated to remove links to all but a couple of sections, and later today I will shut the forum permanently and remove its links. I will keep the reference site going for a while however.
Why you ask? Well there are three main reasons:
1) The modding scene is all but gone now, almost all modders I used to “know” on the sites have long since gone and the activity on the forum has been very low for some weeks, often I log on and i’m the only member on it now. One of the reasons for the forum was for the community, however the community have all but now gone…

View original post 716 more words

Reorganizing and Sharing

Posted: 04/08/2015 in Uncategorized

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be making some changes to this site in both content and layout. Basically what I’d like to start doing is sharing some of my designs that I’ve worked on in the form of CAD and 3D printed design files. So, for example, when this N64 portable is completed, I’ll be adding the STL files and the CAD files to a zipped folder that can be downloaded if one wishes as well as maybe small guides of how to implement them into a project.

Eventually, as time allows, I’d like to start building a reference area as my projects progress so those who want to try their hand at a similar project will have a place to get the direction they need to get moving. Having a project showcase site is cool, but I feel it’s time that this place become a bit more useful and informative.

Again, this will be a long work in progress as I can get to it, but hopefully I’ll be able to make this site a bit more useful to those who give the time to visit.

But I’d like to thank you all who do make it a habit to visit on a regular basis and sorry I’m so far and few between posts, but real life is very taxing at the moment, limiting most of my free time to my hour lunch break at work and a few hours on the weekends.

New Projects For The New Year!

Posted: 01/01/2015 in Uncategorized
Tags: OUYA

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope everyone had a safe and fun filled New Years Bash! This is the first year in recent memory the wife and I had an in-house celebration, but the little guy wanted to be with us for his first new year’s eve party, so we hung out with him for the evening which was awesome!

Another awesome bit of news, my You Tube Channel as of Jan 1, 2015 has hit the 1K Subscriber mark! Not a huge number by any means, but is a milestone for me! Very excited to see that my projects are striking a chord with so many people around the world! It’s what keeps me going and is the incentive to push the boundaries of my skills so that every project has a learning curve to keep growing with.

So, that said, on to the projects!

First up, I’ve finally revealed a project I’ve been working on since June. It’s been so long because 90% of this so far has just been design work which can take forever, but I’ve finally been able to utilize my 3D Printer and start putting the pieces together for the build! The project itself is another Portable OUYA game console and because of this, I’ve started a build log at The OUYA Forum where I’ve been a member for about a year now. Great group of people over there and some really talented developers so I encourage you to check it out if you’re interested in the console. I’ll be updating that thread as I make progress so be sure to check back often! Below is a pic of the progress of the Code Named “OUYAp V2”. This is probably my most complex project yet because of the number of different fabrication techniques and materials used. 3D Printing, CNC Machining, Styrene, Polycarbonate, ABS, custom PCBs and RGB LEDs. It’s quite the array but the best part has yet to be revealed and won’t be until the system is fully complete. So keep up with the work log for more updates.

Front Half of the OUYAp V2

The next project is a commission that I took over for my friend Hailraizer. I haven’t built an N64 portable in years, so I figured I’d give this one a go to see how the new CAD/3D Printing methods work. This is still in the design phase so it’s going to be a little while before any building happens but it’s getting there and with this little bit of extra time I’ve got due to the holiday, I’ll be cranking that out as much as I can. So that’s what’s keeping me busy and I gotta keep moving so I’ll be hopefully posting a bit more regularly going forward.

Progress is being made, I promise!

Posted: 09/27/2014 in Uncategorized

I know, again a month without a post of any significance. As I’ve said before though, 2014 has been one of the craziest years in memory and it looks to plow right through to next year as well. Though we are FINALLY done with weddings and special events of our friends, our little baby boy is due any day now and will be the start of a whole new way of life.

But as far as projects are concerned, progress has been made on a new OUYA project that I’ve been working on for a few months now, even since before I moved. Not ready to disclose what it is as of yet, but it’s a project that myself, RDC and Hailraizer are all in on.

More info on that in the next month, so we all have that to look forward to! More to be posted as it develops!

Downing's Basement