7 ms·

IPad as an Arcade Machine

38 points by alanthonyc 17y ago

duck 17y ago
Okay, I've said multiple times that I won't be getting an iPad... but this almost changes my mind (assuming this is real and not an April Fools joke). I still won't get one until v2 ships though.
- alanthonyc 17y ago
  The iPad is the first time I've ever bought a v1 of anything in my life. Can't wait.
- icefox 17y ago
  There are development boards that come with a ipod connector. http://hackaday.com/2010/03/29/microchips-pic-development-for-iphone-and-ipod/ http://hackaday.com/2010/03/29/microchips-pic-development-fo... Combine with some buttons and wood and it doesn't look like it would be that hard of a project.
- colomon 17y ago
  I'm presuming this is a joke, because given the restrictions Apple has stuck on emulators, I can't see them letting a version of MAME (presumably with illegally copied ROMs?) through. That said, it's a killer idea, and I think it might well do very well if Apple would allow it.
  - nkassis 17y ago
    agreed, ThinkGeek often manages to make some of the coolest April Fools joke. I want some tribbles and bits. And the iCade would probably sell like hot cakes if it was real.
  - gcheong 17y ago
    Try clicking the Buy Now button.
- jrockway 17y ago
  Or you can, you know, just buy a $10 joystick for your computer and save yourself $490 for mountain dew and pizza. Mac users amuse me.
yak 17y ago
Um...it's April Fool's day...fools.
- jcl 17y ago
  Granted, but having seen it, I'm sure there are at least a couple people who are going to build the thing themselves.
rauljara 17y ago
"Beautifully retro styled, handcrafted wooden tabletop arcade cabinet and MAME emulator for your otherwise useless iPad" "Availability: 80's" These things say parody to me, but if it was a real idea, I think it'd make money. Which says bad parody to me. It's like saying, hey look, here's a plausible and possibly even moderately good idea. Isn't that silly?
- Luc 17y ago
  ThinkGeek did that before, with the 8-bit tie in 2007. It was an April Fool's joke, but so many people actually wanted one that they started producing it for real. http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/looflirpa/ http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/looflirpa/
  - jcl 17y ago
    And the Tauntaun sleeping bag in 2009, apparently: http://www.thinkgeek.com/tauntaun/index.html http://www.thinkgeek.com/tauntaun/index.html
aresant 17y ago
It's an April fools joke BUT ThinkGeek has a habit of turning jokes into real products if there's enough demand - click add to cart and sign up for the email list if interested. This is how I got my nephew a Tuantan sleeping bag - eg: http://www.avclub.com/articles/april-fools-joke-backfires-on-thinkgeek,26098/ http://www.avclub.com/articles/april-fools-joke-backfires-on...
- charlesju 17y ago
  Too bad Apple would never approve an emulator. It would be cool if they got the licensing for all those games though.
  - yumraj 17y ago
    Don't let your creativity be destroyed by Apple. I'm sure someone will jailbreak it by the time someone builds this.
  - glhaynes 17y ago
    There are emulators on the App Store (a Commodore 64 one, for example), just none that can run arbitrary code. Each program that can be run on the emulator has to be approved (some built-in to the App, others available as in-app purchases).
  - tedunangst 17y ago
    Only if the emulator needed net access. An emulator with a 100 bundled ROMs is no trouble.
    - cubicle67 17y ago
      I'm pretty sure one of the things you can't do with Mame is bundle ROMs with it
      - tedunangst 17y ago
        I'm pretty sure someone could edit the line of mame source that does 'fopen(argv[1], "r")' and replace it with something more suitable for a bundle.
pyre 17y ago
I'm waiting for a real version Super Steve Bros.
- petercooper 17y ago
  It wouldn't happen on the iPhone/iPad. Making any references to Steve Jobs (even slight ones) is against App Store policy.
  - pyre 17y ago
    It was presented as a MAME game, so I'm not expecting it on the AppStore. More likely it would be a HTML5/Flash game or some emulator ROM hack or something.
    - petercooper 17y ago
      More likely it would be a HTML5/Flash game You know.. you might be on to something here. Most of the old school arcade games could probably work very well as HTML5/JavaScript games if you had a hardcore JavaScript coder on the case. Even if the games were "free" on the Web, a cabinet and control system like the iCade could still be very valuable and do-able (I believe the iPad lets you use a BlueTooth keyboard, so the controls could be implemented that way, perhaps).
KirinDave 17y ago
This is an example of a good apr1 joke becuase it'd be so awesome. A custom cabinet and a full install of MAME with the games hosted on an external usb drive in the cabinet? It sounds crazy but I'm pretty sure it'd rule.
aaronbrethorst 17y ago
Why is it that the only products I ever want to buy from ThinkGeek are their April Fools jokes?

38 points by alanthonyc 17y ago

duck 17y ago

Okay, I've said multiple times that I won't be getting an iPad... but this almost changes my mind (assuming this is real and not an April Fools joke). I still won't get one until v2 ships though.

alanthonyc 17y ago
The iPad is the first time I've ever bought a v1 of anything in my life. Can't wait.
icefox 17y ago
There are development boards that come with a ipod connector. http://hackaday.com/2010/03/29/microchips-pic-development-for-iphone-and-ipod/ http://hackaday.com/2010/03/29/microchips-pic-development-fo... Combine with some buttons and wood and it doesn't look like it would be that hard of a project.
colomon 17y ago
I'm presuming this is a joke, because given the restrictions Apple has stuck on emulators, I can't see them letting a version of MAME (presumably with illegally copied ROMs?) through. That said, it's a killer idea, and I think it might well do very well if Apple would allow it.
- nkassis 17y ago
  agreed, ThinkGeek often manages to make some of the coolest April Fools joke. I want some tribbles and bits. And the iCade would probably sell like hot cakes if it was real.
- gcheong 17y ago
  Try clicking the Buy Now button.
jrockway 17y ago
Or you can, you know, just buy a $10 joystick for your computer and save yourself $490 for mountain dew and pizza. Mac users amuse me.

yak 17y ago

Um...it's April Fool's day...fools.

jcl 17y ago
Granted, but having seen it, I'm sure there are at least a couple people who are going to build the thing themselves.

rauljara 17y ago

"Beautifully retro styled, handcrafted wooden tabletop arcade cabinet and MAME emulator for your otherwise useless iPad" "Availability: 80's" These things say parody to me, but if it was a real idea, I think it'd make money. Which says bad parody to me. It's like saying, hey look, here's a plausible and possibly even moderately good idea. Isn't that silly?

Luc 17y ago
ThinkGeek did that before, with the 8-bit tie in 2007. It was an April Fool's joke, but so many people actually wanted one that they started producing it for real. http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/looflirpa/ http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/looflirpa/
- jcl 17y ago
  And the Tauntaun sleeping bag in 2009, apparently: http://www.thinkgeek.com/tauntaun/index.html http://www.thinkgeek.com/tauntaun/index.html

aresant 17y ago

It's an April fools joke BUT ThinkGeek has a habit of turning jokes into real products if there's enough demand - click add to cart and sign up for the email list if interested. This is how I got my nephew a Tuantan sleeping bag - eg: http://www.avclub.com/articles/april-fools-joke-backfires-on-thinkgeek,26098/ http://www.avclub.com/articles/april-fools-joke-backfires-on...

charlesju 17y ago
Too bad Apple would never approve an emulator. It would be cool if they got the licensing for all those games though.
- yumraj 17y ago
  Don't let your creativity be destroyed by Apple. I'm sure someone will jailbreak it by the time someone builds this.
- glhaynes 17y ago
  There are emulators on the App Store (a Commodore 64 one, for example), just none that can run arbitrary code. Each program that can be run on the emulator has to be approved (some built-in to the App, others available as in-app purchases).
- tedunangst 17y ago
  Only if the emulator needed net access. An emulator with a 100 bundled ROMs is no trouble.
  - cubicle67 17y ago
    I'm pretty sure one of the things you can't do with Mame is bundle ROMs with it
    - tedunangst 17y ago
      I'm pretty sure someone could edit the line of mame source that does 'fopen(argv[1], "r")' and replace it with something more suitable for a bundle.

pyre 17y ago

I'm waiting for a real version Super Steve Bros.

petercooper 17y ago
It wouldn't happen on the iPhone/iPad. Making any references to Steve Jobs (even slight ones) is against App Store policy.
- pyre 17y ago
  It was presented as a MAME game, so I'm not expecting it on the AppStore. More likely it would be a HTML5/Flash game or some emulator ROM hack or something.
  - petercooper 17y ago
    More likely it would be a HTML5/Flash game You know.. you might be on to something here. Most of the old school arcade games could probably work very well as HTML5/JavaScript games if you had a hardcore JavaScript coder on the case. Even if the games were "free" on the Web, a cabinet and control system like the iCade could still be very valuable and do-able (I believe the iPad lets you use a BlueTooth keyboard, so the controls could be implemented that way, perhaps).

KirinDave 17y ago

This is an example of a good apr1 joke becuase it'd be so awesome. A custom cabinet and a full install of MAME with the games hosted on an external usb drive in the cabinet? It sounds crazy but I'm pretty sure it'd rule.

aaronbrethorst 17y ago

Why is it that the only products I ever want to buy from ThinkGeek are their April Fools jokes?