Microsoft gaming is no more. We are so back.
Category: Video Games
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Super Nintendo Hardware Is Running Faster as It Ages. Why is this speedrunner putting his Super Nintendo in the freezer? Science.
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Super Mario 64 on the Web
Super Mario 64 on the Web – this little site is a gem. It’s powered by WebGL and is frankly, incredible. It’s essentially Javascript rendering/drawing onto a
<canvas>element. Chances are it renders really well on your modern browser and looks great on your computer screen too. This is because it taps hardware graphics acceleration, also known as GPU rendering. -
One Brilliant Zelda Hack Turns Tears of the Kingdom Into Tony Hawk
If you haven’t been playing Tears of the Kingdom, I cannot stress just how much you are missing out. Apart from it being a phenomenal game and sequel to acclaimed Breath of the Wild — the mechanics alone will invade every crevasse of your brain. It’s that good. Those mechanics have yielded some surprising inventions from users. From Jake Kleinman over at Inverse:
To turn Tears of the Kingdom into Tony Hawk: Pro Skater, all you need is the Fusion ability and a minecart. You’ll unlock Fusion in the game’s opening tutorial on Great Sky Island, which is also where you can find a mine cart. Once you have both at your disposal, equip a shield. Then stand in front of a mine cart, activate Fusion, and fuse the cart to your shield. Now, all you need to do is shield surf, and the minecart wheels will give you an extra boost.
Just don’t forget that your new skateboard will eventually break after enough use, so try not to run out of shields right before a big boss battle.
Video for reference (sorry it’s from twitter)
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Arcade Game Typography
I have nothing but praise for those who study niche topics like these. Toshi Omagari of MonoType, studied typography at Musashino Art University in Tokyo. He’s worked alongside big brands like H&M, and he’s previously contributed to Google Noto, and more notably introduced Tibetan Script support to Google Noto which is spectacular work. He helped resurrect Metro Nova from the dead.
Omagari has a limited-release book coming out (sufficed to say, it’s already sold-out but you can buy the paperback version here on Amazon). He has meticulously researched the wonderfully niche topic of video game typography and it’s freaking awesome:
The first book of its kind – a definitive and beautifully designed survey of ’70s, ’80s and early ’90s arcade game pixel typography. Exhaustively researched by author Toshi Omagari (a celebrated typeface designer at Monotype UK) Arcade Game Typography gathers together 250 pixel typefaces, all carefully chosen, extracted, redrawn and categorised by style, and each with an accompanying commentary by Omagari. The title also features 4 illustrated essays on videogame typography theory and practice, documenting the unique advantages and challenges presented to designers of these bold, playful and often quirky alphabets.
A beautifully produced celebration of the eclectic typography featured in hit games such as Super Sprint, Pac-Man, After Burner, Marble Madness, Shinobi, as well as countless lesser-known gems. Unlike print typefaces, pixel type often has colour ‘baked in’ to its characters, so Arcade Game Typography looks unlike any other typography book, fizzing with life and colour.
Love this bit about the original 1978 Space Invaders typography (image below):
The original game, and most of the clones, featured the above typeface, copied from Tank 8 with a minor modification to M.
Photos via Read-Only Memory 
Left page: RoboCop 2 (Data East/1991), Captain America and the Avengers (Data East/1991)
Right page: Spider-man: the Video Game (Sega/1991), Xexex (Konami/1991), X-men (Konami/1992) -
Accessible Gaming with the Xbox Adaptive Controller
Microsoft has really stepped their game up. It’s clear that Microsoft has really struggled with an identity problem. Are they a software company? Are they a hardware company? What’s their core focus?
Amidst the chaotic soul-searching, Microsoft has continued to outdo themselves in the gaming arena.
The Xbox, an undefeatable goliath has seemingly persistent success in the community. But, accessibility has always been a sore spot, not just with the Xbox but as a whole, the gaming community has largely left out users who have disabilities. While accessibility standards continue to expand for web users across all platforms, the gaming community has taken a large homebrew approach. Users have built their own joysticks, buttons, and switches — all built upon the 3.5mm audio jack.
Microsoft’s Xbox Adaptive Controller is a seriously awesome solution for disabled gamers. Some might say it was designed to be hacked. I love it. Some core features:
- 25 hours of battery life
- 2 USB inputs
- Bluetooth capable
- The controller is mountable
- 19 (3.5mm) inputs, each one mapped to a specific button
- Works with existing homebrew controllers, or Microsoft’s own suite of inclusive interface inputs
This is a huge win for Microsoft. Xbox has existed at the intersection of casual gamers and PC purists — but the console has consistently left out the disabled. While the PC hasn’t suffered the same problem, the Xbox was heading down a dark road.
Microsoft thankfully (through the power of feedback and community) has listened to their users.
The Adaptive Controller is exactly what Microsoft and the Xbox needs. Microsoft has always excelled at delivering products at the beck-and-call of what their users need or want. From Windows 95 to Halo 2—I’m pleased to see a product that solves a problem for so many. It’s pleasing to see Microsoft’s core focus has shifted from listening to business customers, to hearing out all their customers.
