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Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

Carrying on the rich hacker tradition of picking up the slack for companies that are unwilling or unable to provide the functionality users need, a team of Wii coders have given the console what Nintendo could not: DVD playback. By installing a small, hidden channel on a system, this package blesses the console with a libdi file (DVD access library), and allows you to watch your favorite videos with the MPlayer application, an open source media player. The install file will run on modded and unmodded systems, and the software is also capable of playing media from SD cards (though it’s experimental right now). Finally Wii owners can join the ranks of, well… pretty much everyone else.

[Via TehSkeen; Thanks, brakken]

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Source: Joshua Topolsky

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

It’s tough for us to go six months without a newfangled approach to hacking the famed USB missile launcher, so it’s with great joy that we present to you this particular one. By utilizing a spare Wiimote, a USB-enabled PC, a USB missile launcher, a few strips of duct tape and a minor amount of programming knowledge, you too can craft an auto-aiming launcher which can find, aim at and attack IR targets. Grab the aforementioned items and hit the read link, just take care to not poke your eye out, alright?

[Via HackNMod, thanks Joe]

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Gaming

Don’t even try to deny it — you’ve been holding one mean grudge against that ridiculously accurate DeepNote bot ever since you saw it dominate Guitar Hero in mid-July. Really though, all that pent up aggression is completely unnecessary, and if you’ve been fruitlessly aiming to concoct one of your own, we’ve found the perfect place to start. The video posted up after the jump gives a fantastic overview of how the device actually works, and while it’s far (very far) from simple, it’s nothing the seasoned DIYer couldn’t handle on an extended weekend. Give it a look if you’re head over heels for PCBs and flashing LEDs (oh, and shameless rock ‘n roll).

[Thanks, Jeremy]Continue reading DeepNote Guitar Hero bot reveals its secrets on video

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

It has been a solid tick since we’ve seen a good FairPlay hack, so it’s with great pleasure that we pass along El Tunes for Ubuntu 8.04 users everywhere. Tested to work on Hardy Heron using RhythmBox (but assumed to work on any modern Linux Distro with GStreamer and a media player that utilizes GStreamer), said plug-in enables open-source aficionados to play songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store. As for limitations, the current version has no Pause / Seek support and cannot de-authorize a machine for playback, but a future version should hopefully cure those two quirks and add support for purchased video content and audio streaming to an AirTunes device. Give it a shot and let us know how it treats ya.

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Gaming

PSP hacker “FreePlay” has turned his gaze to the PS3, and come up with a method for the first PS3 homebrew outside of Linux and that little “hello world” proof of concept a few months back. The minimal devkit doesn’t seem built to take advantage of the PS3’s wiles, however, and is instead working with the Java prowess built into the Blu-ray playback end of the PS3. Who knows how much power that’ll lend to homebrew developers, but it’s Java, so we’re not expecting great things either way. Wake us when we can play PS2 games, would you?

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Source: Paul Miller

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Also, he says he found Intel’s diary and is totally telling everybody about that one thing. But seriously, we think Kris Kaspersky is being a bit of a tease here. He claims to have found a flaw in Intel’s processors that would allow a hacker to bust up on a computer using JavaScript or TCP/IP, with no regard for what operating system the computer is running… only he won’t say what it is. He’s planning on unveiling the attack at the Hack In The Box conference in Malaysia this October, where he says he’ll show working code that can take control of computers, all of which he plans to release publicly. The attack takes advantage of known errata in chips, which most vendors have a workaround for in BIOS, but not all. XP, Vista, Linux, BSD and Mac operating systems are all vulnerable, so we all get to run around panicking until October — unless somebody figures it out first.

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Source: Paul Miller

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Filed under: Gaming

The folks of WiiHD, in honor of the recent Quake release for Wii homebrew, have put together an easy-to-follow guide for getting the Wii homebrew channel up and running on your little white console — plus a pre-packaged zip file with some ready-to-go ‘brew if that’s the way you like it. You’ve really got zero excuse to hold off on homebrew with as purtiful and straightforward all these fine hackers have made the process, but if you’re still unconvinced, check out the Quake video after the break.Continue reading WiiHD’s homebrew guide: hacking doesn’t get much easier than this

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Source: Paul Miller

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Filed under: Gaming, Robots

It’s clear that everyone is looking for a way to game the system these days. The video game system, that is. In the vein of that Guitar Hero cheat-mod we saw the other day, four undergraduate students at Texas A&M University have built a Guitar Hero playing robot that can shred with the best of them… no hands required. The system — dubbed Slashbot — works as a completely standalone process, using a converter box to translate specific pixel information from the screen intro note presses and strums on the mechanical contraption. On average, the bot is achieving 90 percent accuracy in expert mode, and has yet to be defeated by a human challenger. Next up? It plans to eradicate all human life on Earth, of course! Check the video of Slashbot playing — what else? — Cliffs of Dover after the break.Continue reading Guitar Hero ‘Slashbot’ riffs uncontrollably, plots mankind’s downfall

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Source: Joshua Topolsky

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