Nintendo 64 controllers already look chunky next to modern pads, with three grips and a stick planted in the middle. ChaosBench took that layout and enlarged it until ordinary button presses turned into arm movements that require real force.
Google introduced the Pixel Watch 5, priced at $379.99 (was $430), a couple of months ago with the same familiar round case as its predecessor, yet the 45mm version carries meaningful refinements that let it compete directly with the Apple Watch Series 12 for daily wear. The aluminum housing uses recycled material and measures 45 by 45 by 12.3 millimeters while weighing 36.7 grams without the band. A domed Actua 360 AMOLED display reaches 3,000 nits of peak brightness under Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, remaining readable outdoors and switching between 1 and 60 Hz depending on content. Water resistance reaches 5 ATM and IP68, covering swims and everyday exposure without requiring special care.
Microsoft’s Zune never matched the iPod’s hold on the culture, yet the Zune HD has just gained a new purpose as a Super Mario 64 machine through a fresh open-source port.
Fans who still wander the dark streets of Tristram and the levels beneath it now have another way to return. DamnationX is a fan project built on top of DevilutionX, the long-running open-source port that already lets people run the original 1996 Diablo on modern computers with higher frame rates, controller support, and other practical fixes. Troygentic has taken that foundation and layered on optional high-definition art, lighting that uses ray tracing, and an online lobby so groups can play together.
Photo credit: Mark Stone/University of Washington
University of Washington engineers have built DirectHop, a one gram robot small enough to sit in a palm that clears a standard stair step while setting its jump height to single centimeter accuracy. The prototype performs multiple hops in sequence and rights itself after most landings, steps toward an autonomous version that could move through varied spaces.