Set up minutes up (alarm): Turn arm left + wave

January 27, 2012 7:35 AM

Artist Roger Ibars' "Hard-wired devices" are vintage video game controllers linked to clocks and other devices.
posted by griphus (20 comments total)

Is this kind of like the retro-geek equivalent of putting pancakes on animals' heads?
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:42 AM on January 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

I read that as Roger Ebert and about plotzed while checking how I slipped into this alternate universe.
posted by nevercalm at 7:47 AM on January 27, 2012

Artist Roger Ibars' "Hard-wired devices" are photographs of vintage video game controllers linked to with the connectors concealed behind clocks and other devices.

FTFY.
posted by davemee at 7:57 AM on January 27, 2012

(If I can be totally honest for a second, I actually like this guy for his loving photos of retro video game equipment than any actual artistic statement/technological tomfoolery going on here.)
posted by griphus at 7:57 AM on January 27, 2012

Even before I knew the controllers actually worked, I thought it was pretty neat. For each device, I immediately thought "wow, what COULD you do if you could control $X" and "what if $X was a game".
posted by DU at 7:57 AM on January 27, 2012

davemee, the devices work.
posted by cashman at 7:59 AM on January 27, 2012

davemee, if you check out each photo, he provides an explanations on how the controllers affect the devices. I've done similar things through an Arduino, so I figure someone with a bit more EE knowledge than myself can hard-wire it without too much difficulty.

(Although I do wonder how he's detecting how the light guns are oriented in space.)
posted by griphus at 8:01 AM on January 27, 2012

I take it all back. Thanks, Cashman and Griphus. I'd seen these a few times before without the artists' explanation and jumped a conclusion.

And apologies Ibars, if you make it here.
posted by davemee at 8:07 AM on January 27, 2012

All I have ever really wanted on earth was a laser gun with which to shoot my alarm clock.
posted by elizardbits at 8:08 AM on January 27, 2012 [6 favorites]

and, let's face it, to shoot many other vexing things as well. smoke alarm i am looking at you and i am judging.
posted by elizardbits at 8:09 AM on January 27, 2012 [3 favorites]

Hmm, a truly universal remote in futuristic gun form factor.

TO THE PATENT OFFICE!
posted by mccarty.tim at 8:13 AM on January 27, 2012

So this is what we talk about when we talk about dildonics.
posted by KokuRyu at 8:13 AM on January 27, 2012

Although I do wonder how he's detecting how the light guns are oriented in space.

Which of them requires knowing that? The one I looked at just used the button.
posted by DU at 8:19 AM on January 27, 2012

It's cool to look through all those old controllers, but things like the light guns and the Power Glove make me rather skeptical that the control descriptions aren't just made up. I suppose that shouldn't really matter to the idea of the project, but it bothers me.
posted by lucidium at 8:21 AM on January 27, 2012

Sounds like he is putting accelerometers in there, since the light guns and power glove both need something to 'see' in order to function.
posted by hellphish at 8:25 AM on January 27, 2012

Turn gun 135º+fire: Alarm set up (hours)
Turn gun 45º+fire: Alarm set up (min)
Turn gun 225º+fire: Time set up (hours)
Turn gun -45º+fire: Time set up (min)

AFAIK, there are no accelerometers built into any old-school lightguns. They're just single-diode photoreceptors. So he's probably just sticking them in there. Same thing with Power Glove probably. I'm not sure why he didn't use the force-sensitive resistor strips built into the fingers. I wouldn't be surprised if they just decayed over time, though, considering how much of a POS the Power Glove was from the get-go.
posted by griphus at 8:28 AM on January 27, 2012

It's missing the controller for Steel Battalion.
posted by hellojed at 10:31 AM on January 27, 2012 [2 favorites]

I can't think of anything I own that is complicated enough to require the controller from Steel Battalion.

'cept my giant battle mech, obviously
posted by tracert at 10:37 AM on January 27, 2012 [1 favorite]

The first one I looked for was the Intellivision controller. It's not there.

Good.
posted by CaseyB at 12:24 PM on January 27, 2012

Good to see two Konix units in there. They were my go-to units for reviewing games for magazines.
(I now realize my game reviewing days were more than half my life ago. I am old.)
posted by scruss at 2:10 PM on January 27, 2012