Extra Future

Hi, I’m Phil Nelson, a writer, developer, and audio-visual maker of stuff. I have been making stuff online for over 25 years. I run RetroStrange and Set Side B. Good to see you.

Blog Archives

Tag: hardware

  • Backblaze Drive Stats for Q3 2025

    Fascinating post on hard drives, failure rates, etc. Apparently Backblaze does this every quarter.

  • Client Work: Edge AI Earth Guardians Video

    I recently co-scripted and did the voiceover / narration for the latest competition from Hackster.io, Edge AI Earth Guardians. You can watch it on YouTube and listen to my voice if you’re into that:

    I encourage you to join the competition and make something cool!

  • 404 Media: Crooks Allegedly Stole Truck Full of $1.5 Million of Oculus Headsets

    Absolutely buck-wild story, very Fast & Furious:

    The co-conspirators allegedly surveilled distribution facilities “used by various national companies to distribute their products” and followed semi-tractor trailers leaving those distribution facilities. When those truck drivers stopped to rest or refuel, the co-conspirators would steal the entire semi-tractor and trailer, hook up the trailer to their own semi, and abandon the stolen tractor. 

    Read: Full article on 404 Media, shout-out to Court Watch

  • Phil’s Newsletter #37

    Cold off of last week’s presses, here is the new edition of Phil’s Newsletter. Inside: A tiny keyboard, and a ton of Good Links.

  • Universal Mega Dumper

    Unnaturally tempted by this project, which has created a common platform for cartridge dumping w/ standard adapters for the major consoles. It auto-recognizes which type of cart you connect, too!

    The Universal Mega Dumper (UMD) is a game catridge read/writer project designed around a Teensy++ microcontroller. The universality comes from the UMD’s ability to support many different types of catridge connectors by having general purpose 16 bit data and 24 bit address paths along with a dozen control signals – all of which can be customized for each game cartridge mode.

    More on the project page.

  • The Best Third-Party Carrying Case for the Bridge Mixed Reality Headset

    Bridge logo spray-painted on the new hard case. Naturally, I had to customize it a bit.

    TL;DR: This is the best case for Bridge

    —

    If you work on mixed reality games & experiences for the Bridge headset like I do you might sometimes (ironically, for a super-portable headset like Bridge) have a bit of trouble with getting your headset from point A to point B. The box that Bridge comes in is a great way to store the device when it’s not being used but it’s a little clunky for everyday carry.

    Criteria

    I’ve spent the last couple of weeks trying out several different commodity hard cases, using the loose criteria of:

    • Does it securely fit the headset?
    • Does it have room for the charging cables, controller, or other small accessories?
    • Would it stand up to my daily San Francisco commute?
    • Can it be had for under $50?

    The Winner

    After trying several cases that failed in one way or another (it’s especially hard to find something with the right height), the “Khanka Hard Case Travel Bag for Sony PlayStation 4 VR (PSVR) Headset and Accessories” is the best so far.

    It safely and securely fits the Bridge headset, controller, cables, and even the lens spacers in the included bag. I re-purposed the lens bag the case came with as a shroud for the Structure Sensor and Wide Vision Lens while in transit, and there’s even just enough room for an external battery if you’re into that. You’ll have to bring your own padding. I used the thick foam that came in my Bridge box, but any foam or egg crate should work just fine.

    * Buy case on Amazon.com — ($26.99 as of writing)

  • Finding the First Videogame ROM

    [Ed Fries tracks down the first ever ROM programmed for a video game, older than previously-found chips.][link] What a find.

    [link]: https://edfries.wordpress.com/2017/10/23/finding-the-first-videogame-rom/ “Finding the First Videogame ROM”

  • Dan Luu’s Keyboard Latency Tests

    [Apparently, keyboard latency has gotten measurably worse over time][link]- computers in the 1970s had faster keyboard input that we do today. The post does a good job of debunking several of the most common BS claims made by “gaming” keyboard manufacturers, too. They aren’t any faster than regular ‘ol consumer-grade keyboards, and in some cases slower!

    >Most keyboards add enough latency to make the user experience noticeably worse, and keyboards that advertise speed aren’t necessarily faster. The two gaming keyboards we measured weren’t faster than non-gaming keyboards, and the fastest keyboard measured was a minimalist keyboard from Apple that’s marketed more on design than speed.

    [link]: https://danluu.com/keyboard-latency/ “Keyboard Latency”

  • Plug: the brain of your devices

    Trying really hard not to turn the ‘ol site here into Phil Links Kickstarter Projects All Day but I can’t help myself [with this one][link]. Plug is a little USB dongle that plugs into your network and shares content across all of your devices, sort of like having a personal Dropbox for your house.

    [link]: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cloud-guys/plug-the-brain-of-your-devices “Plug: the brain of your devices by The CGC team — Kickstarter”

  • HP Says To Bye Bye TouchPad, Pre

    [Almost hidden in this press release about HP’s plans to buy Autonomy Corporation][link]:

    >In addition, HP reported that it plans to announce that it will discontinue operations for webOS devices, specifically the TouchPad and webOS phones. HP will continue to explore options to optimize the value of webOS software going forward.

    A real shame. webOS and the devices built around it were the only real competition to iOS and the iPad/iPhone line.

    [link]: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110818006301/en/HP-Confirms-Discussions-Autonomy-Corporation-plc-Business “HP Confirms Discussions with Autonomy Corporation plc Regarding Possible Business Combination; Makes Other Announcements | Business Wire”