The LEGO Super Mario Bros. Starter Course is interactive itself, but what happens when a programmer decides to hack the figure and turn it into a game controller? Well, you would hold Mario to jump, move and smash coin blocks. That’s right, a programmer who goes by “r1ckp” on Twitter did just that and what you’re about to see is the game running on an emulator in a Linux virtual machine on a MacBook Pro. Read more for two videos and additional information.
Wrote some code to use the #legosupermario to play #SuperMario pic.twitter.com/LOuECESPgT
— Rick (@r1ckp) September 2, 2020
Mario did not need to have any additional hardware added, as it already contains an accelerometer, gyroscope, color sensor and Bluetooth connectivity. So, all “r1ckp” had to do was hack the signals that were being transmitted via Bluetooth and then code them to the NES emulator. The entire process only took around 4-hours to get working, with most of the headache being to figure out the Blutooth protocol, but afterwards, it was just simulating key presses at certain events.
LEGO Super Mario Adventures with Mario Starter Course 71360 Building Kit, Interactive Set Featuring Mario, Bowser Jr. and Goomba Figures, New 2020 (231 Pieces)
- Fans can begin exploring the fun-packed LEGO Super Mario universe with this Adventures with Mario Starter Course 71360, featuring 7 action bricks for different interactions with the LEGO Mario figure
- LEGO Mario has a color sensor, plus LCD screens in his eyes, mouth and belly to display over 100 different instant reactions to movement; Also included is a speaker that plays iconic sounds and music from the video game
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- Rearrange the Starter Course and combine with LEGO Super Mario Expansion Sets to create more challenging levels and games to play with and against friends
Some people asked for it, so here's how shooting and pipes work pic.twitter.com/OACZYurh5u
— Rick (@r1ckp) September 3, 2020