Sign in

Alex Kerr

@kitarutc.bsky.social
309 followers 321 following 311 posts

Tetris (TGM1-3 GM, NES Max-Out)・music games (DDR World SP足龍とDP皆伝, IIDX CSEMP KOC & アナコン SP八段)・STG (ガレッガ 1000万)・racing (F-Zero 99 S20)・riichi mahjong・pinball・coding (Scala, Python, 6502)

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Tom, Legally Certified Date Simmelier @iiotenki.bsky.social · 19h
Also, before anyone understandably asks, Grimdoomer's bona fides are legit and include major contributions to other scenes over the years, including the PS2 as well. And while it's unfortunate the code will remain closed source, it's hard to argue with the reasoning. I'd likely do the same here.
A screenshot from the Github page for Grimdoomer's Xbox 360 softmod that says the following:

Where's the Source Code?

I have decided not to release the source code for this for a few reasons:

    Everything I make and release I do for free in my own time. This is a hobby for me and something I do for fun. Given the state of software development I no longer feel the need to release the source code for everything I make just so people can make a million forks of it and kill any motivation I have to work on it. I make this stuff for myself and not anyone else.
    The world doesn't need 15 "slopsoftmods". It took a LOT of work to not only develop this exploit chain but also package it into an easy to use installer and do testing to try and make sure it wouldn't break someone's console. Making these modifications to your console can cause it to stop working, and I don't see why someone who doesn't understand the risks, work it took to make, or how the OS functions, should be able to clone a turn-key repository, make one change, slap their name on it, and tell people "go download my softmod".

It's inevitable that people will just reverse engineer, modify, and repackage my work as their own. While my work may not be "perfect, bug free, etc.", I have taken utmost care to make sure it's unlikely to cause any harm to your console and that you should always be able to boot into retail mode to recover from anything that goes wrong. Other people copying my work may not do the same. If you don't trust the people making the modifications don't install them.
221058
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Tom, Legally Certified Date Simmelier @iiotenki.bsky.social · 19h
For those who aren't up to date on the 360 modding scene, this is a Big Deal. Believe it or not, until now, the 360 still never had a softmod and while some exploits in recent years had gotten most of the way, this is the real deal. You probably no longer need to solder your 360 to do Fun Stuff.
1558225
Reposted by Alex Kerr
mcc @dryad.technology · 06/10/2026
This is a good thread about recent trends in retro gaming
04110
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Sasha's Retrobytes 🏳️‍⚧️ @sharkabytes.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Colour cycling and hi-res Amiga AGA landscapes: A clip from the Mark Ferrari art slideshow production from 2023.
251196348
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Mysterious Z (DATE OF BIRTH AUGUST 2ND) @mysteriousz.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I'm not kidding
282156892
Reposted by Alex Kerr
〽️ax krieger wants to port YOUR indie game to switch! @maxkriegervg.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
this seems to be an increasingly common story wrt art/games made w ai - authors are ashamed, but not enough to keep em from making the thing/showing it off. take it from someone dumb enough to be a game dev: you need to make work whose process is something you take pride in or you will eat yourself
216132
Reposted by Alex Kerr
The Endless Narf of the Waves @narfnra.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
shmuplations.com/rtype1/ Many have said "arcade difficulty is just to get quarters"... well, on one hand, that's just a debate of intent rather than whether the game itself can be fun, so not really relevant. But on the other, I like seeing exactly what they actually said matters for quarters, lol
shmuplations.com
R-Type – 1987 Developer Interview - shmuplations.com
R-Type OST by Masato Ishizaki. The planning and design staff would give ideas for the rhythm of certain sounds. “It should be like, don, ta ta ta!” and so on. Their ideas were really vague, but I did ...
111
Reposted by Alex Kerr
The Endless Narf of the Waves @narfnra.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
IM STUPID I LOOKED PAST IT OVER AND OVER IT WAS THE R-TYPE 1987 INTERVIEW ALL ALONG
141
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Cass (makes games) @cassmakesgames.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
New Blog Post: Why I Love Unfair Traps in Arcade Games People usually dislike hard memo traps in arcade games, or at best think they're "not that bad". I love them, though, and I think arcade games would be worse without them. Here's why: duckberet.com/blog/i-like-... (game: Violent Storm)
17222104
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Florence @justflorence.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
what do you MEAN the developers of Cookie's Bustle contacted every person who registered their copy by mail 25 years ago and invited them to a secret Cookie's Bustle party with live music and merch???
A Cookie's Bustle "25th secret event" Cookie Blair bearA Cookie's Bustle t-shirt, featuring Cookie Blair flying in the airMusicians playing instruments alongside a mascot of Cookie Blair, a teddy bear girl
142316809
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Misty De Méo @cdrom.ca · 01/10/2026
Kicking off a new series over at CD-ROM journal: covering Daiso’s ¥100 ultrabudget game series. Just how much game can you even get for ¥100? You’d be surprised! Some really interesting stuff in here - for less than a dollar a game, they couldn’t afford to be picky. cdrom.ca/games/the-ga...
cdrom.ca
An Intro to Daiso's The Game Series (Trump 1, Nekomata Tanteisha, Nyanpoline, TechnoSylph: vsys gaiden)
1111662
Alex Kerr @kitarutc.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
do i fall enough within the boundaries of "speedrunner." also how "last minute"
020
Alex Kerr @kitarutc.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
yeah it sounds pretty effective, wish i had noticed that type of right stick config in games at the time. seems like burnout 3 also has it
011
Alex Kerr @kitarutc.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
(well, not the thumbsticks, but the face buttons for sure and I think also shoulders)
000
Alex Kerr @kitarutc.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
technically, isn't every button on a ps2 controller pressure sensitive?
220
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Baxter @cosmicspooks.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
New post! Join me as I gush about the iconic shmup Gradius, psychedelic sci-fi, and the importance of never listening to the internet (except for me, listen to me). Oh and moai. Lots and lots of moai. 🗿🗿🗿 Give it a read, punk!!
tsundokudiving.com
Talking games | Gradius
I got Gradius Syndrome (can't stop thinking about Gradius)
26726
Reposted by Alex Kerr
davemakes🔶 @mixolumia.com · 02/10/2026
going to about:config and searching nova is the easy way of fixing this mess
browser.nova.enabled false
13813
Reposted by Alex Kerr
davemakes🔶 @mixolumia.com · 02/10/2026
firefox updated and no one in software development understands how rounded corners are supposed to work anymore
completely mismatched rounded corner radii
817124
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Zarithya😈💻 | Techubus VTuber @zarithya.online · 02/10/2026
So there's apparently a new feature on Twitch called shouting which lets me send everyone that follows me a push notification
5844
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Under the Surface of Classic Sonic @classicsoniccode.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
A technical dive (😉) into Sonic 3's water palette swapping!
10955315
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Phil Salvador @philsalv.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
We don't talk enough about the soundtrack of Fuck's Quest II, which was clearly made by someone who understands how to compose music and used that knowledge for evil
521944712
Reposted by Alex Kerr
caldenza @caldenza.gg · 30/09/2026
It is done! The game is fully dumped and already added to MAME for the next update. Apologies for the radio silence, it wasn't what we wanted, but it was what was necessary to make sure everything lined up perfect and was done right! Grab it here and "NAIL THAT RIFF!" archive.org/details/NAMC...
archive.org
Virtual Music/NAMCO - Aerosmith Quest For Fame - Full PCB ROM + CD Dump
This is a full ROM and CD dump of the Virtual Music/NAMCO released arcade version of Aerosmith Quest for Fame.At the time of writing, this is soon to be added into mame:https://github.com/mamedev/mame...
21310
Alex Kerr @kitarutc.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
the marquee has the Street Fighter V logo
000
Alex Kerr @kitarutc.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
while the stretched display is surprising for HEY, that appears to be a genuine Super System arcade setup adapted to a JP-style cabinet. so, I don't think it's only about catering to tourists, as it also serves to showcase a peculiar bit of history to locals
A flyer for the Nintendo Super System arcade cabinet. The flyer juxtaposes against images of other coin-operated machines such as a gumball machine (1932) and jukebox (1946), positioning the Super System (1992) as a modern innovation.
110
Alex Kerr @kitarutc.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
nintendo revising the 1080 snowboarding soundtrack:
020
Alex Kerr @kitarutc.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
that tagline is unhinged. amazing
041
Reposted by Alex Kerr
lauren @lauren.rotatingsandwiches.com · 28/09/2026
"I installed the Give Away Your Personally Identifying Info app made by the We Love Stealing Your Personally Identifying Info Corp headed by Mr. Steal Your Personally Identifying Info and it gave away all my personally identifying info"
332554538
Reposted by Alex Kerr
jazz mickle @queenjazz.gay · 27/09/2026
conventional wisdom for the entire time i've been programming has always been "less code is better". the idea that we must write more code faster is ridiculous. the problem has never been rate of output
436363
Reposted by Alex Kerr
jazz mickle @queenjazz.gay · 27/09/2026
the negative effects AI is having on software is gonna be something we have to deal with for a very long time, even if it stops today. you can already see the effects in well-known vibe coded sites like bluesky and github that run like shit nowadays, but its incredibly pervasive throughout tech
647390
Alex Kerr @kitarutc.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Yeah, you have to be on knife's edge for it to be a rank reduction, otherwise it's an increase. A slightly different dynamic than Garegga where extends are free and it's just a matter of how much deaths reduce rank.
030
Alex Kerr @kitarutc.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I forget if going for Special Extend makes it worth it in terms of rank? but that's also a much taller ask
030
Alex Kerr @kitarutc.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I think with the way rank maths out on deaths vs. big increase from extend icon, not really rank reduction either
340
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Play History @playhistory.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
And yes, the CM story gets more complicated. Tweakbod identified this 1978 commercial for a Breakout and Pong-style game table by Bally Japan (which itself is a crazy story as it is NOT affiliated with Bally Mfg). So be careful when you say "first" folks.
23616
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Cass (makes games) @cassmakesgames.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
New blog post: How I Design Original Arcade-Style Games Arcade players kept telling me that Hyper Bun Buster's game mechanics felt arcade-like, despite it not playing like any existing arcade games. Here are some tips if you want to design arcade-like games too. duckberet.com/blog/how-i-d...
duckberet.com
How I Design Original Arcade-Style Games - DUCK_BERET
How I designed the original arcade-style game mechanics in my game Hyper Bun Buster: Rocket Hammer Action
211647
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Nick Kapur @nickkapur.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Japanese used bookstores are reporting a massive uptick in bulk purchases of used Japanese books by overseas buyers, seemingly without any regard to their contents. The only logical conclusion is that these books are being stripped, scanned, and discarded to train AI models.
516996
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Alice Averlong 🏳️‍⚧️ @alice.averlong.com · 24/09/2026
I've noticed my vocabulary gets way worse when I've had like 6 hours of sleep, and today I've been operating (and I use the term quite wrongly) on 4 hours of sleep and my dyslexia is incredibly worse. maybe I'm not, like, ACTUALLY dyslexic, I've just been chronically sleep deprived since the 80s
81225
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Häschen Schwartz🐰👑VILLAINOUS VTUBER @schwartzsama.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
One funny thing I've realized over time is that taking a break from a game you're trying to learn actually does help. I've found it's the case for fighting games and tonight was the first time I've grinded DoDonPachi in a few days and it's the best I've done. This image is just unironically true.
91823495
Reposted by Alex Kerr
barleybap but she's dressed as a spooky skeleton @barleybap.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Me trying to do my stupid job every day.
0568
Alex Kerr @kitarutc.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
literal translation of hissatsu: jisho.org/word/%E5%BF%...
jisho.org
Jisho.org: Japanese Dictionary
020
Reposted by Alex Kerr
petriform 💜 "To Reiterate, You're Great" out now! @petriform.com · 23/09/2026
what a time to be a hobbyist of literally any sort, huh
"cat looks inside meme reading"

> "you made" or claude made?
> looks inside
> claude made
134960
Reposted by Alex Kerr
mcc @dryad.technology · 23/09/2026
Campbell's Vegetable Soup Ingredients: Beef broth, … … …
3294
Reposted by Alex Kerr
GDRI @gdri.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
"Tetris and Its Connection to Asian American History" by former Nexa programmer Leonard Chan asianamericanbooks.com/newsletter/2...
asianamericanbooks.com
Tetris and Its Connection to Asian American History: Nexa the AAPI Company that Helped to Develop and Market Tetris In America
083
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Steven (with a PH) @sjksalisbury.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Christening a baby is nothing like christening a ship. I know that now. Once again I can only apologise.
161191483869
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Eric Ravenscraft @lordravenscraft.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
without getting into debating the value of numerical scores at all, I have always kind of hated the way Metacritic assumes scores can be easily translated into their preferred scale 2/5 and 40/100 read extremely differently. in a very "$3 is $5 but $2 is free" kind of way
3597
Reposted by Alex Kerr
ohfivepro.bsky.social @ohfivepro.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Paraphrasing of OG Metal Slug dev: There was different 3 loketest versions, for different loketests. 1 ended during st.4, the others after st.5. No st.6 was implemented. The later ones had different gun controls. The stage orders & some layouts & graphics are different from the final game...
2246
Reposted by Alex Kerr
ohfivepro.bsky.social @ohfivepro.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
www.youtube.com/live/tESha-P... timestamped for Metal Slug proto version at TGS
youtube.com
【東京ゲームショウ2026】4Gamer Live Stage Day1【4Gamer】
YouTube video by 4GamerSP
21810
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Alice Averlong 🏳️‍⚧️ @alice.averlong.com · 19/09/2026
I can't believe people started using .md for markdown files when that extension was clearly already taken for sega megadrive roms
24650103
Reposted by Alex Kerr
davemakes🔶 @mixolumia.com · 15/09/2026
3 days!!
14219
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Cass (makes games) @cassmakesgames.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
New blog post: How to 1 Credit Clear (1CC) Arcade Games I get asked about this from time to time so I thought I'd write a post about it. There's nothing groundbreaking here, but hopefully it helps make arcade games feel a little less intimidating. They're just games! duckberet.com/blog/how-to-...
duckberet.com
How to 1 Credit Clear (1CC) Arcade Games - DUCK_BERET
Arcade games are fun! Here's how to learn to clear one of them without using any continues.
14240119
Reposted by Alex Kerr
Tom, Legally Certified Date Simmelier @iiotenki.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The Gigo #3 in Akihabara continues to be a shining beacon in a sea of cultural despair. They replaced their regular Outrun 2 cabinet with an SP DX and it is a religious experience. Some of the craziest hydraulics I've ever experienced and a legit unhinged 2-player, 1 car co-op. Play it if you can. 🥹
513331