Working calculator made in Little Big Planet, a PS3 sandbox game

This is sort of intense: a beta tester for the soon-to-launch PlayStation 3 game Little Big Planet has created a working 8-bit calculator inside the physics-and-apparently-logic simulator. Because there are basic electronics simulations in LBP, the creator “Upsilandre” reminds that this is an electronic calculator, not simpply a mechanical one, using 610 magnetic switches, 500 Wires, 430 pistons, 70 emitters — all simulated in game.

[via Technabob via NOTCOT]

1. [bardfinn]

   I wish to see the calculations they used to compensate for mechanical (processor-speed) lash.

2. [Anonymous]

   That is seriously impressive. He’s just made ENIAC. Next stop,multiplication and division. I wonder if you can create NAND gates.

3. [eustace]

   Will there soon be a LBP level that will run Doom?

4. [FutureNerd]

   OMG this was my fantasy when I was 11.

5. [bardfinn]

   Bugs @5:

   Given that someone’s made a Turing-complete digital computer implementation in the Game of Life, I cannot help but be confident that it is merely a matter of time before someone makes a Turing-complete machine within this sandbox.

   However, as always, any simulation involves a tradeoff of space, time, or accuracy – pick any two you like.

6. [Aaron]

   Wow.

7. [royaltrux]

   Holy Crap, that is seriously impressive.

8. [dculberson]

   Awesome! Now he just needs to make it for real.

9. [chromal]

   Wheels within wheels, or something. Very cool. Virtual tinkertoy calculator!

10. [shutz]

    If we can get that out of the beta, what are we going to get out of the final game?

    Make me an NES emulator, please.

11. [Agent 86]

    resistors, all the way down

12. [Bugs]

    Pah, I remain unimpressed.

    Call me when they’ve built an in-game computer that can run another copy of Little Big Planet.