If you’ve followed legendary skater Tony Hawk over the last few years, then you’ve likely seen him yell “Do a kickflip!” at unsuspecting kids in the wild. If they can do one successfully, he usually has a prize for them such as a new skateboard, but Hawk challenged YouTuber the Hacksmith to do something even more impressive: Design a skateboard that can do a kickflip on its own to celebrate the release of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2.
Looking much like a normal skateboard until you look underneath, Hacksmith’s self-kickflipping skateboard can pop up into the air and land back on its wheels without any input from a skater. All he has to do is press a few buttons on his DualShock 4 controller, which is connected to the board’s electronics via Bluetooth. While it’s one of the easiest tricks to perform in the video game, it’s something that many skaters, especially newcomers, struggle with for months.
After trying out fireworks and rocket engines, the final design was a little less terrifying. It used a mousetrap-style spring to force the board into a spin, and it works with or without a skater riding it. Of course, you still have to be pretty coordinated to stay on the board after the flip, regardless of if it’s flipping itself initially. Most of us can’t even do an ollie. Actually, most of us can’t skate at all!
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is available now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It’s a massive improvement for the series, with critic Mat Paget giving the game a 9/10 in our Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 review.
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