ULTIMAte hack: Nexus 7 hooks up with external USB storage, floppy drive for retro-gaming

[![ULTIMAte hack Nexus 7 hooks up with external USB storage, floppy drive][1] ][2]

There's only so much kit you can cram into a sub-$200 tablet without pushing past the price ceiling. And for [Google's Jelly Bean-blessed][3] [Nexus 7][4], corners were definitely cut, leaving users without a handy microSD slot for expansion and [rear-facing camera][5]. But where there's a will, there's the _XDA_ and its community of developers to remedy the situation. As you can glimpse from the photo above, an enterprising forum member by the handle of _c0m47053_ devised an interesting workaround for the slate's lack of expandable storage and then some. Using the StickMount app available on the Play store, which allows users to mount/dismount mass storage devices, he was able to connect the ASUS-made tab to a USB hub and hook it up to a keyboard, mouse and, most amusingly of all, a floppy drive -- to play _Ultima_ on [DOSbox][6], of course. It goes without saying that a feat of this kind requires root access, but thankfully that's what Mountain View made the Nexuses for.

Filed under: [Peripherals][7], [Tablet PCs][8], [Software][9]

[ULTIMAte hack: Nexus 7 hooks up with external USB storage, floppy drive for retro-gaming][2] originally appeared on [Engadget][10] on Sat, 21 Jul 2012 22:03:00 EDT. Please see our [terms for use of feeds][11].

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