DEF CON 32 · United States · 2024

DEF CON 32 Badge

RP2350 handheld-game badge

An official DEF CON 32 electronic badge built around Raspberry Pi RP2350 silicon, a handheld-game-style interface, LEDs, firmware archives, and a DEF CON 32 badge game whose GB Studio project files were published after the event.

DEF CON United States Electronic Badge RP2350 Raspberry Pi Game Badge GB Studio Firmware Badge Challenge North America

EventDEF CON 32

SeriesDEF CON

LocationLas Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada

CountryUnited States

People

Authors & Credits

RP2350 silicon and hardware-context publisher

Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi sources document RP2350 and describe the DEF CON 32 badge as an RP2350-powered badge.

Source

badge game source publisher

CosmicBonBon

Publisher of the public DEFCON 32 Badge Game GB Studio project files and graphical assets.

Source

badge-making talk presenter

Mar Williams

InfoconDB and the DEF CON speakers page list Mar Williams as presenter for the DEF CON 32 badge-making talk.

Source

community badge ROM author

Calvin Liang

Author of the public DEF CON 32 Badge Flashy ROM writeup and linked source for custom LED ROM behavior.

Source

event, badge news, and media archive publisher

DEF CON Communications

DEF CON's official archive, news posts, badge redirect, and media server establish the DC32 badge context, patch path, and public file archive.

Source

firmware credit in Raspberry Pi source

Dmitry Grinberg

Raspberry Pi's RP2350 challenge-results post credits Dmitry Grinberg in the DEF CON 32 badge firmware context.

Source

hardware and firmware development contractor

Entropic Engineering

DEF CON's response states it hired Entropic Engineering for hardware development and firmware, while also describing later production and credit disputes.

Source

Why It Mattered

It put Raspberry Pi's second-generation microcontroller into tens of thousands of DEF CON attendee hands at launch, turning the badge into a live RP2350 security, firmware, game-ROM, and community-hacking platform.

Hardware

Official DEF CON news called the badge the first RP2350 board, while Raspberry Pi sources describe the DEF CON 32 badge as powered by RP2350. The public media-server archive includes hardware and firmware ZIPs, game assets, music, and later FREEWiLi firmware documentation.

Software & Apps

DEF CON published a save-issue patch path through defcon.org/badge/32 and the media-server badge directory. The badge game repository describes GB Studio project files, graphical assets, and a playable DEF CON 32 badge game; community ROM work showed the badge could run custom code that controlled its LEDs.

Lore

The badge is bound up with DEF CON 32's move to LVCC, the new RP2350 launch, a public badge-making talk, rapid post-event source/archive publication, and a visible controversy over contractor credit, firmware, payment claims, and stage access.

Lifecycle

Add-ons & Upgrades

badge game archived

GB Studio badge game

The public DEFCON 32 Badge Game repository contains GB Studio project files and graphical assets for the badge's LVCC-themed game.

Compatibility: DEF CON 32 Badge

Source

community firmware historical

Custom Game Boy ROM experiments

Community ROM work showed the badge running custom Game Boy ROM code and controlling all nine LEDs beyond the default controls.

Compatibility: DEF CON 32 Badge

Source

firmware workflow archived

Official firmware and hardware archive

The DEF CON media-server badge directory published hardware, firmware, game, music, asset, and later FREEWiLi firmware files for post-event hacking.

Compatibility: DEF CON 32 Badge

Source

hardware platform source-backed

RP2350 badge platform

DEF CON described the DC32 badge as the first RP2350 board, while Raspberry Pi sources document the badge as powered by RP2350.

Compatibility: DEF CON 32 Badge

Source

Operational history

Issues & Camp Impact

firmware-and-controversy caveat note

Public sources document the save issue, firmware archives, GB Studio game source, and DEF CON's response to contractor-credit and firmware claims, but this pass does not adjudicate every dispute, audit every firmware build, or mirror every hardware/game asset.

The catalogue records the verified public badge surfaces and flags that the production and firmware story needs a deeper artifact-level chronology.

Confidence: source-backed but incomplete
Status: needs deeper artifact inventory
Timeframe: current DEF CON 32 pass
Source note: DEF CON news and response post, media-server badge archive, badge-game repository, Raspberry Pi RP2350 sources, and community ROM writeup.

missing rights-cleared image note

No local DEF CON 32 badge photo has been added because official store/news images, Raspberry Pi images, community blog images, and attendee images have not been paired with a complete reuse basis, attribution string, and processing record for this catalogue.

The entry remains image-free rather than copying official, press, or community photography without provenance.

Confidence: local project policy
Status: needs licensed original replacement
Timeframe: current catalogue build
Source note: badge.gallery image policy, DEF CON news/store images, Raspberry Pi article images, Calvin Liang blog images, and attendee photos.

Resources

DEF CON 32 Badge Flashy ROM community ROM · Community source documenting a custom Game Boy ROM for the DEF CON 32 badge, LED control behavior, and public source publication. DEF CON 32 badge media-server directory design and firmware assets · Official media-server source for assets.zip, Badge_Game_Music_v2.zip, badge_readme.txt, DC32 HW.zip, DC32BadgeGame.zip, DEFCON-32-BadgeFirmware-main.zip, and FREEWiLi firmware documentation. DEF CON 32 badge news and response posts official news · Official DEF CON news source for the badge sale posts, first-RP2350-board statement, save-issue patch notice, and DEF CON response to badge controversy. DEF CON 32 badge redirect official patch path · Official badge-update URL that redirects to the DEF CON 32 badge media-server archive. DEF CON 32 event archive event page · Official DEF CON archive source for August 8-11, 2024 dates, Las Vegas Convention Center venue, pricing, and post-con media archive links. DEFCON 32 Badge Game repository source · Public badge-game source for GB Studio project files, DEF CON 32 LVCC game context, playable itch.io link, and remix/ROM-hack notes. Making the DEF CON 32 Badge talk metadata · InfoconDB source for the DEF CON 32 badge-making talk title, presenter Mar Williams, timing, and 60-minute duration. RP2350 hacking challenge results hardware security context · Raspberry Pi source documenting the DEF CON 32 badge as an RP2350-powered badge, with credit context around Entropic Engineering and Dmitry Grinberg. Raspberry Pi Pico 2 launch note hardware context · Raspberry Pi source for RP2350 launch context and the DEF CON badge relationship around the new microcontroller.

Sources