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Portable GameCube hack brings Sunshine everywhere it goes

by Ben Gilbert { Nov 9th 2009 at 2:45PM }

The disc drive out back may be a bit precariously placed, but 'Hailrazer"'s portable "NCube" reeks of everything we'd want in a handheld version of the last-gen Nintendo console (except for wireless multiplayer, of course). Engadget spotted the 90-hour-in-the-making portable GameCube over on – surprise, surprise! – the Ben Heck forums. A breakdown of the construction process can be found just after the break in video form, though you may want to set up the drool tray now before proceeding.

All set? Alright, now go ahead.

[Via Engadget]

Gallery: 5 Great GameCube Mods

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Ben Heck's PS3 laptop getting raffled off by Tennessee retailer

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 6th 2009 at 1:10PM }

Remember how dejected we were when we realized that Ben Heck's recently crafted PS3 Slim laptop would never appear in our quivering, wanting hands? That script just got irrevocably flipped by Franklin, Tennessee-based gaming retailer/event organizer The Score, who is raffling the modded console off to anyone who purchases their goods or employs their party planning prowess from now until mid-December.

The full list of rules and regulations for the raffle can be found on The Score's site, but it basically breaks down to "the more you spend, the more chances you have to win." This process is impeded by the fact that the store has no online support, but does allow for over-the-phone shopping. Yes, it's a lot of hassle for a quazi-portable PS3 -- but that extra effort is what really separates the men from the fanboys.

[Thanks, Bradley.]

Ben Heck's PS3 Slim laptop fills us with jealous rage

by Griffin McElroy { Oct 1st 2009 at 4:59PM }

You know what? Screw you, Ben Heck. Every time you come around, you bring these awesome, portable-ized consoles with you. From your corner of the internet, you wave these scintillating creations under our noses, then withdraw them from our lives. Sure, occasionally you'll provide us with tutorials to re-create your projects, but we don't possess your otherworldly, Forge-esque proclivity for technology. We are but simple folks whom you've chosen to tease at your leisure with glimpses of the future. It's just mean. You're a mean guy.

Oh, but your most recent creation -- a laptop built around a PS3 Slim (demoed in a video after the jump) -- is pretty remarkable. Rarely do these modified Frankenconsoles look this good. We can't wait to get our hands on ...

Aw, damn it.

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Ben Heck's one-handed, aesthetically challenged 360 controller

by Richard Mitchell { Sep 25th 2009 at 4:00PM }

At first glance, you would never believe that the one-handed Xbox 360 controller above is the work of modder extraordinaire, Ben Heck. Given the svelte, smooth and attractive one-handed controllers he's made before, it's a bit hard to believe this is his work. However, the Heck points out this was a rush-job, so we suppose we can forgive him just this once. The controller features a duplicate left analog stick on the bottom, which players move by placing it on their leg. There are also extra an extra back button and left bumper button just above the face buttons. To top everything off, Ben Heck even squeezed the left trigger under the right side, where it can be pulled with the middle finger.

Not his most elegant work, but impressive nonetheless. See a video of it in action after the break.

[Via Engadget]

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Ben Heck moves Dualshock's shoulder buttons to the front

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 18th 2009 at 2:00PM }

Can shoulder buttons still be called "shoulder buttons" when they no longer sit perched upon the Dualshock 3's shoulders? Could they be more aptly described as "hip buttons?" Regardless, the onus for renaming these toggles now rests upon modder extraordinaire Ben Heck, who made the controller's L1, L2, R1 and R2 buttons "easier to get at" by placing them on the front of the controller (at the cost of the peripheral's rumble motors).

We're perfectly contented with the shoulder buttons' current location, but we suppose folks who lost their index digits in a terrible Chinese Finger Trap incident may find this mod useful.

[Via Engadget]

Ben Heck's Atari 800 laptop is 800 kinds of awesome

by David Hinkle { Sep 14th 2009 at 12:30PM }

We find it hard to keep from gushing about every Ben Heck project, and his latest is no different. Heckendorn crams the inner workings of an Atari 800 (mostly rainbows and magic) into a laptop-style case (much like every other project of his), but what makes this one special is that we want it and we don't have it.

Seriously, look at that sweet keyboard. We can totally imagine the siren's song of those keys clicking and clacking as we boot up some Centipede. If the image above only managed to whet your appetite, head past the break for a pair of videos showing it in use.

[Via Engadget]

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Ben Heck swaps 360 D-pad with buttons, world implodes

by Richard Mitchell { Sep 2nd 2009 at 9:15PM }

We're just going to come out and say it: Ben Heckendorn -- AKA Ben Heck -- has absolutely no respect for manufacturer warranties. The man cracks open every single piece of hardware he comes across, voiding warranties like blades of grass through a lawnmower. Case in point: observe his latest affront on warrantability, an Xbox 360 controller with buttons where the D-pad should be. Worse still, the D-pad now occupies the former location of the face buttons.

As if that weren't enough, the warrantless warranty wrecker swapped the left and right triggers and added more buttons on the back of the controller that mirror the functions of the face buttons. Heckendorn claims the controller was made for a paying customer and that he makes such controllers to "allow more options for persons that may have a hard time with normal controller configurations."

Hogwash, we say. We recognize a (warranty) killer when we see one.

[Via Engadget]

Ben Heck molds Jasper Xbox 360 into new and improved laptop

by David Hinkle { Jul 6th 2009 at 11:45AM }

Ben Heck, the amazing modder who invented the Xbox 360 laptop, has done it again, this time fashioning a Jasper Xbox 360 (his second time fooling with a Jasper motherboard) into a new and improved slammer. Featuring a sleeker look and a flush CD drive, the new laptop also adds an IR port for use with the Xbox 360 media remote. Oh, and digital potentiometer volume control, because it's super cool.

Head past the break for a brief video showing off the new device.

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A portable NES with 76 games? You shouldn't have!

by Justin McElroy { May 29th 2009 at 5:05PM }

Oh dear reader, this gift of yours was completely unnecessarily, but appreciated all the same! How did you know that we wanted a Nintendo-on-a-chip handheld with 76 games built around a Super Joy III KIRF TV game with a 2.5-inch display?

And how did you ever get the dude who made it (Ben Heck forum member Brian Hender) to part with it? No, you're right, it's rude of us to ask. We're just happy you did it.

[Via Engadget]

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Where Ben Heck's C64 laptop is going, it doesn't need roads

by David Hinkle { Apr 6th 2009 at 6:30PM }

Ben Heck is taking a trip back in time with his latest mod, back to a time when DeLoreans were in production and Teddy Kaczynski was still buying sunglasses and hoodies by the truckload. It was 1982 when the C64 emerged, and Ben Heck's latest laptop mod recaptures the magic of that time's bulky electronics in a new bulky electronics device. Check out some video of this bad boy in action past the break.

Gallery: Retro Mods

[Via Engadget]

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Ben Heck creates breath-controlled drum pedal for Guitar Hero World Tour

by Griffin McElroy { Mar 4th 2009 at 2:31PM }

Last June, Kinetic Communications created a clever workaround for wheelchair-bound gamers who possess a penchant for Rock Band drumming, but were unable to use the kit's kick pedal due to their disability. Ben Heck, modder extraordinaire, recently did the same for the Guitar Hero: World Tour set -- however, rather than attaching an extra button to drumsticks, Heck found an altogether brilliant method of using the set's foot-activated percussion: He made it breath-controlled.

It took a fair amount of fancy engineering, but Heck recently uploaded instructions to his blog that show how to remove the pedal's piezoelectric sensor, and make it respond to air pressure rather than, well, foot pressure. You can get further details on the modification, as well as a video of Heck giving it a test run, on his site. It's definitely an intriguing idea, though it more or less prohibits the drummer from simultaneously singing, making Phil Collins role-playing a near impossibility. Still, great work, Ben!

[Via Engadget]

N64 goes portable with Nintendo Sixtyfree Lite-R

by Griffin McElroy { Dec 27th 2008 at 4:00PM }

This certainly isn't the first time Nintendo's enumerated home console made the jump to the handheld realm -- but it might just be the sleekest portable N64 we've seen to date. SifuF, a disciple of modding guru Ben Heck, recently displayed his terrifying techno-prowess by crafting the Nintendo Sixtyfree Lite-R (catchy, no?), pictured above.

It sports all the buttons of a standard N64 controller, a 5" display (yoinked from the PSOne LCD screen), and an unobtrusive cartridge slot. Unfortunately, its petite framework didn't leave room for an internal battery -- it requires an external infolithium (or other 7.2v) power supply to run. A small, small price to pay for on-the-go sessions of ~~Pokémon Snap~~ Ocarina of Time.

Ben Heck spots a Jasper in the wild, tears it up

by Justin McElroy { Dec 11th 2008 at 3:45PM }

If you've got a strong stomach, you may want to watch modder extraordinaire Ben Heck tear open a brand new Jasper 360 and then devour it, letting the solder drip down his face like the guts of a downed gazelle. Seriously, it's disturbing stuff.

But it's not all for the joy of the kill. Heck also tells you how you can distinguish a Jasper console from its stinky, 90nm GPU-having Falcon brethren. Here's hoping you've got the iron nerve to sift through the carnage to find the details. If you can't hack it, there's an even easier method of finding which console you own courtesy of AnandTech.

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Darth 64 shows the appeal of the dark side

by David Hinkle { Sep 16th 2008 at 7:15PM }

While not as crazy as sticking a Nintendo Entertainment System into a toaster, the above mod (dubbed "Darth 64") from hailrazer at the Ben heck forums is kind of similar. It's comprised of a PSone screen with original backlight, the N64 guts that make it all happen and a Lazer Doodle children's toy. After gutting the thing, hailrazer crammed in a GameCube controller and N64 controller, all while moving some triggers from a PlayStation controller to the back. Nice mod, hailrazer!

Gallery: Retro Mods

[Via Go Nintendo]

We're always talking about mods here at Wii Fanboy. Be sure to check out 5 of our favorite Wiimote mods, as well as 5 of our favorite Wii mods and 5 of our favorite GameCube mods. Keep up with the modding scene by staying up to date with Wii Fanboy!

Ben Heck looks under the 60GB Xbox 360's hood

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 7th 2008 at 12:30PM }

Tech guru Ben Heck has taken a sledgehammer and hacksaw to the new 60GB Xbox 360 to see what changes have been made inside. What he found was ... well, pretty much the same stuff that's been there for a bit. Sure, there's the bigger hard drive, but the only other main difference seems to be the placement of some (allegedly) heat-tastic memory chips.

There may be some other differences for those looking further back into the Xbox 360's past, but it seems like Heck is jumping off from the point where the extra heatsink had been added. If you've got an original Xbox 360 from way back in the day, there may be a few other changes, but all the cool kids have had their RRoD by now and gotten newer Xbox 360 iterations.