ben-heck posts (Subscribe to this feed)

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.

Continued →

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.

BenHeck's one-handed controller available for preorder

by Nick Doerr { Jun 7th 2008 at 2:30PM }

Attention readers! Do you have only one hand? Or, do you find yourself snacking on a sandwich, pizza, and/or a delicious salad whilst playing video games? Behold, BenHeck's infamous one-handed controller mod -- now available for pre-order.

The gigantic plate of controller pieces comes fully customizable; each module of buttons can be swapped around to suit your one-handed gaming needs. It also comes with 2.4 GHz wireless, so it's not going to clutter up your floor. What you do with your free hand is up to you. Here are a few applications: eating food, lifting weights, and texting friends. Anybody interested in this surprisingly smart piece of hardware?

Ben Heck's one-handed controller now available

by Justin McElroy { Jun 6th 2008 at 3:00AM }

Nothing brings us more pleasure than when a single product can unite both the disabled and the lazy, and that's exactly what your friend and ours Ben Heck has cooked up with his new, commercially available one-handed peripheral: the Access Controller, compatible with PCs, PS2 and PS3. You can now pre-order the unit here.

Though the footprint is a bit larger than previous one-handed attempts we have to give him credit, if only for figuring out how to make all the buttons accessible (the layout's even customizable). Now, when can we get our ~~hands~~ hand on a 360 version?

Strum with your feet! Ben Heck goes Guitar Hero

by Terrence Stasse { May 9th 2008 at 10:00AM }

It's been a looong time since the first 360 Laptop, and console modder extraordinaire, Ben Heckendorn, has been busy. His newest project is designed to allow users to use their Guitar Hero controllers with a single hand. The controller plugs into a modified Guitar Hero 3 Les Paul wireless controller, and operates the strumming and whammy. Placing ones foot into the pedal depresses the heel and inserts ones toes into the metal trough. Tapping your toes and foot up and down is the equivalent of strumming, and raising your heel is the equivalent of the whammy bar. Plus, they look cool. From laptops to controllers, you're doing some pretty unique things Ben, keep up the great work!

More kick-ass photos after the break.

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Charity auction for Ben Heck's PS3 laptop

by Andrew Yoon { Apr 19th 2008 at 12:30AM }

Remember Ben Heck's magical PS3 laptop? Well, now you can buy one -- provided you have the cash. Currently available for $8000 on eBay, 100% of the proceeds will go to charity: the National Cancer Coalition. The laptop will come signed and well, free shipping will be thrown in. Not that it really matters when you're already shelling out this much dough.

[Via Joystiq]

PS3 Laptop charity auction, bid at Engadget

by Christopher Grant { Apr 18th 2008 at 4:45PM }

Our brothers-in-arms over at Engadget are proudly hosting a charity auction for Ben Heck's one-of-a-kind PlayStation 3 laptop. If you're interested, you've got one week to scrummage up the coin for this Blu-ray equipped beast. 100% of the proceeds will go to the National Cancer Coalition, so you know it's a good cause. If you've got PS3 laptop-level income and PS3 laptop ambitions, stop over at Engadget to place your bid. Good luck!

[Update: ~~Cancel that. Apparently some clever folks couldn't take an auction for charity seriously, so Engadget has temporarily postponed things. We'll let you know if and when it goes back up.~~ It's back-up and hosted at eBay now.]

Ben Heck assembles the PlayStation 3 Laptop

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Apr 11th 2008 at 7:03AM }

Forget that "PlayStation Portable" nonsense you've got sticking out of your pocket. If you're going to be carrying around a PlayStation, why not make it a proper one that can play Warhawk and Uncharted? Consumer electronics crammer, Ben Heck, has finally completed the PlayStation 3 Laptop, a beautiful black contraption packed with all the blue rays, cells and ex em bees you can shake a Sixaxis at. Seriously, you can shake your Sixaxis at it and it'll work.

Other fancy things in it:

Original backwards-compatible 60GB model
17-inch LCD HDTV screen: 720p
HDMI-DVI connection
Built-in keyboard, USB ports, stereo speakers, headphone jack
Size: 17 x 13.75 x 3-inches
Weight: 16 pounds!

Since it's clearly too heavy for us to lift, we're hoping a reader manages to walk off with this laptop as soon as Engadget begins auctioning it for charity. In the meantime, be sure to have a look at Ben Heck's Wii Laptop and his assorted Xbox 360 offerings.

Ben Heck's one-handed Xbox 360 controller refined

by Ross Miller { Mar 19th 2008 at 1:00AM }

Since not every game can pass the, erm, one-handed test (DOAX2 does), hacker extraordinaire Ben Heck has one-upped himself (pun intended) in recreating the one-handed Xbox 360 controller he originally concocted in December 2006. The whole thing puts all buttons in easy-to-reach locations and the nice camcorder-style handstrap helps you hold onto it. The bottom joystick is intended to be played against your lap.

More details can be found at his website; stay tuned for more information on Heck's upcoming commercial project, the "Access" one-handed controller.

[Via Engadget]

One handed 360 controller redux

by Richard Mitchell { Mar 18th 2008 at 4:30PM }

That crazy Ben Heckendorn is at it again. No he's not shoving an Xbox 360 into an even tinier laptop (360book Air, anyone?), but instead making some refinements to his one-handed controller. The new controller is much smaller, and also a little bit easier on the eyes than his previous model. With the right stick on the top, and face buttons, triggers, and bumpers on the bottom, it's got everything you need for some one handed fragging. The right stick, in case you're wondering, is meant to be placed on a leg or available surface, thus manipulating the stick by moving the controller itself. Pretty ingenious if you ask us. Don't go crazy trying to procure one for yourself though, as it wasn't intended for mass consumption. Ben's other one handed controller, called the Access, on the other hand, is soon to be made available to the masses.

[Via Engadget]