Gizmodo: ben heckendorn

Ben Heck's PS3 Slim Laptop is Monochromatic Cool

Danny Allen — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:33:00 EDT

Modder extraordinaire, Ben Heck, is back in form with a sleek pin-striped laptop based on the new PS3 Slim. Like his Xbox 360 laptop, it has a big 17-inch Gateway 1775W screen (1280 x 720 resolution). Watch his walk-through:

There's a storage nook for the power cord, front slot-loading Blu-ray drive, and an Iron Man Arc reactor-inspired fan grill. He also says it could have been made smaller, but he wanted to keep the big 17-inch display. Sexy! (More pics once Ben uploads them to his site).

Ben Heck's Latest Xbox 360 Laptop

Danny Allen — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:20:17 EDT

Ben Heckendorn—true geek god amongst men—is back with revision 5 of his portable Xbox 360 console.

Though he's gutted the same Gateway 1775W laptop with 17-inch (1280 by 720) display, he writes that this design is from scratch, and has the following new features:

• Built-in Ethernet port, finally.
• Built-in WiFi adapter, as usual.
• Digital pushbutton volume control rather than a clunky knob. Different, better sounding audio amp
• Flush-mount DVD door and side panels (such as the memory card slots)
• IR sensor for the remote control.
• Two user USB ports.
• More air holes!
• Jasper motherboard.

Check out the video for more.

[Benheck via CrunchGear]

Dreamcast Tablet Is Cast From The Mold of My Dreams

John Herrman — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:50:59 EDT

Doing one better than the endless console-to-laptop mods out there, this minimalist tablet conversion flattens an entire Dreamcast into a sleek, tray-loading LCD screen. Nothing is overlooked here—it's even got batteries.

Aside from the modified disc tray and 3.5 hour battery pack, the Dream Tablet also boasts external A/V connections, so you can always hook it up to a TV should you be so inclined. Sloppy Ben Heck apostles should take note, as this tablet follows the two core precepts of console modding:

1.) It is usable, and somehow better than the original
2.) It will no be confused for a homemade dirty bomb if you take it out in public

Know these, and you shall go far. [Mod of the Week via Kotaku]

One-Handed Guitar Hero, So Pirates Can Rock Like Ninjas

Mark Wilson — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT

Modder Ben Heckendorn is more than a little obsessed with playing games one-handed (giggle, chuckle, milk through the nose, etc.) and his latest creation takes aim at Guitar Hero. It's a pedal that plugs into a modded guitar and replaces the controller's strum and whammy bars, requiring hand use only for the chords.

While stomping your way around DragonForce's Through the Fire and Flames doesn't sound anatomically correct, the pedal actually allows you to, for lack of a better term, foot-double-strum (both the up and down motions count as a string pluck).

To activate the whammy, the user lifts up on their heel to release the spring-loaded rear of the pedal. Yeah, it sounds a bit confusing, but Heckendorn makes it look pretty normal in this example video. Well, as normal as geeking out to Guitar Hero will ever look, at least. [Ben Heck]

Ben Heck's Definitive Atari Mod Mega Timeline

Haroon Malik — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 09:32:44 EST

Console modding extraordinaire Ben Heckendorn is up to it again; reminding us that, yes, he is still selling his sexy revision 5.1 Atari handhelds for $350 and a sacrificial 2600. The Atari Rev 5.1 really is his most complete system yet, including built-in paddle controller, difficulty switches and player 2 port for multiplayer games. And it's a mere one inches thick—no small feat when you realize there's an entire vintage console in your hands. All in all, the 5.1 really may be Ben Heckendorn's definitive Atari 2600 project.

So we thought it was about time we looked back on over 18 of Ben Heckendorn's fantastic Atari projects that got him to this point, so we've put together this awesome, spectacular, fantabulous timeline fit for any console modder's wet dream.

In the seven years since Ben got to work, he has produced some crackers and they are all here for you to see. The initial Atari 2600 VCSp, right through to the Atari rev 5.1 are all here. The evolution is simply amazing, especially when you look at the original projects which were essentially 9/10 sized 2600s in your hands.

So go ahead and give your eyes some candy. We've seen Ben grow from a guy with a hobby to ~~a beautiful butterfly~~ an accomplished designer/modder and we respect that. Drop your words of admiration/jealousy below. From all of us at Gizmodo: Ben, you rock. Party on Wayne, party on Garth. [Ben Heck]