Enlightenment from Ben Heckendorn: console mod god |
We've been alerted by QJ reader David, that in an interview over at Portable Video Gamer Ben Heckendorn, portable gaming console modification god, had a few interesting things to say about his projects that has gathered fame, which includes the Xbox 360 laptop, the Wii laptop, and the portable N64, and the Atari Jaguar mod.
What stand out most though are his comments on the PSP and on his take on the notoriety of the term hacker. As for the lack of the extra analogue stick on the PSP, Ben had this to say:
Yes thatÂ’s pretty much what I thought about the PSP. Although I was more disgruntled with Nintendo, for not making the Gameboy Advance backlit in 2001 and not adding X and Y buttons until the DS. The DS is pretty nice though, probably one of the best handhelds ever.
As for the bad rep of the hacker term, here's his musings:
I think the bad rap stems from the fact the term "hacker" went from someone who figures out hardware (old school hacking) to someone who goes around destroying websites, creating viruses and stealing your identity. The correct term for those people is "scumbags".
One of the positive results from hacking is coming up with new uses for old hardware and using that to make money. ThereÂ’s a huge market for doing this sort of thing, and I wish I had more than 2 arms. I canÂ’t even remotely keep up with requests.
Benjamin Heckendorn's book, "Hacking Video Game Consoles: Turn your old video game systems into awesome new portables" is still available on a whole lot of online retail sites. Be sure to at least check it out if you've got a tinkerer in you there somewhere.
For the rest of the interview, feel free to head to Portable Video Gamer via our "read" link below.
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Comments [refresh]
TMM is a scumbag!!
it looks like he went through an awful lot of trouble to make that portable xbox 360 because it looks like a professional job. I would like to have one of those, but I will stick with my 50 inch tv :)
fake
WHAT A WASTE OF A XBOX 360....
RATHER PLAY IT ON A PLASMA TV
its not a waste. not for him actually. he made it for a friend who funded it, so he didnt lose anything from it.
http://benheck.com/Games/Xbox360/x360_page_1.htm
I too was annoyed GBA didn't have X and Y.
I didn't mind the lack of the backlight.
I feel the DS is one of the worst handhelds ever.
It's very unergonomic, it's a pain to use any stylus heavy game, after a while the hand you use to hold the system will hurt. Plus it's library is almost completely made up of minigame/techdemoish type games. I love GBA and GBC, but the DS is complete garbage.
Your a moron, just because you lack the brain
power to create it doesn't mean others are
just as stupid as you.
I know this is random, but I finally have the money to buy a 360 and i havnt heard anything bout the black one coming out lately... just wondering if anyone else heard anything???
PHOTOSHOPED, printed and glued together!!
You're right, the DS could use some "real" games, and the ergonomics need a MAJOR overhaul. Then again, the system itself is quite good, oh yeah and the GBC will $uck monkey b@llz for all eternity.
How do you know theres not an audio and video output so you can play it portably, or plugged into a big plasma.
I am the webmaster for Portable Video Gamer and I assure you, everything Ben has done is real. This guy truly is a modification genius.
I can't wait to see him make a portable Ps3
from:
http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/genmessage.php?board=918340&topic=34310639
"I actually think that the DS is a better machine to play than the PSP- the latter might be more technologically impressive but if you've played Metroid Prime Hunters on DS, all other control schemes seem painful (except mouse and keyboard) for FPS and RTS games.
There's a real sense of attachment to what's happening on screen on the DS, with the PSP, it's great for 'traditional games' but it's still like looking into a fish tank, controlling those fish with no means of getting through the glass. The DS is like, if the tank was made out of a clear gelatin rubber that you can manipulate and poke at the fish inside, physically moving em."
"Oh, Whoa Whoa.... I didn't know we were referring to multi-platform stuff - because any EA game on DS is abysmal, and pretty much any game that shoehorns the touchscreen functionality in (Erm... menus? Hello?!?!) is an atrocity to the system. Because those games should ACTUALLY be on PSP only, where the graphical capabilities can be used to their full potential.
But I have to say, games like Kirby Canvas curse, Metroid Prime Hunters, Yoshi's Touch and Go, etc etc etc... I really enjoy the games that use the touchscreen well MUCH better than any PSP game. I mean, I've got LCS and Gitaroo Man Lives and a LOT of exceptional PSP games, but none of them have given me the same level of enjoyment as the well-made DS games.
Y'see, the games are like a fish tank...."
While i agree that DS games are more enjoyable, PSP games are definitely suitable for Mature audiences, which is exactly my type.
ben heck is a *****ing ass clown. he never returned my email i sent to him 3 months ago about an idea i had for the psp. not even a courtesy response. he can go ***** himself with his expensive hacks that he makes one of to show off and sells it for an obscene amount of money. and how the ***** is this idiot a psp update. qj get your ***** straight.
...stalker...
youknowwho is just a stupid victim of a massive gang rape in his family...
maybe ben heckendorn was just too busy to write back.... or gets tons of emails each day...
stfu u stupid *****
So your argument here is that it's better to play something less enjoyable just because it's more mature?
That's like saying, while I agree chocolate is more enjoyable, Escargo is suitable for more mature eaters, which is exactly my type.
Of course i'm saying that you're saying that you'd rather eat snails and look impressive rather than eat chocolate and be happy with yourself
The black 360 is gonna come out late next month. Cant wait!!!
a stalker and a victim of massive family gang rape i am not. i am however a person who sent an email and never got a reply from a person who encourages you to email them with questions/comments, and my question/comment did not get answered or even responded to. sooo that makes him an ass clown, and me just pissed off. so quit defending people you probably just heard of yesterday from qj. this guy has been building expensive crap forever. and why the hell is this guy a psp update. i still dont understand.
fckin is dat youns psp dik'ed?
That portable 360 is pretty nuts.... But the power brick that you need with it probably ruins it.
The nub isnt that bad... it works for me :/ just wish there was two of em.
nice saw this awhile ago potable ps3 will be amazing i know its bug and all but he might figure out away to make it seem small by putting in a 17 inch screen ya know
Holy *****, how much will it cost for that guy to make me an xbox 360 laptop?!?
@ PSPZorZ
$10,000
http://benheck.com/02-22-2007/pricing-for-xbox-360-ps2-and-n64-portables/
i emailed him about tips on making the radiator, cause im making this in my engineering class. and he hasnt written back.
well could be a rumer propably is but a friend (not a friends friend) said he got his hands on a ps3 emulator and besides the size 124 gigs he plans on putting it on his souped up laptop with alienware and bringing it in 2 show me ***** if i would have went 2 school today i could have confirmed this but i guess i gotta wait till tomorrow.
The guy isn't your freaking boyfriend. I don't reply to all my emails but people don't hate me for it.