“What the Heck?” contest – guess my retail product!

As many of you don’t know I have been working with eDimensional, Inc. on a new gaming accessory. I’m pretty excited as this will be my first retail boxed product – yes I know my book was retail but it didn’t have a box now did it? They gave me a wide latitude on the design and the final product is very benheck – beyond the item itself I ended up doing all the box artwork and advertising items too. Everything is in line with my design aesthetic.


Never do a contest photo without your dial caliper.

Anyway there’s currently a contest running in which you can guess what we’ve cooked up and have a chance to win one, whatever it is. Go ahead and check it out! The tips I will give out is that it’s a gaming accessory (as mentioned) and the cost is under $100.

DISCLAIMER: Any real-life friends of Benjamin J Heckendorn, AKA “benheck”, who have possibly seen what the item is already should not enter because that would be pretty weak.

77 thoughts on ““What the Heck?” contest – guess my retail product!”

  1. hi ben im a huge fan of yours i bought your book which was amazing!I was thinking that you should make a portable sega saturn!That would really impress me!i think that the contest system is a portable turbo grafx 16 but im not syre c ya!

  2. Well Ben didn’t give us any number of guesses so. First I think it’s a wireless one-handed controller. If not I’m thinking it’s a 360-like PS3.

  3. Blast!! Beat me to the punch! I second that one handed controller idea. It’s freggin ace! I broke my arm a few summers ago and would have KILLED for a one handed controller.

  4. Limit one guess email per person per day…and why guess here? If you’re right, you’re just lowering your chances of winning as if multiple people guess correctly who knows how they’ll pick the real winner.

  5. The link seems to work fine. I also guessed a one-handed xbox 360 controller. But I guessed it first! =P

    Ben, do we ALL win one if we get it right, or only one person?

  6. I think that thing is a portable Gamecube or a portable Playstation 3 or maybe a project that would be the other way round: a UNPORTABLE PLAYSTATION PORTABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  7. If you think this is a portable console conversion, you’re retarded.

    Not only wouldn’t that be possible under $100 bucks (do you people even read?), but it wouldn’t be LEGAL for a third party to produce.

    Its obviously a one handed controller. If I thought there were any possibility that the contest isn’t just a random drawing (they all are), I’d have entered.

    In the end, I hope Ben makes a million dollars producing one handed controllers. Its questionable that the major companies have neglected this market… forever… and I think Ben deserves a genuine humanitarian award for, if not the idea, the gumption to get the damn thing done.

    A few years ago, a friend of mine was badly (BADLY) burned, and would have paid anything to get a controller to use in his good hand.

    Thanks for making these Ben.

    If you DIDN’T make the one handed controller (which would be a disappointing shock), then you suck.

  8. I’m pretty sure that when making a controller you have to follow certain regulations. That’s why, apart form arcade sticks, the third party controllers are all very similar to the first party version. PS3 controller in a 360 case or a 360 controller in a PS3 case is most likely not allowed by microsoft or sony. My money is on a one handed controller w/ motion sensor since, like the arcade stick, it is made for a very specific consumer and not likely to affect the sales of first party hardware.

  9. My bet is that its a one handed controller line up for the 360 and PS3. They would sell very well in my opinion. When i badly burnt my hand i couldent play video games right for a long time at least a year that one handed controller would have been very useful. Good Luck Ben! Hope your product makes it easier for some people to play video games without two arms.

  10. a customisation kit for the wii, i.e. a soldering iron, some LEDs some wire, maybe a few decals and the all important triwing screwdriver.

  11. It’s yo mamma!

    No, but I *what ever the number is* am for the one-handed controller.

  12. Actually a 1 handed controller would be nice… cause I could go all extreme and play two characters at once. And really kick butt.

  13. Ooh, let me guess,….It’s a memory unit for the xbox 360 with 1,000,000,000 GB on it.

  14. I am guessing it is not something Ben ever showed off on his website. The dead give away is the disclaimer. Since only people who knew him in real life would really know what it was. I am thinking it is either a new idea or a variation of somthing he has already done. Either way its gonne be awesome.

  15. A wireless one handed controller that can take pictures and video, so you can take video and pictures of your games as you play them!!!!

  16. Hey, maybe it´s an box of the scart switch that Ben build once.(Sorry for my WORSE english, i´m german, that may explain everything…)

  17. […] Ben Heck, thanks […]

    (Jump on the thank Ben bandwagon!)

    I am very excited to see what it is. Where is it being released, region wise.

  18. It better come out in Canada Ben! If it doesent im sure i could just eBay search it haha.

  19. It’s clearly a portable DDR dance pad that projects itself on the floor like those creepy ghost keyboards they have for pda’s.

  20. it is obviously a one handed controller with a pull out sofa, a cup holder, and a sweatband for when i get real intense!

    DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  21. It’s clearly a wireless one handed controller. with a pull out sofa, cup holders, and a sweatband for when i get real intense.

  22. I think it is an NGCp, a portable Gamecube. Gamecubes costs 35 bucks and Gamecube LCD-Screens are 25 bucks, and that would be, let me calculate…

    AWESOME CHEAP AND UNDER 100 DOLLAR!!

    By side, an Gamecube is, like the name, a cube, and that smaller cube on it could be the screen. So there is an 82% chance that it would be right.

  23. It’s going to be a 3 handed controller for the people who happened to have an extra hand.

  24. Maybe a Wii classic controller in an Gamecube-, Xbox360- or PS3-Controller`s case.
    @Colinator: or an 15-handed controller for Indian Gods;-))) (If there are some Indian who didn´t laughed about it and are now angry at me, sorry, but Indian Gods has so moch hands and I couldn´t keep it for me.

  25. If anyone thinks its a portable version of a home console YOUR VERY VERY WRONG. Its a freaking one handed controller end of story. Everything basically points to a one handed controller it would have the best sales. If he were to make a portable gamecube Ben would have to have meeting with Nintendo and all the presidents of Nintendo and i sont think Ben has done that. Or has he? 0_0!

  26. Nah I think you’re all wrong. Definitely NOT a one handed controller. Nintendo has patents on that one. It’s something special. Something KEWL! I think I know but not telling anyone except for Ben.

  27. i would scan and learn edimensional better in order to guess cause it was made for them by ben!
    they are mainly in to VR and Realisem.

  28. Its a one handed controller for sure, Ben Heck has all ready worked on 360 prototyppes before.

  29. It’s probably a one handed controller and the whole it’s patented thing is probably wrong. Nintendo holds a patent on the Wii remote as a one handed controller and if it has one for other controllers it won’t matter anyways since Mr. Heckendorn’s controller is designed differently.

    Rock on Ben, rock on.

  30. i think its something thats not a one handed controller. i think its a box with a screne, batory, and speekers that u can plug any system into and it instantly becomes portable! (if thats not what it is, u should make one!!)

  31. Its not a one handed controller and the insta portable thing isn’t likely because it would most likely be for newer console and batteries to run those thing are more that $200. so i just want to know when hes announcing what it is.

  32. You guys didn’t even LOOK at the contest.

    it CAN’T be a one-handed controller!
    Look at clue number 4.

    Clue #4 No control….

    He wrote it HIMSELF, guys. It isn’t a controller of ANY kind.

    Seriously…

  33. This is a head mounted “controller” doohickey that measures head angle/movements and maybe cooks bacon.

  34. Quote: # 486 Says:
    May 8th, 2007 at 12:41 am

    i think its something thats not a one handed controller. i think its a box with a screne, batory, and speekers that u can plug any system into and it instantly becomes portable! (if thats not what it is, u should make one!!)
    _________________________________________________________________________________________
    Ever heard of two little things called a Portable Television and a Generator?

  35. “i think its something thats not a one handed controller. i think its a box with a screne, batory, and speekers that u can plug any system into and it instantly becomes portable! (if thats not what it is, u should make one!!)”

    As said in the forums do you use any spelling, grammar or even English in that comment.
    (Just remember the clues guys)

    Clue #7 Date Added 05/15/2007
    It’s like _______ to your ______….

    Clue #6 Date Added 05/10/2007
    X+Y=6….

    Clue #5 Date Added 05/07/2007
    Use your head….

    Clue #4 Date Added 05/03/2007
    No control….

    Clue #3 Date Added 04/30/2007
    It doesn’t remember….

    Clue #2 Date Added 04/27/2007
    It’s under $100….

    Clue #1 Date Added 04/27/2007
    It’s a gaming accessory…..

  36. It’s a headset with “dynamic sound”.
    It gives you the sense that the sound is in one direction or another.
    You hear a sound on your left, and turn your head left, it sounds like it’s in front of you. Get it?

  37. Well…
    I KNOW it’s a sort of headset…
    I think we all can tell that now…
    But what it does… Or why it’s special…
    Well, again, my thought was a dynamic sound headset, but we won’t know for a little while…

  38. So now we know what they are…
    They’re headphones made to give the “effect” of a full 5.1 surround sound system… Cool!

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