Now Playing – the Benheck.com Wiki

“I finally really did it, didn’t I?” Realizing there “must be a better way” to help people find info I have slapped a Wiki onto the site. Specifically in a subdomain, wiki.benheck.com.

This is what it looks like, in real photorealism

 We just fired it up yesterday so I encourage anyone interested to “get in there” and start adding content. We’d like to focus on gaming, technology and how-to’s, including some classic Atari projects from this site and help and support for some newer ones, like the 360 and controller modding.

The 22nd Benheck.com Podcast

Topic 1 of this episode is “How Many Times Can Gaming Go Mainstream?” While a person might think this would only happen once, according to the media it occurs every 10 years or so. We think this is rubbish and pull out a lot of numbers to support our theory – with the basic premise being Nintendo did it, but 20 years ago, not last fall. Also touched on are things like the N64 being considered a failure, yet selling more than either Xbox or the Gamecube.

Continuing our examination of sloppy journalism and misplaced labels, Topic 2 involves Hardcore VS Casual gamers, and when did there magically become a difference? 10 years ago a hardcore gamer might have been some dude playing Quake 8 hours a day on his PC, but now, to understand gaming press it appears to be anyone who owned a console before or other than the Wii? Granted, our journalism is just as sloppy, we just take it from another angle and look back through the history of gaming to form our opinions, rather than the last 2-3 years. Also a person often hears that hardcore gamers – despite the fact they buy the most games and systems – “don’t matter”. We take that to task as well.

Finally Topic 3 asks the question “Could another gaming crash happen?”. Our opinion on what could cause one shouldn’t surprise longtime listeners, but we felt this topic tied in well with the other 2. Enjoy and feel free to N-gage in healthy debate.

Listen to Benheck.com Podcast Episode 22

www.benheckpodcast.com

Very well, I shall build one more Xbox 360 laptop

Since about 50% of my email involves requests for an Xbox 360 laptop, and since I like money, I have decided to relent and cave into the enormous pressure to build one more. Sigh.

Mysterious white boxes invade middle America

Proposed specs:

  • Xbox 360 Elite based, 120 gig hard drive.
  • Built-in WiFi.
  • New design.
  • HDMI – DVI adapter to allow digital video on the LCD screen. Probably still a 17″ widescreen.
  • Some sort of different cooling system, a little more refined than last time.
  • Whatever color the buyer wants!
  • Delivery by end of summer / early fall.

Please visit this page for the terms of this one-time offer, thanks.

In other news, I’m still working on a new prototype for my 3rd revision of the single-handed controller.  Should be the best one yet!

Appearance on Spike TV’s Game Head

This Friday, June 15th I shall appear on the latest episode of Spike TV’s Game Head show. This was filmed last month right here in Verona, WI and the interview takes place in my amazing basement/workshop. Here’s a preview:

3D version coming soon
This is where the “magic” happens.

Should be more in-depth than the MTV Gametrailers segment. (You may even get to see footage of my not-terribly-clean living room, depending on how they edit it) We discuss some of the same things as the MTV spot, but here we also play the Xbox 360 Laptop 2 and talk briefly with Jason Jones about our podcast. Check www.spiketv.com for times and schedules, and we’ll see you on the ‘tube!

Benheck Podcast Episode 21

Here it is, only a day late this time, Benheck.com Podcast Episode 21! Topic 1 involves televisions ads, why people pay for things and still have to sit through ads, spam and annoying marketing in general. Topic 2 touches on “Games made from movies”, inspired by the news that for some reason a company is making a “Dirty Dancing” game (clearly they were inspired by our Wii video). Jones and I think of some cool movies that they should make games of. We also talk about the Xbox 360 Elite that Jones picked up, along with his HD-DVD drive add-on.

As for the intro, it’s the thrilling conclusion to our “Video Pirates of the Caribbean” series, so enjoy.

Regarding the Midwest Gaming Classic, I shall be speaking at 5:00 PM Saturday. See you all there.

Direct link to Benheck.com Podcast Episode 21

Benheck.com Podcast Official Site

The Audio FX Pro 5+1 Headset

The “mystery product” is no longer one. With the help of eDimensional I have designed a custom USB gaming headset called the Audio FX Pro 5+1, as shown below.


Audio FX Pro 5+1 Headset

This is the first Benheck branded product, plus it has an exclusive design by yours truly. Tired of headsets that all look the same (gray body+gray trim+gray interior=blah) I went for a retro feel, like something from the 40’s. These are really nice headsets, with full sized earcups that fit over your ears, not pressing against them. This is very comfortable, and also blocks external noises (ie, someone telling you to take out the trash). The Audio FX Pro 5+1 should start arrives in stores in early July. For a more information and a photo of the box, read on!

Continue reading The Audio FX Pro 5+1 Headset