All posts by benheck

Video Games

Single-handed Xbox 360 controller

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I’ve built a wireless Xbox 360 controller that can be used with 1 hand:


My one-handed Xbox 360 controller

I built this by request for a serviceman injured in Iraq. It’s a left-handed version which works by setting it on your knee. Thus, tilting the controller against your leg acts as the right analog stick, which was the trickiest part of the controller to replicate. Most of the buttons are on the back and are pushed with your middle and ring fingers. For more pictures of the controls, guts and the story of how I put this together click the link below.

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Single-handed Xbox 360 Controller

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Video Games

If I only had a Wii… – Updated

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I’ve yet to even PLAY one (why aren’t there any store kiosks near me???) but it seems to me the Wii would be a super easy system to make into a laptop-type device. I mean, people have been using CANDLES to replace the sensor bar for crying out loud! Also it’s thin, small, runs off – I’m assuming – only slightly more power than a Gamecube and probably doesn’t need tons of cooling. And unlike the Gamecube the Wii doesn’t seem to have a stupidly thick disc drive assembly.

Since I refuse to pay the still-bloated eBay prices, I’m wondering if anyone out there with a Wii would like to have this done to theirs. Or perhaps you have a Wii, aren’t terribly attached to it, and would sell it “for the cause” I know people are mostly asking me about about Xbox 360 laptops but I always like to try new things. (except sushi)

Interested? Email me… Together, Wii can make a difference!

NOTE: Regarding the Wii hack/request, I now have a candidate and thus “the polls are closed”. So I’ll hack the sucker up and we’ll see what becomes of it, and possibly go from there for other people. Thanks for all the requests! Fear not, I shall do my best to make it cool! While it seems I may be showing my cards for future projects, I still have one in the works nobody’s gonna see coming!

Podcasts, Video Games

Action packed weekend of excitement / new podcast

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I’m working on a whole gaggle of things for my readers this weekend, they shall appear below as they become available. Enjoy!

Benheck.com Podcast Episode 7 – We Try To Buy a Wii
Sunday the 19th

After doubting it for the last few months we decided to go out and buy a Wii for ourselves on launch day. Nintendo – impress us! We really want to check the thing out, I mean, there’s no kiosks to be found around Madison.

Follow our progress as we fight the Wii hoards trying to get a console to test… The audio for the first 10 minutes or so isn’t so hot as we recorded it in the car, while driving, on a PDA.

Also in the podcast Jones also gives his opinions on Gears of War, I review my recently purchased DS Lite and we discuss backwards compatibility.

Article Links:

Benheck.Com Podcast – Episode 7: Wii Day

ADDED- I have only been playing GBA Castlevanias on my DS thus far (waiting for DS Portrait of Ruin!) so the “lid closing pause” must be for DS specific games and not GBA ones. Believe me it was the first thing I tried.

How-To Breach Nintendo Security Screws
Saturday the 18th

My latest How-To is up on Engadget – it covers removing those darn pesky Nintendo security screws. How timely, eh? Check it out here!

PS3 First Impressions
Thursday the 16th

While looking for a Wii kiosk the other day (to no avail) I did find a couple PS3 demo units. Granted I am not a Wii fanboy but since it’s something new I want to try it out. PS3, well, we all pretty much know what to expect.

Anyway the PS3… I don’t really like the new curved R2 and L2 buttons… Or the controller at all for that matter. OK the batwing thing sucked but come on – that doesn’t mean you have to tuck tail and stick with a design that’s been around since the Spice Girls were still on the radio. Maybe Sony used up all their balls restarting Bond, loosing $250 per PS3 and spending $300 million on the new Spider-Man.

Speaking of the new Bond movie, it’s good but borders on science fiction during a scene in which Daniel Craig uses a recordable Blu-Ray player – apparently “Bond Begins” in the future. But to be honest, that’s not quite as ridiculous as movies suggesting everyone in the world uses a Mac. Zinger.

Back to PS3… The games looked no better than an Xbox 360 title. The basketball game actually looked worse. The load times were noticeable, a bit longer than a 360.

I don’t like these short Blu-Ray / HD-DVD boxes, they look cheap. But aren’t.

No PlayStation system has ever really had mind-blowing “must buy this now!” games at launch, but I’d reckon by this time next year they’ll be some games that make the system worthwhile. Regardless, I have never bought a system any sooner than 2 years after its launch, so I am very cautious in this department. (In case you’re wondering the systems I bought the fastest were the Genesis and Nintendo 64.)

Video Games

Regarding custom jobs…

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Just a quick note, if you’re emailing me to ask about a custom job or Xbox 360 laptop mod, here’s a few things to keep in mind. These may seem a bit terse, but since I gloss over a lot of the requests I get anyway I thought I’d pre-prune them with these guidelines. Follow these to increase your chances of a reply. 1) The delay time for anything is 2-3 weeks minimum, considering the other things I’m working on. I will not make any more N64 projects period (that system is too easy to break) PS2… perhaps with a lot of persuasion. 2) The average cost of a custom job is $400 (design / labor / case) + parts. 3) The Xbox 360 laptop mod is extremely time consuming and thus has a cost in the thousands of dollars. Also the lead time would be a few months (January at the earliest) 4) I do not furnish custom instructions or how-tos beyond what is already on this site. However you can buy my book or see my columns in Engadget. Alright well just thought I’d get that off my chest. Look for some new projects coming later today! (Or maybe tomorrow)

Podcasts, Video Games

Coming Soon…

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While it might seem like I haven’t been doing anything lately that’s not exactly true – I’m doing all sorts of stuff, but of course I can’t post anything before it’s done because that’s a sure-fire way to not finish it. You know how that goes.

I will say though that we have a special seventh episode of the Benheck.com podcast planned. It will come out a week from this Monday, so do the math (like the Jaguar) on what it probably involves. Jones will probably also throw in a Gears of War review since I think he’s pretty neck deep in that now.

In the meantime you can waste your lunch hours by hanging out in our forums or checking out some of our independent films. See you in a week or so!

Podcasts

Benheck.com Podcast Episode 6

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OK it’s finally done. Sometimes my rule of “a new intro for every podcast” comes back to haunt me, but even if it delays the release I think it’s worth it. At some point I may become too lazy to do this (or, more likely, my friends might lynch me) but until then, new intros per podcast! Yeah!

This episode we answer quite a few listener questions and discuss our Favorite Games of All Time. We then cover our picks for Most Overrated Games (that we’ve played) and finally talk about some of the worst games we’ve ever had the discomfort of seeing beam across our TV sets. Enjoy!

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Sparkling New Benheck.Com Podcast (Episode 6)