Category Archives: Video Games

Articles, Podcasts, Video Games

Portable Wii Laptop, Podcast Episode 11 and a “Fun Video”

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Lots of crap for you all today, starting with the Wii laptop!

Don't forget your wrist strap
Wii!!

I’m hoping people have forgotten my “Request for a Wii” back in November so this comes as a surprise but if not oh well. For more photos and a video of this sucker in action check out Engadget (a site I write for) using this link below:

Engadget Wii Laptop Article

Quick specs, this unit has a built-in close-range sensor bar, stereo sound, Gamecube port, 16:9 widescreen LCD, A/V jacks, port for external stock sensor bar, built-in power supply and even a compartment for the cord. It measures 8.6″ wide, 7.7″ long and 2″ total thickness.

I am also writing a 3-part “Making Of” to cover the process of building this thing. It will be the most detailed web-based “making of” for one of my projects yet and will appear episodically on Engadget starting this Tuesday, AKA January 23rd. Hope you find it insightful.


The Wii Laptop is one of my more “mechanical” looking designs.

Next up is our latest podcast, episode 11. Quite the doozy, we have a guest on from the Benheck.com forums, recap gaming news, talk about our HD-DVD and Blu-Ray first impressions and of course, discuss what we would do during a zombie apocalypse. We also talk about what game we thought kicked the most butt in 2006.

Visit the Benheckpodcast.com web site to download this and other episodes! (On average each episode sucks up about an hour of your life) You can also check out this page to see some companion photos for Episode 11 if you’re listening to the audio-only version.

Finally, Jones and I put together a video for some reason. I don’t really know what to say about it, I guess it speaks for itself. It’s on the front of the podcast or you can download a higher resolution copy below.

Article Links:

Video – “Wand of Confusion” 640×480, MP4, about 7.5 megs

Benheckpodcast.com Site

Engadget Wii Laptop Article

Video Games

Atari VCSp Revision 7

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Here it is, only the second Atari 2600 portable I’ve made all year:

VCSp Rev 7 - Slowly But Surely
Click image for a larger version

I had a request to build a new VCSp a few months ago and the person said I could “go nuts” with the design. So I decided to use my long-lost “folding screen” design as sort of seen below.

Drawn during an earthquake it would seem

For whatever reason this was going to be called the “VCSp Liquid” and I did this sketch on my PDA back around the 2001 Classic Gaming Expo in Vegas. Years later (last month) I thought it’d be cool to try and make a small as possible VCSp along these lines.

It's like a mini Atari laptop!
Top lid of the closed unit.

To see internal photos, read the making of and check out the bonus section click the link below. While this unit was too highly customized to make it “mass produced” I am curious to see if there’s still an interest in the old 2600. All I get these days are emails about Xbox 360.

Article Links:

VCSp Revision 7 – “Making Of”

Articles, Video Games

Attention TV producers, I have an idea!

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Why not make a show about people who go around modding and building things? They could take viewer requests to make things as “challenges” and there’d be a couple teams to allow 2-3 projects per episode. Thus if a project fails and is unusable there’s always a backup. Naturally the teams are assembled in such a way to create drama and arguments along the way.

Everything they build would then be auctioned off for worthy charities. So basically it’d be like American Chopper in that you see things being built, with a healthy dash of Mythbusters since everything is by viewer request. Then of course throw in deadlines to create a “ticking clock” a la Overhaulin’. It would also create a great community of people following the work and trying their own versions of it.

Of course I’m suggesting this here on my site because I would want to be involved. Maybe I’m off my rocker but I think it would be interesting – I’d certainly watch a show like that. Let me know what you think.

Video Games

Super SCART Switcher

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Check out my 10 input 1 output electronic SCART switcher:

Quite the item

SCART is a type of plug on TV’s and electronics equipment in Europe. It includes audio, composite video and even RGB signals. This device lets you plug in 10 SCART sources and select which one goes to your TV. Internally it actually uses bus switches to bank the signals, instead of mechanical switches as signal switchers often use.

Frugality gets its revenge on me

Above is a really good example of why it doesn’t always pay to “go cheap” and not have a circuit board professionally made. A few hours of this and $100 for a board starts looking really nice. Oh well, maybe next time!

Are multiple input switchers like this something people would find useful? Let me know your thoughts (maybe I’ll order PCB’s this time)

Video Games

Latest Atari 800 Computer Laptop

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Somehow I’ve been working on this since June. It was a commissioned project that took forever. There were a lot of bugs to work out but I believe I’ve squashed them all.


Click here for larger version

It looks similar to my original Atari 800 laptop but was actually designed from scratch. It’s still built from an original Atari XEGS computer. Several things are different, such as the keyboard and the hinge, which might explain the delays. It also is “back in black” (and silver) so it resembles the XL line. Has the latest MyIDE custom OS, Compact Flash disk drive, SIO port, plus a “New for O-Six” cartridge add-on slot.

Silver and black - ah the 80's....
“The stylish 2006 Atari laptop will be the hit of the presentation!” – ANALOG Computing, were it still around.

For a lot more pics and the usual “making of” tour click the link below. I’m sure many of you are wondering when I’ll do something with the *other* 8-bit computer – I guess only time will tell, because I sure won’t.

Article Links:

Ben’s Atari 800 Laptop – Revision 2.0 “Making Of”

Video Games

More about the single handed Xbox 360 controller

2 Comments

Wow a lot of reaction to my single-handed Xbox 360 controller! I am surprised but pleased. Been getting a lot of email requests already – a nice break from the usual “plz build me a xbox 360 laptop using a game gear screen for $5” ones.


Melts in your mouth, fits in one hand.

I suspect this sort of item wouldn’t have a large enough market for the typical mass production so maybe that’s where I could come in. I think a more “universal” controller might be best, whereas the thing you hold is nothing but the controls / buttons / analog sticks. Without the bulky circuit board(s) the design could be a lot better. Then this would wire to a standard controller, which could be from any system really. Granted it wouldn’t be a solid “all in one” unit like this prototype but would be a lot easier for me to build (or for people to assembly as a kit) and that means more can be built.

Here’s the first revision of my design from back in August (yes I’ve been tinkering with this for quite a while) Originally I wanted more of a handle grip design but this proved a bit too tricky for the CNC methods I used to cut it.


Rev 1 of the design. Yes, that’s my hand in a scanner, because I am just that hardcore.

So yes, keep those emails coming. Click here to send ideas or requests regarding this project, I shall read them all and do my best to get back to you. If you have facilities or such that could assist me in these endeavors (to increase production numbers) let me know as well. I would like to see what kind of support we could find for a product like this.

Article Links:

Single-handed Xbox 360 Controller