Interviews: Ask Ben Heck About Gaming and Console Modding 45
Benjamin Heckendorn, better known as Ben Heck, has become famous for modding consoles and game controllers. Over 10 million viewers worldwide have watched The Ben Heck Show to see him create something new out of old gaming systems every week. Been has agreed to leave the Ataris alone for a while and answer your questions about console modding and gaming in general. As usual, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one question per post.
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Seems to be ok now? ... However, the second link is not clickable. HTML source says:
Over 10 million viewers worldwide have watched <a>The Ben Heck Show</a>
Maybe this link [youtube.com] is good enough instead?
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Been has agreed...
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Closed ecosystem (Score:5, Interesting)
By attempting to inject openness into an intentionally closed ecosystem, do you see yourself as an enabler to that closed ecosystem?
That is to say, open standards are the default on modular personal computers, and almost invariably not present on video game consoles. By giving people who want flexibility a means to use consoles, do you see yourself as inflating those markets and doing long-term harm to actual open systems?
Design Workflow (Score:5, Interesting)
Ever get any Law suits / DMCA / banned issues with (Score:5, Interesting)
Ever get any Law suits / DMCA / banned issues with the hacks?
What's missing from consoles? (Score:2, Interesting)
What new features or technologies do you do see missing from the current gaming systems that you believe would beneficial, and why?
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You should be watching Jeri Ellsworth or Dave Jones if that's what you want.
He's building prototypes. Cheap, fast, and easy. That's the point. I suppose by your logic every web developer is a "tool" for using high-level languages instead of writing raw binary files? Our keyboards should just have two keys -- 1 and 0?
So somebody figured out how to reverse-engineer an iPod screen. Great. How long was that video? You can watch Heck build his X-Box laptop in about an hour. How long you think it would take to wa
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Have you ever watched his show before attempting to flame? He does a lot more than just mod games. Also, Since when does being a hobbyist make you a poseur?
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So...what, everyone who isn't an EE is a "poseur" to you?
Heck isn't an EE. He doesn't claim to be. Nobody else claims he is either. He's more of an artist than an EE. If you want to watch an EE go watch Dave Jones or Jonathan Oxer or Jeri Ellsworth or whoever.
Best input device? (Score:2)
Weirder/non-common Input device? (Score:3)
space (Score:3)
Name change (Score:2)
Ben, when did you change your name to Been?
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After he watched Ender's Game
Minced profanity (Score:2, Interesting)
Have you ever considered legally changing your name to "Ben Heck&darn"?
Anyone else... (Score:2)
he working on a new pinball game now (Score:2)
Bill Paxton pinball is in visual pinball right now.
His new game is cool and it was fun to play the test / show game with him there.
Any plans to improve your current designs? (Score:1)
Breakfast? (Score:2)
I live about 2 miles from you. Yet I've never seen you at Bennets for breakfast! What gives? Where's your sense of community?!?!?
clay + sculpting... (Score:2)
Iron Man Armor (Score:1)
Ben, have you ever considered building Iron Man armor? Bonus points if it's an autonomic prehensile propulsion suit.
Effect of new hardware design trends (Score:2)
Computer hardware is tending to be more and more integrated and consolidated, not just within each console generation (the first PS2 eventually consolidated the GPU and CPU in one component) but between generations (the PS4 launches with a single component for GPU and CPU). Does this help you hack by giving you a smaller device, or does it hinder you by giving you less flexibility?