Hacking Video Game Consoles: Turn your old video game systems into awesome new portables (ExtremeTech)

Hacking Video Game Consoles: Turn your old video game systems into awesome new portables (ExtremeTech)

by: Benjamin Heckendorn Amazon.com's Price: $29.99 as of 11/21/2009 10:55 EST Used Price: $20.93 Third Party New Price: $29.95 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 794.81526 EAN: 9780764578069 ISBN: 0764578065 Label: Wiley Manufacturer: Wiley Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 574 Publication Date: February 18, 2005 Publisher: Wiley Studio: Wiley Related Items: Project Arcade: Build Your Own Arcade Machine Game Console Hacking: Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, Game Boy, Atari, & Sega Hacking the Xbox: An Introduction to Reverse Engineering The Black Art of Video Game Console Design Retro Gaming Hacks see more Alternate Versions: Click to Display Browse for similar items by category: Click to Display Editorial Review: Product Description: Space Invaders and Asteroids are back! Loved that Atari(r) when you were a kid? So did Ben Heckendorn - so much, in fact, that he successfully resurrected it as a slim, go-anywhere portable. When Playstation(r) and Nintendo(r) aficionados got jealous, he created miniaturized, fully functioning, battery-powered versions of those too. Now it's your turn. Every secret is here - complete instructions, materials lists, tool tips, even advice on finding parts. Just wait 'til they see this at the high school reunion. Ready? Let's get started Plans and instructions for building eight handheld, classic video games * Choosing a game system - Atari(r), Nintendo(r), Super Nintendo(r), or Playstation(r)1 * What you'll spend * Electronics and soldering 101 * Hacking portable TVs for their screens * Building the case - CNC or freehand? * Yank the cord, install the batteries Customer Reviews Average Rating: Rating: - Great instructions with some nice humor Ben Heckendorn definitely knows what he is doing, and he is quite good at explaining the necessary steps. He writes the instructions so well, that anyone can do these projects, with a little bit of effort. The book gives instructions on how to build a portable Atari 2600, NES, SNES, and PSone. The nice thing is, it illustrates how to build the consoles by hand, or with the aid of a CNC machine. The only reason that I didn't give the book 5 stars is because it would be better if the pictures were in color. In black and white, it can be difficult to see all of the detail. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to try out some fun electronics projects, or anyone who wants to be able to make their favorite classic gaming consoles portable. If you want to know more about the author and his incredible work, I would also suggest you go to his website at www.benheck.com. Rating: - Excellent book, everything you need to know! Benjamin Heckendorn put his heart into this book. The love I have for my NES and SNES playing days (which still occur about every weekend) is felt from Ben's words, and it makes the in depth details even clearer. Written with a passion and understanding for all things video games, this book is just about all one would need to build a game creation of their own. Fallowing the book step by step is made easy and shameless, but even making your own creation can be easily supported by this book. With photos showing you each step, tips & tricks to get you by, and even corny jokes now and again that lighten the mood (Sorry Ben, but I did laugh at some of them!), this book is inspiration and information at their best. Rating: - Tinkerers rejoice! This book surpassed my expectations. If you are a tinkerer this book will be great for you...if you also like retro-gaming, this book becomes a must have. He is so thorough in his descriptions of the projects, that even if you aren't already handy with electronics you will have no problem completing these projects. I also liked the fact that for each project he has two versions: one full-scale project; and one that can be accomplished without any expensive tools. Highly recommended! Rating: - Recycling video consoles A great book for instruction on how to use old video game systems and transform them into new game systems. Rating: - the real deal!!! this isnt just some book that puts all the weight on your shoulders to make sense of it and track down hard to find parts and make this some kind of impossible task. its the real deal!! you really can do this yourself with only basic electronics skill. the best skill probably is a love of video games, which will pretty easily overcome any challenges for technical expertise you might not have...tho little of that is necessary anyways. stop by his web site asap!!! the real thing! see more