We think it's possible that the time has come to admit that Ben Heck (aka
Benjamin Heckendorn) has officially taken it to the limit, put the pedal to the metal, and a large number of other cliches that suggest
something has been pushed just about as far as you can take it. That's right folks -- it's the Xbox 360 Elite
laptop. We're not even going to try and pretend to understand how an individual could go about creating this kind of extreme mod to the Microsoft console -- needless to say that if there was one man who could
do it, Ben is that guy. Luckily for us lay-people, he's included a graphic breakdown of just about every step on the road to a portable Xbox 360, replete will all the case cracking, innards opening, wire splaying photos you could possibly want or need. Sorry
NEStari and
Atari 800 laptop -- there's a new boss in town.
Update: Be sure to check out the charming video after the break to see Ben showing off the mod -- we're sure you'll enjoy the intro as much as we did.
posted Feb 4th 2008 12:34AM
That is awesome! :D
If it ran Linux, then it would be totally kick a$$!
What in the fuck would be the point of that?
firefox
blender
the gimp
inkscape
samba
xsane
brasero
pidgin
ekiga
openoffice
tremulous
nexuiz
warsow
openarena
Gee, I don't know! What /is/ the point of the OtherOS menu option of the PS3?
...the 360 is utterly worthless to me. I try not to have things i don't own.
I was fine with my NES being a stock NES ethana. Then again, I was also fine with all my consoles being pretty stock ('cept for a way to play imports) 'till the original Xbox...
Why the hell is the caps lock key lover low ranked?
He's right, it would kick a$$, you would have a killer gaming machine and a fully functional computer in one
Or you could buy an AlienWare laptop and have the same on a sexier form factor, but if that's what you want, what would be the point of having this XBOX 360 1337 laptop anyway?
If it played Doom, this would totally kick ass!
I'm with you man. I was going to buy a toaster the other day. Then I found out I couldn't put Linux on it. Fuck that, I wont be oppressed.
@ethana2:
Wow, a list of crap that works with Linux!
"...the 360 is utterly worthless to me."
Ah, so just a bulky, overpowered laptop with Linux it, then. You're right. That *WOULD* be sweet!
Just because Linux exists, doesn't mean it would be cool or useful to slap it on everything with a processor.
@Chebwa:
Nah, thats what NetBSD is for.
@Liam
Doom is available on xbox live
@ethana2
Yeah, not being able to install OpenOffice on my gaming console is totally a deal-breaker for me too. How am I supposed to get any work done??
First!
Will this matter in 20 years?
I'm sure to him it will.
In 20 years he will probably be 27.
FAMILYGUYROKZ!
@mushrooshi
2 answers to your question:
1: In 20 years, he will have done the same thing with whatever system there is at that time.
2: This particular project will matter more than you do 20 years from now.
Just an FYI...
...hmmm... now I don't know what everyone in this thread is talking about. The "FIRST" comment not mattering, or a laptop mod not mattering.
I guess neither.
Here's the thread: (My name's Aguiluz there, obviously)
http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?t=23019
Here's a Video of the unit in action: (Uploaded by me, with permission of benheck.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXsaCF8n6AQ
@PeterF
I was taking the piss.
Does he sell these? Wow. I really wish I had the time to even try and do something like this.
if you pay him what it's worth (materials + labor + profit + etc.), i'm sure he may entertain the idea.
NO! Ben is sooooooo tired of people asking him to make these things, no matter what you're offer. These things are fuckin HARD to make.
Well, at least he put some instructions for how to do it yourself...
Site down. :(
It's your lucky day, the site is down, and you get highest ranked.
Is the keyboard just for chatting?
Anything that would require text, be it chatting, naming screenshots, etc.
Anything that would require text, be it chatting, naming screenshots, etc.
As far as I know keyboards aren't compatible with the 360 (cept the game pad add on thing). So without RTFA I assume it does nothing except make it look like a laptop. I should prolly RTFA to find out if it is useful...
Then you'd be wrong. The 360 will accept and use a USB keyboard for any text input, as said before for chatting, MSN, naming screenshots and so on.
This is awesome, I want one.
More importantly, does it even matter now?
You know, a console-as-a-laptop would sell pretty well if it were done officially. The XB360 is still a little too chunky methinks but I'm surprised Sony hasn't made a combo Vaio-PS2. They've gotten both of those small enough to the point that they could literally duct them together, put a shiny shell around it, and it would still be portable / look good.
One of the reasons they don't do that is because computer games can easily be hacked then pirated. Console games are a lot harder, are easier to develop for (because PCs have too many variables and require so much testing to ensure compatibility), and companies like GameStop would be a lot happier.
And you get the red LCD of death with it, not to mention a convenient package to ship back for warranty.
This is coming from someone that had to send his in once already.
There doesn't have to be any serious integration between the laptop and console -- they could almost literally be duct-taped together. No shared memory (or some clever partitioning scheme) would make it no easier to hack than any other console -- and the console-laptop would still present the same hardware profile for developers.
Besides, if you did it with a last-gen console like the PS2, you'd have an easy way to add a few extra years to the lifespan of your product.
Except that Sony would rather that you buy the PS3 and not try to add life to its older products.
but does it fit into a manila envelope? cos if it does not it's very last year. ;)
technically, a console developer wouldn't even need to make a console/laptop combo, all they would need to do is exactly what Benheck has done, which is take a console and make it look like a laptop; screen, keyboard, cam and wireless internet connection combined into one console sized package. other than the fact that it would be quite expensive
(nearing $1k, example-
Screen = $200-300
Console = $350-450
Wireless internet = $100
Awesome design = $50-100?)
people would think it was the greatest thing since sliced bread
Sucks that it'll probably be banned on Live :(
Why would it be banned on live? He hasn't modified the firmware in any way.
Modding firmware is not the only way to get banned. MS can ban for any reason they want to including out of spec power fluctuations and anomalies. People that have replaced the fan inside their 360 have found themselves banned because it is an "unauthorized modification to improve performance".
More like "unauthorized modification to .. prevent this POS from breaking AGAIN".
"We're not even going to try and pretend to understand how an individual could go about creating this kind of extreme mod to the Microsoft console"
Hasnt he already made a 360 laptop? And didnt engadget have a step by step article on how to make it?
It just seems Engadget is making a big deal about this one
Yep, but it wasn't an Xbox 360 Elite. ;)
http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/17/xbox-360-laptop-mk2/
Yeeeaaaaah... unless the guts of the Elite are somehow larger and harder to remove than that of the original, I don't see why this is a "next step" at all.
He could have just added a larger hard drive to the original XBox 360 laptop and called it a day.
Maybe he wanted HDMI support as well? I can't get to the site so I don't know if he's leveraging that port.
It has every episode of doom.
(Some on XBLA, some on original xbox disk)
Great.. plays Halo 3.... but does it play doom?
I know its a trollish post, but seriously other than xbox 360 gaming what else can i do on this?
Yes, as a matter of fact, it does. Look for Doom on XBLA. :)
how about doom3 in that case :p
actually i was more interested in what other than gaming can i use it for.. i know i can install linux maybe; but does it kind of support it seamlessly?
I mean its a cool collector's item but for an average user what's the point if it?
the 360 will refuse to run anything but the 360 OS and approved software. Don't buy it.
Actually, yes, it does run Doom 3 for Xbox.
Nitin, actually YOU can do absolutely nothing on it (since it is not YOURS)! :)
Many of you miss the point here: it is a hobby! This guy obviously enjoys it and is good at it and that is what matters. It also happens to be a hobby that this guy learns and uses some pretty impressive skills that can be applied to other "useful" applications. The only thing your judgment-of-irrelevancy means is that you should have simply skipped the story and moved on to something that interests you.
that's actually kind of cool.
usually this type of this does NOT peak my interest at all, but this one is actually pretty damned dope
I'm not even going to try and pretend to understand how an individual could go about obtaining an Xbox 360 Elite console : )
My only question, how much would this cost to do it to my own Xbox 360 Elite? :O
Too much.
Oh and bioshock style video = me sad (such a boring game)
uhhhh didn't this already happen and weren't you guys the people who even posted the step by step instructions on how to do it?
http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/18/how-to-make-an-xbox-360-laptop-part-1/
http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/25/how-to-make-an-xbox-360-laptop-part-2/
http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/22/how-to-make-an-xbox-360-laptop-part-3/
That is the coolest mod I have seen! I want one. It would be awsome if you could use it as a normal laptop as well but there comes a point when you asking for too much. I really think there would be a market for this product. To have the ease of portability would be awsome. I would buy one! Microsoft needs to buy this dude out and mass produce these things. Maybey they could partner with Dell to successfully combine a laptop / xbox360 into one unit. If you could hook it up to your TV and be able to take it with you then you have really got something.
Thats all he does now, isn't it? Just bashes the Wii and makes 360 laptops. I liked it when he did new stuff, but I am getting a bit sick of seing this thing OVER AND OVER again. We get it, you made another one. Big deal.
Also, any guy who says that Super Smash Brothers is the same game over again, but then goes and praises Halo is a madman. Smash Bros and Halo BOTH have repeating qualities.
You cannoy deny the guy's technical prowess.
You cannoy deny the guy's technical prowess.
He already made a Wii laptop, what more do you want!
He should do a xbox 360/ps3 mod like this. That would be an attention getter for sure and totally loaded with awesomatic badassery :)
so true... a liquid cooled Playstation 3 1080p laptop would totally rock. I would save money for it, whatever it takes, for sure. Bluetooth, Wifi, Cell, Ubuntu and all...in HD!
What are you going on about HD so much for, this laptop is in HD..
baddest. ass. ever.
I can imagine, compiling in my laptop, then deploying on the portable, hi-def beast. I wonder if it's 1080p? it has to be, for sure...
BEN HECK STRIKES AGAIN!
what the hell is he supposed to do with it WHEN (not IF) it red rings? (I'm on my FIFTH 360...!)
What an absolutely hideous piece of kit.
..
I see the vision camera integrated into the screen. That is cool. He thought of everything.
M$ should hire this guy or buy his patent and then make a gaming laptop with a combination of some ergo keyboard like d 1 he has and gain more market shares in gaming pc. more M$.....
Heh, can you imagine? Him working for Microsoft? Possibly working with Nvidia (Who made the first Xbox) to make it a reliable system, then have a 360 integrated with a fully functional PC? It'd be amazing. Play 360 with all the "premium" features, then flip a switch and start using your laptop, complete with Wireless and Webcam.
This laptop is awesome. Looks like he added a lot more features than the first time he did it.
pretty cool
Now you can take your rrod, live shortage (or possibly ban in this case), and strange halo lust with you wherever you go!
That being said, excellent hack :)
Looks like a gateway brand display...?
ummm?is there a HDMI output? and why do you need a keyboard?
It's using the HDMI output for the Display, and as said in the video, the Keyboard is for any kind of text input. IMing, Messages, Naming Classes/Screenshots... Anything that uses text, instead of the dashboard keyboard that pops up.
Very nice, actually.
Now what happens when he gets the RROD?
awesome mod
Dude, totally called the Bioshock allusion. such a cool concept too!
What do you mean "why do you need a keyboard" you do realize that MSN messenger is integrated into the dashboard. Also text chat accros Live. I even ust my chatpad in COD4 when naming my classes.
Do you even own a 360?
It's too bad SSDs haven't progressed to 1TB yet...
Imagine a Console Laptop that used Downloadable content (nearly) entirely? I'd download the games to the SSD, and use it as a truely mobile console. (You don't want to move a console with a disc in it, and it'd be nice to not carry around a DVD Cases)
If only...
Is it going to end up getting the red ring(s) of death? lawlz.
I liked the Bio Shock theme in his movie!!
N!ce...
but where are the little sisters...
Looks cool, but I'm not planning to mess around with mine anytime soon.You can't even get away from the Linux, Mac, and Windows crap on article like this...
It's cool that ben new Xbow 360 laptop is finshed. But due to some many people going to site. It has made his hame page go down. And his forum almost go compleaty down. And if you haven't gussed already, Im a member there. And if your wondering if I have any project I'm working on, Let me point you to two links of mine.
The Namco Portable: http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?t=19967
My Game Gear I'm fixing and Overhaul: http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?t=22963