New Use For Old Consoles Make a pocket SNES

[sirhenry 0]

Check this PS article out!____________Like any good hacker, Benjamin Heckendorn knows that the best way to pay homage to a beloved piece of gear?say, a classic Atari 2600?is to rip it apart and transform it into something else, preferably something portable, with wood grain. So when the sign shop he was working at got a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling machine?an industrial device that cuts three-dimensional parts from solid blocks of metal or plastic?he used it to craft a custom-designed handheld case from two one-inch-thick slabs of acrylic. Then he stuffed in a 2.5-inch screen from a portable TV and the guts of an Atari 2600, which he?d chopped up and resoldered to make more compact. Powered by three AAs and a nine-volt, that first portable system came complete with a brightness switch, speakers, buttons from an old Nintendo controller, and the signature faux-wood-grain trim.Heckendorn, a part-time filmmaker and graphic artist, has since created several more portable Ataris, including one with a solid oak case, as well as portable PlayStations and Nintendos. Most of the newer systems run on rechargeable batteries and are more energy-efficient, thanks to active-matrix screens modified to be lit by white LEDs. As soon as Heckendorn finishes a system, he puts it up for sale on his site, benheck.com, to pay rent and fund his films.But why buy when you can build? Heckendorn has just written a how-to book, Hacking Video Game Consoles (Wiley, $30), with detailed instructions for eight different portables. And because few people have milling machines in their basements, half of the projects use hand-cut engraving plastic for the body, including the SNES system illustrated at left. Find the complete chapter on creating this portable at Heckendorn?s site. (benheck.com)PEERING INTO THE SNES PORTABLEA. Power on/off slide switchB. Directional pad and buttons, from original NES controllerC. Front plate of unit, cut from 1/16-inch textured gray engraving plastic and hand-paintedD. Stereo speakers taken from a PlayStation One consoleE. Custom-built circuit boards with push-button tact switches under the controlsF. Five-inch screen from the PS One console modified to be illuminated with three white LEDsG. Motherboard from the small-style Super Nintendo (circa 1997)H. Rear plate of unit, also cut from engraving plasticI. Game cartridge slotJ. Battery compartment cut from block of balsa woodK. Six AA nickel-metal hydride rechargeable batteries, good for about three hours of playing time ______Sweet Bananas! Cool Beans! I want one! Has anybody tried making these?

[Cypher 0]

You seem to be making a lot of long posts, and they all seem to be copied material...I would like to see some picutres of this pocket snes, It might be a nice home project for me to start, I just need to get some schematics or a DIY handbook. The only issue I would have would be concerning the legality of ripping apart a piece of copyrighted material and rebuilding it into sometinhg new. Sounds like a good way to pass the time I have so much of these days. Thanks for the helpful post!

[Hellmonkeys 0]

I saw an article about this in Popular Science, and it looked pretty interesting. It is a cool idea, but I am not sure how well it'd work. SNES was probablly the best system made, in my opinion. Hacking it to make it cool is an awesome idea, but is way too hard for me to do. I think Nintendo should produce one themselves, because that would be the best .

[roundball 0]

Ive seen people take the old SNES and build arcade style machines with them.Hook up a monitor and whack in some joysticks. some of them look really cool and like someting seeable in a video game parlour.not a bad idea if you have some time on your hands i guess.

[TheArrow 0]

Good idea, but isn't copied material supposed to be put in quotes?My xbox is dumb as *BLEEP* and broke like the year after I got it, I think I should replace the dvd drive with a UMD reader and make it into a handheld lol.....

[sportytalk 0]

This article about creating a pocket super nintendo sounds quite interesting but i'd imagine it is very hard for someone to actually build. I certainly can't think of anyone I know who would spend time and effort on trying to think how they would go about making one.I agree with TheArrow's post above. Even if someone did manage to successfully build one of these pocket SNES' they would be reusing another firm's components, such as Sony (With their playstation systems) in order to make something new, a product which for all they know could be a rival. So Sony wouldn't allow you to do this, i doubt Nintendo are very keen as well. At the end of the day, they like to build up their own reputation and make their own console systems.I guess it would be quite nice though, to see one of these pocket super nintendo's actually made up. It's nice to have something different, such as a console the size of a gameboy with the features and functions of Nintendo and Playstation.

[Knuckles 0]

can you send the URL of this article? i want to read more about thatthanks! o/

[Kioku 0]

I have a handheld SNES. It's called a Game Boy Advance and old, too. No, but seriously. I keep around my old SNES in one piece. It's still fun and stuff to go back and play old games.

[brandon10092 0]

It's times like these I wish I still had my old NESs'. I'd definitely be one to try this project out on one of them.