Veteran Console Modder Ben Heck Creates Shirt With a Portal In It

Logan Westbrook

Transform, Roll Out, Etc
Feb 21, 2008
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Veteran Console Modder Ben Heck Creates Shirt With a Portal In It

When people say that they can see right through Ben Heck, they might actually be being literal.

Can you make a portal through a person? There weren't exactly a lot of test subjects in the Aperture labs, and let's face it, you're not about to turn the portal gun on yourself to satisfy your curiosity. Without the opportunity to actually conduct the experiment, you might just have to settle for shirt that replicates the possible result.

Inspired by the sublime first person puzzle game Portal, console modder and electronics whiz Ben Heck has created what he calls "probably the geekiest Halloween costume you could make." Heck has taken a couple of white shirts, a camera, an LCD screen and a battery pack, and made a garment that looks like you could stick your hand right through it. The concept is pretty simple: the camera sticks out of the back of the shirt and displays whatever it sees on the LCD screen in the front. Heck estimates that the batteries will last for around three hours, which is plenty of time to amaze people at a Halloween party and scare neighborhood kids later in the year if you get bored.

Heck's previous projects have included a custom built, Bill Paxton themed pinball table [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/95402-Ben-Heck-Crafts-Pinball-Love-Letter-to-Bill-Paxton], a number of portable, laptop-style, consoles [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/95158-Ben-Heck-Builds-a-PS3-Laptop], and a lot of one handed controllers [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/78294-Access-Hero-the-Accessible-Controller] for disabled gamers. Heck is described as a "hobbyist," so presumably he has a regular job as well, but I have no idea where he finds the time.

If you're interested in seeing how Heck put the shirt together, you can watch a video of the construction here [http://www.element-14.com/community/community/experts/benheck]. There's also a competition you can enter to win the shirt, signed by Heck himself, which you can enter here [http://www.element-14.com/community/thread/6083?ICID=bh_page_portal_shirt], although it does require signing up for a forum.

Source: Ben Heck's Blog [http://benheck.com/] via Kyozo Kicks [http://kyozokicks.com/?p=827]



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Godhead

Dib dib dib, dob dob dob.
May 25, 2009
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Oh Ben Heck you silly person. What next You'll make a PS3 laptop? Oh wait.
 

SeanTheSheep

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Jun 23, 2009
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Wait...
Wasn't there an April Fool's idea like this from somewhere?
ThinkGeek or something I think.
 

AgentDarkmoon

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Mar 20, 2010
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But but but! This isn't a new idea, I saw a news article and blog post somewhere else about it a year and a half ago. And I think I've seen it other places as well.

http://www.geekologie.com/2009/02/its_a_little_early_holey_hallo.php
 

HaraDaya

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Nov 9, 2009
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Oh so that's who Ben Heck is. He apparently designed my headset.



Terrible build quality, had no less than 4 friends who bought it at the same time as me, and all theirs are broken in various ways.
However, mic, 5.1 sound, and force feedback is superb.
 

Benmonkey7

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Jun 15, 2010
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I feel honored sharing the same first name as him. That's one of the coolest things I have ever seen.
 

Eumersian

Posting in the wrong thread.
Sep 3, 2009
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?and that's how we will develop stealth technology.

I would definitely buy this shirt, because I would be too lazy to make it. But first it would have to go on sale.
 

friedo.obrain

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Jan 29, 2010
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HaraDaya said:
Oh so that's who Ben Heck is. He apparently designed my headset.



Terrible build quality, had no less than 4 friends who bought it at the same time as me, and all theirs are broken in various ways.
However, mic, 5.1 sound, and force feedback is superb.
I actually have that same headset and it has never given me trouble... i do tend to handle it with care cause i've had a terrible history with headsets but even so...
 

M-JN

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Jan 26, 2009
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Yeah I saw this kind of thing that made the guy's torso look like a gaping wound. Awesome then, awesome now, good work to the creators.
 

VGStrife

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May 27, 2009
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SeanTheSheep said:
Wait...
Wasn't there an April Fool's idea like this from somewhere?
ThinkGeek or something I think.
Like this?
http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/portal-tshirt.html