Ben Heck Builds a PS3 Laptop

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Ben Heck Builds a PS3 Laptop

Ben Heckendorn, aka Ben Heck, finally got around to trying out the new PlayStation 3 Slim he picked up last month and by "trying out," I mean tearing it apart and turning it into something else.

Ben Heck is a very talented man with some strange habits, in particular the habit of ripping apart any kind of gaming electronics he can get his hands on and turning it into something cooler. He's built an laptops [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/89908-Wheelchair-Mod-For-Rock-Band].

Are we surprised, then, that his first thing he did after dropping 300 bucks on the new PS3 Slim was to tear it apart to see what makes it tick, then jam it all back inside a portable case with a Gateway 1775W LCD screen attached? Of course not. The final project includes some rather heavily rearranged PS3 Slim hardware, a 17" widescreen LCD display with HDMI-DVI connection, a built-in power supply with a hidden compartment for the AC cable, stereo speakers with push-button volume control and a very sexy monochromatic paint job.

I wish I could preserve some of my technological machismo by saying that this is a relatively straightforward project, but that would be a dirty lie. The truth is that guys like Heck say, "This one shouldn't be too complicated," and then guys like me poke themselves in the eye with a soldering iron. It's a great piece to look at though and if you happen to have the chops to take on something like this, he's posted a step-by-step breakdown of the build at benheck.com [http://benheck.com/10-01-2009/ps3-slim-laptop].


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Simalacrum

Resident Juggler
Apr 17, 2008
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This guy never ceased to amaze... great stuff! Seriously, someone's gotta hire this guy to make their consoles for them.
 

Eldarion

New member
Sep 30, 2009
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Thats not really that hard to do, he just rearranged the hardware a little and stuffed it into a new case.
 

Nimbus

Token Irish Guy
Oct 22, 2008
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Will Sony or Microsoft please hire this guy? This guy needs access to mass productiom.
 

LeonLethality

New member
Mar 10, 2009
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THAT IS AWESOME! I want one so bad blows the rest of the ps3s out of the water by far this guys awesome
 

Izerous

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Dec 15, 2008
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Another impressive project by him. Looks evil supporting closer to 360 colors than ps3 colors though :).
 

Pingieking

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Sep 19, 2009
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I would totally throw down $600 on something like that, provided that they had another HDMI out port so that I can hook it up to a big screen TV if I wanted to. So sweet; PS3 gaming as long as I can find an electrical outlet.
 

Quadtrix

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Dec 17, 2008
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Meh, I grow bored of seeing consoles converted to laptops. I like to see the more wacky stuff, like that R2-D2 multi-game console. That was awesome.
 

jboking

New member
Oct 10, 2008
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Sony and MS really should contact this guy about making portable 360's and ps3's
 

Andronicus

Terror Australis
Mar 25, 2009
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I've been checking through all the entries in his showcase, and he's quite the entrepreneur. Although most of his projects are just stuffing consoles into smaller, protable cases, I especially enjoyed reading about projects to benefit disabled gamers, such as the one handed XBox 360 controller.

I wonder if he sells overseas...
 

DrunkWithPower

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Apr 17, 2009
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I can't even take a controller apart to clean it, I doubt I would be able to convert a PS3 into a laptop. Even if it's remove guts from old case to new case, I would break it.
 

Joshimodo

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Sep 13, 2008
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I really need to commission a conversion from him. Uncharted 2 would be so much smoother with a 360 controller. He's pricey though, and when he pulls this kind of stuff, you can see why.