GAME SYSTEMS

TO GO

Portabilizers take apart video game systems and turn them
into portable gaming units. By Howard Wen

Benjamin J. Heckendorn hacks video games, in into handhelds. (Most recently, he constructed a the most literal sense. The 29-year-old from portable PlayStation 2.)

Verona, Wisc., disassembles video game systems, His hobby has evolved into a book that was
cuts apart their circuit boards within, rewires them, released in early 2005, Hacking Video Games: A
and stuffs them into smaller, custom-made casings. Complete Guide for Turning Your Old Game Consoles
Adding battery power systems and an LCD display, Into Awesome New Portables. A do-it-yourself guide,
he transforms them into portable gaming units. the book features eight pre-designed projects the
Four years ago, while employed at a company reader can build. Systems covered include the Atari
that had computer-controlled machining equip- 2600, Nintendo Entertainment System, Super
ment, work turned to inspiration as he fashioned Nintendo, and PlayStation 1.
out a handheld casing to contain the circuitry of Don’t try to convince Heckendorn and his fel-
an Atari 2600 (also known as the Atari Video Com- low “portabilizers” that nowadays one can simply
puter System; see MAKE Volume 02, page 192). emulate many of the classic video game consoles
“I thought it would be a cool project in the memory on a PDA or handheld computer. To them, the guts
of the old Atari 2600,” he recalls. of the old systems are what make their hand-built
Heckendorn’s portable 2600 was somewhat gaming portables unique. “The best thing about
clunky, with a tiny LCD screen (cribbed from a using original hardware is that it makes for a more
handheld TV) and woodgrain exterior that evoked interesting story,” says Heckendorn. “The fact that
the original design styling of the 2600. But it had original parts are still used is intriguing to people.”
an antiquated, retro-cool charm about it. When
Heckendorn debuted his creation in 2001 on the Portabilizing Your Video
internet, it caused a buzz in the classic video games Game System: A Primer
community. Over time, he produced several refined Thinking about giving your old video game system
versions of the device, and sold a number of them. a second life as a portable? Here are five important
Other people, inspired by his work, made their points to keep in mind for portabilizing it:
own game portables — many out of systems besides
the Atari 2600. An online community centered on Wiring
the “portabilizing” of video game consoles emerged. In order to pack the original circuit boards of a video
Heckendorn himself turned other game consoles game system into a smaller case, the beginning