We’ve seen lots of incredible gaming systems by Ben Heck in the past, but here’s a rundown of our favorite Atari projects — includes the custom-built Jaguar above. Continue reading to see them all. Click here for first picture in gallery.
Atari Jaguar Portable
This custom-built device features a CNC-machined case, PS1 TFT-LCD screen, controller, stereo speakers, and even a Jaguar sticker to top things off. Here’s a short bit from his work log:
I will give the Jag points for one thing though – the keypad was much easier to work with than the one in the Colecovision. Next I slapped in the versatile PS1 screen – it’s a pretty nice screen and you can usually find them for $50 or less on eBay. One its coolest features is the ability to take an RGB signal which is handy because the Jaguar outputs this
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VCSp Rev. 5.1
Unlike the original system, this portable Atari 2600 features a 3.5-inch LED backlit display, a custom-built case, 2P controller port, and a built-in speaker.
On the X-Y this unit is almost as small as the Rev 7 I made a few months back, but it has the added bonus of being just over an inch thick. (1.08″ to be precise) It�s by far the skinniest Atari portable I’ve done yet, and it�s funny to think back to when I was making then 2 inches thick
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Atari 2600 Portable
One of Ben Heck’s earliest Atari creations, the Atari 2600 portable “has four silver switches in front, a cartridge slot in the middle, and the difficulty switches and joystick ports on the back.”
The simplest Atari console to convert into a portable and the one we’ll be covering is the Atari VCS 2600 4-switch. It has one PCB inside
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NEStari
At the flip of a switch, gamers can switch between NES and Atari 2600 games with Ben Heck’s NEStari — basically an NES console and Atari 2600 stuffed into a custom fabricated case.
How advanced is that? I’m sure you’re all amazed. Actually this probably the most difficult “small” portable I’ve ever done. Lots of crap to wire up. Oh and it also uses a hacked-up Flashback 2 (the Atari on a chip thing) instead of an original 2600
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