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The Wii Laptop

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the because-you-can dept.

An anonymous reader writes "This Wii laptop was 3 months in the making and cost around £300. Check out the Ben Heck forums for more information." The insides look a little bit wobbly to me, but you sure gotta respect the hack.

57 comments

  1. I'd love to see... by damn_registrars · · Score: 0

    ... someone do Wii boxing with a laptop.

    I suspect he made this primarily because he is Ben Heck, and this is the kind of thing he does. Nonetheless I can't help but ask "what is the point".

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
    1. Re:I'd love to see... by Darkness404 · · Score: 2, Informative

      The thing is, with Ben Heck all he has to do is attract the attention of one or two people with some cash about it and he has made a pretty good profit on it. They aren't mass produced items that have to appeal to most of the population but rather rare, specialty items that if he finds even one buyer he has made money.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    2. Re:I'd love to see... by Thyamine · · Score: 1

      I often think that as well with the hacks. All that time and effort to put it in a different case/shell/etc. I certainly can appreciate it to some extent, but mostly I just think 'Really?'

      --
      I will shred my adversaries. Pull their eyes out just enough to turn them towards their mewing, mutilated faces. Illyria
    3. Re:I'd love to see... by Wannabe+Code+Monkey · · Score: 4, Informative

      I suspect he made this primarily because he is Ben Heck, and this is the kind of thing he does. Nonetheless I can't help but ask "what is the point".

      It was posted to the benheck.com forums, but I don't think it was actually Ben Heck. My first clue was that this Wii based laptop is bulkier than Ben's XBox 360 Laptop, my second clue was that Ben Heck doesn't sound like a 15 year old British kid, and my third clue was that I didn't think Ben Heck would use the handle OMGpedobear on his own forums.

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      We always knew Comcast was corrupt, here's the proof: http://tech.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1909890&cid=34545432
    4. Re:I'd love to see... by TheThiefMaster · · Score: 3, Informative

      This link goes to Ben Heck's version (credit to this post from further down the page). It's considerably smaller and better-built.

    5. Re:I'd love to see... by phantomflanflinger · · Score: 2, Funny

      "What ith the point?"! Ath he clearly demonthrateth, thith Wii Laptop Mod ith tho thuper thecthy! Focthy chickth jutht love thith!

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      shin phantomflanflinger
    6. Re:I'd love to see... by BattleApple · · Score: 4, Informative

      Another clue is that 5 seconds into the video he says "It's built out of expanded PVC, like Ben's"

    7. Re:I'd love to see... by Gruuk · · Score: 1

      The point is like in any other hobby: because to the person indulging in said hobby, it's fun.

      It doesn't have to be fun to anyone else; I don't find anything entertaining about knitting, yet millions knit because they like to. Good for them.

      --
      De gustibus et coloribus non est disputandum
    8. Re:I'd love to see... by Tukz · · Score: 1

      Well, it would still be kinda cool to have alongside a bunch of the old Nintendo classics they offer.
      No need for motion sensor there, just a classic gamepad and you got yourself a ... wait.. huge GBA, heh.

      --
      - Don't do what I do, it's probably not healthy nor safe. -
    9. Re:I'd love to see... by ciderVisor · · Score: 1

      Thanks for the idea, Bro' !

      Slinks off to program up Wii Knitting and make a fortune !.

      --
      Squirrel!
    10. Re:I'd love to see... by Darkness404 · · Score: 1

      Or you know.... you could get a laptop and emulators ;) and you can get a lot more games and systems.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
  2. Slashdotted already by kirill.s · · Score: 0

    Since when do we RTFA before posting comments?

    1. Re:Slashdotted already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Thank goodness for Coral CDN. As it turns out, it's a YouTube video so viewing the actual forum post isn't really worth it.

  3. He better look out about that pinball game he is b by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He better look out about that pinball game he is building as taking it to public show may get him some legal trouble.

  4. 'Go outside and play' get's a whole new meaning. by wheelema · · Score: 2, Funny

    If this went into production it might go a long way towards curing vitamin D deficiencies in isolated socially inept recluses.

  5. The Wii Server by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    On related news, the server hosting forums.benheck.com is also a Wii.

    1. Re:The Wii Server by TheSpoom · · Score: 1

      Considering that you can run Linux on a Wii, and the Wii has built-in wireless, it's quite possible.

      --
      It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
      - E. Debs
  6. News? by qoncept · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Ben Heck has made about 8 different laptops out of every console ever made. Why is this one being posted?

    --
    Whale
    1. Re:News? by maxume · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So we can make comments about it.

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    2. Re:News? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ben Heck has made about 8 different laptops out of every console ever made. Why is this one being posted?

      And why is any of that interesting? I mean, sure, I get the whole "making B out of A just because you can" thing, but seriously? Making a working grandfather clock out of Lego— that's cool. But making a computer out of, well, basically another computer— doesn't sound even remotely interesting.

    3. Re:News? by Patch86 · · Score: 1

      I'm not finding myself all that impressed, strangely. It's cool and all, and fiddly work too, but I'm not sure how ground breaking it is.

      I mean correct me if I'm wrong, but all he's done is remove the console's case, stick all the internals down into a new thinner case, and attach to said case a hinged screen and keyboard. I mean I doubt I could do it, but I can't imagine you'd have to look too hard for someone who can (it certainly shouldn't be beyond the abilities of a lot of the Slashdot crowd).

    4. Re:News? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      theres a lot lot lot more to it than that, making it thinner is no mean feat.

    5. Re:News? by DreadPirateAwesome · · Score: 1

      it would certainly be nice to see the reason why this one's so special

  7. Houraaaay!!!! by ZeroExistenZ · · Score: 2, Funny

    [Zoidberg voice] Houray! We are discussing youtube videos on slashdot! Now it might be time to show off my LARGER model of a slight smaller original model the thing I made and posted on youtube to show off!!! Finally recognition of my geniality!! It will be MINEEE!!!
    [Fry] But can I play wii while I'm walking around?
    [Zoidberg] No... You don't have your arms free while you are carrying it

    --
    I think we can keep recursing like this until someone returns 1
    1. Re:Houraaaay!!!! by mwvdlee · · Score: 4, Insightful

      He's made it like this so you can take it along to other peoples' places and play it there.

      Now if only he had a TV output, that would be more useful. Then he could just leave the screen off too. A detachable bar would be handy to put on top of the TV and perhaps he could also have a detachable keyboard. Then it could be a bit smaller too, kind of the size of 2 or 3 DVD boxes sounds about right. Basically if he transformed his Wii laptop into a Wii, it'd be much more usable.

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      Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
    2. Re:Houraaaay!!!! by Mister+Whirly · · Score: 1

      Funny, I was thinking exactly the same thing. The Wii as a console is pretty damn portable already.

      --
      "But this one goes to 11!"
    3. Re:Houraaaay!!!! by Thud457 · · Score: 1

      no wifi, less storage than a Nomad, lam... oops, what?

      what's up with the laptop form-factor for a system with games designed to have you jump around the room waving your magic rod like an idiot?!!
      Come on, at least toss in one of those newfangled LED projectors like the kids have in their cellamaphones these days!

      --

      the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

    4. Re:Houraaaay!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's not a bad idea actually, you could make a dock for the Wii to plug into with the dock providing battery power and the projector, and make/buy a battery powered sensor bar to stick to wherever you are projecting on to. This way you don't even need to rip apart to Wii to do it.

      Although you don't really need to jump around to play the games, you can play perfectly well with small amounts of motion, particularly on games like the New Super Mario Brothers where you only use the motion for a spin jump, to pick things up and control tilting platforms, all of which you can do sitting down.

  8. Not News. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's Ben Heck.
    Why wouldn't they?

    1. Re:Not News. by danhuby · · Score: 3, Informative

      Except it's not Ben Heck, it's 'OMGpedobear'.

    2. Re:Not News. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wouldn't know. Corporate firewall tells me I can't RTFA.

      Also, lol, wut.

  9. Re:'Go outside and play' get's a whole new meaning by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, you cant see the screen in sunlight. You would have to wait until night, and then you might as well go inside for all the vitamin D you are getting.

  10. Dirty by Ziekheid · · Score: 2, Informative

    Next time you post a video on the internet make sure you vacuum the floor.
    Also try relaxing before filming it so you don't sound like you've just ran marathon.

    1. Re:Dirty by Grizzley9 · · Score: 1

      And hold the camera still or get a tripod. I couldn't watch past 20 seconds. Too annoying.

    2. Re:Dirty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      While we're picking on him, does he have to do the nerd lischthp?

    3. Re:Dirty by eln · · Score: 3, Informative

      He was obviously very excited to tell everyone about his creation. A more level-headed person probably would have at least put batteries in the Wiimote before shooting the video, or even done another take without so much shaking. Honestly, a more level-headed person probably would have made a second version of the device without the nonfunctioning battery stuck in it and the upside down CD drive before unveiling it to the world, but we take what we can get.

      It's a cool hack from someone who obviously was way too excited and probably should have taken a few deep breaths before setting the camera rolling. Despite all that, though, it's pretty neat. I'm kind of curious where the motion sensor is though, which is why I'm a little disappointed that there was no interaction with the wiimote shown. If the motion sensor is still external to the device, it becomes quite a bit less useful.

    4. Re:Dirty by mwvdlee · · Score: 1

      You don't even need to get a tripod if you're cheap, just put it on a stack of books at a slight angle (perhaps on top of the old Wii casing).
      I stopped watching the video halfway because I was getting seasick.

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      Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
    5. Re:Dirty by hemlock00 · · Score: 1

      Also buy some batteries. Why even shoot a video with out having some AA's for your wiimote?!?

    6. Re:Dirty by ZERO1ZERO · · Score: 1

      OMGItsPedobear. Just the kind of name for a Wii laptop developer.

    7. Re:Dirty by idontgno · · Score: 1

      On that subject, why do speech impediments like lisping and rhotacism have names that are pretty much impossible for a sufferer to pronounce without triggering the impediment?

      "Yeah, my thpeech thewapitht thays I have a lithp and a wotacism."

      --
      Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
    8. Re:Dirty by adamofgreyskull · · Score: 1

      I think the two infrared LEDs were under the screen. Which I guess is what you mean by "motion sensor". The bar that sits on top of the TV is just two infrared leds, powered from the Wii. All motion detection is done in the wiimote. The wiimote detects the IR leds and based on where the two dots appear, and their orientation, and how it was calibrated initially, it calculates what on the screen you're pointing at, and communicates this to the Wii via bluetooth.

    9. Re:Dirty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Firstly, because they're descriptive terms. I'd guess that "lisp" is an onomonipeic word, while "rhotacism" (according to the wikipedia article you linked) is from the greek letter rho, our R equivilant. Seconedly, because the people who HAVE lisps and rhotacisms don't ussually need to go around telling people they have them. I had a rhotacism until I was 15, and everyone who ever heard me talk knew it. Thirdly, because the terms are medical lingo, at least in the case of rhotacism, made by and for people in the medical industry to refer to a problem of someone else. Do you think one thirteen year old telling another one he has a rhotacism is going to pass any infomation on? I didn't even know the word existed until you used it just now, and I have a relativly large vocabulary, not to mention personal interest. Fourly, we all got that "Isn't it funny that...?!?!" email forever ago. Hey, you also drive on a parkway and park on a driveway! LOL!

  11. hmmmm??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    my question is If he can make a WORKING laptop out of anything ... why doesnt he work for dell???? they can use the help >_>

  12. Summary Should Include... by BiggoronSword · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Summary should include link to this article made back in 2007.

    --
    interactive hologram, or it didn't happen.
    1. Re:Summary Should Include... by TheThiefMaster · · Score: 1

      Yeah, that one (Ben Heck's) is much better than this new one.

    2. Re:Summary Should Include... by ZosX · · Score: 1

      waaaaaay nicer. ben heck is THE master at modding consoles into a portable format.

      --
      zosxavius photography
  13. Impressive? by Enderandrew · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The wii is a very small system. What I find impressive is when he takes much larger systems that run pretty hot and find ways to rebuild them into much smaller form factors.

    --
    http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
  14. Really? by iroll · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    The insides look a little bit wobbly to me, but you sure gotta respect the hack.

    Believe it or not, you don't.

    --
    Repetition does not transform a lie into the truth. - FDR
  15. Very cool by beatle11 · · Score: 0

    Nicely done...could definitely be improved but that's a great start and a great hack.

  16. Nice Job by sexconker · · Score: 0

    He managed to make the Wii larger, uglier, less portable, and less functional (no GC controller ports, etc.).

  17. Because the Wii is otherwise such an unwieldy box by gelfling · · Score: 1

    What with being about 5x8" and maybe 3 lbs plus another 3 lb power supply.

  18. Re: Because the Wii is otherwise such an unwieldy by sorak · · Score: 2, Funny

    What with being about 5x8" and maybe 3 lbs plus another 3 lb power supply.

    Maybe if he squeezed a balance board in there, somewhere, it would be an achievement.

  19. Re:'Go outside and play' get's a whole new meaning by xOneca · · Score: 1

    Don't you know Gameboy?

  20. eh?!? by DABANSHEE · · Score: 1

    Going by the picts the Wii lapy appears to be quite thinner than the 360 lapy

  21. Maybe he was hanging out? by DABANSHEE · · Score: 1

    & needed to wack up some opioids, drop some benzos or had the DTs 'n needed the hair of the dog or something. Or ran out of ciggies & didn't find any bumpers on the footpath ot front. Who knows, I assume he's just human like the rest of us ('Speak for your self' my red n' tan Kelpy just nodded)

  22. eh?!? by DABANSHEE · · Score: 1

    Someone told me the Wii remote has 2 or 3 of those electronic surface mount 'nano' gyros similar to what those Sedgeway thingos have.

  23. All I want to know is... by mix77 · · Score: 1

    Why?