Game Console Hacking

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Summary: Breathe new life into your old classics...
Review: Have you got an old Atari 2600 sitting around that you don't know what to do with? Game Console Hacking will give you some interesting ideas on how to recycle those old gaming consoles.

Chapter list: Tools of the Warranty-Voiding Trade; Case Modifications: Building an Atari 2600PC; The Xbox; PlayStation 2; Nintendo Game Boy Advance; Gamepark 32 (GP32); Nintendo NES; Atari 2600; Atari 5200; Atari 7800; Electrical Engineering Basics; Coding 101; Operating Systems; Index

Although I'm not into gaming so much any more, my kids have had most of the more recent consoles at one time or another. And growing up, I had one of the Atari 2600. But after the latest and greatest comes out, the older gaming systems end up gathering dust. Game Console Hacking is an interesting book on things you can do to breathe new life into the old classics. This book is heavy on altering hardware components, so you need to be comfortable with a screwdriver and a soldiering iron. But even if you're not as experienced in that area as you'd like, the book has an abundance of photos to show exactly what you should be doing at any given point in the process. At the end of each chapter, there's also a section on homebrew game development as well as additional resources on the Web for that particular console. So even if you're not wanting to hack your hardware, you will be able to find information to push your gaming fun even further.

For me, my favorite hack was using an Atari 2600 console to contain a full-blown PC. I thought that was just too cool. I could imagine showing up at a user group meeting to do some software demo with an Atari 2600 under my arm, and blowing people away when I boot it up as a regular PC. I don't know that I'll get around to doing it, but it's an intriguing idea.

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Summary: More hardware hacking books pleaseeeee!
Review: I just received this book days ago and I have read it cover to cover, of course I haven't been able to do all the hacks since it means cracking open many of my systems, but I was especially excited about the Atari 2600 stuff, since I am more into old programming and hacking. This book is one of a kind and I am glad people are starting to write books and develop products that show people how the hardware works as well as the software. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to experiment with hacking their consoles, also the book is fascinating as a general read. And if you liked this definitely check out "Hackers" by levy, "supercade" by burnham, "once upon Atari" DVD and definitely check out the XGAMESTATION retro game system at www.xgamestation.com if you want to build some oldschool game hardware.




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Summary: Combining the best of hardware hacking and videogame systems
Review: OK, I'm a little biased because I wrote the book, but Game Console Hacking (GCH) intends to be a fun, educational, and interesting guide to modifying video game consoles and accessories to do things they weren't originally intended to do. The book covers a wide range of systems, from the classic/retro Atari 2600 to the teenaged Nintendo NES to the modern Xbox and PlayStation 2 (other systems include the Game Boy Advance, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, and Gamepark GP32). The projects range from simple to complex, some requiring hardware/electronics skills and other requiring nothing but your video game system. The book guides you through a number of step-by-step projects with copious amounts of pictures and contains chapters on the tools required for the warranty voiding trade and a basic introduction to electronics. GCH was written as a follow-up to Hardware Hacking: Have Fun While Voiding Your Warranty, which was a more general look at modifying various consumer electronics. GCH specifically targets video game systems, as the name implies, and combines the best aspects of hardware hacking and modifications into a single book. I recommend the book to anyone with a curiousity about modifying their video game systems and wondering what actually goes on "under the hood".

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Summary: Describes all the main platforms
Review: The audience for this book is quite specialised and self-selecting. I say the latter because the hardware hacks described seem purely for the pleasure of the person doing them. It is unlikely that you would have a job that lets you do these things full time, by selling what you make. On the other hand, if I'm wrong, that's terrific for you!

The authors survey the main game consoles currently in the market. Plus a few classic systems that are still available out there. Each platform gets detailed attention. Step by step, showing how to dismantle the hardware and make your changes. Without trashing the system, or having it be an electrical hazard. Though, as the book forewarns, most of the hacks will void any current warranty. But you probably already knew that, eh?

The book is also handy for a history of each platform. Plus, in an incidental way, if your console is busted, the book may help you diagnose the problem. And even suggest a simple repair.

Rating:
Summary: Major Hacks for Game Console Machines
Review: This is a fascinating, over-sized book that is filled with major hacks for various of today's video game consoles, including the Xbox, PlayStation 2, Nintendo NES, along with the Atari and Gamepark 32. The material assumes some degree of comfort with electronics and electrical engineering, although you do not of course have to be an electrical engineer to perform the hacks. You will need to be comfortable with working with integrated circuits, electrical assembly, soldering wires, and dis-assembling electronic devices. Of course, you will also need to be comfortable with possibly ruining beyond repair the discussed device, if you fail to successfully complete the described hacks.

This is a highly specialized book that specifically targets a unique audience, namely those confident in their skills and abilities to follow the excellent hacking instructions and step-by-step "how to hack" photographs that are replete throughout this important book.