There was once a time when the word ‘Mod’ conjured images of someone who listened to The Who a little too often and had a powerful lust for Lambretta scooters. For Ben Heck, facile pop rock and miniature two wheeled death traps are distractions that he can ill afford, especially when he is already putting his time to such good use.

Familiarity with Heck’s crusade to ‘make mobile’ that which is usually stationary is not a pre-requisite for appreciating just how ingenious some of his mods are. The latest to fly from his work bench is a portable reconfiguration of the Atari 2600 home system. Although decidedly chunky in stature, the snappily named Rev 7, is finished with the professional sheen that has become the distinguishing hallmark of Heck’s works and evidence of his clear love of all things gaming old and new.

If only we could all pick our natural talents; I think Heck’ particular skill would be pretty high up on the list for me (alongside dancing and lion taming), as it stands it looks like I am stuck with calligraphy and the nose flute. Truly, there is no justice in this world.

The Atari Video Computer System (VCS) was introduced to the American public in 1977 and was a phenomenal success for Atari and it’s parent company Warner Communications. What this innovative product did was to spawn a new hobby for young and old alike. This cartridge-based video game system could be hooked up to any standard television (either color or monochrome) and easy enough for kids to play and use. Atari even produced the system for Sears as the ‘Telegame Video Arcade.’ In 1982, the income generated by the VCS and related products generated two-thirds of Warner’s profits! The popularity of this game system shouldn’t be under-estimated. The VCS was so wildly embraced by families everywhere that many referred to it as the ‘third television network’ by many at that time. It remained the game system to own for many years and is still sought out by gamers and collectors alike. While this system was released to a market that knew Atari’s previous successful products, the VCS introduced this new hobby called video gaming to a huge new segment of that had never experienced it before! The VCS (developed by Atari’s founder Nolan Bushnell-the father of video game industry) laid the foundation for video gaming that Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft enjoy now.

Programs for small computers were generally stored on cassette tape, disk, or paper tape. By the early 1970s, Hewlett Packard manufactured desktop computers costing thousands of dollars such as the HP 9830 which packaged ROM memory into removeable cartridges to add special programming features, and these were being considered for use in games. At first, the design was not going to be cartridge-based, but after seeing a “fake” cartridge system on another machine, they realized they could place the games on cartridges essentially for the price of the connector and packaging.

The crash of the video game market had red ink was gushing from all the video game system hardware manufacturers and software developers. Mattel bailed out of the video game market completely with the sale of its Mattel Electronics Division to employees. Coleco was headed for bankruptcy after a disastrous flirtation with home computers with a system called the ADAM. Most of the third party suppliers and software developers eventually went out of business. Even Atari was not immune to the crash and was totally unprepared to take measures . Faced with out-of-control expenses, Warner Communications sold its Atari Computer/Video Game Division to Jack Tramiel of Commodore 64 fame. His main concern was making Atari profitable by focusing on computers where he had knowledge of the market - coming straight from the success of the Commodore 64.

Created by Benjamin Heckendorn, the NEStari has build for himself a portable NES and Atari 2600 gamer combo. The gadget provides endless gaming fun on the go. The screen is a 3.5-inch LCD and he uses a rechargeable battery like all them portable these days. More pics after the break.

The handheld has a built-in 3.5-inch LCD screen, runs on rechargeable batteries, and has all the controls needed to play all your favorite 80’s console games. These days Ben usually builds his systems on commission, but he decided to just build this one on a whim, so he’s willing to let it go if the price is right.

The Atari Flashback Portable is a handheld Atari 2600 game console created by Curt Vendel and Legacy Engineering Group, creators of the Atari Flashback console units. Early information suggests it will be a small handheld device with 2.5″ TFT screen running approximately 15 hours on a set of three “AAA” batteries. Games are loaded into internal 2MB memory by use of a USB cable. The release date is projected as early 2008 with a retail price of approximately $40.

With great games available on both the Nintendo DS and PSP, who would want to give the Atari Flashback Portable a shot? Only the most hardcore video game fanatics will, and it ain’t half bad in terms of design actually. Coming in a form factor that measures a wee bit larger than your standard 2600 cartridge, the Atari Flashback Portable comes with a couple of controller ports for true local multiplayer gaming. A trio of AAA batteries will power this portable console for 15 hours, while a USB port will be made availabe in the final release, which is used for uploading games. Whether those games will need to be purchased or not remains to be seen. The screen ain’t half bad, boasting a resolution of 320 x 240.

Because we think old school games are more fun, we like this upcoming Atari Flashback Portable that bests previous flashbacks by going mobile. The compact package holds dozens of Atari games and requires no cartridges. What’s more, all games are uploaded using a USB port (although there aren’t any details yet on how that will happen) and it has two ports for joysticks, enabling two-player games. Designed by Curt Vendel (who also heads up the online Atari History Museum), the unit will run on three AAA batteries giving it a 15-hour life and it includes an AV output for TV or headphones. There’s no word yet on when it will come out, but we bet it will be at least in time for the holidays.

Play B3YOND™ your wildest dreams with the unparalleled PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Featuring blistering processing speeds, eye-popping graphics and up to 7.1 channels of digital surround sound, the future of gaming has arrived. Powered by the revolutionary Cell Broadband Engine™ and featuring a built-in Blu-ray Disc™ drive, you’ll experience a whole new generation in high definition gaming and digital media. Enjoy the pristine picture quality of Blu-ray Disc™ movies featuring Full HD 1080p video and up to 7.1 channels of high resolution audio. The PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system is ready for the future with support for advanced HDMI™ v1.3 spec features such as xvColor™ and Deep Color. Plus, it will breath new life into your existing DVD collection with 1080p video upscaling.

The PLAYSTATION™3 computer entertainment system gives you unprecedented control, access and enjoyment of a full range of digital media. Stream and store your favorite MP3 music, pictures or videos from any Windows Media Center compatible PC*. Connect an optional compatible keyboard and mouse and surf the internet on your television**. The PLAYSTATION®3 80GB system also comes standard with exclusive features, including built-in 802.11 b/g wireless internet and slots for Memory Stick® media, SD (Secure Digital) cards and CompactFlash® memory.

The front of the PS3 has 4 USB slots for charging and pairing controllers. To “pair” the controllers means to associate that controller with your specific PS3, for, I guess, households with multiple PS3s…. Unlike the 360, the PS3 requires that your controllers be plugged in to the unit when you first pair them. Though a little inconvenient, you also have to re-pair them after any firmware updates. Once the controllers are paired, however, you don’t have to do it again. Next to the USB ports you’l find two LEDs, one indicating WLAN access, and the other for HDD activity. Now, let’s flip it around to the backside.

Standard, the Sony PS3 is supplied with a power supply cable, USB cable, Ethernet cable, AV adapter and an AV cable. A lot has been said and written about the lacking of a HDMI cable, but let’s just say that it is a pity that such a cable doesn’t come with the standard equipment. Besides the documentation, a SIXAXIS wireless controller is supplied, to operate the PS3.

One thing that Sony can’t be criticised for is the amount of functionality that the PlayStation 3 offers. It really is so much more than just a games console, which is fine, assuming that you want to do so much more than play games. The PS3 really does have the makings to be the hub of your home entertainment setup, while it also has the potential to expand its capabilities considerably over the months and years. Even though I consider myself a particularly cynical and jaded technology hack, I was pleasantly surprised when I got my paws on a full retail PlayStation 3 a while back. But that’s not to say that I think that Sony is set to blow away the competition, in fact I think that this third generation PlayStation will have a tougher fight than either of its predecessors.

From an aesthetic perspective, the Sony PSP is a gorgeous device. It’s one of those gadgets you immediately want to get your hands on but vigilantly want to protect once you set it down. Weighing essentially the same as the Nintendo DS (6.2 ounces, including removable battery) and measuring 6.7 by 2.9 by 0.9 inches (WHD), the body feels well built and solid in your hand. Although not a lightweight, it’s by no means a brick, nor, we suspect, would it be especially durable in a fall; you’ll want to treat the PSP just as gingerly as an iPod or a Palm-style PDA.

The PSP proves itself a good, not great, multimedia companion. For starters, we found that the headphone sound volume is not very high, which could be a problem for those listening to music or watching a movie on the subway. Storing music and photos on the Memory Stick Duo is not very intuitive. It is necessary first to create a main directory named PSP and subdirectories for music, photos, and video, or the PSP will not acknowledge that the files are present. You don’t get the full complement of playlist and EQ features you would see on a dedicated music player. And unlike with dedicated portable media players (such as the Archos Pocket Video Recorder line), there’s no way to capture video content from TV and get it on the PSP directly. Practically speaking, for video you’ll be limited to what comes out on UMD.

Games and officially licensed movies come on Sony’s proprietary UMD (Universal Media Disc) media, which are housed in protective cartridges. The UMD drive is grafted to the back of the unit; you load it and snap it shut just as you would a camcorder. The top edge also sports infrared and a USB 2.0 port that you can use to link the device to your PC or Mac, though no USB connection cable is included.

On the plus side, you’ll never have to worry about having an outdated version of the system software: Simply connect to any wireless network with Internet access and choose Network Update. The PSP automatically goes out over the Internet to search for and apply the latest patches. That said, we wonder why a device that can get you online so easily lacks a built-in Web browser.

With dimensions of 1.1 inches tall by 23 inches wide by 6 inches deep, the revamped PlayStation 2 is downright tiny. In fact, it’s less than a quarter of the size of the original console. Sure, Sony cheated by off-loading some of the system’s bulk to an external power transformer (a laptop-style power-brick AC adapter), but the superslim miniconsole still represents an impressive feat of miniaturization. Another design compromise: the new PS2 is a top-loader. The disc bay pops open like a Discman, and you snap the disc onto a spindle. (Like the old PS2, the new one can be set up horizontally or vertically, though the latter configuration needs a special stand.) It looks a bit cheesy and requires extra headroom, but the spring-loaded disc door won’t fail as easily as the motorized tray found in your DVD player.

Backward compatibility with the original PlayStation games is a big reason for Sony users to stick with the PS2. The PS2 uses the original PlayStation?s CPU as its I/O processor. We played about a half-dozen PlayStation games on the PS2, and all played and looked pretty much the same as they did on our original PlayStation, though several seemed to be a bit more responsive on the PS2. The PlayStation 2 can use older PlayStation memory cards, but they work only with older PlayStation games. New cards are available that work with the PS2’s new memory format. The dual-shock controller also serves to control DVD playback–the drive in the PS2 handles standard DVD movies as well as games. Sony has built a lot of functionality into the PS2.

Connection to your television can be done by either composite, S-Video, or component video cabling. Video output and analog audio outputs are integrated into one bundle via an A/V Multi-Out. On tap for both video gaming and DVD playback is an optical digital output that can pass Dolby Digital and DTS bit-streams from corresponding discs. Included with the PS2 is a set of composite video/analog audio cables. But if you have the ability to take advantage of S-Video or component video connections, do it! The extra amount of detail afforded by the latter connections is worth every penny that the cables will cost you.