News, info, and opinion by Mac users, for Mac users.

April 15, 2008

geekery

One IIgs, to go

Posted Apr. 15, ’08, 8:37 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Geekery

IIgs LaptopSometimes I lie awake at night, thinking of the things that were not meant to be. Things like unicorns, holodecks, a third series of Spaced, and, of course, a laptop based on the Apple II platform. But thanks to the genius of modder extraordinaire Ben Heckendorn, one of those has stepped out of myth and into solid fact.

Ben Heck, as he’s known to the technical cognoscenti, is the genius behind numerous works of video game console hackery, like the portable Atari 2600, the NEStari, and, most recently, the the PlayStation 3 Portable. Now he’s turned his attention to the classic computer of yesteryear, the Apple IIgs, which he’s modded into a notebook form factor.

Using an original IIgs motherboard and RAM, the IIgs laptop has stereo speakers, a 15” LCD display, and, most importantly, can play Arkanoid II. There are also ports for floppy drive, mouse, and joystick. One side effect that us modern laptops may envy is the fact that the IIgs runs cool—as Heck puts it, “this machine gets about as hot as your average pocket calculator.” That’s right: it’s literally too cool for school.

Granted, this sucker probably weighs considerably more than your MacBook, let alone MacBook Air. But if I could go back in time with it, I’d totally be the envy of everybody in my third-grade class.

Look for a full “Making Of” piece at Heck’s blog sometime soon. In the meantime, hit the link above for all the pretty pictures.


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