element14 & Ben Heck help rock band users amp up their game

Ben soups up gameplay with modifications that help players feel as though they’re really on stage, including authentic gear controls and added stage effects to the Rock Band stage kit to create a true concert-like experience.

"Like many musical enthusiasts, I’ve logged numerous hours playing Rock Band, pretending that I’m performing in front of an expansive audience that loves me," said Ben Heck. "With the mods featured on this episode, I wanted to make gameplay more like an actual stage performance, adding more control to the instruments and integrating stage effects that you’d see at a rock concert – party lights and even a fog machine. It makes rockin’ out a blast!"

Ben also continues to work on his "big build," assembling the components of the modified Microsoft® Xbox 360 into a final product and showing the audience how it works. Show fans are invited to register at element14 for their last chance to win Ben’s signature Xbox 360 laptop before the entry deadline on Dec. 6. Fans are also encouraged to post their own ideas for future mods at www.element14.com/TBHS.

"Anyone that has picked up a Rock Band instrument and performed a song knows the liberating feeling that takes over – the one that makes you feel like you can quit your job and start a band," said Alisha Mowbray, senior vice president of marketing, element14. "This episode of ‘The Ben Heck Show’ amplifies that immersive experience, helping Rock Band enthusiasts really feel like they’re on center stage at Madison Square Garden."

"The Ben Heck Show" is a bi-weekly online television series dedicated to the science, art and mindset of system and hardware modders with a global audience of design engineers, students and electronic enthusiasts (e.g., tech geeks). Each episode spotlights Ben’s mods of popular electronic devices.