Modding consoles is quite the risky business. After all, whenever you take apart a console by yourself, you're voiding the warranty and it may not work after you put it back together. Ben Heckendorn (or Ben Heck, as he is more commonly known) is not that kind of modder. He is the modder that modders all aspire to be. Check out why and what he just did to a backwards-compatible Sony PS3 in the full article.

Dolby, a company famous among gamers for Dolby Digital 5.1, a technology used to deliver vivid sound on the Sony PlayStation 3, and the Microsoft Xbox 360 (don't forget Dolby Pro Logic II for the Nintendo Wii),  presented several technologies at the ICES that should deliver expansive sound experiences in consumer devices. The technologies demonstrated included the following:

Dolby Headphone – a technology that is set to offer virtual 5.1 surround over regular stereo headphones
Dolby Virtual Speaker – a technology that should provide compelling surround sound experience using any regular pair of stereo speakers
Audistry – a technology that offers a suite of audio enhancements that give a big boost to TV sound
Dolby Volume – a technology that promises to allow television makers to address to problem of having inconsistent loudness in broadcast TV.

Perhaps what is most pertinent to gamers though is that Dolby announced that it is collaborating with Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., to create and market a new category of game peripherals designed to deliver superior audio. At CES 2007, Dolby and Freescale demonstrated a new reference design for an Xbox 360 accessory cable that supports Dolby Headphone and Dolby Virtual Speaker.