A 5-inch jigsaw piece of copper could be the difference between life and death -- if you're playing "Call of Duty" or "Halo" on an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.
Coy Christmas had the big idea behind IntensaFIRE 2.0, the piece that can be incorporated into a video game controller that allows the trigger on a shooter game to function as a rapid-fire weapon, instead of one virtual bullet per squeeze. The concept is one of many that Christmas has knocked around, and it has received mentions from online gaming resources such as Engadget and Uber Gizmo.
"People play games and want to be able to shoot faster," Christmas said.
You won't find the modification, which is about a 5-minute assembly involving glue and a screwdriver, at Best Buy or other places that sell new video game consoles. This kind of accessory voids a warranty, like anything that alters the original makeup of a piece of video gaming equipment.
Christmas sells the product at his online store (www.bgrmods.com).
The legitimacy of the modification depends on the gamer's personal code: What Christmas calls "an edge" probably wouldn't be allowed in a tournament situation, he concedes.
"Our biggest critics are our biggest fans," Christmas said. "They're like: 'That's cheating. ... Can I buy one?'"
He said he has sold more than 100,000 kits.
