What simply occurred? Seemingly drained ready for a Microsoft moveable console, one artful modder took issues into his personal arms. Redherring32 has managed to create the world’s first moveable Xbox primarily based on the unique console, whereas detailing all the method by way of a collection of posts on X.
{Hardware} tinkerer Redherring32 took the heart from a legit Xbox motherboard and packed all of it right into a surprisingly compact handheld type issue.
To be clear – this is not a software program emulation or some knockoff PC handheld, it took some actual {hardware} expertise and customized PCBs to make this attainable. It seems fairly effectively made, too, with a degree of polish you may solely count on from an officially-produced unit and the form of design that’d go extraordinarily effectively with the Xbox mannequin that began all of it.
I constructed a conveyable Xbox.
This is not a PC handheld, it is not emulation, this can be a actual motherboard from an actual Xbox. It has a 9″ 480p show, pure digital video/audio, 100W USB C cost and play, and I am at the moment including WiFi 6 for wi-fi Xbox Reside performance.Sure, actually. pic.twitter.com/yK7p0vPqUn
– Redherring32 (@redherring32) October 18, 2024
Upfront, the console rocks a 9-inch 480p show. It additionally options 100 watt USB-C charging that juices up a lithium-ion battery (capability unknown) and even an built-in, fully-functional Xbox controller.
In fact, pulling off this type of modding was no stroll within the park. Redherring32 says he needed to reverse engineer and redesign quite a few printed circuit boards from scratch, to not point out determine methods to reliably trim down the chunky Xbox motherboard into a conveyable footprint. Solely very particular motherboard fashions have been even appropriate. The method took a whopping 4 months.
“I needed to analysis Xbox motherboard trimming fully from scratch, a job that took me a bit over 4 months. No person had ever tried it earlier than,” he wrote. He additionally added that the mission is made attainable by 12 totally different “totally customized” PCBs he designed.
Subsequent up, Redherring32 plans so as to add Wi-Fi 6 help for wi-fi Xbox Reside multiplayer on-the-go.
When you want to comply with on this legend’s footsteps, he has made the complete design open supply, together with an in depth information, schematics, and PCB supply recordsdata. Nonetheless, truly assembling one in all these might be a giant technical problem.
It is value mentioning that Xbox boss Phil Spencer has been dropping not-so-subtle hints about wanting a conveyable Xbox for years now. Simply final June, he name-dropped handhelds just like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally, praising their potential to play video games domestically.
“I feel we should always have a handheld, too,” he instructed IGN in an interview.
Nonetheless, precise work on such a tool does not appear to have kicked off but over at Microsoft HQ. With the hand-held gaming market persevering with to surge, although, the tease seems like the largest sign but. For now, this bodacious creation will suffice.
