In a display of innovation and craftsmanship, hardware modder and woodworker Redherring32 has unveiled what might be the ultimate piece of gaming nostalgia: a handheld Xbox console. This isn’t just any handheld—it’s crafted directly from a modified motherboard of the original Xbox. Sporting a 9-inch 480p display, this one-of-a-kind device supports Wi-Fi 6 for Xbox Live networking and features a 100W PD USB-C port for swift charging.
The project stands out in the Xbox community as one of the most daring modifications yet, marking the first true conversion of an Xbox into a handheld form. It’s a departure from the usual handheld modifications seen with PlayStation and Nintendo home consoles.
With rumors swirling about an official handheld Xbox possibly in the pipeline, it’s amusing that an enthusiast has preemptively brought such an idea to life—thus besting Microsoft if they indeed have similar plans. Naturally, any official product from Microsoft would focus on delivering modern gaming experiences, moving far beyond the 480p graphics of the original Xbox. However, this wasn’t the first time someone attempted to upscale the classic console, as seen in previous mods that brought Halo 2 to life in 720p.
Redherring32’s effort to repurpose the original Xbox into a handheld is nothing short of remarkable. Through a Twitter thread, we get a peek into the meticulous process, which involved cleverly trimming the Xbox motherboard and crafting twelve custom PCBs precisely for this venture.
Moreover, Redherring32 is preparing to launch a GitHub page that will eventually host the “full source for all of the PCBs,” turning the project into an open-source venture when the time is right. Enthusiasts can also look forward to a video and a gameplay demo accompanying this ambitious project, although they’re still in the works.
This groundbreaking development in the world of gaming mods reminds us that other consoles have undergone similar transformations into compact entities. In fact, Redherring32 is no stranger to such feats, having previously created open-source projects like the “TinyTendo” and the “PicoPad,” which are a handheld NES project and the smallest NES controller ever created, respectively.
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