Microsoft inactive can’t fig retired whether oregon not to marque an Xbox handheld. Sure, it’s ne'er made a existent attempt, but if the Redmond tech elephantine wants inspiration, it should look nary further than this DIYer who crafted his ain beauteous handheld based connected the archetypal Xbox from the halcyon days of 2001. The Xbox Steam Deck-like uses the console’s existent motherboard and volition play immoderate of the games that came retired implicit its eight-year lifespan. Before you ask, the creator is moving connected adding WiFi connectivity truthful it tin instrumentality to Halo 2 multiplayer implicit a revitalized mentation of Xbox Live.
The handheld Xbox is simply a big, achromatic ceramic machine, but it takes truthful galore plan cues from the archetypal console that it could person travel consecutive from the drafting committee of Seamus Blackley and the other Xbox creators. The console’s creator, who goes by Redherring32 online, said the handheld sports a ample 9-inch 480p display. The task required him to trim an archetypal Xbox motherboard down to size, which took him 4 full months to do. Now, he’s providing a guide for anybody who wants to bash the same.
Over Discord, Redherring32 told Gizmodo he’s been mostly utilizing it to play Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2. It’s taken a batch of effort to get here, and helium said, “The thought of playing Halo: CE portably is 1 of the things that kept maine going connected this project.”
The developer archetypal became funny successful the “portablizing” country aft helium watched YouTuber Shank Mods’ 2018 video, wherever helium ported a Wii into an Altoids tin. The Nintendo Wii has proved surprisingly scalable, but the Xbox hasn’t received the aforesaid treatment. Redherring decided to commencement connected the task past twelvemonth for the 2023 BitBuilt Summer Building Competition, and he’s reentered the project again for this year. The finalists for the indie developer contention won’t beryllium revealed until Nov. 8.
Looking astatine the task now, I consciousness nostalgic for those unusual black-and-white buttons connected the archetypal Xbox controller. The decorator told maine the ammunition is an archetypal plan 3D-printed from industrial-level plastic. Redherring provided the files if you privation to people 1 yourself. Inside, the pared-down motherboard is combined with 12 customized PCBs for each the assorted controls and components. The task is afloat unfastened source, and you tin download each the files for your ain handheld connected the creator’s GitHub.
Of course, the size volition bounds its functionality. The instrumentality usually gets astir 1.5 hours of playtime, though it supports up to 100W of USB-C charging. It doesn’t see a disc drive, but Redherring said helium tin load games onto its interior 128 GB microSD card. The decorator added that helium plans to physique a CompactFlash for retention and—eventually—an M.2 SATA SSD.
Redherring speculated helium could usage the USB-C larboard to connect a abstracted controller for section multiplayer, but you’d astir apt extremity up shouldering your person for abstraction connected the 9-inch screen.
The WiFi transportation is different tricky task requiring an extra PCB, but the handheld tin link to Xbox Live with that installed. Well, it won’t link to the archetypal mentation that went offline successful 2010. There’s Insignia, a task founded by a radical of archetypal Xbox fans that brings backmost the Live servers alongside immoderate outer leaderboards.
If anything, the Xbox Live connectivity and the committedness of returning to Halo 2 console multiplayer would enactment maine implicit the edge. Yes, I tin get my hole with Halo: The Master Chief Collection, but for purity’s sake, there’s thing similar going backmost to the original. I wonderment if anybody inactive plays ad-hoc Zombies based solely connected the grant system.