It’s not exactly a handheld, but in form and size it resembles one. James Channel’s bizarre DIY project combines hot glue, saws, and sheer determination.

James Channel revealed his homemade portable Xbox: he cut a console in half, attached halved controllers to the sides, and glued a screen on top. The device’s battery lasts just 9 minutes and 40 seconds. The 30-minute video showcases a mix of mad science, teaching moments, and chaotic tinkering. Starting with a non-working Xbox that flagged a faulty hard drive through its DVD drive, James replaced a resistor with four much larger ones, fixing it with hot glue. He hammered the console until the disc tray popped out, then disassembled it again and tossed the excess plastic aside.

The idea was to make the motherboard and essentials as compact as possible. The bulky hard drive was swapped for a CompactFlash drive, while an old iPod video dock was cannibalized for its screen and speakers. James then cut the Xbox controllers in half and attached them to the sides. The video is filled with soldering, transistor replacements, glue guns, and hand saws — the process was pure chaos.

A “portable monster” is born

After a three-week break, James made a final attempt. He discovered that seven of the eight Xbox drives he bought didn’t work, nor did the IDE connector he installed. Despite all the failures, the end result was indeed a “portable monster”: an open disc drive, controllers glued to the motherboard, and the whole thing held together with duct tape. The Xbox logo broke off but was glued back on. The only real drawback might be Phil Spencer’s deep sigh. Playing on a Steam Deck might be far simpler.

Source: PCGamer