What just happened? Likely tired waiting for a Microsoft portable console, one crafty modder took matters into his own hands. Redherring32 has managed to create the world's first portable Xbox based on the original console, while detailing all the process through a series of posts on X.
Hardware tinkerer Redherring32 took the guts from a legitimate Xbox motherboard and packed it all into a surprisingly compact handheld form factor.
To be clear – this isn't a software emulation or some knockoff PC handheld, it took some real hardware skills and custom PCBs to make this possible. It appears pretty well made, too, with a level of polish you can only expect from an officially-produced unit and the kind of design that'd go extremely well with the Xbox model that started it all.
I built a portable Xbox.
– Redherring32 (@redherring32) October 18, 2024
This isn't a PC handheld, it isn't emulation, this is a real motherboard from a real Xbox. It has a 9" 480p display, pure digital video/audio, 100W USB C charge and play, and I'm currently adding WiFi 6 for wireless Xbox Live functionality.
Yes, really. pic.twitter.com/yK7p0vPqUn
Upfront, the console rocks a 9-inch 480p display. It also features 100 watt USB-C charging that juices up a lithium-ion battery (capacity unknown) and even an integrated, fully-functional Xbox controller.
Of course, pulling off this kind of modding was no walk in the park. Redherring32 says he had to reverse engineer and redesign numerous printed circuit boards from scratch, not to mention figure out how to reliably trim down the chunky Xbox motherboard into a portable footprint. Only very specific motherboard models were even compatible. The process took a whopping four months.
"I had to research Xbox motherboard trimming completely from scratch, a task that took me a bit over 4 months. Nobody had ever tried it before," he wrote. He also added that the project is made possible by 12 different "fully custom" PCBs he designed.
Next up, Redherring32 plans to add Wi-Fi 6 support for wireless Xbox Live multiplayer on-the-go.
If you wish to follow on this legend's footsteps, he has made the entire design open source, including a detailed guide, schematics, and PCB source files. However, actually assembling one of these could be a big technical challenge.
It's worth mentioning that Xbox boss Phil Spencer has been dropping not-so-subtle hints about wanting a portable Xbox for years now. Just last June, he name-dropped handhelds like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally, praising their ability to play games locally.
"I think we should have a handheld, too," he told IGN in an interview.
However, actual work on such a device doesn't seem to have kicked off yet over at Microsoft HQ. With the handheld gaming market continuing to surge, though, the tease feels like the biggest signal yet. For now, this bodacious creation will suffice.
The first-ever portable Xbox is here, thanks to one very dedicated modder
