Modder Turns Xbox One S Into a Laptop
By Boston Blake 16 January 2017
Well-known console modder Ben Heck pulls apart an Xbox One S and uses the components to create an Xbox One laptop that plays games and movies on the go.
When Xbox launched the Xbox One S in August, the upgraded console helped drive Xbox sales past PlayStation 4 for multiple months. The Xbox One S’s unique offerings, including a 4K Blu-Ray players and slimmer design than the original Xbox One make it a compelling purchase for gamers.
With so much power and ability in such a little box, well-known console modder Ben Heck decided to deconstruct an Xbox One S to learn more about how it worked. When he was completed, he decided rather than put it back together like he normally would with an electronic item, he would use the Xbox One S’s innards to build something new: an Xbox One S laptop.
On his element14 online show, Heck describes his desire to do something unique with the Xbox One S components, and what led him to settle on a laptop. He then goes through the process of organizing and building the laptop, complete with a 1080p LCD screen, cooling fans, and fully contained laptop box setup.
The final creation is nothing less than impressive, with Heck showing off its ability to play videos and games. While the device’s capabilities are limited, in that it’s unable to play videos or games in 4k quality due to the LCD screen’s limitation, the laptop is still pretty impressive.
While Xbox will likely never offer such a console to gamers, it’s a fun item to dream about. Sure, those who want a laptop gaming experience can easily find a competitively priced gaming laptop that would cost about the same as an Xbox One S laptop, but the idea of this creation is still pretty impressive.
Heck’s development of an Xbox One S laptop brings to mind again the discussion of mobile console gaming. Historically, both Nintendo and PlayStation have sought to capture the mobile gaming market via the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation PSP and Vita. However, neither of those items has the power to run current-generation games, and are relegated to past titles or games that don’t stack up to current-gen standards.
Nintendo is looking to capitalize on the growing mobile trend by offering a console-handheld crossover device this year. The Nintendo Switch will allow gamers to play highly anticipated and appraised titles either on their TV or while on the go. However, that device will still lack the power and ability to play current-generation games that are releasing on other consoles, or in 4K quality. In fact, while the Nintendo Switch offers 1080p gaming when working as a console, it only provides 720p as a handheld.
It’ll be interesting to see how console makers continue to react to the growing world of mobile gaming, and if any will develop a mobile console on the level designed by Heck.
What do you think of Heck’s Xbox One S laptop?
