
portable147 Articles
Portable Atari The Size Of A Game Boy

This portable Atari is the result of [Mario’s] toils. The core system is an Atari Flashback 2, an embedded system released in 2005 with several built-in games. The stock titles weren’t enough so [Mario] added a cartridge slot in order to play whichever games he wishes. The case was originally the packaging for an iPod touch so you know it’s sturdy. We also like the free-formed audio amplifier as seen in the work log. Does anyone know if the Flashback 2 has a pause feature?
PlayStation 2 Portable

[Raizer04] just completed his PlayStation 2 portable build. He feels that the PS2 hardware has much more to offer than the PSP and that’s why he chose to cram the PS2 slim hardware into a portable case. He started with an electronic toy to serve as a case donor and used bondo to form openings for the controller, speakers, lights, and screen. A beautiful paint job and some metal work resulted in the pleasant finish seen above. On the back you’ll find a lighted case fan, hard drive, and USB port. There’s no optical drive as games are loaded from a thumb drive. Take a look at the demo video after the break, but do yourself a favor and turn your sound all the way down first.
If this doesn’t quench your thirst for portable console projects you might also take a look at this N64 build.
Nimbus, Portable N64

We love a beautiful and successful N64 portable mod, (In case that fact wasn’t already obvious). And today we would like to add [cndowning’s] Nimbus N64 to our list of favorites.
The base is made from vacuum formed plastic while the buttons come from a modified superpad and the screen is a Zenith 5inch. We couldn’t find word on battery life or weight, but for those that like a hunt, or have other questions, the build logs are available. Follow the jump for a video of the Nimbus in action.
[Thanks Fernando, and GaryC for our silly typo] Continue reading “Nimbus, Portable N64”
Learn console hacking

This bright red handheld is [Bacteria’s] portable N64 console. We’re beginning to feel a bit saturated with N64 portable hacks, having seen one that looks like a Game Boy, another in a shiny black case, and yet another in a white case. This time around it’s not just the end product, but [Bacteria] has posted a saga discussing the build progress. Check out the 20 videos on his worklog page. If you’re looking to take existing hardware and put it into a different enclosure you should pour over this resource for ideas you can use.
Flaming Hot Brick Plays Games, Promotes Tendonitis

The continuing battle for smallest console-made-portable continues with this N64 portable hack. Unlike the last two that we saw, this version opts for an over-under rather than side-by-side control scheme. This results in a small overall size, but because this thing is a thick brick we wonder if playing for hours would just leave you horribly mangled and crippled from the elbow down. [Bentomo] may have thought the same thing because he also built a breakout connector to use the original controllers (and play with more than one player on that tiny screen). If you’re a slave to the build details like we are check out his build log and the video after the break.
Continue reading “Flaming Hot Brick Plays Games, Promotes Tendonitis”
Flip-top GameCube Portable

Here’s another home console made into a portable. [Techknott] built this shiny GameCube handheld. You may remember him from his work on a portable Dreamcast and the wireless Xbox 360 interface. This time around he’s mirrored the finish; a good idea in concept but even his demo images are already plagued by smudges. But if you can keep your digits on the plastic buttons this makes for an eye-catching design. One part that we love is the flip-top screen that hides the optical drive. This is a much better solution than the exposed lens we saw on [Hailrazer’s] GC portable. As always, video after the break.