A YouTuber has gutted all the consoles to create the definitive machine: the Ningtendo PXBOX 5

Although the PC is the almost perfect cross-platform machineuntil not so long ago, if you wanted to enjoy all the video games you had to have a PS5a Switch 2 and one Xbox Series. The problem, apart from many others, is space: they take up an awful lot and They are not the most “aesthetic” machines.. A Chinese YouTuber has the solution: the Ningtendo PXBOX 5.

It is the perfect fusion between the three, and the secret of how it works is in a 2013 Mac.

As Jack the Ripper said. Let’s go in parts. We have seen many projects that change the functionality of a console or even turn a PC into a coffee makerbut what the YouTuber has proposed is much more ambitious. To address the space problem, it has united the three consoles into a single tower that, on top of that, is no more bulky than a small PC case. And the first thing is to gut the machines.

At this point, the YouTuber realized the most important thing: without the case, the key parts of the three machines are the fan, the power supply, the aluminum and copper heatsink… and the board, obviously. All components are soldered on the board, so you don’t have to worry about GPU, CPU or RAM memory.

Switch 2 is on the sidelines for the moment. For PS5 and Xbox Series X, the essential thing is each one’s board and the rest can be shared. A single supply for both, a single heatsink and a single fan. But… how?

The key? Apple. Well, precisely, one of Apple’s most famous computers has the answer. The Mac Pro ‘Trash’ is the 2013 model that has gone down in history for being a complete disaster. I still find its design beautiful, but Apple went overboard with a triple PCB and dual GPU configuration. Precisely, it is the idea he has in his head, so it comes in handy.

Because? Because Apple designed a double PCB system on a central aluminum heatsink. This way, you can inject fresh air through the heatsink, expelling heat through the top and keeping the plates cool. The question now is how to make an aluminum heatsink that cannot be bought on the market and that would not be viable to print directly on metal (due to costs).

Ancient 3D printing technique. Inspired by a wax casting technique from hundreds of years ago, the YouTuber created a heatsink model on a 3D printer. To do this, he used a material called PLA that vaporizes when it reaches a certain temperature. With the PLA “sink” in hand, he wrapped it in plaster and burned it in a 700-degree oven.

Thus, the plaster remains while the PLA dissolves, allowing an internal structure to remain that can be filled with aluminum. It sounds simple, but he had to remove the air from the plaster with a vacuum machine, melt the aluminum and have an oven that carries out a complex process of dehydration, pyrolysis and combustion for 12 hours to achieve the result.

Then, he “simply” added the aluminum and… the first try didn’t work. Unlike Chinese artisans centuries ago who if they lost a piece they had to re-carve the wax mold, here they simply 3D printed another one and repeated the process. After filing the aluminum, the heatsink was ready.

Switch 2 not so much. Place the PS5 Pro and Xbox Series Wi-Fi and Bluetooth of each one (for Internet and connection with accessories) and you connect the only power supply that gives life to both consoles in the base. Switch 2 is a little more complicated. It doesn’t need as much food, so opt for a USB-Cbut also for printing a module that does not sacrifice the mobility of the console.

Here the challenge is to provide connection HDMI for a TV (so the dock hardware is also included inside the console), but also allows you to easily grab the console in case you want to play away from the TV. To do this, he devised a module similar to the dock, but to be placed vertically.

After trying several conventional springs, the YouTuber printed some in 3D to ensure that, by pressing a button, the console slides as if it were toast so that it appears from the side. It sounds dangerous, but seeing the result, the truth is that the movement is quite smooth.

Arduino to the rescue. With all the machines connected to the power, the most important thing remained: program a brain to control the HDMI output and the power. To do this, he used a plate Arduino Conveniently programmed so that, by pressing a button on the top, the signal switches between platforms in less than five seconds.

It’s not the only thing it does: it also has a front LED connected that changes color (red, blue and green) depending on the console it is running (Switch 2, PS5 or Xbox Series X).

THE console. And that’s it, let’s play. The speed at which it changes between the HDMIs is impressive and the creator herself is surprised by the heat it expels through the upper area. Obviously, there are two ‘large’ consoles dissipating the heat and having an aluminum heatsink that, no matter how apparent it may be, has somewhat thick tabs for what is usually seen on a machine with certain dissipation needs.

But the main problem, that of space, is solved in an excessively convenient set and, if you ask me, more attractive than a monolithic Xbox Series looks like a router.

Being picky… Is it perfect? No. There are some details that it doesn’t go into, but it doesn’t seem like there is a multiplier of ethernet to power the consoles and, although they have the Wi-Fi module, that 3D casing is not the most optimal without strategically placed antennas. Additionally, there doesn’t appear to be an individual power button for the Xbox Series

And what hurts me the most: there is no support for physical games. Yes, we live in a reality in which this format is unfortunately becoming less and less important for large video game companies, but it is still the only way to own the game (as long as the disc includes the game, That’s another song).

But we must admit that it is a tremendous achievement, a very cool DIY project and the almost definitive gaming platform (it is not ‘StarCraft‘, so it’s not perfect). Although it’s like throwing away the stone and hiding your hand, since although I love tinkering, I don’t have an oven like that or an aluminum foundry at my disposal.

Nor a console to “throw away” if something goes wrong and makes a mess.

In Xataka | Adult life has made sitting down to play more and more complicated. Until I bought a portable console