The Nintendo Switch is practically sold out across the globe. So if you can't buy a handheld, why not make one instead?
Custom handhelds are pretty amazing. They often carve up old-school consoles like the Wii and jam them into small form factors like an Altoids tin (yes, really). And now you can make your own...but there's some assembly required.
Renowned modder G-man is selling a unique DIY kit for his G-Boy handheld, which packs in a Wii console into a custom 3D-printed Gameboy chassis. The kit costs $325, and comes with a 3.5-inch LCD screen, custom-designed chips, screws, triggers, and PCBs, including one that fully emulates the functionality of a GameCube controller. But there's some big catches: You have to solder everything together and dremel your own Wii PCB to exact specs. The kit doesn't come with a pre-cut Wii motherboard (Nintendo would NOT be happy if it did).
The G-Boy sports USB-C, and the internal flash drive is accessible through USB-C, along with Power Delivery for quicker recharges.
This kit is a great way to get into hardware modding and acts as an entry point to custom builds as well as the budding and ultra-knowledgeable community who makes these crazy builds possible.
The G-Boy kit includes:
- 3D Printed G-Boy Case (Includes all required screws, 3D printed parts, and battery contacts)
- 3.5" LCD VGA Display
- RVL PMS (Includes RGB LED PCB, Light Pipe and Thermistor)
- USB-C Charging & USB PCB (Includes SD to USB adapter)
- GC+ v2.0 Controller PCBs (Includes front and shoulder button controller boards and 2x analog sticks)
- Digital Audio Amp PCB
- Heatsink and Blower Fan (Includes copper cooling plate)
- The kit DOES NOT include a console, ABXY buttons & Dpad (Buy NDSL ones), micro SD card, or 18650 lithium-ion cells! Those are the only non-included required parts.
G-Boy Features
- Fully portable home console
- RVL PMS gives battery charging/protection, system regulators, and battery level indication
- USB-C Power Delivery Charging
- Internal USB storage accessible over the USB-C cable
- Audio Amplifier using digital audio for speakers and headphones