A talented gamer has put together a working Xbox handheld console that can play over a thousand titles without emulation. The original Xbox launched on November 15, 2001, and quickly cemented Microsoft as a third gaming console company alongside PlayStation and Nintendo. In the two decades since, Microsoft has evolved its Xbox brand with the Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S consoles, but has largely stayed away from the handheld gaming field that its competitors have ventured into with varying success. To date, the closest thing Xbox has to a portable system is streaming Game Pass Ultimate titles on mobile devices through Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Earlier this year, rumors started to spread that Xbox is looking to change this with its first dedicated handheld gaming system. Over the past several months, details about this alleged Xbox portable system were unearthed by reliable industry insiders, and even Xbox head Phil Spencer has hinted at the possibility of an Xbox handheld coming to the market in a few years. Rumors suggest that this system would be similar to the successful Nintendo Switch, and could be a part of the tenth console generation that is projected to begin around 2028.

In the meantime, a Twitter user by the handle of Redherring32 is offering up a look at what a designated Xbox handheld system might look like with a custom model based on the original Xbox. Seemingly built from a 9-inch 480p display screen, the original Xbox controller, and an actual Xbox motherboard, this working handheld is capable of playing every game from the original Xbox library without the use of PC emulation. It also features pure video and audio, a USB-C port, and Redherring32 is reportedly adding WiFi 6 for wireless Xbox Live functionality.

I built a portable Xbox.
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

— Redherring32 (@redherring32) October 18, 2024

Other Twitter users have been praising Redherring32 for their impressive display of ingenuity, with the creator even promising to post a gameplay demo of their Xbox handheld running a game like Halo in the future. Redherring32 has also gone over some of the finer technical details of their custom portable, and says that the schematics will be open-source so interested gamers can build their own.

Talented and tech-savvy gamers have skillfully transformed old consoles like the Nintendo 64 into impressive custom handhelds that allow them to replay classic titles on the go, and Redherring32’s portable Xbox system seems to continue this trend. It also comes just as Xbox is reportedly looking into creating its own official handheld console for the first time in its long history, though only time will tell how and if this rumored project takes shape.

Posted: 2 hours, 55 minutes ago
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: https://gamerant.com/xbox-handheld-no-emulation-og-games-fan-build/