This original Xbox handheld created by a modder uses genuine parts, has a 480p display and Xbox Live support

Forget that official Xbox handheld that’s phased in and out of the rumor mill over the past year; a modder has now beaten the company to it.

Over on X / Twitter, woodworker and hardware engineer Redherring32 has built a portable version of the original Xbox console – the one that was first released all the way back in 2001. Its creator says that it “isn’t a PC handheld, it isn’t emulation, this is a real motherboard from a real Xbox.”

Redherring32 goes on to explains that the handheld features a 480p display and USB-C play and charge support. Wireless Xbox Live functionality is also planned via the addition of WiFi 6. That’d certainly give it some parity with the best handheld games consoles available today.

In followup posts, Redherring32 explains that this original Xbox handheld build “is a first of its kind.” They attach screenshots of the trimmed-down motherboard and many more of the inner hardware workings that make the device tick. Said trimming was a process the modder claims to have had to learn from scratch, taking them a little over four months to complete just that one part of it.

And while this original Xbox handheld isn’t going to be put into mass production – which is a crying shame given how awesome it looks – Redherring32 says “everything will be open source in the coming weeks,” including URLs to GitHub and BitBuilt pages for the PCBs and an Xbox trimming guide so that folks at home can attempt to make an Xbox handheld of their own. 

The modder concludes by saying they’re working on a showcase video for the handheld that should also include gameplay. Certainly keep an eye out for that if – like me – you’re particularly nostalgic about the best retro games consoles like the original Xbox and are keen to see what its software would look like running on a bespoke handheld device.