WTF?! Shrinking standard sport consoles has lengthy been a preferred pastime for modders. Some have spent years competing to make the tiniest functioning Nintendo Wii. The newest candidate measures only a few sq. inches and retains the unique machine’s performance apart from bodily disc help.
Modder James “loopj” Smith not too long ago launched a totally functioning Wii that might simply slot in a shirt pocket. A whole meeting guide is offered on GitHub, however it requires superior motherboard trimming, soldering, and PCB meeting expertise, so solely skilled customers ought to try it.
Dubbed Quick Stack, the record-holding miniature Wii is about seven and a half p.c the amount of Nintendo’s authentic console. It’s so minuscule that 13 Quick Stacks might match inside a inventory Wii with room to spare.
Smith trimmed down the system’s motherboard by changing the unique energy supply system, USB modules, Bluetooth {hardware}, and GameCube controller ports with smaller substitutes. The remaining authentic motherboard, containing the CPU, GPU, reminiscence, and flash storage, measures simply 62-by-62mm.
Different features, together with the video feed and standing lights, use customized PCBs to save lots of area. Smith additionally changed the SD card slot with a microSD port. A notable addition is HDMI help, which the unique Wii lacked. The strangest alteration is a conversion from GameCube controller connectors to a lot smaller TRRS headphone plugs. Cooling works by way of a small 5V blower fan and a customized heatsink lower from aluminum or copper.
A customized 3D-printed case is held along with M2.5 and M1.2 screws, precisely recreating the unique Wii’s look with all the front-panel buttons. Smith additionally preserved the LED-lit disc drive regardless of the system being far smaller than the smallest optical disc.
The result’s barely smaller than that of prior variants just like the Wii Nano or the transportable Kill Mii. Nevertheless, loopj admits that a good smaller 52-by-52mm motherboard is achievable, probably reducing quantity by 25 or 30 p.c, so Quick Stack’s document may not maintain for lengthy.
Different well-known consoles have additionally not too long ago been modded into spectacular new type components. Earlier this month, somebody built a handheld model of the unique PlayStation within the form of a uncommon controller for that console. More unusual is an NES console crammed right into a cartridge that additionally features as a sport when inserted into an authentic NES. What?
