Tag Archives: console

PlayStation-inspired foldable console is the all-in-one entertainment system everyone deserves

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The video gaming landscape in the past years has changed considerably. We’re seeing a rise in “portable PCs” designed specifically for gaming purposes, while traditional consoles have become as powerful as or even more powerful than our desktop computers. For all intents and purposes, these home gaming machines can meet almost all our digital entertainment needs, though they have one design peculiarity that makes them a little less convenient for that. Most gaming consoles need to be hooked up to a display and a speaker, which puts some limits on how and where you can use them. That’s why there have been both concepts and actual mods that transform consoles into more standalone and sometimes even portable entertainment machines, but this PlayStation Capsule definitely takes the cake by mashing gaming, video, and audio entertainment together in a single, innovative form.

Designer: Alisher Ashimov

Right off the bat, this machine looks like no other console, not even those modded consoles that masquerade as very hefty suitcases. The foldable pyramid form might look alien to most people today, but more seasoned designers and tech pundits might be familiar with the JVC Video Capsule from 1978. Similar to that vintage appliance, the PlayStation Capsule concept encapsulates, pardon the pun, everything you’d need to immerse yourself in your favorite digital content. You don’t even need to plug anything in, except the PlayStation controllers, of course.

When the capsule is closed and the pyramid is whole, the device functions as an eye-catching speaker, a refreshing break from the cylinders and rectangles of today’s breed. Beyond just the unique shape and 360-degree audio, however, the PlayStation Capsule’s most notable feature in this Speaker Mode is its controls on its front. It has a touchscreen panel that acts both as a way to display visuals like album art as well as an interface for the speaker’s functions. That said, the capsule also features two physical knobs that give better tactile feedback and pay homage to the physical dials of the video capsule of old.

Swing the top upward, and you’ve switched to Console Mode, which can also be Video Mode if binge streaming is the name of your game. It reveals an integrated display so that you can start gaming or watching right then and there, removing the middle man of navigating the TV first. What makes the PlayStation Console special is the built-in mechanical keyboard, the type that gamers love for their tactile feedback and sound, as well as a MacBook-like Touch Bar for instant access to often-used functions. This is especially useful for games that require you to chat with others or to quickly toggle features on or off without having to dig through menus.

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Although it’s not something you’d carry with you on your travels, the PlayStation Capsule’s compact and integrated design still makes it portable to some extent. It doesn’t prevent you from hooking it up to a larger TV or more powerful speakers, but it can also function completely on its own when the circumstances call for it. More importantly, it gives the gaming console a striking and memorable design, one that looks to the future while paying respects to past innovations and creativity.

The post PlayStation-inspired foldable console is the all-in-one entertainment system everyone deserves first appeared on Yanko Design.

Thor Love And Thunder Xbox Mod Turns Console Into Mjölnir

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To promote the release of Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder on July 8th, Microsoft is giving one lucky winner a custom Xbox Series X that looks like Thor’s hammer Mjölnir, complete with handle and everything. Don’t even bother entering, because it will be mine.

I shouldn’t be telling you this if I want to win, but all you have to do to enter the contest is follow Microsoft’s Twitter account and retweet the announcement with the hashtag #ThorLoveandThunderXboxSweepstakes. That’s a long hashtag. I would have suggested they go with #hammeryourXbox instead, but they didn’t ask me.

Would that even fit on my entertainment stand? Probably not. At least not without sawing the handle off first, which is likely considered sacrilege. Plus, I’ll probably never even be able to lift it onto the stand, considering how unworthy I am to wield Mjölnir in the first place. I think about these things.

[via TechEBlog]

GameCube Advance brings a fantasy gaming handheld to life

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The Nintendo Switch might be the company’s latest darling, but Nintendo has had consoles that become iconic in their own right during their lifetime. The Game Boy’s name is probably unchallenged, but the GameCube is definitely up there in the annals of gaming history. Remembered for being the first Nintendo console to use an optical disc instead of a cartridge, many GameCube fans have sought to revive the home console’s name today. One modder definitely succeeds in that goal by not only making the GameCube relevant but by also giving life to a popular fake version of the console that made rounds over the Internet more than a decade ago.

Designer: GingerOfOz

In 2005, right at the height of the GameCube’s popularity, a pair of renders sparked the interest of gamers and Nintendo fans. It was that of a portable version of the console that folded in a clamshell form, just like the Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP handheld that was launched around that time as well. In those days, Nintendo had no intentions of creating a portable version of a powerful home console, predating the creation of the Switch by more than ten years.

Someone finally tired of looking at fakes and dreaming of what could have been and made an effort to actually make this GameBoy Advance a reality. Thanks to the tools and services available even to hobbyists these days, that’s no longer an impossibility. That said, it wasn’t simply a matter of gluing pieces together, as the modder discovered the hard way.

The 2005 images, although quite attractive, were nothing but a work of fiction that couldn’t even translate into reality. The size of the hardware needed to support a GameCube disc would have made the handheld too large. The buttons, which were naturally patterned after the GameCube’s controller, would have also made it impossible to close the console shut.

In the end, GingerOfOz had to take liberties in how he implemented the design while at least sticking true to the form of the fake render. He even had to use a Wii’s internals instead of a GameCube in order to save space and reduce the device’s power consumption. And, of course, there was no optical disc drive.

The end result, however, was still a masterwork, especially since it could actually play GameCube titles with the ease and portability of a chunky Game Boy Advance. There are some limitations, of course, not to mention potential legal pitfalls with this mod, but there is an undeniable sense of satisfaction in finally making a long-standing dream a reality.

The post GameCube Advance brings a fantasy gaming handheld to life first appeared on Yanko Design.

This side table console is a simple + elegant + functional furniture for studio apartments

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A side table that doubles as a stool or space to store your books and other props – giving a whole new dimension to multi-functional, compact and lightweight furniture just perfect for your minimalist home.

How often have you come across a piece of multifunctional furniture that is either too bulky or the intended functions turn out to be not so useful in day-to-day usage? Minimalism is the name of the game these days in modern homes which are so much space constricted. On top of that, a compact piece of furniture catering to a plethora of needs is most wanted for studio apartments where every inch of available space matters. A perfect scenario for O Side Table to make a statement in the home furnishing space where the options are virtually limitless.

The table and console combo thought of by Mudu Design is designed with the vision of interaction with home furniture in more than one way. This multifunctional side table seems like any ordinary piece of a furniture item – but that’s where the similarity ends. Not only is it a side table, but a sturdy stool, storage unit for magazines and much more depending on your creativity. Plus, the easy-to-carry aesthetics make this side table highly maneuverable depending on the needs in a jiffy.

The designer Rostyk Sorokovyi’s obsession with round shapes is evident in the side table crafted out of natural wood. This choice is not just random but based on the fact that the circle is the most harmonious shape nature has bestowed us with. The furniture piece comes in classy black and natural wood color options – expanding the choice for picky users.

Designer: Rostyk Sorokovyi of Mudu Design

The post This side table console is a simple + elegant + functional furniture for studio apartments first appeared on Yanko Design.

Oneplus’ $15 wireless Gaming Triggers turn your Android smartphone into a Nintendo Switch

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Good News: They work with Android as well as iOS devices. Bad News: They’re currently only being sold in India.

The Gaming Triggers from OnePlus dropped randomly out of the blue when company CEO Pete Lau tweeted about them. According to Lau, they’re solid, responsive, and pleasingly clicky – and they’re built to work with any smartphone (regardless of their make), because “the best product design is one that leaves you free to make your own choices.”

The Gaming Triggers work like an extra set of fingers. Hit the trigger and a plunger taps a part of your screen. Designed to sit on the upper edge of your smartphone as you game in landscape mode, the triggers are specifically targeted towards players of Battle Royale-style multiplayer mobile games including PUBG, Call of Duty, Free Fire, although mounting and using the triggers sacrifices a small portion of screen estate as they physically cover your smartphone display.

The OnePLus Gaming Triggers’ price point is exceedingly low for most gaming hardware (even mobile ones), although that’s purely because they’re completely analog and have no electronics on the inside (instead, they have capacitive pads that tap on your screen when triggered). This also makes them compatible with any touchscreen device including your Android smartphone, iPhone, and even your iPad, as long as the device in question is under 11.5mm in thickness (case included).

The triggers can be independently placed on any side of the phone, and they come with a bilaterally symmetric design. Depending on your on-screen buttons, you can distribute them on the left or right, or use them both on one side of the phone. They can be used in portrait mode too, although the ergonomics of that arrangement is really up to the user.
Fun Fact: You could potentially even use them to activate your camera shutter, giving you a real, tactile camera button that’s much easier to press instead of awkwardly tapping your smartphone display with your thumb.

The tactile capacitive buttons work remarkably fast, offering zero lag as compared to wireless controls. OnePlus uses industry-leading Omron switches inside the Gaming Triggers, providing users with that reliable clicking sound and much better tactile feedback as they play. The switches themselves are made from a Zinc alloy, for that cool metallic touch, and they sit within a PolyCarbonate enclosure for that rugged, long-lasting build quality. Sadly, the triggers are only available to customers in India through the OnePlus website for a price of 1,099 rupees (a little under $15). OnePlus hasn’t really mentioned anything about global availability yet.

Designer: OnePlus

Xbox test brings Microsoft’s Chromium-based Edge browser to consoles

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You might finally have a good reason to use the web browser on your console for more than the bare necessities. The Verge reports that Microsoft has started testing a version of its Chromium-based Edge browser on the Xbox One and Series X/S. Particip...

This Apple TV cover-case makes your set-top box look like a Nintendo console!

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Elago is back with a nostalgic revival project… although this time, it isn’t a cover-case for the AirPods or the Apple Watch. The Elago T4 is a silicone cover that slips around your Apple TV set-top box, transforming it from a sleek black device to a grey SNES-inspired gaming console. In fact, there’s a cover-case for the remote too, turning its back surface into a faux controller complete with the XYAB and D-Pad buttons.

Of course, there are some who’d prefer the cutting-edge black aesthetic of the Apple TV, but what the Elago T4 does is introduce a nostalgic touch to the device. Sure, it’s meant for a subset of gadget-lovers and not everyone, but for its target audience, the T4 provides a beautiful bit of nostalgia while also giving your set-top box a nice, impact-resistant cover-case! Oh, and that lanyard on the TV remote case REALLY makes it easy to carry and use.

Designer: Elago

Lenovo’s new Lavie Mini hopes to be everything from a laptop to a handheld gaming console

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It seems that the guys at Lenovo and NEC have some ideas to bridge the gap between desktop gaming and mobile gaming. Sure, companies like Razer, Alienware, and Nvidia have tried in the past to make Windows-based PC gaming more mobile and handheld, but what Lenovo and NEC’s LaVie Mini aims at doing seems much more interesting… because the LaVie Mini isn’t a portable Windows gaming device… it’s a hybrid between a laptop, a tablet, and a Nintendo Switch.

Equipped with an 8″ touchscreen display, the Lavie is slightly larger than the iPad Mini. The convertible laptop comes with an Intel Iris Xe graphics card and 11th Gen Intel Core i7 mobile processor built into it (you could say that the LaVie presents Intel with its Hail Mary moment after a series of commercial failures), along with 256Gb of SSD storage and 16Gb of RAM. This pretty much makes it a good portable laptop to have on you for quick work sessions and presentations (and a neat alternative to Chromebooks), but fold the laptop’s keyboard all the way back and the LaVie Mini is a completely new beast. Weighing a mere 579 grams (1.2 lbs), the LaVie Mini becomes a versatile handheld tablet running Windows… and its dedicated gaming controller accessory turns it into a console that’s as handy as the iPad running Apple Arcade, and as tactile and functional as the Nintendo Switch with all its controls, buttons, and triggers. Ports on the LaVie Mini mean your video could even be outputted to a television, with resolutions as high as 4K 60fps while streaming videos (that spec may not stand for gaming, however).

With its small size, foldable form, controller ecosystem, and versatile Windows platform, the LaVie Mini hopes to be a best-of-all-worlds sort of device. The fact that it runs a desktop-ready OS and comes with its own keyboard positions brilliantly against the iPad Pro; not to mention the fact that it’ll easily be able to run Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass as well as Google’s Stadia, giving it a superior edge as a handheld gaming console. Pricing and availability details for the LaVie Mini are still under wraps, but we’re hoping Lenovo addresses this at CES, which is just mere days away.

Designers: Lenovo & NEC

Fan-made world’s smallest portable Nintendo 64 console is literally the size of its cartridge!

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Just in case you’re wondering… no, this isn’t the latest Nintendo Switch, even though it quite strongly resembles one. In fact, its predecessor isn’t even from this decade, or era. Meet the world’s smallest portable Nintendo 64, a handheld version of the popular 64-bit gaming console from 1996 that’s designed to be as small as humanly possible. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the hulking cartridge, I’d venture a guess that this console could be a whole lot smaller.

The World’s Smallest Portable Nintendo 64 is the work of Gunnar, who goes by the name GmanModz on YouTube. Only earlier this year he designed a version of the N64 with a GameBoy Advance SP-style folding screen. While that version was more user-friendly, this one focuses more on scaling down the tech to its smallest avatar… and with a 118mm x 84mm form factor (with just 20mm of thickness), it quite literally is the world’s smallest N64 ever made; and in more ways than one, because this variant doesn’t use custom PCBs. It actually uses original parts from the stock Nintendo 64 console that have been expertly trimmed down, re-organized, re-wired, and re-soldered together. In a very Ship-Of-Theseus sense, GmanModz’s N64 is more original than other consoles that use emulators and ROMs to run N64 titles, because this bad-boy plays the original games on original hardware!

However, certain trade-offs needed to be made to make the device handheld and as tiny as possible. This includes the addition of a 18650 lithium-ion battery, a 3.5-inch 320×240 display, a speaker, and joy-cons pulled from the Nintendo Switch (for the smallest footprint). GmanModz’s console also ditches a few controller buttons due to space constraints, and the 18650 battery gives it roughly an hour and a half’s worth of playing time, but that doesn’t discount exactly how impressive it is to make a console as small as this!

Designer: Gunnar (GmanModz)