Modder Turns PS4 Slim Console Into A Handheld Device

Look Sony, this is a real PlayStation handheld: a modder who goes by the name ‘wewillmakeitnow’ on Reddit showcased a “fully functional & stable” PS4 Slim in a handheld body no bigger than what you’ll find on the market today (with a small caveat, that is).

An Even More Compact PS4 Slim

In original form, the PS4 Slim measures 288 x 265 x 39mm, which is by no means a compact machine. To make the console handheld-sized, there’s a lot of engineering involved, including physically cutting and modifying the motherboard itself into a size small enough while keeping everything functional, a custom cooling system with microcontroller to provide active thermal monitoring and safety features, plus fitting six 21700 Li-ion cells that offers a combined 130Wh of battery capacity, which is good for 2-3 hours of gaming, but not good for taking it for the flights.

While the modder didn’t specify the exact dimensions of this handheld, the 7-inch 1080p 16:9 OLED display should at least give us a ballpark on what its actual size will be, which is likely a tad bigger than the likes of Steam Deck or ROG Ally. We mentioned a small caveat at the beginning of this article, and that is the thickness – our conversative estimates say this is at least 35mm thick, and the rear of the handheld is entirely flat with an exposed fan in the middle, so ergonomics is immediately out of the window for this one.

The modder also notes that this is strictly a “personal engineering challenge,” not for sale, and not intended for mass production, which is expected as nobody wants lawyers stepping right on their doorstep. The fact that this gadgetry can play everything PS4 Slim has to offer natively is nothing short of an achievement, though.

Source: Reddit [r/Handhelds | r/Ps4portable]

Pokdepinion: I do wonder if Sony wants to try again with native handhelds, since they had things like PS VITA back then.