Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years.
TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust.
In a nutshell: Building portable versions of home consoles has long been a favored pastime of hardware modders, but they usually convert older systems like the PS1 or, more recently, the original Xbox. Minimizing a more recent console, such as the PlayStation 4, proved trickier but not impossible.
YouTuber modding channel Restore Technique recently unveiled a custom portable PlayStation 4. The device shrinks all of the console's essential functionality into a package just a few centimeters thick with a battery life of around 90 minutes.
A lengthy video covers the complex procedure Restore Technique used to slim down the PS4's motherboard, cannibalize its official controller, and re-engineer the power delivery system. The modder admits that more experienced tinkerers might have altered the board more drastically, but his experiment was mostly successful.
Restore Technique chose the newest version of the PS4 Slim because it features a smaller motherboard and draws less power than earlier models. He kept most of the motherboard and the original cooling system but removed the optical drive, retained one USB port, and replaced the HDD with a smaller SSD.
The redesign split a DualShock 4 down the middle and reorganized the components on either side of the 3D-printed chassis. The touchpad was also divided into two buttons, placing each on either side above the screen.
The build also striped a seven-inch portable 1080p display from Amazon and reengineered its internals to fit the handheld console. This modification required cutting down the size of its circuit board, removing the touchscreen overlay to reduce thickness, and converting the PS4's HDMI connection to mini-HDMI.
Altering the power system was likely the most challenging task. Restore Technique tested precisely how much wattage the PS4's motherboard required to operate normally and built a custom lithium battery pack to match it and the added components.
After some trial and error and a crash course in 3D modeling, Restore Technique printed a boxy chassis. However, the first design failed because the cannibalized DualShock mounting pieces crumbled due to a chemical reaction between the ABS plastic and the Threadlocker used on the mounting screws (above). The initial post-assembly test also revealed graphical glitches. Those seemed to be caused by the internal heat since more heat shielding on the display and a better heatsink solved the problem.
Finding alternative materials and implementing additional heat shielding resolved the issues, resulting in a workable device with minor caveats. The system generates too much heat to charge while playing games, and including a battery that exceeds 100Wh bans it from air travel. Still, the overall result is a functional PlayStation 4 handheld, dubbed the PS4T (PS4 Transport).
You can check out Restore Technique's 30-minute design video on YouTube.