There are plenty of great things about the Xbox One, but not being able to stuff it into a backpack and take it with you on a road trip is definitely a downer. If you’ve got $1,500 to spare, however, you might just be able to snag an Xbook One: a portable chassis with the guts of the Xbox one and a 22-inch screen. The Xbook One was developed by hardware modder Ed Zarick using a couple of Makerbot Replicator 2 3D printers, lasers, and lots of time. Since Xbox Live rules don’t allow for modifying the the actual hardware, Zarick’s acrylic chassis contains the real deal inside. However, it also has a new, low-profile cooling shroud and a built-in 22-inch 1080p display with a slot-loading Blu-Ray drive on the front.
Turning a regular console into a portable version isn’t new, but Xbox One gamers seem to have been too busy playing so far to have taken the time to convert their Microsoft system into a “laptop” form factor. James “DarkUncle” Terry cooked one up back in December 2013 for a private client, and now, with the help of a couple of Makerbot Replicator 2 3D printers and a little patience, modder Ed Zarick is also coaxing the contents of an Xbox One casing into a more portable version. Zarick is no stranger to Xbox laptop conversions – he refers to them as “Xbooks” – having several based on the Xbox 360 under his belt. This is his first attempt at the Xbox One, however, using a combination of 3D printing and laser and CNC routers to craft an acrylic housing for a more portable console. Inside, the Xbox One is stock, since modifying it would fall foul of Xbox Live rules. However, its been given a new, low-profile cooling shroud, and hooked up to an integrated 22-inch 1080p display, with a slot-loading Blu-ray drive at the front edge. It’s worth noting that, unlike a regular gaming laptop, there’s no battery included – neither in the DarkUncle mod or these new Zarick versions. That means you’ll still be dependent on finding an AC outlet if you actually want to play.
