The console modder combined a PS5Xbox Series X and Switch 2 into a single mega system called “Ningtondo PXBOX 5”. Ever since companies have been making gaming systems, fans have been taking them apart to see how they modify and modify them to push their capabilities further. While there's a lot to love about the base PlayStation 5, Series X, and Switch 2, one dedicated fan thought they'd be better together, and took it into her own hands to see.
It's a strange time for consoles. While fans are largely excited about what's coming next, hardware sales have been declining for the past few years, and there's a lot of mystery surrounding what the next generation might look like. There is talk that Sony might release a handheld PS6 and that the next Xbox will be a PC-console hybrid, but those possibilities pale in comparison to the Ningtendo PXBOX 5, a console that truly offers the best of all three worlds.
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The Ningtendo PXBOX 5 is a functional hybrid X-Switch 2 of the PS5 series
YouTuber and hardware modder 小宁子 XNZ lamented that switching between consoles to play a wider variety of games was inconvenient, so she decided to combine the big three into a single system. While companies like Xbox seem to be moving beyond console exclusivity, exclusivity still exists and many gamers have to choose which platform or platforms will be best for them. XNZ's response was to put the internals of each console into a single case, using lost wax casting to create its own heatsink. The original plan was to CNC this part, but after realizing it would cost over $700, XNZ opted for a more traditional but error-prone casting technique.
The cooler in question was inspired by the 2013 Apple Mac Pro, affectionately referred to as the “trash” Mac. This cylindrical computer used a triangular cooling system in the middle of the three PCBs, which XNZ thought would help it cool all three consoles simultaneously. This is similar to the Xbox Series X's parallel cooling architecture, where a fan at the top draws air from the bottom of the console and splits it into streams to cool all sides of the internals on the way up. While Xbox doesn't use lost wax casting for its coolers, the approach still worked for the XNZ after some trial and error.
The Ningtendo PXBOX 5 also had to contend with the fact that the Switch 2 is a hybrid console, so it couldn't connect to the rest of the system in the same way as a Series X or PS5 internal device. XNZ's solution was to 3D print a much smaller dock to fit the Switch 2 into the larger console and take advantage of the central cooling unit. A spring-loaded mechanism ejects the handheld from the side of the PXBOX 5 when you remove it from docked mode, much like a toaster ejects toast.
A custom Arduino board ties everything together and allows users to toggle power and switch between platforms with the push of a button. As you might expect, the Ningtendo PXBOX 5 has some limitations. While all three systems can run simultaneously without consuming too much power, the console can only run one game at a time to avoid overloading the power supply. The Series X and PS5 components also have no disc drives, so it's a digital-only console outside of the Switch 2 part. This may not be a big deal considering that the digital-only Xbox Series X and S consoles have outsold the disc versions, but it could be a bummer for fans of physical media. Regardless, the Ningtendo PXBOX 5 is undeniably impressive, even if NIntendo, Sony, and Xbox aren't likely to release an official version anytime soon.
