For more than a decade, the biggest rivalry in console gaming has pitted Microsoft’s Xbox brand against Sony’s PlayStation empire. Both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One boast their own exclusive games and features, but most gamers tend to choose one system or the other — however, one modder is offering up the best of both worlds with the Xstation.
Ed Zarick has long since been one of the more prominent console modders around, with one of his more recent projects being a portable version of the PlayStation 4 Pro. His latest creation offers all the functionality of an Xbox One and a PS4 in one convenient package.
The Xstation is smaller than you might expect, thanks to an efficient configuration under the hood. The placement of the consoles’ motherboards and heat sinks was designed to make the best possible use of space, allowing Zarick to integrate the external power supply into the case itself.
This technical wizardry extends to a few aesthetic flourishes designed to add a bit of flair to the custom hardware. For instance, an Arduino microcontroller commands two LEDs situated on the front of the console, displaying a green glow while in Xbox One mode and a blue hue while the PlayStation 4 is active.
A button on the side of the Xstation allows users to instantly switch from one console to another, according to Hackster. It’s not possible to run both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 at once — not that this would every really be necessary — in an attempt to avoid the risk of overheating.
While Zarick sells the portable versions of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 he creates, he stated this project was borne out of curiosity and will not be mass produced. His blog post detailing the build reveals that it took him two weeks to design and construct the Xstation in his workshop.
This is not the first time that the modder has attempted to combine the PS4 with an Xbox One. In January 2015, he managed to house both within a laptop form factor, but that was before the slim versions of both consoles were available, and as such the Xstation is much smaller and much sleeker.
