Engineer Combines Xbox One, PS4 Into Epic 'PlayBox' Laptop 78
MojoKid writes We can finally stop arguing over which is the superior game console, the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. Quite frankly, it's a pointless debate, and it took a self-taught engineer to put the argument to rest, which he did by combining both game systems into a 22-inch laptop. Meet the "PlayBox," a gaming laptop that's equal parts Xbox One and PS4 rolled into one. The PlayBox wins the argument because it allows you to play games on either system, and when it comes down to it, the ability to play games is all that matters. Built for a "specific customer," the owner of this prototype system needn't worry about exclusives since he now has a system that can play them all, and do it while taking up no more space than a single console.
Re: (Score:3)
PC is not the "master race" because it is not a single race, but a variety of different kinds of machines with different kinds of purposes.
If you want a PC that can outlast a 3DS or PSVita by a factor of 3 in battery time you can.
If you want a really powerful PC that runs all games in 4k, you can.
If you want the cheapest box on the block that can run older (and arguably better) games, you can.
If you want a serious machine for actually doing serious work, PC is there for that too.
And you can run any software
Re: (Score:2)
There are several mods and romhacks that allow you to play as a powerful girl on the PC.
Re: (Score:2)
Its about freedom, not power.
All of those examples are about power.
Re: (Score:2)
If you want a serious machine for actually doing serious work, PC is there for that too.
And you can run any software you want for it, can write new software for it, can actually write software for several consoles with it..
Its about freedom, not power.
All of those examples are about power.
We've seen what sort of "serious work" consoles can do if they're not locked down, back when PS3 used to have Other OS. So either it is about freedom, or you're using a definition of "power" with which I'm not familiar. If the latter, could you explain further?
Re: (Score:2)
Congratulations, you left out all the examples. That was a d-bag move, so I'm not going to give you a meaningful reply. You could try again, though.
"All" is a strong word (Score:2)
Congratulations, you left out all the examples.
I left out four and included two. I don't see how that amounts to having "left out all the examples". The assertion was that all of the six examples were about power. Even if the four that I left out are about power, the two I included are about freedom for the reasons I mentioned.
Re: (Score:2)
I heard they might open up the PS4 again so people can start doing some crunching that way as well.
holy f&3K (Score:2, Insightful)
I don't know why this story is making the rounds. Christ, someone give this guy a cookie for jamming two consoles in one box and send him on his way.
Re: (Score:2)
... Ok? Who cares? (Score:5, Informative)
All he did is basically put the guts of both consoles into one box.
I'd be more impressed if it was actual custom hardware that could run both system.
"Engineer" (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1)
This is old news from approx 2 days ago.
As we can see it is possible to combine the XBone and PS4 into one box but why bother since you could never sell a machine like this without Microsoft and Sony lawyers knocking on your door. :-)
Re: (Score:2)
Why would Sony or MS sue? They've both sold the consoles, so they don't really care what people do with them after that, as long as they don't mod them to pirate games. Even in that case, the worst that will happen is banning the machines from their networks.
Re: (Score:2)
first sale doctrine applies: you OWN the console hardware, you're not renting it, you can do what the fuck you want to it. Even resell it.
Re: (Score:2)
he isn't, because he's probably aware that "X-Box" and "Playstation" are trademarks. "Playbox" probably isn't. In fact, it'd be laughed out of court if either Microsoft or Sony claimed "Playbox" infringed on either trademark.
Re: (Score:2)
An actual engineer would have at least figured out a way to make 1 optical drive read discs from both systems.
They're both SATA Blu-Ray drives. Seems like it should be possible, but would need a SATA data splitter (which doesn't exist), or a switch to flip all of the data pins between each motherboard. In SATA, that's only really 4 pins, since the other three are ground, so a 4-pole 2-way switch should do it... but you'd be killing the shielding, common mode noise rejection between pairs, etc. at the switch. So, while theoretically, it might work, in practice it may just spit out drive errors. At least one advantag
Re: (Score:1)
A serious EE here...
It is not "simple" to make an SATA switch, said switch has to pass data @ 6Gbps which is non-trivial even when you don't have a switch. There might be something off the shelve to do this (i.e. SATA port expander, etc) but to call it trivial is naive.
Re: (Score:2)
Isn't one of the "anti-piracy" measures for a console to load up specialized firmware in each system's drive? Using one system's drive might trigger the other system to see it as a non-native console drive and puke as well.
Re: (Score:2)
This. The decryption keys are tied between console and drive at the factory (started w/ the 360 iirc, there's a lengthy process involving firmware dump you have to go through if you want to swap out a failing 360 dvd drive and have it still read game discs).
Not sure which but one of the console manufacturers used to spin their discs backwards.
Re: (Score:2)
If I'm not mistaken, I think that was the Gamecube.
After reading, there's some back and forth about it. People speak of the same rotational direction, but potential reading outside in rather than inside out as in normal discs. The bigger deal is a "barcode" or region of keys that are used to decrypt the image potentially...
GameCube discs (Score:2)
Half of it is akin to the difference between CD-ROM Mode 1 and Mode 2 Form 1. They hold the same amount of data but have slightly different physical sector layouts, with certain fields moved before or after the data.
In addition, data on a DVD is XOR'd with a linear feedback shift register whose seed changes every sector. This isn't encryption but instead a way to "whiten" the spectrum. That's where the Burst Cutting Area (the "barcode") on a GameCube disc comes in. It encodes not only constants used to comp
Re: (Score:2)
The reading from outside to inside was maybe a legend, I read an explanation that the drive is read as normal but the data is stored near the edge, with garbage data filling in the otherwise unused inner portion (assuming the disc is not full). Such a simple arbitrary arrangement allows faster bandwith. Older consoles (Playstation, Sega Saturn, 3DO etc.) had a drive with Constant Linear Velocity : the data was constantly slow. In that situation you'll use the (inner) beginning of the disc first like your ty
Re: (Score:2)
there is a cable from SFF8087 (SAS) to 4x SATA/eSATA data, whether it'd work "backwards (ie from a SAS controller deck to the consoles) is another question.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Noise? (Score:4, Funny)
I suppose the "laptop" is usable only with high end noise canceling headphones? And if someone else is in the same building with you, they'll come and smash it with a hammer to get rid of the whirrrrr.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
"Engineer" "Combines" Xbox One, PS4 into "Epic" ''PlayBox" "Laptop"
Re: (Score:1)
To be fair, you need noise canceling headphones even without this "laptop" form-factor.
PS4's sound like they're going to take off when playing games (and, arguably worse, are audible even when playing a bluray!!!)
You know there's something horribly wrong when your 300W GPU in your PC w/ 3 fans is quieter than your under powered console...
Engineer? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:1)
Here is the first article that I could find that was written on the PlayBox
The "self taught" engineer (note the lower case) who did this is a person by the name of "Ed Zarick".
Re: (Score:2)
If all he's doing is sticking bits inside a case a carpenter could.
"self-taught engineer" (Score:5, Insightful)
So a tinkerer is now an engineer. How sad. Maybe someone who learns how to treat the common cold with chicken soup is also a doctor.
How long does the battery last? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
had one similar, it used a VIA C3 processor (800MHz) and desktop SDRAM, gap where a battery would be and a 14" LCD. Only cost me £140 new, I was pretty impressed with it considering a new laptop with laptop-specced components back then to a similar specification would have set me back over a grand.
LAPTOP?? (Score:3, Insightful)
Sorry, but this dude looks like he works out 2 hours a day, and I think I heard him grunt when he picked it up. If the 5" thick body didn't already discredit that term (note: the original IBM Portable was NOT A LAPTOP).
You'd probably get bruises on your thighs if you put this on your lap, if you didn't get 2nd degree burns before that...
OR JUST BUY A LAPTOP (Score:2)
This is dumb engineering.
Exclusives (Score:2)
A laptop plays PC games. It doesn't play PlayStation 4 exclusives, Xbox One exclusives, or games released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One but not for the PC.
noise heat sketchup (Score:2)
ok so the feat is impressive
how does it preform over time, thats one thing no one ever considers
how many GD pcb's can you glue in here
why does every "laptop" design end up looking like the last 20 laptop designs downloaded for sketchup, you got with a company with a fucking CNC LASER do something more creative than a cigar box
-professional engineer that makes millions of units a year with no news story, not a me too hot glue hack that gets 15 min on slashdot
Clickbait (Score:1)
* Self-taught engineer hires self-taught camera man *
- Project ends with ridicule over crap footage.
PlayBoxTop (Score:1)
It's PlayBoxTop: Half Playstation, half Xbox and half laptop.
Bollocks (Score:2)
The PlayBox wins the argument because it allows you to play games on either system, and when it comes down to it, the ability to play games is all that matters.
No. Not being able to play games because they haven't been blessed is a great reason not to give your money to the dicks who made the hardware used inside this box. There are things more important in this world than the ability to play a few manufacturer-approved games right now, you selfish ass.
Re: (Score:2)
Looks like an AMD opportunity (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I was expecting.... (Score:2)
a VM style solution that would allow you to run both OS's not a "take the guts out of a Xbox and a PS4 and shoehorn them into a single metal box". For the size of the box, he may as well have added the Wii as well. When it comes down to it, this isn't much different than my setup which involves an external HDMI switch from each of my gaming consoles going to my AMP.
I get that this was a bit of a hardware packing problem challenge, something that hardware device engineers have to deal with. But, challenge
But still (Score:2)
2 consoles in one box, but still not as powerful or versatile as the PC it emulates poorly.