Modder turns PS1 console into a working handheld

A modder has turned their PS1 console into a working handheld.

Florida-based modder YveltalGriffin shared their creation on BitBuilt, a forum for people who like to create new things from old consoles.

The handheld, which YveltalGriffin has named the PS Hanami, is made from original PlayStation hardware, rather than emulation.

Describing it as “an old-school portable with lots of hot glue”, YveltalGriffin says the handheld is around 7 inches long and has a built-in battery which runs for around 2.5 hours on a single charge.

In order to fit the PS1 hardware into such a small device, they took an original PS1 motherboard, cut it in half, folded it “like a book” then rewired it.

Because it naturally would no longer be able to run CDs, they also replaced the disc drive with an optical drive emulator (ODE) called Xstation, which lets them run PlayStation disc images from an SD card.

The handheld also integrates a DualShock controller, but only the rumble functionality – there are no analogue sticks, meaning a handful of games like Ape Escape won’t work on it.

Despite the impressive technical accomplishment, YveltalGriffin stresses that there are plenty of issues with their creation.

The PS Hanami has no volume controls, its power button is “finicky” and can turn the unit off if brushed against, and has no heatsinks so it “gets nice and toasty after a while”.