ortable gaming consoles from major brands consistently empty buyers' wallets of $500 to $1000 and more because manufacturers bake expensive memory into the price. Tired of looking at those price tags, an enthusiast under the handle GameRig built his own pocket gaming console from a smashed Galaxy A90 phone that he dug up on eBay for just 30 dollars.
Instead of sending the battered phone to a landfill, the project creator completely stripped its casing to get to the guts.
"The custom-made gaming handheld PC is built out of a Galaxy A90 phone with a broken screen bought off eBay for $30."
The main processor, RAM (temporary memory for running apps and games), graphics chip, and built-in battery were carefully extracted and turned into the heart of the homemade console. A great visual example of how the real cost of hardware differs from the appetites of marketers.
Custom Shell and DeX Integration
To turn a pile of phone parts into a working console, GameRig took a separate 7-inch display and a physical keyboard 11.5 cm long — it fit perfectly into the future housing without unnecessary fuss with a file. From a standard wireless gamepad (a controller for games with buttons and sticks), only the circuit board, mini-joysticks, and control buttons were left. To make friends out of the 7-inch screen and the phone hardware, the builder used Samsung DeX mode (Samsung's proprietary technology that turns a phone into a desktop computer when connected to a monitor) via a stripped-down USB-C hub (an adapter with multiple ports).
Power required some tinkering: the screen needs a stable 5 volts, while the smartphone battery delivers a maximum of 3.5 volts. The voltage difference was conquered by installing a special charging board. After that, GameRig 3D-printed a unique case, soldered together the gamepad, the motherboard (the main board where all microchips are soldered), and the batteries, and finally built in a tiny speaker.
Arcade Reality
Understandably, this homemade contraption won't pull heavy modern games like Tomb Raider, but classics and undemanding arcades like Asphalt fly without stutters. GameRig's project proves: a smashed flagship smartphone has no place in the trash can. For thirty bucks you can assemble a great portable console for old games and not overpay greedy corporations for plastic boxes and flashy advertising.