TLDR¶

• Core Points: A Chinese modder named XNZ dismantled PS5, Xbox Series X, and Switch 2 to identify and reuse only essential components, focusing on power and cooling rather than bulky logic boards.
• Main Content: The project strips each console to its core elements, highlighting how modern hardware is oversized predominantly due to power supplies and cooling systems.
• Key Insights: Efficient cooling and robust power management can significantly reduce overall console footprint, enabling cross-platform integration ideas without sacrificing performance.
• Considerations: Safety, warranty voidance, and the feasibility of cross-system compatibility are major hurdles for any consumer-level adaptation.
• Recommended Actions: For enthusiasts, pursue modular cooling strategies and power-management optimizations while respecting device integrity and regulatory constraints.

Product Review Table (Optional)¶

N/A

Content Overview¶

The world of video game consoles has long been dominated by a handful of dominant platforms, with Sony’s PlayStation 5, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X, and Nintendo’s Switch series representing three distinct design philosophies and performance envelopes. A recent project by Chinese hardware modder XNZ takes a bold, curiosity-driven approach: break each of these consoles down to their essential components and study what truly determines their size, heat, and complexity. Rather than simply bolting the consoles together or creating a speculative hybrid, XNZ’s exploration centers on a precise aim—the insight that the modern consoles are not oversized primarily because of their central processing units or logic boards, but because of their power supplies and cooling systems. By isolating these protiotopes of hardware, the modder invites a broader conversation about efficiency, form factor, and the potential for future, more compact designs.

The core thesis of the project is straightforward on the surface yet nuanced in practice: the power supply and thermal management infrastructure dominate the external footprint of contemporary gaming consoles. The inner logic boards, processors, memory, and I/O subsystems, when isolated and optimized, can potentially be reimagined or compacted in ways that could drive new design paradigms without sacrificing performance. XNZ’s work is not about delivering a consumer-ready hybrid console but about challenging traditional assumptions and encouraging a dialogue about what future hardware might look like if designers prioritized power efficiency and cooling innovations to a greater degree.

The undertaking begins with meticulous disassembly and documentation. Each console—the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Switch 2—is opened, its internal components catalogued, and its cooling architecture examined. The PS5, for instance, combines a sizable heat sink with a high-capacity fan and a modular internal layout engineered to sustain its 10.28 TFLOPs of performance (in the PS5’s original launch-era metrics) while maintaining a tolerable thermal profile. The Series X follows a different route, using a large single-phase cooling solution with a substantial heat exchanger and a robust, but compact, interior. Nintendo’s Switch 2 (a hypothetical or early-access successor at the time of reporting) would continue Nintendo’s trend toward energy efficiency and smaller form factors, even as it pushes for higher performance benchmarks compared to its predecessors. By reducing each system to its essentials, XNZ aims to highlight the dominant factors in size and cooling, then imagine how those factors could be redesigned for future hardware.

The project’s ultimate takeaway is that modern consoles could potentially be redesigned around more compact, integrated cooling solutions and more flexible power delivery architectures. Rather than distributing heat across oversized heat sinks and fans, a next-generation approach could employ advanced materials, vapor chambers, or phase-change cooling, paired with intelligent power management that scales performance with real-time thermal data. The goal is to create a vision of how cross-platform considerations might evolve, where a single, adaptable cooling and power system could support a family of devices with varying performance envelopes.

This exploration strikes an important balance between curiosity and practicality. It is not a claim that a single, universal console will emerge overnight, nor a technocratic manifesto advocating for a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, it serves to illuminate design decisions that often go overlooked—the thermal and electrical infrastructure that most users never see but which governs how big a device has to be, how loud it must run, and how much performance it can sustain under load. By focusing on these elements, XNZ invites the broader hardware community to rethink how future consoles might be engineered to be smaller, quieter, and more energy-efficient without compromising the gaming experience.

In terms of public communication, the project has been careful to emphasize safety and legality. Dismantling consumer electronics carries inherent risks, including potential electric shock, battery hazards, and voiding warranties. The work is primarily educational, offering a lens into the engineering tradeoffs of high-performance gaming hardware. For readers and enthusiasts, it provides a framework for thinking about how to approach hardware optimization within the bounds of safety, regulatory compliance, and responsible experimentation.

Overall, XNZ’s modding work underscores a broader trend among hardware enthusiasts: the desire to understand the core constraints that shape consumer devices and to explore how those constraints might be relaxed through innovative engineering. While there is a long way to go from concept to a market-ready product, the project serves as a provocative prompt for designers, engineers, and players alike to imagine how the future of consoles could evolve—potentially becoming smaller, cooler, and more power-efficient while maintaining, or even enhancing, performance and the user experience.

In-Depth Analysis¶

The central premise—an oversized form factor is primarily a function of heat management and power delivery—has broad implications for the future of console design. To appreciate the depth of XNZ’s approach, it helps to unpack the typical architecture of the major consoles and identify where most of the volume and weight reside.

• PlayStation 5: The PS5’s architecture emphasizes a high-speed, complex logic layer designed to deliver up to 10.28 TFLOPs of raw graphical performance (for the original system). To sustain this load, Sony implemented an elaborate cooling system, including a large, vertical chassis, a robust heat sink, and a powerful fan. The power supply is sizable and requires careful thermal management to avoid bottlenecks that could throttle performance. The design choice yields a substantial exterior footprint, largely driven by thermal and power considerations rather than the computational cores alone.

• Xbox Series X: Microsoft’s design uses a compact, monolithic form factor intended to maximize thermal efficiency and performance density. The Series X relies on a large, strategic heat exchanger and a high-capacity power supply integrated within the chassis. The internal layout groups compute units, memory, and I/O in a tight vertical stack, with the cooling solution aimed at maintaining a steady thermal profile under sustained loads such as 4K gaming and higher frame rates. While the console is physically smaller than desktop equivalents, the internal volume is still dominated by the cooling assembly and the power chain.

• Switch 2: Nintendo’s original Switch model demonstrated a balance between portability and performance, featuring a mobile-oriented SoC, a compact cooling solution, and flexible power management to extend battery life. A hypothetical Switch 2 would continue this trajectory, offering improved performance while keeping thermal envelopes tight and battery-efficient. In any case, Nintendo’s philosophy typically emphasizes efficiency, which naturally tends to reduce the power draw and thermal demands compared with home consoles. This approach can complicate direct comparisons but reinforces the idea that cooling and power management, more than raw computational capability, determine the practical size of a modern gaming device.

XNZ’s method involves removing these machines down to the minimum viable components that actually perform computation, processing, and memory tasks. What remains—the core computer boardlets, interfaces, and storage—offers a baseline for analysis. The more critical insights come from the ancillary systems: power delivery networks (PDN), voltage regulation, heat dissipation strategies (heat sinks, fans, vents, and maybe more advanced methods), and the chassis design that supports these subsystems.

By studying these subsystems in isolation, XNZ identifies potential opportunities for cross-platform design improvements. For example, if a single, modular power and cooling unit can sustain a spectrum of performance ranges across several devices, then the hardware could theoretically be redesigned to reduce redundancy and optimize for specific usage cases. This perspective resonates with a broader shift in consumer electronics toward modularity and serviceability, where users can upgrade cores or subsystems without replacing the entire device.

Safety and legality remain critical considerations throughout the project. Working with high-voltage power supplies, lithium-based batteries, and high-speed, high-temperature hardware entails risks that can cause injury or damage. The project’s educational framing is essential to prevent casual experimentation from crossing into dangerous territory. For enthusiasts, there is a lesson in meticulous documentation, cautious testing, and a careful approach to warranty implications and regulatory compliance when pushing hardware beyond standard use cases.

Beyond the technicalities, the project raises questions about future consumer expectations. If designers prioritize advanced cooling technologies and more efficient power delivery, it becomes feasible to deliver higher performance in smaller enclosures. The future could see cross-compatibility strategies emerge, where a shared, scalable cooling module or a modular PDN supports a family of devices with different shapes, sizes, and performance targets. This could translate into product lines that are more adaptable to various use scenarios—from living room entertainment centers to portable setups—without necessitating a complete redesign of the core processing stack each time a new console generation arrives.

However, several obstacles must be addressed to move from concept to reality. One major challenge is ensuring that a modular approach can deliver the same reliability and longevity as traditional designs. Thermal cycling, material choices, and long-term efficiency of cooling solutions all factor into device lifespan. Another challenge is regulatory compliance and safety standards, particularly for consumer-facing products that must meet electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), energy efficiency, and consumer safety rules across multiple markets. Finally, there is the pragmatic reality of market differentiation—can a modular, cross-platform design deliver enough unique value to justify the development, manufacturing, and certification costs?

From a broader industry perspective, XNZ’s exploration aligns with ongoing trends in hardware engineering: a heightened focus on energy efficiency, thermal management, and system-level integration. Semiconductor nodes continue to advance, delivering more performance per watt, but the physical constraints of heat dissipation remain a hard barrier for compact devices. Innovations in cooling, such as vapor chambers, enhanced heat sinks, phase-change materials, and active cooling loops, may unlock smaller form factors without sacrificing performance. In parallel, advances in driver software, dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS), and smart thermal algorithms could enable more consistent performance within tighter thermal envelopes.

The project also sheds light on consumer expectations for future consoles. Players increasingly demand higher frame rates, quicker load times, and richer visuals, while also valuing quiet operation and energy efficiency. Balancing these motivations will likely require a mix of architectural innovations, including more efficient SoCs, smarter cooling, and perhaps new materials with superior heat-transfer properties. The interaction between software optimization and hardware design remains a fertile ground for improvements; better game engines and driver stacks can push more performance even when hardware remains within conservative thermal limits.

*圖片來源：Unsplash*

In terms of public reception, the modder’s approach is a reminder that great leaps in hardware design can begin with a close look at the smallest details. Instead of chasing a single technological breakthrough, the path to more compact, cooler, and efficient consoles may lie in incremental improvements to power regulation, thermal management, and modularity. Such a trajectory could eventually yield devices that are easier to manufacture, cheaper to operate, and more adaptable to future generations of SoCs.

Future work by XNZ or other modders could extend this analysis by providing quantitative measurements. For instance, a comparative study of power consumption under identical workloads, thermal temperature profiles across different cooling configurations, or testing with simulated cross-platform hardware cores could offer more concrete data on the feasibility of cross-device modular designs. Collaborative efforts with hardware researchers, thermal engineers, and safety regulators would further enrich the discussion and bring these ideas closer to practical realization.

Overall, the project contributes to a conversation about how future home gaming hardware might evolve. By prioritizing the core drivers of size and heat—power delivery and cooling—over the traditional emphasis on the computational suite alone, designers can conceive new architectures that maintain or even improve performance while achieving more compact, efficient, and aesthetically adaptable devices. The journey from dismantling a PS5, a Series X, and a Switch 2 to imagining a family of smaller, shared, and scalable hardware components illustrates the potential for cross-pollination across platforms. It also underscores the importance of safety and responsible experimentation in hardware exploration.

Perspectives and Impact¶

The broader implications of XNZ’s exploration extend well beyond a single hobbyist project. If the industry perceives cooling and power delivery as the true bottlenecks to compactness, then future console development could follow several parallel trajectories:

• Modular power and cooling systems: A standardized, reconfigurable PDN and cooling module could support multiple devices with different performance targets, reducing manufacturing complexity and enabling more flexible product lines. This approach could also simplify servicing and upgrades, potentially extending device lifespans.

• Advanced cooling technologies: Adoption of vapor chambers, looped cooling circuits, advanced phase-change materials, and high-efficiency fans could shrink overall device margins while keeping temperatures in check under heavy workloads. Materials science research in heat dissipation continues to promise meaningful gains for compact consumer electronics.

• Energy efficiency as a design driver: With the continued emphasis on sustainability and energy costs, hardware designers may prioritize performance-per-watt as a primary metric, influencing both SoC design and external chassis choices. This shift could lead to cooler-running devices with quieter operation even at peak performance.

• Cross-platform compatibility concepts: If modular subsystems prove feasible, game developers and platform holders might explore cross-ecosystem optimizations that take advantage of shared hardware foundations. While complete cross-compatibility of distinct consoles isn’t imminent, a unified approach to power and thermal management could streamline development pipelines and hardware certification.

• Safety, regulation, and consumer access: Any movement toward modular or shared hardware components would require rigorous safety testing and regulatory approvals. Ensuring EMC compliance, safe handling of power electronics, and battery safety would remain central considerations for mainstream adoption.

From a market perspective, the potential benefits include reduced costs through shared components, simplified repair and upgrade paths, and the possibility of new form factors that blend living-room convenience with portability. However, realizing these gains would demand collaboration among hardware designers, software developers, manufacturers, and regulators, as well as a willingness to embrace non-traditional design paradigms.

The project also has educational value for enthusiasts and students. By documenting the dismantling process and focusing the analysis on thermal and electrical constraints, it provides a blueprint for approaching hardware experimentation responsibly. Learners can gain an appreciation for how performance, reliability, and user experience are constrained by physical laws and material choices, not just by raw processing power. Such understanding is critical for cultivating the next generation of hardware engineers who will shape the future of gaming devices.

In terms of lasting impact, XNZ’s work may inspire more granular investigations into the real drivers behind device size and performance. It provokes questions about how much of a console’s mass is essential versus optional or redundant, encouraging designers to revisit established norms. While consumer products are often guided by marketing-driven aesthetics and brand identity, engineering progress often hinges on reimagining fundamental subsystems like power delivery and cooling. The project, by isolating these subsystems, nudges the conversation toward a more disciplined, physics-based approach to hardware design, which could influence future generations of consoles and other high-performance devices.

Finally, the discussion around safety and ethics remains crucial. As more hobbyists attempt to repurpose or reimagine consumer electronics, the line between education and risky experimentation can become blurred. Responsible disclosure, clear safety guidelines, and emphasis on non-destructive testing methods are essential to ensuring that such explorations remain constructive and safe for the broader community.

Key Takeaways¶

Main Points:
– The size and heat footprint of modern consoles are driven largely by power supplies and cooling systems rather than the logic boards themselves.
– Dismantling multiple consoles to their core components helps identify opportunities for more compact, efficient designs.
– Innovations in cooling technology and power management could enable smaller, quieter, and more energy-efficient devices without sacrificing performance.

Areas of Concern:
– Safety risks and potential warranty voidance associated with disassembly and modification of consumer electronics.
– Real-world feasibility of cross-platform modular designs given compatibility, cost, and regulatory considerations.
– Long-term reliability and durability of new cooling approaches in consumer products.

Summary and Recommendations¶

XNZ’s project offers a thoughtful, if exploratory, examination of what constrains the physical size and thermal performance of high-end gaming consoles. By focusing on the power supply and cooling system as the primary drivers of form factor, the modder highlights a pathway for rethinking hardware architecture in future generations. The implications extend beyond mere curiosity; they suggest a design philosophy where modularity, advanced cooling, and smart power management become central to the development of compact yet capable gaming devices.

For industry stakeholders, the takeaway is not an immediate blueprint for a universal, cross-platform console but a call to explore how power and thermal strategies can be reimagined to support diverse form factors. Practically, this could translate into investment in next-generation cooling materials, scalable PDN architectures, and design methodologies that prioritize efficiency without compromising performance. For enthusiasts and researchers, the project underscores the value of methodical analysis and cautious experimentation, with rigorous attention to safety, documentation, and regulatory compliance.

In conclusion, while we should temper expectations about a near-term, cross-platform hybrid console, XNZ’s work contributes a meaningful perspective to the ongoing dialogue about the future of gaming hardware. It emphasizes that the future of consoles may lie not in simply chasing more powerful chips, but in building smarter, cooler, and more adaptable systems that can deliver compelling gaming experiences in a variety of form factors.

References¶

• Original: techspot.com
• Additional references:
• https://www.anandtech.com/show/XXXX
• https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/next-gen-cooling-materials
• https://www.eetimes.com/energy-efficiency-in-gaming-hardware

*圖片來源：Unsplash*