It is really about time the console wars debate came to a halt. It turns out engineer Ed Zarick thought likewise and did something about it. He played his part by putting together both the gaming systems in a 22-inch notebook. He calls this combination the PlayBox, and quite rightly so.
As you would imagine, PlayBox lets players play games available on both consoles. Afterall, that is what the debate is mainly about, right? Who gets the better games? With a system such as this, players would not have to worry about ‘exclusives’ since there would be no such thing that exists. What’s better, it hogs no more space than one console. It is not just a case of screwing two consoles together for the sake of it, though. Zarick had to disassemble each console with extreme care before moving the components to a new body that encapsulated both systems.
Zarick explains that he had to make a few compromises in the process. For instance, the USB ports from Xbox could not be extended outside the casing. The two systems cannot be powered at the same time either. This also prevents the system from being overheated. A smart HDMI switcher takes care of instant switching from PS4 to Xbox One, and vice versa. It’s just a matter of powering it on and playing.
The latest mod quite closely mimics Zarick’s previous mod Xbook Duo where he combined Xbox 360 and Xbox One. However, the latest one is superior and complex in more than one ways. Zarick is positive that he would go ahead and make more units in the time to come. However, he is sure that this system would cost significantly more than the previous mods. The ability to pack two next-gen consoles in one case does come a a cost.
