Maker Dan McKenzie is constructing an open supply different to the Valve Steamdeck, combining off-the-shelf {hardware} together with an Intel NUC-based laptop with a custom-designed 3D-printed chassis and controller boards to create what he calls the NucDeck.
“Again in 2020 [I] constructed a handheld Home windows gaming console impressed by the Undertaking UFO, that on the time had simply been introduced,” McKenzie explains by means of background to the NucDeck undertaking. “My model was constructed round an eight-inch [Intel] Atom-based [Microsoft] Home windows pill, which ended up being extraordinarily limiting because of the decrease efficiency of the that chip.”
In search of one thing extra highly effective, however keen to place it collectively himself reasonably than merely choose up Valve’s Linux-based Steamdeck and set up Home windows on the highest, McKenzie turned to Intel’s Subsequent Unit of Computing (NUC) form-factor — although his timing may have been higher, the undertaking having been unveiled simply two months earlier than Intel introduced it was abandoning the shape issue and leaving its future as much as third-party producers.
“My purpose with this undertaking is to create a tool that would rival the business models that are actually extensively out there,” McKenzie explains. “Since there are a lot of completely different variations of the NUC out there, I need to have the flexibleness to run nearly any mannequin — to be able to select no matter efficiency degree fits your funds and require minimal modification to the NUC.”
The center of the present NucDeck is a motherboard internet hosting a Seventh-generation Intel Core-i5 CPU with 16GB of RAM. “This solely set me again about 200 AUD (round $130), and will run most video games up till a minimum of 2013 — and a few less-intense titles proper up till the previous couple of years,” McKenzie says. “Clearly a more moderen NUC would supply higher energy and effectivity, however I did not need to drop an excessive amount of cash on this undertaking initially so I’ve picked a extra budget-oriented possibility to start testing and designing round.”
The NucDeck design consists of {custom} PCBs to drive a pair of controllers — one to the left with an analog stick and a D-Pad and one to the suitable with a second analogue stick and face buttons, with shoulder buttons on every — and a 3D-printed chassis designed to accommodate an IPS show, capacitive contact panel, 4 605080 lithium-ion batteries, and the NUC itself. There’s even room for a tiny 0.96″ TFT show, designed to indicate system data beside the primary display. All of this, McKenzie says, will probably be launched beneath an open supply license — beginning now, with the 3D-printable chassis.
The information McKenzie has launched are available no fewer than 4 variants, relying on the builder’s private desire in two fields. “There are two completely different variations of the housing, Normal and NoRGB. The NoRGB model has had the RGB joystick surrounds eliminated to simplify printing,” Dan explains.
“There are two completely different variations of the buttons, membrane and clicky. The Membrane buttons are shorter and are designed for use with silicone membranes. I’ve included information for molds to make the membranes. If in case you have a resin printer I encourage you to offer this a attempt because it improves the texture of the buttons dramatically.”
Extra particulars on the undertaking can be found on McKenzie’s YouTube channel, whereas the 3D-print information in STEP and STL format can be found on GitHub beneath the CERN Open {Hardware} License Model 2 — Strongly Reciprocal (CERN-OHL-S-2.0).