Chinese enthusiast 小宁子 XNZ has built an all-encompassing console with a PS5, Xbox Series X, & Switch 2 in a single system, at the heart of which lies traditional lost-wax casting techniques. This project materialized when XNZ realized she wanted to play platform-exclusive games on one device instead of having to power and manually switch between three different ones. The end result, lovingly dubbed "Ningtendo PXBOX 5," achieves this exactly, ingeniously combining ancient craft with modern technology.
我把御三家主机合体了！ - YouTube Watch On
XNZ began with the trashcan Apple Mac Pro as the blueprint, seeing how its triangular design would be a perfect fit for housing the three systems compactly: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2. All of the consoles were, therefore, stripped down to their internals. The coolers and power supplies were put aside since XNZ developed a unified system for those, while the motherboards were kept intact.
The idea being that each of the three PCBs would be attached to each side of the triangle, with a fan at the bottom cooling all three simultaneously. This is actually not too dissimilar to how the Xbox Series X is already built — cooling from the top down. XNZ quickly modeled and 3D-printed a triangular heatsink, but the CNC costs to mill such a complicated design were too high.
(Image credit: 小宁子 XNZ on YouTube)
Here's where tradition takes the front seat. Lost-wax casting, also known as lost-clay, is an ancient metalworking technique in China that can help create intricate structures without breaking the bank. It maintains fine surface details and allows for complex shapes that would otherwise not be feasible without the high prices. The entire process is pretty simple, too.
You build something out of a disposable material like wax or clay, XNZ uses plastic (PLA) and generously coats it with a heat-resistant material on top. When heated, the soft material inside will melt or burn away, leaving behind an empty cavity that can be used as the real mold. At this point, you'd put in molten metal that will solidify quickly, giving you the actual metal structure you need.
Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: 小宁子 XNZ on YouTube) (Image credit: 小宁子 XNZ on YouTube)
Once the cooler was acquired from the lost-wax apparatus, it still needed a bit of polish, and XNZ had to remove the support bracket used for pouring. The block didn't look too high quality, but that doesn't matter because it won't make direct contact with the motherboards; that honor still goes to copper plates, which will spread the heat evenly. XNZ built two and attached them to the block using screws.
Now, all that was left was attaching the PS5 and Xbox Series X motherboards to the new cooler, a relatively straightforward task compared to what came before. The video dives into details of the casting shenanigans, including one failed attempt, so make sure to check it out.
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