From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.misc


More 'portable' rather than 'handheld' due to the thickness and weight
of the Mac mini.


This Mac mini gaming handheld is one of
the most ambitious projects we've seen
---------------------------------------
The uses for Apple's Mac mini continue with a mod to run on batteries
inside a quite sleek vertical chassis that incorporates a display,
touch controls, and an integrated Switch controller set.

Especially since its radical redesign back in 2024, the tiny Mac mini
has been put to countless different uses, from server farms to
portable Macs. Now Chris Cheng of Shring Solutions has taken to
YouTube to show off his turning it into a cyberdeck.

Using an M4 Mac mini, he's given it a 7-inch, 120Hz touchscreen plus
a backlit keyboard with a trackpad. The whole device runs entirely on
batteries and is claimed to give around six hours of non-stop video
playback.

Video (27mins)
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgJWuodh8H4>

"For expansion, I put Nintendo Switch Joycon rails right into the
sides," continues Cheng. "This handles your mouse control, custom
system shortcuts, and native handheld gaming."

Describing it as being roughly the size of his palm, Cheng says that
his device is 17.6cm (6.93 inches) tall and 17.2cm (6.7 inches) wide.
The more significant dimension, though, is the depth which is a whole
5.7cm (2.24 inches), which makes this harder to hold for extended
periods.

It has to be that way, though, because Cheng decided to keep the
actual M4 Mac mini internals untouched, inside a custom 3d-printed
case. The Mac mini slots in like a Game Boy cartridge.

Plus this design means the frame has "a fantastic upgrade path for
future hardware as long as Apple sticks to this exact form factor."
While this was done with an M4 Mac, the dimensions are the same for
the new Mac mini too.

"But why stop at Mac?" asks Cheng. "Since the cyberdeck body just
expects an enclosure with matching physical dimensions, this open
cartridge system opens up an incredible path for future hardware mods
[such as] Raspberry Pi 5."

The video goes into a lot of detail over designing and assembling the
chassis, including specifics about components such as the keyboard.
It was not, though, an entirely smooth process and Cheng details
multiple electrical problems he had to overcome.

Consequently, it's not a mod that is simple for anyone to achieve, and
Cheng does not appear to be selling a kit to do it with. But as yet
another example of the practically absurd number of uses the Mac mini
can be put to.

That is potentially still the case with the new M6 and M5 Pro Mac mini,
as Cheng notes that they appear to retain precisely the same exterior
design. But the new models are significantly more costly, presumably
meaning that fewer people are going to risk experimenting with modding.



<https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/09/23/this-mac-mini-gaming-handheld-is-one-of-the-most-ambitious-projects-weve-seen>





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