For as long as I can remember, peace-minded gaming fans have dreamed of the end of the console war – a day when all players might get to enjoy a single console, regardless of the divisions between PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo. To that end, there have been numerous all-in-one console mod projects over the years, but I'm not sure I've ever seen anything quite so impressive as the Ningtendo PXBOX 5.
Okay, so maybe the name is a bit unwieldy, but this project from Chinese modder 小宁子 XNZ looks, at a glance, like a beautifully designed bit of consumer electronics. In reality, it's a custom shell containing a PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2, with a button on top that swaps between the three consoles. A big light up front swaps from blue to green to red in keeping with whichever system is selected.
The video breaking down the creation of this console was first posted in November and was more recently highlighted by our friends at Tom's Hardware. The three consoles orbit an aluminum cooling structure inspired by the infamous 2013 Mac Pro "trash can" design – "the most beautiful Mac desktop ever made," as XNZ puts it – and the full thing is worth watching if only to see how creating an aluminum mold works at a consumer level.
All three consoles run off a 250W PC power supply – enough to sustain one machine at full power while the other two sit in standby. The Xbox Series X and PS5 are both disassembled with their motherboards mounted within the structure, while the Switch 2 slides into a custom dock, allowing you to still take the portable system on the go when the mood strikes.
Cynically, you might call this a glorified HDMI switcher, and sure, I'm probably not taking apart my consoles to build something similar anytime soon. But there's something magical about seeing all three consoles in a single package, and tapping a button to swap between them all in a matter of seconds is downright impressive. "At first, I just wanted to make it as a joke, but I didn't expect it to be actually useful," XNZ says.
There have been plenty of other, similar projects combining modern game consoles in a single package. I've got fond memories of early-'00s TechTV – the network that was ultimately swallowed by the vastly inferior G4 – and Yoshi's Boxx, a custom gaming PC build that also included the then-modern original Xbox, GameCube, and PS2 alongside an NES and Atari 2600 all in one box. Unwieldy? Yes. Absolutely delightful? Also yes.
The Ningtendo PXBOX 5 looks far more impressive, but it's got a lot of the same spirit. "I hope it can keep working for a long time," XNZ concludes, "serving as a reminder to those who keep making exclusive games: stop what you're doing. Quit fighting! Stop the console war!"
At last, the best PS5 games, the best Xbox Series X games, and the best Switch 2 games can all live in one home.
