Hardware Hacker Creates PS3, Xbox 360 Hybrid

A video game hardware modifier ("modder") has successfully blended a Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) with a Microsoft Xbox 360, this gaming generation's most powerful consoles. For gamers, it's a momentous event that was also a long time coming.

In the realm of sports, there are some very notable rivalries: Celtics and Bulls, Yankees and Red Sox, Canadiens and Bruins.

In the gaming world, the most hateful of all rivalries is between fans (or "fanboys," as they're called) of Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360. Both will point to exclusive titles (like Uncharted for PS3 or Gears of War for Xbox 360), hardware (like the 360 controller versus Sony's Dualshock 3) and even online platforms (the more robust but subscription-based Xbox Live versus the free but considerably less feature-laden PlayStation Network) to demonstrate why their chosen system is better.

So the idea of melding one system into another is, for some, heresy. But for many others, it's simply a dream come true.

Single PC Case Home for PS3/360 Hybrid

And that dream has become reality. Built by a reddit user by the name of "Timofiend," the dual Xbox 360/PS3 is a hybrid system using a single PC case. (Source: escapistmagazine.com)

In case you're wondering how Timofiend keeps heat down in such a hulking system, you might be surprised to hear that he isn't using liquid cooling. Timofiend says that's too expensive, and so he's using an unspecified method that is arousing a lot of speculation and debate amongst techies.

For now, Timofiend says that when both the PS3 and Xbox 360 are powered up temperatures hover around 40 degrees Celsius -- well within their recommended limits.

Bulky PS3, Slim Xbox 360 Side-by-Side

So, how'd he do it?

According to reports, he deconstructed an original, bulky version of the PlayStation 3 (presumably a 40GB or 80GB version) and then did the same with a slim version of the new Xbox 360 (the one that shipped free with Windows PCs this summer). Timofiend was then able to fit all the necessary parts into a single PC case in a surprisingly neat fashion. (Source: tecca.com)

It's unclear how Sony or Microsoft will react to the concoction, though it's likely we'll soon know since Timofiend has announced he plans to release a how-to guide for the build in the coming weeks.