360 goes portable, LAN party in a box

by Richard Mitchell { Aug 18th 2006 at 9:30AM }

360 Fanboy reader, Vince, has sent us word of his newest creation, the Ackibox (short for Acrobatic Box). The Ackibox is an all in one solution for toting your 360 around. With space for controllers and its own flat panel monitor, the 360 gamer on the go will always have a 360 at a moment's notice. Vince describes his inspiration:

"Being an avid gamer, I often found myself at a friend's house, enjoying some gaming action. But there were certain annoying things about the experience, and it wasn't bad attitudes, cold pizza, or stinky feet. It was that I often found myself playing on 1/2 or 1/4 of the screen and using someone else's profile on someone else's console. I'm all for sharing, but not having the full, single-console, single-television experience can really reduce the fun (literally). Many times the difficulties of setting up and transporting the right number of consoles and televisions was the obstacle to everyone having the full experience. It often took us over an hour just to get everything setup before we could really begin playing."

While it may not be the most attractive solution -- it is a prototype after all -- the Ackibox's practicality cannot be denied. Any enterprising companies out there care to turn Vince's dream into a mass-produced reality?

Tags: ackibox, acrobatic box, AcrobaticBox, lan party, LanParty, portable xbox, PortableXbox

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Kennie @ Aug 18th 2006 9:56AM

Too bad it ain't powered by solar cells. That would've made it the ultimate, ehrm ... bundle of joy.

Majikthise @ Aug 18th 2006 10:23AM

Not sure what he can patent?
I think someone already invented a box

Majikthise @ Aug 18th 2006 10:25AM

It's a nice box though ;-)

Gifted76 @ Aug 28th 2006 5:11PM

I don't see any kind of plug or power supply. Once you add that things get heavier and bulkier. Here's what I did. I went and purchased a wireless Audio video Transmitter and receiver with IR extender (2.4 or 5.8ghz). Hook the transmitter to the 360 and hook the receiver up to my 7" widescreen portable tv and now I can sit in my front yard or on my steps and play my 360 while the box remains in the house. Hence "semi-portable"

YLA G @ Aug 18th 2006 10:43AM

how many does it weight :)

and where is that huge energy adapter? :)

ZeroCorpse @ Aug 18th 2006 1:38PM

I hate to think of the weight of this thing, with a 360, power adapter, controllers, LCD screen, and the box itself. I assume there's also an integrated power strip so you only have one plug to worry about.

BUT. . . It would be very useful for trips to visit the family, or friends. Right now, bringing the 360 means packing it all up, and then unpacking and connecting to whatever TV is available.

I can't imagine the cost of this plus a decent LCD screen, but it might be worth investigating (or emulating).

ZeroCorpse @ Aug 18th 2006 1:39PM

Oh. . . And why do ALL web videos seem to have hacky, nasty gangsta or techno music in the background?

Most of us hate that crap. Cut it out. Try some peppy classical tunes instead. The music people are using now is going to seem as cheesy and dated as disco in about 15 years.

gascar888 @ Aug 18th 2006 2:47PM

Foul! The power supply is not located in the box, you can see the power cable routed out the back corner of the box. It is obviously added after the box is set on the ground and before it is opened (hense the break in the video). Not to mention how is the audio supplied? Does the monitor have a built in audio amplifier? If so, it would be the first i've seen.

dahkness @ Aug 18th 2006 4:13PM

It's a prototype. They sort out those little detials (like where to put the power supply) later. Also there are speakers on that LCD. It looks like a smaller version of the LCD Monitor the 360 kioskis had, with built in amp and speakers.

p.s. my 15inch LCD has built in speakers and amp and its a cheap pos lcd.

Good job man. If you have an idea, market that shit!!