{"id":20091,"date":"2026-08-17T19:01:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T19:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=20091"},"modified":"2026-08-17T19:01:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T19:01:34","slug":"halo-carts-for-a-custom-game-console-that-microsoft-would-refuse-to-ship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=20091","title":{"rendered":"Halo Carts for a Custom Game Console That Microsoft Would Refuse to Ship"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.techeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/17110533\/the-stock-pot-custom-game-console-halo-cartridge.jpg\" alt=\"The Stock Pot Custom Game Console Halo Cartridge\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\"\/><br \/>Sliding a plastic brick into a cartridge slot and hearing the soft click of an eject button should not feel revolutionary in 2026. Yet that simple motion sits at the center of a one-off machine that quietly argues for something most big publishers stopped offering years ago. YouTuber The Stock Pot took a Geekom IT13 MAX mini PC, stripped its original shell, and wrapped the board in a fresh 3D-printed body shaped like a compact Halo console. <\/p>\n<p><span id=\"more-254413\"\/><br \/><iframe title=\"I Built The Console Microsoft Never Will\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1RJcOIpp2OQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><noscript><iframe title=\"I Built The Console Microsoft Never Will\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1RJcOIpp2OQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript><br \/>\nOlive-green panels click into place over an air gap, orange power and eject buttons protrude from the darker carbon fiber-reinforced PETG case, and a plethora of vents ensure that the 45-watt Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and Arc graphics don\u2019t sound like a plane taking flight. The entire contraption is small enough to fit on a desk yet seems like it came straight out of a UNSC arsenal, complete with laser-marked details and a shelf of bulky cartridges nearby that appear to be waiting for someone to get their hands on them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"aawp\">\n<div class=\"aawp-product aawp-product--horizontal aawp-product--ribbon aawp-product--sale\" data-aawp-product-asin=\"B099KSJN8P\" data-aawp-product-id=\"249408\" data-aawp-tracking-id=\"tec02e-20\" data-aawp-product-title=\"KAMRUI AK1PLUS Mini PC Computer Intel Celeron N5095  Up to 2.9GHz  16GB RAM 256GB SSD Dual 4K Mini Desktop Computer Support 2.5   SSD Expansion WiFi Bluetooth Ethernet Business Home Office PC\">\n<p>    <span class=\"aawp-product__ribbon aawp-product__ribbon--sale\">Sale<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"aawp-product__thumb\">\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aawp-product__image\" src=\"https:\/\/m.media-amazon.com\/images\/I\/31B9Glv3nXL._SL160_.jpg\" alt=\"KAMRUI AK1PLUS Mini PC Computer, Intel Celeron N5095 (Up to 2.9GHz), 16GB RAM 256GB SSD, Dual 4K Mini...\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"aawp-product__content\">\n<p>            KAMRUI AK1PLUS Mini PC Computer, Intel Celeron N5095 (Up to 2.9GHz), 16GB RAM 256GB SSD, Dual 4K Mini&#8230;        <\/p>\n<div class=\"aawp-product__description\">\n<ul>\n<li>Faster Performance for Everyday Computing: Powered by the Intel Celeron N5095 processor (4 Cores, 4 Threads, up to 2.9GHz), the KAMRUI AK1PLUS Mini PC&#8230;<\/li>\n<li>16GB RAM &amp; Up to 4TB Expandable Storage: Work faster with 16GB LPDDR4X memory and a high-speed 256GB M.2 2280 SSD for quick boot-ups and smooth&#8230;<\/li>\n<li>Dual 4K UHD Displays for Maximum Productivity: Expand your workspace with dual HDMI 2.0 outputs, supporting two 4K@60Hz UHD displays simultaneously&#8230;<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.techeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/17110510\/the-stock-pot-custom-game-console-halo-cartridge-1.jpg\" alt=\"The Stock Pot Custom Game Console Halo Cartridge\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\"\/><br \/>\nThose cartridges are pretty much the highlight of the build. Each one is a solid 3D printed shell with Halo emblems and several in-game Easter eggs. Inside, you\u2019ll just discover a small NFC sticker. When you put one in the cartridge pocket, a little microcontroller wakes up, reads the unique ID off the sticker, and sends it to the mini PC over USB. A Python script running in the bottom-right corner of the screen then matches that ID with a Steam game or a local file and launches it. The game itself remains on the SSD; the plastic brick simply delivers a message to the system, indicating which game to play.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.techeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/17110517\/the-stock-pot-custom-game-console-halo-cartridge-2.jpg\" alt=\"The Stock Pot Custom Game Console Halo Cartridge\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\"\/><br \/>Stock Pot is quite open about the limitations, as this entire structure just restores the ritual of ownership, not tangible possession. Sony\u2019s announcement that it would stop making new PlayStation disks in 2028 appeared to be a modest act of defiance. Putting in one of these labeled cartridges still generates the same level of thrill as removing a worn Xbox disk from its case. Except in this case, the actual files remain digital and pre-paid for, thanks to Steam.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.techeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/17110521\/the-stock-pot-custom-game-console-halo-cartridge-3.jpg\" alt=\"The Stock Pot Custom Game Console Halo Cartridge\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\"\/><br \/>Building the casing took some careful manipulation of the small PC\u2019s 3D model, which Geekom provided. He had to attempt a few different prototypes to get the correct one, all built on a Prusa with recycled PLA at first before switching to the stronger carbon-filled PETG for added texture and robustness. The cartridge mechanism came from an earlier project, an NFC-enabled media player, and he only had to pull out the guts and make the pocket deeper so the spring-loaded eject lever wouldn\u2019t get caught. The ESP32 still requires a USB cable because the board\u2019s internal headers are unlabeled and we didn\u2019t dare to touch them. He has a second version planned that cleans up the cable and hides it inside the enclosure.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.techeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/17110524\/the-stock-pot-custom-game-console-halo-cartridge-4.jpg\" alt=\"The Stock Pot Custom Game Console Halo Cartridge\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\"\/><br \/>Performance fits the hardware perfectly. Halo: Combat Evolved and its remastered version work smoothly, with no difficulties. Other emulation and less demanding current titles run smoothly, too. Of course, you\u2019ll find all of the standard networking options: dual 2.5-Gigabit Ethernet ports, Wi-Fi 7, and USB4 ports, all of which give enough space for the console to begin taking on other jobs when it\u2019s not busy mowing down Covenant. The fans are silent, and the designers did an excellent job with the air intake and exhaust positioning, so you won\u2019t have to deal with any bothersome noises when gaming.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.techeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/17110527\/the-stock-pot-custom-game-console-halo-cartridge-5.jpg\" alt=\"The Stock Pot Custom Game Console Halo Cartridge\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\"\/><br \/>Print files for the entire enclosure and the cartridges sit free on Printables. Anyone with a decent 3D printer, an RC522, an ESP32, and a similar mini PC can build their own version. The software side is also very simple; only a few lines of code to map out the necessary IDs will result in a console that responds to, of all things, plastic. In a year when genuine game material is vanishing, this sleek little Halo box is content to keep the memory of inserting a cartridge alive for a bit longer, one laser-engraved brick at a time.<br \/><span>[Source]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> Halo Carts for a Custom Game Console That Microsoft Would Refuse to Ship<br \/>\n<br \/>#Halo #Carts #Custom #Game #Console #Microsoft #Refuse #Ship<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sliding a plastic brick into a cartridge slot and hearing the soft click of an&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[13009,2320,1361,232,5850,4318,1129,1614],"class_list":["post-20091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech","tag-carts","tag-console","tag-custom","tag-game","tag-halo","tag-microsoft","tag-refuse","tag-ship"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/the-stock-pot-custom-game-console-halo-cartridge.jpg",1280,853,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/the-stock-pot-custom-game-console-halo-cartridge-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/the-stock-pot-custom-game-console-halo-cartridge-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/the-stock-pot-custom-game-console-halo-cartridge-768x512.jpg",640,427,true],"large":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/the-stock-pot-custom-game-console-halo-cartridge-1024x682.jpg",640,426,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/the-stock-pot-custom-game-console-halo-cartridge.jpg",1280,853,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/the-stock-pot-custom-game-console-halo-cartridge.jpg",1280,853,false],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/the-stock-pot-custom-game-console-halo-cartridge-1024x682.jpg",1024,682,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/news678.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/the-stock-pot-custom-game-console-halo-cartridge-540x340.jpg",540,340,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news678.top\/?cat=8\" rel=\"category\">Tech<\/a>","tag_info":"Tech","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20091"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20091\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news678.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}