The battle between size, comfort, and aesthetics

[Tchay]

I'm always ganna be looking for the next best case idea. It can always be just a little more small, more comfortable, more perfect. And of course, you have to find that perfect balance through a tough compromise of size, comfort, and appearance.

We have almost maxed out the potential of gamecube portablizing, and yet, I feel like we can go further. I was in a CVS the other day and something immediately caught my eye as I did my weekly shopping for on sale butterfingers.

It was an iPada iHandstick.

It got me thinking. I had made some sketches a while back that incorporated flanks. I eventually scrapped the idea because it seemed too bulky for the Golden Age; not practical, not sexy, not worthy. But seeing a lifesize representation in a store made me wonder if it might be plausible. Made me reconsider this once abandoned idea.

Ultimately, we will run into the problem of comfort as our cases get smaller. Its inevitable, as Jelly once explained a while back. And what little we do to make a case feel good, causes major sacrifices in the aesthetics department.
Another candidate

But what if flanks are the answer?

I know what you're thinking. The case is too small. And you're right. For now...I did notice Techknott and other modders from time to time bringing up the possibility of a GC mobo trimmed to the size of the stock GC heatsink (on the x and y). Trimming the mobo to heatsink size or simply closer to it, would make a case like the iPada very possible.

Sure, cases like the PSP, PSPvita, 3DS, and gameboy would look cool and certainly be small, but how comfortable will they really be? I can't help but wonder if this flank design might be the perfect balance of size, comfort, and appearance that we have been seeking all these years.

Who knows? Tchay might find himself buying his next case from a CVS...

 

[βeta]

Flanks look like flax.

 

[Noah]

Not if Tchay uses them.

 

[XCVG]

Flanks look like flax on a large portable. If you get it to the scale of that iPod accessory, then the thing will look like an oversized controller. The problem with flanks is that they are bulky, both widening and thickening the portable. I suppose you could shove batteries in them, but there's still a lot of wasted space because of the shape of the thing.

To be honest, I would rather have a less comfortable portable that can be pocketed than a more comfortable one that can't. At first I thought my DS Lite would be uncomfortable, but it's not too bad. A portable similar in size and shape to that wouldn't be too bad. I guess this depends a lot on weight. If it was extremely heavy, it wouldn't be comfortable to hold in this manner.

 

[nuke]

2.5 inch screen and this would be epic.

 

[ShockSlayer]

Chapter 11 of the book of WOSHIP, may come in handy:

I have built portables of all shapes and sizes, and this is what I've come to learn:

Comfort is based on size, but your portable doesn't have to be tiny to be comfortable.

I'll use two of my own portables for examples, my 1st GCp(flanks) and my TriSixtyFource(size)

This is the only picture I could find of the GCp:

And of course, the image of the world's smallest N64p featured across tech blogs everywhere:

And for a lulzy thing I remembered, the TSF's original case direction! Flanks! I'm glad I changed my mind, because I *Can'tSayThisOnTV*ed up when I was affixing them, they were horribly uneven and beta was just firing hip and fresh one-liners at my self-conscious 24/7. He's now trying to beat my record. I'm helping him.

Anyways, both of those two portables are very comfortable to hold, and very different at the same time.

---

With the GCp, you notice that it's prettyugly giant. This was the most comfortable portable I ever built. Look at the picture, I'm unintentionally demonstrating these things:
- It's light
- I'm only holding it by the flank
- I'm proud of my facial features

Imagine holding this portable, by the flanks. Imagine looking at it, holding the flanks, playing your favorite Gamecube game of choice. Wind Waker, Metroid Prime, Melee... Now, in your imagination, close your eyes. What do you feel?

The answer? You are holding a wavebird.

My thoughts on flanks is that they should probably only be used with consoles that have intricate controls, like analogue triggers.

---

Onto the TSF. You notice that it's prettyugly small. This was the smallest N64 portable that I ever built. (Seriously? Most portablized console, great strides in trimming FOR OVER A YEAR, and I'm still holding the belt?)

The picture is demonstrating these things:
- It's more portable than the other demonstrated portable.
- My self-consciousness has gone up since the last pic.

This portable, is actually pretty comfortable to play. Even though it's boxy, and it's not curved to fit your hands nicely, it's still pretty comfy.

Why? Because it's small. You can hold the whole thing and operate it with your fingers.

My thoughts on non-flanked portables is that they should be as small as possible and to only be used with consoles that have mostly basic controls, ie: no analogue triggers.

The principal with the above is the same used in today's handhelds, holy flax it's boxy and awkward but it's small enough to make up for it, and it fits in your pocket.

These portables out there, they don't have analogue triggers for a reason, it's about how you hold the unit. In order to have that precise control with you index fingers, you have to be able to firmly grip the unit. While you could, it's awkward and uncomfortable. With a controller, you have these nice, luscious flanks to firmly grasp in your hand, thus making the triggers great and adequate, nice and comfortable to use.

I had a pair of these as a kid and loved them.

TL;DR? Build a tiny *Can'tSayThisOnTV*ing portable and then build detachable flanks.

SS