The Beth Deck is a 3D printed gaming handheld that can 'assembled within 15 minutes' by using the guts from a Framework laptop

The gaming handheld market has a wide variety of designs and gimmicks. However, the internals of the best handheld gaming computers are similar. One creative designer created a project that wraps around Framework's modular computer to create something unique and upgradeable.

Notebookcheck has spotted that Beth Le, an user of Printables, a website for 3D printing projects and blueprints, has designed a project they call the Beth Deck. The Beth Deck project allows you to take any 13-inch mainboard, from Framework, and stuff it into a gaming hand-held shell.

It is worth noting that any of the 13" Framework mainboards will work with this device, so you can spend as much money as you want to get it up and running. PC Gamer is a fan of Framework, so it's great to see a build that takes advantage of the company's unique features. Framework's modular components allow you to build a laptop from scratch. This makes them easy to upgrade and repair.

Beth pointed out that "the whole thing could be assembled in 15 minutes, and disassembled within 2 minutes without soldering. All non-printed parts are available for purchase."

The project page contains ten 3D printed schematics that, when combined with the following are all you need to build the handheld yourself.

• 6x M3x25mm buttons head screws
• 5x M3x5mm buttons head screws
• 6x M3x4mm heat set insert
• 1x M2.5x4mm Standoff
• Easy SMX M05 gaming controller
• 1x USB-C Dongle with 2x USB-A
• 1x USB-C with HDMI
• Waveshare 8-inch 800p Touchscreen
• 1x 50mm 90° USB-C extension
• 2x 100mm 90° USB-C to USB A adapter
• 1x 200mm HDMI Ribbon cable (A1-A1)
• 1x USB-C 90° adapter
• Framework 13-inch mainboard
• Framework 13-inch Battery

It's a lot of equipment (totaling about $150 without the Framework components or the 3D-printing filament), but building something this big could allow it to be upgraded later. It should theoretically work with any 13" Framework board. So, as long Framework continues to support 13" builds - which it has done through four generations Intel chips, AMD, and RISC V boards - you should be able swap it out later for something more powerful.

Framework mainboards are also on sale when a new generation is released, so you can wait for a good deal before committing.

I would recommend waiting to build this if you're looking for a replacement gaming handheld. Framework boards were designed for laptops, so they do not have the bespoke design that handhelds have. You'll likely sacrifice the balance between power, heat and battery life found in handhelds. They don't even have fan controls like some other laptop manufacturers.

The 7840U board, which is needed to emulate the power of many gaming handhelds, will cost $699 at retail. This is more expensive than other devices before you add in all the extra components you need.

Beth also plans to fix some of the issues with the Beth Deck in revision 2. This is a great entry from Beth and a great way to use an old framework board. It's a good project for hardware enthusiasts, and it looks solid, even if the ROG Ally X will soon beat it.