Elements - How we make modular devices

We want to build excellent devices for gaming, whether you prefer to do this in your living room or at home.

One challenge here is that computing technology is still advancing rapidly, so devices typically either fall out of date or compell you to replace them every few years.

This typically discourages building devices that last.

We’re building a platform with a few replacable components, designed so that the pieces that wear or go out of date can be replaced independent of components that still work well. So you can have a great device that lasts.

Common elements

The specifics vary from product to product, but all our devices have at least the following components:

Core

This piece houses all the advanced computer chips that develops most quickly. The core contains the main processor, memory, optionaly wireless chips, etcetera. It is designed to easily plug into the baseboard, so even non-experts can upgrade the device if desired.

Baseboard

This piece plays the role of connecting the Core to all the other hardware in the device. The baseboard contains external connectors like hdmi, usb, and microsd for interfacing with your peripherals.

This is most similar to a motherboard from computers. For portable devices, the baseboard also contains the electronics for the built in controller.

Shell

This is the enclosure and all other external pieces you see when interacting with the device. A shell is compatible with a particular baseboard.

Shells can come in various colors and styles. If your device gets damaged, you can remove the baseboard + core and simply install these into a new shell.

Optional elements

While the above apply to all devices, the following elements only apply to some of our devices.

Battery

Batteries typically wear down over the life of a device. Even good rechargable batteries typically only last a few years before its life is significantly reduced.

Our battery powered devices use rechargeable batteries that can be replaced when they are no longer providing sufficient energy. Just like the other elements, replacing the batteries is easy, and can be done by anyone with a bit of patience.

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