(Photo by darkwingmod/Reddit)

The PlayStation 2 remains the best-selling games console of all time, but it's also now a relic compared to the consoles we game on today. That hasn't stopped one modder creating a portable version of Sony's most successful home console, though.

As Engadget reports, Reddit user darkwingmod posted details and a video of his finished portable PS2, which is called the PIS2. It's taken nearly six years to finish, but that's mainly because darkwingmod stopped working on it for four years. It was finished because he, "couldn't stand seeing this half finish[sic] case staring back at me."

The handheld in the video above uses actual PS2 hardware, but supplements it with a Raspberry Pi 2 which is used to load games over Ethernet from an SMB Server. By doing so, the handheld requires no emulation and can run 99 percent of games (and FMV) at full speed.

The display is a 5.6-inch panel which is VGA compatible, the controller board is from a Genius Maxfire Blaze gamepad, and the motherboard is from a PS2 Slim. The unit is powered by a battery that lasts 90 minutes, which may not sound like much, but this is console hardware meant to be plugged into a power outlet. Recharging is achieved using a PS2 power cable.

The PS2 relies on the use of memory cards and darkwingmod made one available to use externally on the PIS2 casing. However, the second slot is internal and contains a memory card loaded with Free MCboot. This is required as it allows the PS2 to run unsigned code, which in this case allows the files transferred from the SMB server to be run on the handheld.

Based on the time this project took and the materials involved, I think it would take a lot of convincing (and cash) for darkwingmod to consider making another one.

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