We’ve all been there; some vital piece of gaming equipment is malfunctioning or missing— and, hey, stuff like that can be expensive— so, rather than shell out the money to either get it repaired or get a new one, we break out the do it yourself toolkit. The L3 button on the DualShock 4 may not click down anymore, or the disc tray on the old PS2 may no longer open, but bang on it enough times, and something may just fall into place. Alternatively, you could totally destroy the thing beyond repair, but it’s probably worth the risk.
That said, some people have gone to extreme lengths to Macgyver up some gaming work-arounds. They may not be all that appealing to the eye, but at least they are functional. Of course, there are a few that are a total eyesore, don’t work all that well, and leave us scratching our heads and questioning what would possess someone to do that.
Public service announcement: please don’t try to copy anything shown on this list. The title isn’t ‘25 Best Ways to Save a Few Bucks’ or ‘25 Nobel Peace Prize-winning Gaming Hacks Developed by Super Geniuses.’ If these awful mods aren’t bound to cause bodily injury, they will most likely either set your house on fire or, at the very least, brick your console. With that in mind, here are some of the most ridiculous DIY gaming hack that just don’t make any sense no matter how hard you look at it.
25 Power Failure
Just pulled out the old PS2 and want to fire up a game of TimeSplitters 2 or 007: Nightfire but discovered that Sony's proprietary power cord either doesn’t work or is nowhere to be found? Well, then this probably still isn’t a good solution. Exposed wiring is never a good thing, but exposed wiring wrapped around a set of screws is probably number one on the list of best ways to start an electrical fire. This is why emulators were invented— sure, some argue that playing downloaded PS2 .isos from the internet is morally questionable, but it’s leagues better than setting your house on fire.
24 Taking Gaming On Mobile Seriously
Though the idea of playing PUBG or Fortnite on mobile is novel, neither of these portable ports comes even close to the console originals. Playing an FPS on nothing save for a small touch screen has always been a bit of a tenuous prospect, and this gamer has clearly grown tired of missing shots thanks to imprecise control. While this setup may allow for some serious mobile domination, it’s far from practical, and this might be one of the most cursed gaming-related images on the internet. PUBG Mobile may be frustrating at times, but nothing could be worth dealing with all of this nonsense.
23 (Not-So) Super Nintendo
Alright, yes, this Super Famicom Nintendo Switch dock is pretty awesome. It’s every Nintendo fan’s dream, and the owner is probably the envy of all of their gamer friends. Yet, as a DIY project, this is a little bit extreme. First of all, it requires someone to both get their hands on and be willing to destroy a Super Famicom, a console which isn’t all that common in the West. Plus, this would take so much effort and planning that it’s probably beyond the capabilities of the average player. It’s cool, but remorse and regret would definitely start to set in midway through sawing your rare retro console in half.
22 Doomed
Playing through a twitch shooter like 2016’s Doom with a controller may be a bit of a chore, but it’s infinitely more convenient than this setup. The keyboard and mouse have never been all that comfortable in the living room, and this goes to show that anyone trying to make that happen will be disappointed. What’s more, either this person is streaming the game from an off-screen PC somewhere, or they somehow managed to link that setup to their Nintendo Switch. The whole situation is just gross, and we would implore fans of the Switch to simply stick to the controls Nintendo provides. Sure, the joy-cons may be slightly to small and a uncomfortable, but this is not a good second option.
21 X-Box One PC
The PC master race crowd will emphatically defend the practice of building your own computer, and, while that may indeed be cheaper than purchasing a pre-built one, it’s still not an inexpensive endeavor. Even the cases, which often come as an afterthought to amateur builders, can be pricey. That said, this absolutely isn’t a good alternative, and whoever decided to cram their PC innards into an Xbox One box should really reconsider some of their life choices. Even if this is only a temporary setup, it’s still totally terrible, and the person behind this ridiculous setup should probably just stick to playing that Xbox rather than McGuyvering computers together.
20 Who Even Needs RGB Fans?
Airflow and cooling is a major aspect of PC construction, and poorly-ventilated builds can easily suffer performance-wise. Fan placement is of major importance, but this person may be taking it just a little too far. Sure, having a bunch of fans to cool your system is nice, but this is just far past unnecessary. This looks like one of those little hand fans they sell at amusement parks on particularly hot days, and it’s more so embarrassing than creative. Not only do they not have appropriate fans, but they’re also missing a heat-sink, so that little thing isn’t going to be doing all that much in the way of cooling to begin with.
19 Click Click Boom
Controller modding as always been kind of a hard thing to get right; some custom builds may look cool, but, if they get in the way of functionality, the whole thing is sort of a failure unless it was intended as nothing more than an art piece from the very beginning. Hardcore FPS gamers might think that this DualShock 4 modded to include real bullets looks awesome, but pressing buttons on that controller must be really annoying, tiresome, and it probably leaves weird imprints on the thumb. What’s more, unless you’re stuck on consoles, why would a huge FPS fan be gaming on a controller in the first place?
18 What A Dump
This is the worst PC build anyone has ever seen, and that’s a guarantee. While the individual parts may constitute a fully functional battlestation, this person’s choice of case is downright insulting to anyone whose fingers automatically rest on the WASD keys when they sit at a keyboard. On second thought, the GPU and RAM cards seem to be absent from this build, which means that there probably won’t be very much gaming done on this… uh, creation. There should be laws against this thing, and we can only hope that Gabe Newell burst into this person’s house and showed them the error of their ways.
17 Pizza Delivery
Laptops seem to be increasingly niche products as mobile devices and tablets fulfill our on-the-go computing needs, but that trend didn’t stop this person from jamming a monitor into a pizza box and calling it a laptop. This looks more like a proof of concept than anything as the setup appears to lack any sort of GUI, user input options, or really anything other than a monitor (which looks to literally have been taped to the box.) This would make any serious PC gamer cry, but it would also be hilarious to take into work or school and casually bring out during the day. A workstation that’s bound to catch everyone’s eye for sure.
16 Take The Wheel
How is this even supposed to work? Is that smartphone app connected to the game, or is it just for show? Is that a Mario Kart Wii steering wheel? Why is there so much tape? People who enjoy stuff like Euro Truck Simulator tend to take their setups pretty seriously, but this looks like something a frustrated player cobbled together in a matter of minutes. The wheel obviously isn’t going to move independent of the laptop, so it’s probably more or less useless. Also, what’s up with the apple logo? Was that photoshopped in? The longer you stare at this one, the worse it gets.
15 Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Gaming on a PC when sitting at anything other than a desk can be difficult and uncomfortable, which is why most people don’t do it. This person, however, in a clear quest to defy the laws of nature, rigged together what might be the most offensively terrible setup in the history of gaming. Resting a TV on top of a set of boxes, they apparently plan on staring up at that thing while somehow using a keyboard and mouse simultaneously. This seems to have been a poorly conceived plan, and that TV is absolutely going to fall and crush their face into a pancake— once that happens, they’ll only have themselves to blame.
14 PS2 Fanboy
This mod at least serves a practical use; older PS2 models are notorious for overheating, and, as they age, proper airflow and ventilation becomes even more important. That said, while this modder clearly cares about the health of their almost-retro console, that fan looks really ugly and is likely to blow a ton of dust into the hardware. What’s more, this would make for a horrible DIY project, as untrained laymen are bound to slice through something vital and turn their console into a doorstop. Sure, if done correctly, this is actually pretty cool. Yet, this shouldn’t encourage anyone to go hacking away at a console that’s probably on its last legs already.
13 Two Halves Don't Make a Whole
What happens when your fancy MOBA mouse suddenly stops working? Well, rather than repair it, consider busting the keypad off and re-purposing it as a number pad to go alongside your gaming half keyboard. That may sound insane— especially when considering the fact that most of the mouse’s innards are soldered to that same keypad— but this person seems to have tried to make the best of the situation. League of Legends doesn’t wait for anyone, of course, so why wait for one to arrive through Amazon when you could just do this instead? Other than the fact that this is a horrible, potentially dangerous setup, there really aren’t all that many drawbacks.
12 Water Cooling
Much like chrome rims and over-sized spoilers signify just how invested in their car someone is, a water cooling system complete with colored coolant indicates how dedicated a gamer may be to their PC. That said, though it can look cool, it can also serve as a major hazard if left in a state of disrepair. This redditor had to use an old aquarium pump to circulate their system, and it looks pretty out of place sitting next to their massive MSI GPU. Should that pump give out, the best case scenario is a thermal shutdown— we wouldn’t want to think of how much they would have to spend should a major leak occur.
11 Can You Hear Me Now?
If the average PUBG lobby is anything to go by, it sounds like clear, quality headsets are hard to come by these days. So hard, in fact, that some PC gamers have resorted to drastic measures to be able to join in on the Discord server. This poor fellow had nothing save for a Nintendo Switch headset— which is already fairly mediocre in terms of quality— on hand, and, lacking any sort of mount or stand, they had to tape the thing to the side of their desk. That’s rough, and a McDonald’s drive-thru speaker probably sounds better than setup would. We can only hope that this person’s teammates weren’t too hard on them.
10 Splicer
Children, avert your eyes! How could someone do such a thing to an innocent PSP? In all honesty, while it may be more than a little hard to look at, the person behind this definitely had the right idea; one of this handheld’s major flaws was that it only had one analog stick. This made most games a chore to play, and splicing a PS2 controller on to the bottom half of this system is a great idea in concept. However, seeing these two things mashed together is more than a little upsetting, even if it results in a more ergonomic gameplay experience.
9 Loot Crate
The idea behind housing all of your PC components in a case makes sense because these parts cease to function correctly should they be exposed to too many outside elements. While there are a few weirdos out there who leave their computer’s guts all splayed out in the open, it’s a very rare sight. This guy seems to either not care what happens to his equipment or has a deep-seated love for contemporary design and rustic furniture. One might imagine that, if Amish communities ever decided to get into PC gaming, this is the sort of rig they might put together.
8 In Your Face
Welcome to How To Smash Yourself in the Face with a Nintendo Switch 101, today’s lesson should be self-evident. The Switch was expertly designed with mobile gaming in mind, and it isn’t very heavy or cumbersome, so it isn’t too difficult to hold or carry around. Still, holding something while lying in bed can get at least slightly annoying, but it’s hard to justify circumventing that issue by rigging up something as haphazard as this. Guaranteed to send the user to the hospital with gaming-related facial injuries, it can’t be all that long until this contraption comes tumbling down. Plus, you would have to be laying perfectly flat to make that setup work.
7 DIY VR
Of all the things in the world of gaming that shouldn’t be the subject of a DIY experiment, virtual reality is up there on the list. While Google once provided instruction for do-it-yourself Google Cardboard kits, that wasn’t meant for gaming and wasn’t really taken all that seriously to begin with. This person clearly set out to make a full-on gaming VR setup, and, honestly, it looks like it may actually have turned out pretty well. That said, this isn’t something most people could competently put together, and, though the Oculus Rift is almost prohibitively expensive, it will be much more efficient than rigging this together.
6 The Case Of The Overheating CPU
Laptop warriors no-doubt know the struggle of keeping their machines cool while gaming. Most laptops which don’t have gaming explicitly in mind have their air vents at the bottom of the system which make them virtually useless when the computer is placed on a desk. If asked to run a graphically intensive piece of software, most inferior portable PCs will simply give up after a while. However, this gamer was clearly fed up with their sessions being cut short thanks to overheating, and they decided to go all-out on a cooling system. It’ll be tough to explain how you managed to get your laptop chopped up in a fan, though.