Millions of people around the world own at least one games console at home. I personally own two consoles, simply because there are some games that are only available on one particular platform.
Playing console games is a great way to let off some steam after a hard day at work, or simply if you have nothing better to do in your spare time. But when you are out in the car, and are perhaps on a road trip with some friends or family members, it can sometimes get boring after spending hours on the motorway.
One awesome way to combine your love affair with console games and boredom relief on the road is to set up an in-car games console system! You might think that such a task is virtually impossible, but thousands of people have already done this and you can too!
Here is what you need to know.
Buying the equipment needed
Most cars don’t come with games consoles or TV screens installed in them as standard, so you will have to modify your car’s interior in order to set up a bespoke gaming system.
The first thing you will need to do is buy some equipment to make that happen. Typically, you will need to buy the following:
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Games console – I’m mainly an Xbox person, but you might prefer a PlayStation or some other games console in your car. The console you buy is purely down to your personal preference, so just go with whatever you like playing on the most;
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TV screen – thankfully the days of bulky and heavy CRT-based televisions are long gone, and everyone uses flat-screen LCDs. The great thing about LCDs is that they are lightweight and available in a wide array of sizes. I don’t recommend buying a massive TV for your car because of obvious car size constraints, so stick with something no bigger than 19 inches in diameter;
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Mounting equipment – unless you can find a supplier that is willing to sell you the infrastructure needed to mount your TV and console to your car somehow, you will have to fabricate your own parts;
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Inverter – because a car’s electrical system operates differently to the electricity in your home, Joe from RRG Kia advises that you purchase an inverter to convert the car’s electricity into a usable format by your games console and TV. Make sure that you buy a pure sine wave inverter and that it is rated to the amount of power required by your equipment.
Planning your installation
Once you have got everything you need for your in-car games console setup, the next step is to plan your installation.
Although there are instructions available online that give general details on how you can build your installation, there aren’t any for specific vehicles. You can either design your installation by hand using pen and paper, or you can use a 3D modelling program on your computer, such as SketchUp.
Regardless of your method, as long as you make accurate measurements, and you are confident of routing electrical cabling around your car, you will do a decent job of your in-car games console installation.
