Today’s hack is an unexpected but appreciated contribution from members of the iFixit crew, published by [Shahram Mokhtari]. This is an ROG Ally Asus-produced handheld gaming console mod that has you upgrade the battery to an aftermarket battery from an Asus laptop to double your battery life (40 Wh to 88 Wh).

There are two main things you need to do: replace the back cover with a 3D printed version that accommodates the new battery, and move the battery wires into the shell of an old connector. No soldering or crimping needed — just take the wires out of the old connector, one by one, and put them into a new connector. Once that is done and you reassemble your handheld, everything just works; the battery is recognized by the OS, can be charged, runs the handheld wonderfully all the same, and the only downside is that your ROG Ally becomes a bit thicker.

The best part is, it’s hard to fail at applying this mod, as it’s documented to the high standards we’d expect from iFixit. The entire journey is split into detailed steps, there’s no shortage of pictures, and the group has also added warnings for the few potentially problematic aspects you want to watch out for. Plus, in the comment section, we’ve learned that there’s an entire community called AllyMods dedicated to ROG Ally modding that has spawned creations like the dual display mod, which is a joy to see!

This mod reminds us of the time someone modified a Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP with a thicker shell too, not just extending the battery, but also adding things like Bluetooth and 3.5 mm audio, USB-C and wireless charging. A worthy upgrade for a beloved device!