After having raised over $8 million on Kickstarter ($8,596,474 to be exact) from the original goal of $950,000, the wildly successful OUYA open-source video game console will be launching with a bang from San Francisco this week. In celebration of the launch, OUYA teamed up with MakerBot and Thingiverse to offer the option to 3D print your own OUYA enclosure. Yes, if you were one of the thousands to pre-order the OUYA from Kickstarter, the Yves Behar-designed box is now open for your downloadable .STL and .3DM modifying pleasure.

OUYA x MakerBot

In the spirit of keeping things open-source, OUYA made the move of handing over the CAD file over to the MakerBot Design Team to make a functional 3D-printable model that prints superbly on their Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer. Similar to how Nokia invited users to create their own custom 3D printed cases recently, OUYA is letting users customize and print the console box into whichever color they prefer. The .STL and .3DM files on the Thingiverse page include a simple case, a lid, and a spring-loaded button:

But perhaps the most interesting aspect of this open-source industrial design experiment isn’t so much the ability to change colors (ho hum) but rather, it is giving non-designers the power of taking a functional design template and play ‘industrial designer’. By keeping the internal properties safe, users are able to expand on the .STL or .3DM files into a more preferred console shape. If a user wants their console to follow the same design language as another component in their entertainment system for example, they now have the power to create their own visual ecosystem.

The included Thingiverse instructions show just how easy it is to mod:

All parts were designed and tested using MakerBot PLA Filament, but may print successfully using ABS.

Case, Lid, & Spring
Infill: 10%
Shells: 1 shell (total; so 0 extra shells)
Layer height resolution: 0.20-0.25 mm

Button (use a translucent color)
Infill: 0%
Shells: 50 (fifty!)
Layer height resolution: 0.3 mm. Turn the active cooling fan ON.

Instructions:
Slot the Button into the spring from the smooth side (the side that printed against the build plate), then give the button a quarter turn to lock it in place.

Slot the long spring arm into the lid (it will only fit one way) and gently work the other two spring arms into their slots. Make sure you don’t bend the spring too far in any direction. Make sure the button can move freely and isn’t catching anywhere.

Slot the OUYA hardware into the printed case.

Align the two forked guides on the inside of the lid with the OUYA board and press the lid onto the case. It should seat with a satisfying snap.

If you’re interested in video game console mods in general, be sure to check out the Ben Heck episode of EngineerVsDesigner. To download the OUYA files, head on over to Thingiverse.