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October 9, 2026 • 2 min read
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In another impressive case of DIY engineering, a creator has turned a badly damaged Galaxy S23 into a compact gaming computer. Creator LastComputer used Samsung DeX for the desktop interface, showing how capable DeX can be when paired with a little creativity and the right hardware. As Hackaday reports, the phone cost just 1,700 Ukrainian hryvnia, roughly $40. That bought the damaged handset, not the complete gaming build.
How did the damaged Galaxy S23 become a gaming PC?
The project adds a replacement battery, external storage, USB hubs with HDMI output, and active cooling to the surviving phone hardware. LastComputer packages the S23 in a makeshift enclosure rather than trying to restore it as an everyday handset.
Hackaday reports a temperature reduction of around 7°C and reduced throttling. Its coverage describes PlayStation 2 emulation, Dolphin, and GameHub being used for gaming. You can find the original project in LastComputer’s build video.
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Those are results reported for this particular setup. They don’t establish how every game will run, or how another damaged S23 will behave.
What does Samsung DeX add?
The Galaxy S23 offers HDMI output to a monitor or TVhe phone’s apps, with support for a keyboard and mouse
It still runs on Android. Connecting a display doesn’t install Windows, and a desktop layout doesn’t guarantee compatibility with your PC game library. So don’t expect to be running GTA 6 on your old phone anytime soon.
For me, the appeal is giving useful hardware another job. A phone that’s impractical to carry around could still make sense as a small machine connected to a spare monitor. The desktop interface is what makes that idea feel usable beyond the novelty of getting a broken phone to switch on.
The cost needs the same practical treatment. Before copying a project like this, count the extra parts and peripherals you’d need, then decide whether the work is worthwhile. The $40 handset price on its own isn’t a complete build budget.
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