Best-Looking Console

[Hyrulian Hero]

The Verge sucks but I skimmed an article today that got me thinking about console design. They pointed out that the original XBox had an eject button that sat higher and larger than the power button and was ringed by leds. They went on to say that the eject button becoming more obscure on subsequent XBox consoles showed the waning importance of physical media.

I don't see myself ever choosing digital over physical and that may have something to do with what I was raised on. In the same way that vinyl started off with huge album art and inserts and then evolved to 8-track, cassettes, CD, and digital, game consoles started off with big boxes and cartridges and cassettes, then switched to CDs where we still got manuals and great box art, then started going digital and now we even get empty boxes with download codes. But the Super Nintendo, GB line, 64, Genesis, etc. proudly and prominently displayed their games for all to see. We never even got a major disc-based console release with a airport to see the disc. The days of cartridges standing vertical out of their consoles remind me of what gaming was for me as a child.

No dash board to give the console a personality, no multimedia features to waste time with, the console was nothing but a means to play your games. Even in hardware clones of retro consoles today, none that I can think of hide the cartridge, they all display it proudly.

But everyone has their own preferences about console design, what is you favorite console design and why? What design features should console designers incorporate or leave behind?

(I'm sure this thread has been made before but without guidance on what constitutes "relevant", I'll just take a chance by cluttering up this board.)

 

[twilitfalchion]

Compact, unique, and stylish, GameCube really nailed being both something easily recognizable while keeping an inoffensive appearance and taking up little space.

It's just a super simple design, but one that you really can't forget. I think that's the basis for any good console design. Nothing over the top, but something that is memorable. Platinum best color.

 

[Chevywolf30]

Honestly, the Xbox 1 X or whatever the refrigerator looking one is called. Sure, it's kinda meme but it just looks nice.

 

[Gorozoron]

 

[Dio]

 

[Hyrulian Hero]

Aaand the pc master race makes an appearance! Not going to lie, I hate the leds but pcs are ridiculously customizable. I never loved the look of the Game Cube. It's super iconic but not my absolute favorite. Lots of color options though

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

(I'm sure this thread has been made before

darn tootin

the PSone is still my favorite console design, I just find it insanely attractive to look at b/c of how compact and rounded it is, and I love the stylized logo for this version

not to mention the LCD attachment screen and it just looks badass

my other favorite console designs are the PS2 slim, Dreamcast, and Saturn

 

[Hyrulian Hero]

PS1 never appealed to me but I'm a sucker for the outlandish. The screen on top does look awesome though, what a shame we don't see that anymore. I will say that the PS1's redesign was a big improvement. Has PlayStation ever offered colorful consoles besides the plates for PS5? And the odd special edition? Even the original XBox Halo edition was an awesome option for those who want a ridiculous machine that screams "gamer".

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

The GameCube probably takes the cake for me, it had a simple but cool design. I did like the look of the Xbox 360 as well. Out of the next gen consoles available, I like the look of the PS5 the most, the Xbox Series X is just too big, lol.

 

[Dizzi]

Switch qnd cube....they were the best lookers for me...

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

PS1 never appealed to me but I'm a sucker for the outlandish. The screen on top does look awesome though, what a shame we don't see that anymore. I will say that the PS1's redesign was a big improvement. Has PlayStation ever offered colorful consoles besides the plates for PS5? And the odd special edition? Even the original XBox Halo edition was an awesome option for those who want a ridiculous machine that screams "gamer".

aside limited editions, their handhelds are really the main ones that really offered color variants, the PS2 slim did have a silver and white variants though, and there was a pink PS2 slim but only in japan

 

[Hyrulian Hero]

aside limited editions, their handhelds are really the main ones that really offered color variants, the PS2 slim did have a silver and white variants though, and there was a pink PS2 slim but only in japan

Oooo, the pink one works for me. And you're right, their handhelds were more colorful, that's a good point.

 

[thePlinko]

Honestly I think I prefer the way the original PS1 looks to the PSone. Something about it’s perfectly rectangular design I guess.

I’ll also always have a soft spot for the original Xbox.
For a brand that’s almost always been about catering to the hardcore audience (disregarding the Kinect years), seeing a giant X on top of it is insanely goofy. It’s kinda like when you see an episode of a cartoon where the main character really wants the new “generic game console whose name is a hybrid of current real life consoles” and the design is the most outlandishly flashy thing ever. The Xbox doesn’t go that far, but that big ass X definitely gets close.

 

[VikzeLink]

Gamecube is the one true beauty among consoles.
I am very nostalgic for some others (Gameboy Color (green one ofc), N64, PS3 etc.), but the gamecube will always be the best looking console to me. The Wii U is kinda pretty too tbh

 

[Hyrulian Hero]

Huge fan of the lunchbox handle on the GameCube and the color(s). I really started getting into gaming during the N64/GBC era so I think I always kind of took it for granted that we would have crap tons of colors to choose from. I took it for granted and now we've got black and white machines for the most part. The fins on the original XBox are exactly my style: pointless and "cool".