Rejected Xbox 360 Prototype Designs

Matt writes "Next-Gen.biz has published the second set of prototype designs that were considered, but ultimately rejected, for the Xbox 360. Note the distinct similarities to the final design actually chosen." I wonder if I'm alone in just wishing that consoles looked like stereo components and fit in my rack without scary balancing acts and lopsided aesthetics. A Gamecube, PS2, and X-Box can not be stacked nicely.

Comments

Stackable Console

[Dubpal]

I wonder if I'm alone in just wishing that consoles looked like stereo components and fit in my rack without scary balancing acts and lopsided aesthetics.

I've often wished the same thing, and it turns out that Sony actually made something to cater to that market.

The PSX is a DVD Recorder/Tivo-Like device (that uses an interface similar to the XMB type used in the PSP) that's also a PlayStation 2. If you look at the image on the first link, you'll see it wouldn't be at all out of place in a home theatre set-up. It looks like they're still making them, but you can't get them outside of Japan.

Link Slashdotted Already

[Dubpal]

But the Coral Cache works fine. http://www.next-gen.biz.nyud.net:8090/index.php?op tion=com_content&task=view&id=1550&Itemid=2

Mirror

[Rinnt]

Here

Re:If you have a rack...

[JediTrainer]

...why not buy some shelves for your rack?

I think the biggest problem with this is that they still take up an obscene amount of space. Because most of these consoles are top-loading, this means both that you need to have the unit in an area where you can reach the top easily (and grasp the disc/cartridge), and it also means you need quite a bit of vertical space so that you can lift up that disc/cartridge.

If these consoles were designed like stereo components, say where all the controls and game slots were on the front, you'd use up a lot less space and thus could have more stuff crammed in there, because you wouldn't need to have the extra inches of vertical space clear on top of the unit for these tasks..

Re:GC in my computer

[Masami Eiri]

Yoshi from the Screensavers did that. He also threw in a PS2 and XBox. The video out went to a flat screen monitor with S-Video in additon to the usual monitor connections (I think, its been a while). Pretty cool.

Re:Marketing

[badasscat]

The only big mistake in the GC design was the original color. It just looked silly. A black GC looks fairly sleek and cool. I'm not entirely sure who that pastel purple was supposed to resonate with.

It is (or was, not sure if it still is) Nintendo's "house" color since the early 1990's. And it's not purple, it's "indigo".

The stock SNES and N64 both had indigo accents. The base Game Boy Color was also indigo (there was also a clear indigo model, which is the one I have). Nintendo also used that color for their logo for a while (though not consistently). The official Game Boy logo is still indigo. It was/is a branding thing.

Whether you do or don't like the color, I think almost everybody who knows games identifies that color with Nintendo, in the same way people now identify Apple with white. And I don't think the color hurt the system - black was available fairly early on (if not at launch, I don't remember for sure - I know black was available in Japan before the US launch, when I bought my system).

btw, to go back to the original point regarding stackability, here's a list of some other systems that were not stackable:

Atari 2600
Atari 5200
Atari 7800
Coleco Vision
Intellivision
NES
SNES
Sega Genesis 1, 2, and 3
Sega Master System
Neo Geo AES
N64
PlayStation 1 (unless you put it on top, with clearance for the drive door)
PlayStation 2 is marginal, again unless you put it on top
Xbox

In other words, pretty much every major console ever made. If this is news to anyone, then you just haven't been a gamer very long. Consoles are meant to stand out, they're meant to be conversation pieces, the center of attention. I personally like it that way.

Like the MegaDrive PC

[Tryfen]

Amstrad sold a PC with a MegaDrive (Genesis) built into it.

http://assembler.roarvgm.com/Amstrad_megadrive_com puter_1/amstrad_megadrive_computer_1.html