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

Sure they can.

[Leon da Costa]

A Gamecube, PS2, and X-Box can not be stacked nicely.

Sure they can. Have you never heard of duct tape?

Marketing

[Poromenos1]

A Gamecube, PS2, and X-Box can not be stacked nicely.

It doesn't help with the marketing, I imagine. They want each console to be (and LOOK) different than the others, to have its own character. This is not as important for stereo components.

Re:Marketing

[Windsinger]

The target audience is also a big consideration; these things are largely marketed to teenagers first and foremost, besides us nerdy 30-something losers who still play games. :)

So the look of a console, the coolness factor, is a concern. I thought the Gamecube was well thought out for this, it had a handle on it even! The person who designed that obviously did NOT forget their childhood.

Oh yeah this site got ./'d already. Mirror plsokthxbbyelolroflcopterbbq!

Re:Marketing

[DrEldarion]

The person who designed that obviously did NOT forget their childhood.

I think that was more of a problem than anything. People saw the design and thought it was childish, whereas they saw the PS2 and XBox and thought of them as more "mature" consoles. Since the aforementioned teenagers and 30-something losers are the ones buying most of the consoles, the childish design didn't fare as well.

Re:Marketing

[CastrTroy]

Yeah, the handle on the GC is something that's really nice. It shows that they encourage you to bring it with, you, and that they thought you might actually want to do that. With the XBox, the thing is really heavy, and big, and not meant to be brought with you. It's meant to sit under your tv. Are people aware you can hook up 2 GCs to two TVs, and play 8-way mariokart? Whoever thought internet multiplayer is the best should really try some real multiplayer games, with people in the same room. This is the same reason why lan parties are so much more fun than just playing against your friends over the internet.

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.

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

Could be worse

[hal2814]

At least the systems mentioned would stack better than this monstrosity.

Marketing departments won't grant your wish

[ChrisF79]

"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."

Although that would be nice for the consumer, it offers Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo no product differentiation. They want their systems to be flashy and unique so the convenience of stacking for the consumer goes right out the window.

GC in my computer

[CastrTroy]

I've often thought of modding my GC right into my computer. There's a lot of empty space in the bottom front of my tower, and it would be a great place to put it. With the revolution being even smaller, it looks like it will even be easier. Maybe in the future we can just use the same computer forever, since most productivity applications don't require that much CPU power, and use consoles that drop right into a drive bay in order to facilitate playing games.

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.

nintendo started that

[Odocoileus]

I remember an article when the super nintendo came out, they said they made the surfaces non-flat so that you wouldn't set your drinks on it. Seems logical since most kids back then would sit on the floor and play (shorter cables?), and drinks spill easy when sitting on the carpet.

I'll join the "me too" crowd

[DarkEdgeX]

Yes, I wish game consoles were in a standard shape that fit into a home theatre / entertainment center setup as well. I'd be especially happy if manufacturers will ditch top-loading designs (such as the GameCube, SNES, Genesis, and Dreamcast) and instead use tray loading designs (like the PS2 and XBox). With top-loading designs it pretty much means you can't put anything on top (or even near the top) of the unit.

Maybe that fits in well with how the company would like our living rooms to look (just one system, theirs, on the top of everything else), but it's not how reality works.

If you have a rack...

[Dracolytch]

If you have a rack, insist on putting all of your gear in that rack, and worry about the stability of items because they're not designed for the rack, why not buy some shelves for your rack?

I know, whining is much cheaper and easier, but this ain't exactly new technology.

I wonder how many ordinary problems would be gone if we just used our energy for solving them, instead of complaining.

~D

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..

Stacking causes overheating

[Junks Jerzey]

Modern consoles (PS2 and up) run *hot*. I've often wondered if the awkward styling is to *prevent* stacking. The cooling systems aren't designed for numerous hot boxes stacked in close quarters.

Yes they can!

[nigel_q]

Put the Gamecube on top of your PS2, and put the XBOX in the garbage!

From the Idlethumbs interview:

[Bertie]

Jesus Christ, it's David Brent.

"Hayes is visibly excited about the fact that 'his' product will soon be released into the wild. At the end of our interview, I asked him what it's like to work as a designer within a technology-oriented company. He picks up the table cloth between his fingers. "Table cloth right? Microsoft is the table cloth. Everything is influenced by technology. So the brand team has to come up, and understand and integrate the technology. As an industrial designer, I'm only as good as the technology we use. It's kind of the common language that connects everyone. But it also needs to be balanced out."

WHAT THE HELL IS HE ON ABOUT?

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