Best and Worst Console Designs!

All video game systems have their own unique designs, which help them to keep themselves apart from each other. Which game console, in your opinion, has the worst design? Which one has the best? Why do you think so?

I really liked the design for Nintendo GameCube. Its weight was very light and it was also small in size, which enabled you to carry the console just about anywhere. It had a handler on its back, too, making it even easier for you to carry it. Unlike most other consoles, this one was shaped exactly like a square, which I found to be really, really attractive. Plus, its shell was extremely well-made. Regardless of how many times you dropped it, this video game console would simply refuse to break. It was that strong.

The worst game console would probably have to be the Virtual Boy—released in 1995. This console was quite large, and the only way to play it was by sticking the entire thing onto your head. The console came with a N64-style controller, but it was very hard for you to use it because you weren't able to see what buttons you were pressing. People used to have an obbsession over virtual reality at that time, and Nintendo tried to cash in on the opportunity with their Virtual Boy. Unfortunately, they ended up failing... well, they didn't completely fail, but sort of. xD

Hard to argue against the Gamecube, since it was compact and practical. I'm also fond of the SNES redesign (I own a first model instead).

Worst? The new Xbox seems to be it. Looks like a NES, which wouldn't be a problem if we weren't almost in 2014.

I'm really fond of the Playstation Vita, it's comfortable while playing and it's design is plain and simple just like how I like the designs, i'm not really into fancy designs.

Worst design? That'd be the Gameboy Advance SP. I always see at it as failure proto-type of the Nintendo DS and it wasn't something that was comfortable either and it was supposed to be a upgraded version of the regular Gameboy advance, maybe in terms of technology? It felt like a downgrade instead, probably because of the entire design.

I'll have to add another +1 for the GameCube; small, light, practical, and indestructible, and with a great controller.

As for the worst, I'd have to give it to the original Xbox. Their intentions were to make a home console as powerful as a gaming computer - as gaming PC's were a growing prospect at the time - and they ended up with something just about as big as one too. Sure, it was quite a lot more powerful than its competitors, but with most games being made for all three consoles, most of it was unnecessary. The controller was truly awful, too. And the worst part - it was inexcusable. They could have made something as small and weak as a GameCube, with only a handful of its titles being affected. But instead, they decided to make it a clunky, expensive, unnecessarily-powerful behemoth. With a bad controller.

(damn, that was quite a rant)

My favourite probably goes to the Gamecube. I could put that thing anywhere because it was pretty much that small.

Worst would probably be the Xbox. That thing was just ungodly massive. I needed to have it in a completely different room as a kid because it would not fit anywhere in my room. Really it was kind of absurd. Really deserves the title of Xbox Hueg, and the Xbone might bring that title back.

I've never really liked the looks of the Gamecube, especially the silly handle it has. Well I guess different strokes.

I love the design of the PSP as I feel the size of it's screen in proportion to the size of it is impressive for a console originally released nearly 10 years ago. Also like the designs of the Wii (even though I don't care for the rest of the system), PS4 and PS2.

XBOX 360 Slim is, in my opinion, the best designed console.

The worst for me was the PlayStation (Not to be confused with the PSOne).

Decimosoma said:

Worst design? That'd be the Gameboy Advance SP. I always see at it as failure proto-type of the Nintendo DS and it wasn't something that was comfortable either and it was supposed to be a upgraded version of the regular Gameboy advance, maybe in terms of technology? It felt like a downgrade instead, probably because of the entire design.

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My opinion is the exact opposite of yours. I think the GBA SP was one of the best designed handheld consoles. The worst would be the Game Boy Micro which had a really small screen. GBA SP was great because it finally had a backlit screen. It could fold up to prevent any scratches to the screen and wasn't too bulky. It could play original GB games, GBC games, as well as GBA games. The only negative thing about it was the lack of a headphone jack, although you can buy an attachable one to the charging port, however the flaw of that is that you can't use headphones and charge at the same time.

I'm going to say the SP. I really can't even remember why they released it. Was it just that it was compact and easily transportable? I don't remember there being much trouble moving around the original Gameboy Advance.

Triforce said:

I'm going to say the SP. I really can't even remember why they released it. Was it just that it was compact and easily transportable? I don't remember there being much trouble moving around the original Gameboy Advance.

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You're entitled to your opinion, but do you really think the Game Boy Micro, released after the SP, is better?

Best designed console for me is Gamecube. It looked so unique compared to other consoles.

The worst? Philips CD-i. If you think the original Xbox is big, you have got to look at this thing. It's gargantuan. Atari 5200 deserves an honorable mention.

I'd have to agree and say the best design is the Gamecube. It was small and easy to transfer, which is useful considering it had the best local multiplayer with Mario Party, Mario Kart, SSBM, etc. and having 4 built in controller ports.

The worst design is, without a doubt, is the Atari Jaguar w/the CD add on, mainly cause it looks like a toilet.

In terms of good console design, I also think the Gamecube has a very good design.

As for bad design... I'm not too difficult, so I'd say my issues with the two consoles I'll mention as having bad design aren't from an aesthetic viewpoint, but rather a practical one. I'm going to spit on the classics: in my book the worst designed consoles are the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Master System. The first revisions, mind you, the second revisions have these issues corrected.

The NES... well, for those of you who don't know about the video game crash of 1983, here's a very short version: people stopped buying consoles and video games. When the first NES was released in North America, part of why it sold so well was because it was made to look as little as possible like an actual console. What I hate about this design is the cartridge loading system that forced you to push the cartridge down when you insert it, which was absolutely unnecessary, and actually a very bad idea: with time, the contacts on the console inevitably became deformed, rendering the console unusable, and you had to open the console, find the piece that got deformed and either bend it back to its original shape or replace it. The second revision was closer in design to its original version, Famicom, and was a top loader, eliminating the problem.

As for the Master System, my issue is quite simple: not only is the Pause button on the console instead of being on the gamepad, but it is also next to, and looks exactly like, the Reset button. Sometimes, when I haven't played the Master System for a very long time, I tend to forget which is which. The Master System II ditched the Reset button altogether, so I don't have this problem with it.