Modern Consoles Desperately Need Better Designs

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Console design has come a long way since the days of the horrendous Atari Jaguar. While gamers have historically cared more about performance than aesthetics, the latest generation of modern consoles from Sony and Microsoft have prompted polarized reactions regarding their looks.

Whether it’s due to the sheer bulk of the PlayStation 5‘s white plastic exterior or the Xbox Series X looking like a mini fridge, it’s safe to say that we haven’t seen a console generation looking this ugly for a while. Not even the Xbox One’s old VCR design appeared as aesthetically displeasing as this gen’s hefty designs – which says a lot.

With Nintendo still holding on to the tried and true design of the Nintendo Switch – at least, for now – all eyes are on Microsoft and Sony’s consoles. The recent announcement of a Slim series of consoles from Sony, together with the supposed leaks of a redesign, cylindrical Xbox Series X, raised more than a few eyebrows from gamers worldwide. Not online were the “slim” consoles noticeably bulkier than in previous gens: they were also “uglier.”

In PlayStation’s case, the chunky design was attributed to the need for better cooling solutions. The ninth generation of consoles is considerably more powerful than its predecessors. These consoles offer some of the best bang for the buck for consumers, with ray-tracing capabilities right out of the box that puts them almost in the same league as much more expensive gaming PCs.

Still, the fact that the PS5 needs a separate stand for laying flat on its side tells us all we need to know about modern console design. It doesn’t get much better for the Series X either, with its inexplicable green grill adorning the top of the console and messing with its “monolithic” design. The only modern console that more or less gets a pass in terms of design is the Xbox Series S, and it still looks like a Bluetooth speaker.

Perhaps the worst part of the new trends in console design is how both parties took entirely different