One of the items I think we all expected Nintendo to address at E3 2012 was the matter of what the Wii U console itself would look like. I don't think many of us expected that the console shown at E3 2011 would be the actual form factor which would be released to the public later this year. As it happens it was. As it goes, Wii U is perhaps Nintendo's most non-descript design we've ever seen; being essentially a smoother version of the Wii. When it comes to video games systems people rightly remember the games, but being a bit of a romantic for the devices themselves, I often find myself admiring the shape and design of the consoles themselves.
Car enthusiasts judge the worth of a car not purely on it's performance, but also on its aesthetic qualities; it is something to be admired with the eye as much as it is something to be driven. As a video game enthusiast I too find myself admiring not only the technical specifications of video game consoles, but also their aesthetic design and how they're constructed. Whereas the technical enhancements we see with each generation of consoles lessens our appreciation of previous generations' graphical and audio quality, good design is timeless. These are my Top 10 most aesthetically pleasing home consoles.
10- PC Engine - A very minimalist design with some unique dimensions.
9 -Magnavox Odyssey - Has a bulky frame, but I love its unorthodox shape. It's almost like something out of CEOTTK.
8 - Atari 2600 - Designed to look like it was chiseled from a solid piece of lumber, the 2600 is pleasing on the eye almost despite itself.
7 - Dreamcast - A very clean and precise design punctuated by two irresistibly chunky buttons.
6 - Playstation 3 Slim - A significant improvement on the original, the PS3 Slim is an impossibly slick looking device and also allows for more room and less finger prints.
5 - Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Japan & Uk) - Moving away from the VHS styled NES, Nintendo sought to remove any harsh angles and round off the corners in what is a classic design.
4 - Wii - With its iconic glowing disc drive and it's inclined stand, the Wii is proof, if any were needed, that Nintendo know how to execute on clean utilitarian design.
3 - Famicom - It's been reported in recent years that the Famicom's colour scheme was not a matter of design but rather a matter of cost. It seems that the iconic white and scarlet colour scheme we know and love was a financial consideration, as those two colours happened to be the cheapest plastics to obtain. Regardless, it's still an incredibly evocative looking system.
2 - Xbox 360 Slim - As far as I'm concerned, this is when Microsoft finally got it right. Improving upon its predecessor in every concievable way, the slim took the concave shape of the original 360 and compacted it into a much sharper looking design.
1 - Gamecube - There is something indefinably joyous and fun about the design of the Gamecube. Much like a small wrapped gift, it's cuboid frame for some reason brings out the child in me. Everything from its shape, to it's large buttons, to the fact that it has a handle, just makes me remember what games are supposed to be. Fun.