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Ugliest & Prettiest
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TOPIC: Ugliest & Prettiest

Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2789

So what console design is, in your opinion the best looking, and which is the worst looking?

Mine are...

Hot: Super Nintendo (EU/JAP version)
I didn't realise how nice it was and neatly designed it was until the day I found out what the American version looked like. I'm not sure what they were smoking over there stateside but dayum.




Not: SuperGrafx
I... have... no... words... this thing is just so weird. It wouldn't look out of place on the set of Aliens or something.

Last Edit: 12 years, 4 months ago by Mucx.

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2790

Tough one. I like deceptively powerful machines. Can't stand giant boxes of mostly air. I do like the general design of our current generation of consoles, although the PS3 is a bit too Batman for me.

Best: Wii or Dreamcast
Worst: Xbox or Saturn

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2791

Great: Super Famicom - sleek.
Hate: Famicom - looks like a carrier for some playset.


Also throwing an "ugly" mention to most models of the Sega Master System. it reminds me of early VCR systems.


Niemann wrote:
Worst: Xbox or Saturn

You don't like the original North American Saturn? Too much empty space in the box for you, I assume.
Last Edit: 12 years, 4 months ago by Squirrel.

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2792

FileSega-Saturn-Console-Set-Mk1.png


Other than the controller being completely awful (Dreamcast wasn't much better), the whole thing looked like a steroids injected Sega Genesis with a CD drive, crappy buttons, and it felt very cheap to me. This isn't to say I didn't love the Sega Saturn, just an ugly piece of hardware.
Last Edit: 12 years, 4 months ago by Niemann.

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2794

HOT:

Blue Swirl Dreamcast (Even better with a blue LED added):

All the hardware boxes looked great too, that basic blue and white look really does it for me.

Sharp Twin Famicom (In red):


Panasonic Q:

I remember seeing this prior to the GC's release and just yearning for it. Sexy.

NOT:

Panasonic 3DO (Any variant):


Pikachu N64 (yikes):


EDIT: If you're a Dreamcast fan and a PS3 owner, check out these themes.
Last Edit: 12 years, 4 months ago by dickmedd.

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2798

I loved my N64's look.

I hated the original DS. I refused to buy it until the Lite came out.

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2799

Such is my thinking with the 3DS...if it survives that long.

I love the look of the expansion pak for N64. Is that weird?

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2800

I actually think the design of the 3DS was a big problem in terms of sales for Nintendo. Not only is '3D' hard to market when you can't show it on 90% of Televisons or in Print, but the hardware looked almost the same as the DS. Makes it hard for customers to discern the real value. I also wonder if the different model releases don't help things... DS, DS Lite, 3DS... what does it all mean?

Nintendo's product design is completely hit and miss. The NES was pure late 70's/80's box design, the EU SNES was a classic as was the original GameBoy... but since then, its just been sub-standard. If Apple can make an iPod Touch that thin, and that powerful... why is the 3DS a giant piece of palm destroying plastic? Granted it needs a cartridge slot but, does the rest of its bulk make it that durable and rugged?

Nintendo really need a Japanese Jonny Ive!

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2801

From what I'm gathering, it's equally difficult to set it apart in the flesh. I was sat on the bus behind a guy and his friend who had a 3DS on him and I didn't even notice it was a 3DS initially (neither did his friend). Following that he spent a while trying to show how the 3D worked to his friend, needless to say he wasn't exactly awestruck, more confused than anything; he was way out of the "sweet spot" even sat just next to him.

As much as portables are personal devices, people and friends will always want to take a peek. If the device's unique aspect isn't easily accessible or visible, it's going to be harder for people to understand it. Go around to your friend's house and see a bunch off people swinging about in front of a Wii and you've got an instant impression of what it does.

On a final, less stalker-ish note, Nintendo didn't send as much stuff to Replay this year. Instead of a bunch of Wii and DS XL stations (present last year) there were two girls with 3DSs tethered to them. I saw about 3 people walk up to them all weekend and after that they spent most of their time sat at the side. Maybe they could have tried harder or made more of an impact but it seemed to me like people weren't reall that interested. Even when observing this, I didn't really feel the urge to go and try it out.

Not sure what I make of the WiiU (Wii U?) yet but I'm not really keen on the tablet controller for a start. Odd that they showed that off first without displaying the console itself. Design disputes behind closed doors?

Maybe they do need an Ive, but does he have to be Japanese?

EDIT: Actually, this whole post makes me sound like some strange, over-observant eavesdropper. *Shudders*
Last Edit: 12 years, 4 months ago by dickmedd.

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2825

Yeah... for ugly, I'd need so second the MasterSystem, but Genesis model 1 wasn't much better. And the Master Converter. . . yeah.

Beyond that, I don't care much about what a system looks like if it plays well, but I am impressed with systems which are more powerful than they look. The classic PC-Engine and WonderSwan seriously impressed me, as did the CDX. I didn't have time to look into PSP until the PSP2k, but at least by then the system felt impressively sleek.

Niemann wrote:
Other than the controller being completely awful (Dreamcast wasn't much better), the whole thing looked like a steroids injected Sega Genesis with a CD drive, crappy buttons, and it felt very cheap to me. This isn't to say I didn't love the Sega Saturn, just an ugly piece of hardware.

Interesting- I personally find the Dreamcast pad, and the Saturn analog pad it was modeled after- to be some of the most comfortable controllers I've ever used... A lot of air inside, yes, not like a DualShock or anything, but very comfortable.
Last Edit: 12 years, 4 months ago by seanstar.

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2827

The most annoying (and also ugly) controller I've ever used was the gamecube controller. Not for its analog stick having those annoying polygon inspired "stops" at the outer edge preventing smooth circular motion. Not for the oftentimes slow response (recoil) time of the buttons. Not for the TINY secondary DPad in place of a good analog stick. But instead, the shoulder buttons. They had such a huge range of motion that they wore your fingers out very quickly, especially if you played gaems like Metroid Prime where you not only had to use the full range of the shoulder buttons, but deal with the very, very hard click-press for lockons and such.

The dreamcast had shoulder buttons right and not one single manufacturer since has been able to duplicate that lovely analog feel of the shoulder buttons. Nobody. I remember playing House of the Dead 2 on my DC and machine gunning both shoulder buttons AND the fire button on the face of the controller and reloading and it never once felt like just a few minutes of Metroid Prime on the GC's controller.

The VMU was a gimmick as far as I was concerned for the DC controller, but aside from that, despite my hands being tiny (I stopped physically growing at 11 years old), it felt great. Made for awesome "shift-kicks" in crazy taxi too. God I wish I hadn't traded in my PS2's crazy taxi disc. I could have installed it onto my PS2's HD and had instant loading, no popup fun to this day.

For worst/ugliest controller ever, the Jaguar's controller wins hands down. If they were gonna stick with that setup, they could have at least had the decency to make and pack in a Star Raiders game so players would actually make use of and enjoy the controller on at least one game.

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2828

Are you quite sure the worst controller isn't N64? To be fair, I haven't acquired a Jaguar yet, but very few gamepads indeed have succeeded in destroying my thumb to the point where I wanted to play but had trouble bringing myself to...

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2829

I didn't mind the N64 controller. It fairly well in the hand, and it introduced the Z button and the analogue stick concept. I often feel it looks so weird purely because Nintendo did it first... and it allowed Sony etc to perfect it.

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2832

The N64 is definitely one of the uglier controllers, but was unparalleled in functionality and comfort. In my opinion.

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2835

Remember when your Playstation-owning friends first came over and grabbed both of the outer handles rather than the middle handle? Analog noobs.

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2836

dickmedd wrote:
Remember when your Playstation-owning friends first came over and grabbed both of the outer handles rather than the middle handle? Analog noobs.


^ Hahah this... yes, I remember that as well.

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2838

Holding it? Comfortable. 3-prong design? Novel, but ambiguous and ultimately not a great design from a functionality standpoint (no one way to hold it to access all buttons at once). Analog stick? Absolutely the worst analog stick I've ever used. If I'm going to get bruises and blisters on my thumb, it had better be because I'm doing some extreme gaming, not just taking a leisurely stroll through OoT or Smash Bros

Re: Ugliest & Prettiest 12 years, 4 months ago #2839

I've never been as a good at an FPS compared to how I was with Goldeneye or Perfect Dark. I made C-button strafing an art form against my friends (if I say so myself ). Like the GC though, it wasn't the most comfortable stick but was worth getting the hang of.

I've got this really weird memory of inputting the cheats for Shadows Of The Empire using my chin on the analog stick as you had to hold down so many buttons. I don't think any other controller would suit chin control quite so much.

Just seen that you've tweeted my 'analog noob' quote too Mucx! Attribute that to @jamesmedd because I'm thinking of making t-shirts!
Last Edit: 12 years, 4 months ago by dickmedd.

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