Here is a little articel about the Xbox 360 and its prototypes. Since we all know that the visual design of the first xbox was not very good(the look sucked), Microsoft let Astro Studios do the design this time. Astro Studios (www.http://www.astrostudios.com) allready designed products for Nike (for example the Eyewaet or thier watches), EA or Motorola. Basiclly the went through the generations of product design for the xbox 360. They tried to find a general basic design considering 3 direction. 1)classic videoconsoles 2)Entertainment electronics 3)somthing the consider as "digital lifestyle" Number 1 was designed as a HiFi-component, first design, just a general idea of what it could look like http:www.peymann.com/assembler/proto1.jpg Number 2 goes more in the direction of a videoconsole. They tried to implement certain, let call it, "traditions" of the first xbox: The greenish and blackish colour as well as the big X-logo on the side. http:www.peymann.com/assembler/proto2.jpg Number 3 shows signs of the final xbox 360 design. The console has waist and the big logo is gone. You also find the memory card ports, the dvd drive and the ir port in this design, which made it to the final design. Since is was unclear at the point of design if the console would have wirless controllers, you still find the regular ports. The on/off button wasn't the "ring of light" yet, it was just a regular on/off button without any light effects. http:www.peymann.com/assembler/proto3.jpg Number 4 doesn't quite fit into the picture. It has a "square of light", not a ring and since the hardware specs were unclear at this moment, they added a bit at the top and bottom the get good cooling results. http:www.peymann.com/assembler/proto4.jpg Number 5 is designed as a part of a HiFi-stand. It is pretty close to the final design, since is has no ports for the controllers (all wireless). Since it would fit perfectly into a HiFi-stand colour-wise, this desgin was the final one. The xbox 360 should fit into that setting, it sould stand out more. http:www.peymann.com/assembler/proto5.jpg Number 6 is the pre-release version of the final design. It might look like the final design, but its not. THis design is smaller, since the final specs weren't clear and it lacks the connection for the external harddrive. http:www.peymann.com/assembler/proto6.jpg It's nice to see how the design evolved over time. Numer 1 and 2 just look wiered, especially Number 2. It looks like some cheap plastic electronic device, not like a next gen gaming console. Number 5 is prteey sweet. I like the idea of it blending my HiFi-stand. That would make a nice limeted edition. It looks like it was pretty clear that it would have a light (white/champange/silver) colour to it. Here is a final picture of the console so you can compare it. http:www.peymann.com/assembler/final.jpg I hope you enjoyed this little report on the evolving design of the xbox 360. comments are very welcome As a little bonus, here is a little video of the production of the xbox 360 (without sound). http:www.peymann.com/assembler/xbox360.avi
If you have the 360 Premium Bundle, go under the Media blade and watch the 6 minute "making of the 360" movie. They show a ton of rejected system designs, some of which I've never seen before.
Man, those pics all look exactly the same. How can people get interested in looking at prototypes that look exactly like the released system except for a bezel here or there or some trim. Jeez. Why...back in my day protoype console pics were SOMETHING!!! ...word is bondage...
I believe it's because Microsoft and the 2 design firms commissioned to work (one US and one Japanese) were all told to model their protos off an agreed basic design concept form.
Theres no need for those "Watermarks", since those are already all over the net. They have been posted several times before if I recall.
The first two look bloody ugly. I'm glad that the final design they chose wasn't anything like those protos in terms of colour or those 70's looking cruves. Yakumo
More 360 prototypes: http://img.engadget.com/common/images/2768766008819632.JPG?0.5415568957105901 http://www.next-gen.biz/images/stories/Hardware/xxx001.jpg http://www.next-gen.biz/images/stories/Hardware/xxx002.jpg http://www.next-gen.biz/images/stories/Hardware/xxx003.jpg http://www.next-gen.biz/images/stories/Hardware/xxx004.jpg http://www.next-gen.biz/images/stories/Hardware/xxx005.jpg http://www.next-gen.biz/images/stories/Hardware/xxx006.jpg http://www.next-gen.biz/images/stories/Hardware/xxx007.jpg I don't know if these have been posted here before, but since it seems like you haven't seen the ones in the main post (which are pretty old) i guess you haven't seen these either.
Personally I rather dislike the final 360 design. It is just rather dull without much personality, it is nicely done and inoffensive. But there is no impact for me. But then I don't like the ipod - so my tastes are probably in the minority. And yes the protos are nasty, that green is just vile!
You know, I felt the same way at first when the intial screenshots of the console surfaced. But when you see it in person it really grows on you. I won't even hesitate at this point to say that the 360 might even be the most pleasing design out of all the consoles I've owned...something about the curvy shape that reminds me of my old Power Mac computer tower. Don't know what it is exactly, but I really like it.
Well I have only seen it in demo pod form so I haven't got a good idea of how it feels. Maybe it is because it just doesn't look like a console to me, it looks as you said like a pc. Anyway my order for one will be going in soon enough once I've confirmed FFXI comes with it, as that initial launch version "may" be a little hard to find. Oh well, I am trying to get excited about it!
