Xbox One looks like

[HawkMan]

True but covering any vents at all would be very bad I think.

Equipment has feets so you can stack them and leave a one or more centimeter gap for air cooling, pretty much all stackable equipment has top vents.

[+virtorio MVC]

I was NOT referring to you at all - I was referring to some of the critics (in this thread and others) that seem to think that gaming consoles should be flashy. Considering the issues that both the original XBOX and XB360 had with reliability, you would think that some would prefer a console that didn't call attention to itself.

Apologies, I thought you were referring to me as your were replying to me posts.

[sammy2066]

Why the hell would you want to cover the vents? Vents are there for a reason....I don't think I should have to tell you what those reasons are.

This is the greatest post in this entire thread, it just made my morning. :D

[PGHammer]

Ahhh yeah, exactly. That's what MS said. They want it to be the main device in everyone's living room.

It looks exactly how it should look. Looks awesome IMO. Actually looks like a Cable/Satellite HD PVR.

People seem to forget or just can't fathom the idea that MS wants to target a larger audience. Not everyone is a gamer.

I didn't refer to Sony's polling data on a whim. And the numbers of PS3 owners that actually had gaming as a non-primary use shocked even Sony - which had, in fact, been stressing the non-gaming uses to justify their higher price compared to not just XB360, but the PS2. If I were to buy a gaming console, gaming would NOT be a primary use - it would be, at most, a secondary, if not tertiary or further down use - as is the case with even today's PS3. The higher prices for next-generation must be justifiable by non-gaming uses - which Sony took advantage of with PS3 - and which Microsoft will do with XBOX ONE and Sony again with PS4.

One-trick consoles are as dead as the Wii will soon be.

[Krighton_]

Not very innovative in design is it... they could have least tried to make it look cool so the kids would buy it, at least if I was the Marketing VP, I would have had standards. Dayum..

[PGHammer]

Not very innovative in design is it... they could have least tried to make it look cool so the kids would buy it, at least if I was the Marketing VP, I would have had standards. Dayum..

And what has flashy design gotten either Microsoft OR Sony, let alone Nintendo?

If anything, flashy design has come back and bitten Microsoft in the butt twice - with the original Xbox and again with the XB360 (various hardware issues with both consoles, exacerbated by the console's design). How has the second consecurive radical design from Sony (the PS2 and PS3 look not a bit alike) helped Sony? The PS3 basically commits the same sin as every console (from everyone) since the ATARI 5200/7800 - they stand out way too much. No gaming console, and especially one used for more than gaming, should call unwanted attention to itself. And that VCR model you have the piicture of uses a tried-and-true design from even prior to the original Sony Beta VCRs (which were also top-loading) - it is based on the original VCRs used in industrial/commercial/professional (such as schools, TV editing rooms, etc.) areas - the U-Matic format. Yes; they certainly didn't look flashy - however, they weren't meant to. They were meant to hold up. And hold up they have. The only reason they retired them was due to unavailability of media - not wear or tear (or even abuse).

[Krighton_]

And what has flashy design gotten either Microsoft OR Sony, let alone Nintendo?

If anything, flashy design has come back and bitten Microsoft in the butt twice - with the original Xbox and again with the XB360 (various hardware issues with both consoles, exacerbated by the console's design). How has the second consecurive radical design from Sony (the PS2 and PS3 look not a bit alike) helped Sony? The PS3 basically commits the same sin as every console (from everyone) since the ATARI 5200/7800 - they stand out way too much. No gaming console, and especially one used for more than gaming, should call unwanted attention to itself. And that VCR model you have the piicture of uses a tried-and-true design from even prior to the original Sony Beta VCRs (which were also top-loading) - it is based on the original VCRs used in industrial/commercial/professional (such as schools, TV editing rooms, etc.) areas - the U-Matic format. Yes; they certainly didn't look flashy - however, they weren't meant to. They were meant to hold up. And hold up they have. The only reason they retired them was due to unavailability of media - not wear or tear (or even abuse).

I understand your point, you're right etc..I know you internet types want to feel superior and justified, but I'm not wrong either. The XBOX ONE is ugly, lazy design. You say it's supposed to be "out of the way?" I don't think that is what Microsoft wants or will ever want. Regardless, they could have come up something far more visually appealing than a rectangle (Apple lawsuit incoming, they invented the rectangle FYI) that looks like a VCR from 1983.

It was simply a poor design choice. Thankfully I live in America, where I'm entitled to my opinion. Which aren't right or wrong.

People order food and eat with their eyes. Most of us anyway and not all the time. If it looks good, I'm going to walk toward it, pick it up, look at it, eat it, etc. I think Microsoft is banking on the brand name exceeding the visual appeal here.

Sony Playstation now has a huge advantage because their console will at least look like it belongs in 2013. Nail the design, less a few meaningless features that XBOX One has, that no one will care about and you're keeping pace with the competition.

[.Markus]

I'm actually really happy Microsoft has taken this approach. It's nice to have a device that blends in well with the rest of the devices in the living room. I prefer to keep things minimalistic without too many lights and bling-bling...

[PGHammer]

I understand your point, you're right etc..I know you internet types want to feel superior and justified, but I'm not wrong either. The XBOX ONE is ugly, lazy design. You say it's supposed to be "out of the way?" I don't think that is what Microsoft wants or will ever want. Regardless, they could have come up something far more visually appealing than a rectangle (Apple lawsuit incoming, they invented the rectangle FYI) that looks like a VCR from 1983.

It was simply a poor design choice. Thankfully I live in America, where I'm entitled to my opinion. Which aren't right or wrong.

People order food and eat with their eyes. Most of us anyway and not all the time. If it looks good, I'm going to walk toward it, pick it up, look at it, eat it, etc. I think Microsoft is banking on the brand name exceeding the visual appeal here.

Sony Playstation now has a huge advantage because their console will at least look like it belongs in 2013. Nail the design, less a few meaningless features that XBOX One has, that no one will care about and you're keeping pace with the competition.

And in case you haven't noticed, the PS3 stands out (and sticks out) amidst the rest of Sony's A/V hardware. Notice I didn't say anything about other companies, but about Sony's own hardware. It calls attention to itself. That was very much one reason I passed on both sorts of PS3 (though I certainly DID approve of the integrated BD drive). I have nothing against Sony as a company (not with two Sony TVs in the house - one of which is in my own bedroom); however, I prefer minimalist design for A/V components (which is something Sony has done - the PS2, oddly enough, is a near-classic minimalist design when laid flat). And we have no idea what the PS4 will look like - it could well have gone minimalist (as I just pointed out, it's something Sony has done before). Nobody mocks Apple's own minimalist designs (such as the Mac Pro) - why should a gaming console be a fashion statement?

[PGHammer]

I understand your point, you're right etc..I know you internet types want to feel superior and justified, but I'm not wrong either. The XBOX ONE is ugly, lazy design. You say it's supposed to be "out of the way?" I don't think that is what Microsoft wants or will ever want. Regardless, they could have come up something far more visually appealing than a rectangle (Apple lawsuit incoming, they invented the rectangle FYI) that looks like a VCR from 1983.

It was simply a poor design choice. Thankfully I live in America, where I'm entitled to my opinion. Which aren't right or wrong.

People order food and eat with their eyes. Most of us anyway and not all the time. If it looks good, I'm going to walk toward it, pick it up, look at it, eat it, etc. I think Microsoft is banking on the brand name exceeding the visual appeal here.

Sony Playstation now has a huge advantage because their console will at least look like it belongs in 2013. Nail the design, less a few meaningless features that XBOX One has, that no one will care about and you're keeping pace with the competition.

Apple is merely one of the companies that has been known for minimalist design - I also pointed to Tivo. Another somewhat surprising minimalist design is Sony's own PS2 (laid flat) - in fact, if you detach the stand and lay it flat, it could easily disappear in an A/V setup. You have fallen into the *console as fashion statement* - which is indeed quite popular in Asia (and especially Japan - Sony offered color options for both the PS2 and PS3 that never saw the light of day in North America). I'd rather have solid hardware, thank you very much - especially considering what either console will cost. (The price certainly won't be any leess than the SRP of the PS3 - which was $399USD at launch.)

[lnmnky]

My HTPC (with blu-ray) looks a little like this below. I got it so that people will mistake it for a receiver / hifi and ignore it. As soon as I put my Xbox 360 in the living room, it stands out like a crusty white dog poo and ruins the whole sleek effect.

I will probably get the Xbox One soley to replace my HTPC and then move the HTPC upstairs as a spare file server.