You probably know how Xbox Series S looks by now, but as you might imagine, there were a lot of prototypes before Microsoft settled. In a fascinating article over at the Medium, the hardware architects from Redmond revealed a whole lot of prototypes for Xbox Series S, and it could have looked very different.
As you can see, the big, round area for cooling was always present, but the box itself could have become another shape. The senior design director Nicolas Denhez explains their decision to go with the current form like this:
"As designers, we aspire to create products with visual impact, but we know most gamers buy an Xbox to play games, not for its aesthetics."
He later continues and adds:
"When we visited gamer homes, device placement (whether it was displayed or hidden) and furniture orientation informed all of our design choices.
The senior designer Erika Kelter also had a little treat to offer for everyone who wishes that Xbox Series S was all white or black:
"We actually tried all black and all white, but it looked a little boring. The white and black colour scheme ties back to previous generations but feels fresh with its high-contrast treatment."
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