The new Revolution mock up: boxes

by Ross Miller { Feb 20th 2006 at 6:00PM }

Warning: The following article references Nintendo fanaticism and features allusions to Apple. Viewer discretion is advised.

When avid Nintendo fanatics (and Photoshop users) decided to envision the Nintendo Rev-mote, way back before it was revealed, we understood the hype--Nintendo had been calling their next controller a complete departure from the typical fare, and left everything else up to our imaginations. Then, after we learned about the Rev-mote, things got quiet for a bit, emerging recently with a plethora of online interface mock ups. Now, it seems, we have hit a new low in conceptual design.

We love boxes as much as the next guy (maybe even more so), but is there really this much of an interest in the retail box of a console? Apparently so, as Nintendo Gal has unearthed six fan-made box art designs for Nintendo's next-geneartion offer. Most of them bear a striking resemblance to the boxes that house Apple's Powerbook line of laptops (coincidence? we doubt it). So there you have it, 6 Revolution box mock ups--do any of these tickle your fancy? Does anyone care?

[Thanks, DraXXXen]

[Update: fixed a rather "major" typo. Sorry!]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

RP @ Feb 20th 2006 6:09PM

A handle on a Nintendo box? Surely not!

Lorem Ipsum @ Feb 20th 2006 6:10PM

"Does anyone care?"
No

Kye @ Feb 20th 2006 6:16PM

With all this Ninty love/fanatisism/obsession ging around, am I the only one who predicts a mass orgy of people making love to the boxes as soon as they get them in-store, then getting even more intimate with the console itself once they get home?

:-s

Michael McGuire @ Feb 20th 2006 6:17PM

What's a Revolutoin?

I kid! I kid!

Slo-Mo-Shun @ Feb 20th 2006 6:24PM

Wow, why do Nintendo even need a design team now? All they have to do is look on the internet for free ideas.

J.T. Mill @ Feb 20th 2006 6:26PM

News Flash: IT'S NOT GOING TO BE CALLED REVOLUTION! You can stop making all these mockups with Revolution labeled on it clamining it's the real thing because that's not what it's going to be called. Revolution is just the code name.

P.S. Sorry for the caps.

MyNameIsGame @ Feb 20th 2006 6:27PM

I bet Reggy is photoshopping his plumber pants off all day coming up with a new mockup.

Today submitted by his codename DraXXXen.

Oh how we long for more Nintendo. That we even have to look at fake boxes with fake handles. I wonder when we see the first mockup controllers. You know, the "themed" ones.

A sword like one. A fishrod one. A katamari ball controller where the Revolution controller will be round. Having you running around your room while yelling "IS IT GETTING BIGGER YET??

Oops.. did I tell a secret??

:)

sizcoz @ Feb 20th 2006 6:27PM

These are dam good mock ups
htpp://www.nintendoinfo.com

Jago @ Feb 20th 2006 6:27PM

That first one is actually pretty nice looking and has a very Nintendo-ish design to it.

Jago @ Feb 20th 2006 6:30PM

J.T. Mill:

So you know that from first hand experience right? Didn't think so...

We all know that "Revolution" isn't the "official" name but for all we know they may end up actually choosing that. Personally I think it's a pretty fitting name considering that the remote is revolutionary.

essjay @ Feb 20th 2006 6:34PM

Err, I know this isn't the time or the place but what on earth is that woman doing in the logo for the nintendogal website? Avert your eyes children...

_ @ Feb 20th 2006 6:45PM

Eh...you might want to change the "Revolutoin" in the title. Might throw some people off. ;)

D.R. @ Feb 20th 2006 6:48PM

A Revolution packed into a GameCube-design box, how bloody original is that?

Babylonian @ Feb 20th 2006 6:56PM

I TOO WAS SO DISTRACTED BY THE HEADLINE TYPO THAT I WAS UNABLE TO MAKE AN APPROPRIATE AND WORTHWHILE COMMENT. ='[

Sloopydrew @ Feb 20th 2006 7:15PM

"Does anyone care?"

The box will be the first thing many potential customers will see. Making an appealing box is crucial to the success of the Revolution, in my opinion. I wasn't very impressed by any of the boxes shown. Most of them are clearly copies of past box art. The Revolution's box art needs to be as revolutionary as the console inside. It needs to scream, "Welcome to the next level of gaming! It's time for something new!" So many gamers out there aren't reading Joystiq daily (which is a shame really). Their "news" will be that box art and a few television ads -- at least to begin with.

What would scream "new?" A focus on the controller and the interface would be a good start. An easy explanation as to what this "new-fangled" controller can do would be a good next step. The box can't be the typical "console on the front, game pics on the back" type dealie. If it is, it will look just like the PS3 and XBOX 360. I really hope the box art is as fresh as the console inside. If it isn't, it just becomes another stumbling block on the path into getting these things into people's homes.

cyberfelon @ Feb 20th 2006 7:18PM

This is possibly the first time I've seen people with graphical skills create a realistic and TASTEFUL Revolution-related mockup. They may just be boxes, but if the final box looks anything like the first four then they're just begging to be bought by the casual gamer. I especially think that the white box with the blue glow is the most effective.

Good design is more about tasteful restraint than flaunting endless amounts of filters, and the 14 year olds with pirated copies of Photoshop are yet to learn this simple fact. This should be used to educate the Nintendo fanboy masses about how to make a worthy mockup.

I do a lot of graphical design work as a web developer, and I can't stress how important it is to make your designs simple and effective. Simple and amateur is easy (see the last box mockup). Simple and effective (the white box with the blue glow) is very difficult to pull off. It takes time, lots of thought, lots of revisions and lots of trial and error, but the end result should LOOK like you came up with it in five seconds (without looking like a total beginner made it). I could make the Nike logo in about 10 seconds, but that is what makes it so effective.

simon @ Feb 20th 2006 7:23PM

well, since we�re talking about mock-ups and fan mades, i thought i could post a little work of mine.

some time ago i did my own design for the REV. game case, you know, the header and the back and all. i made it white to follow Nintendo�s new "Apple" approach. and i used the old REV. logo since there�s not an official one. i didnt re-type all the back of the box or did some wacky art because in the end, Nintendo is not paying me :P i had other things to do.

anyway, here�s the pic. Joystiq can post it if they want.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f346/Saoh/REVOB.jpg

bv @ Feb 20th 2006 7:32PM

Nice mockup Simon, however you used the UPC for Fire emblem path of radiance for the gamecube didnt you ;)

Tony @ Feb 20th 2006 8:29PM

I found it interesting. It's funny how little people think these boxes will matter, but they always do. I mean, people MAJOR in package design for crying out loud. It's important.

Also... Who cares if it isn't called Revolution? No one knows the name of it, so what else is there to put on there? Fake ones that have nothing to do with it? Give me a break.

Mike Street @ Feb 20th 2006 9:53PM

Ugh enough with the mock ups already. Some people show not be allowed to use Photoshop

Walter @ Feb 20th 2006 10:26PM

Can you guys start "revolution" fanboy already?

Ross Miller @ Feb 20th 2006 10:44PM

Walter--

We did. http://www.revolutionfanboy.com

Armin @ Feb 21st 2006 12:48AM

Looks too "ordinary" judging by Nintendo's new style. Look at the DS packaging and the GB Micro packaging.

This looks something like the PS3 would be wrapped in.

Also Revolution is still a codename.

Remember "Dolphin" :)

jadenguy @ Feb 21st 2006 1:47AM

or ultra.
i had a prophetic dream. i dreamt that i had a revolution. i had it in my hands and it was mine. suddenly everything in my life made sense. also, there was an mmog rogue squadron type game. it was sort of like starfox 64 where you had rails tunnels to go through, and you were either empire or rebels. you'd do the starfox rails shooter to free roam level, thus you'd emulate the standard formation that computers always seem to generate, but at the same time, so would your enemies. the reasoning being that you have to keep in formation and follow the rogue leader or whatever, and the good players could graduate up to rogue leader or whatever. and the squads would get divided up into a certain number of good ships and bad ships depending on how good you are. like, your squad could be 5 y wings and a b wing.
but oh was it wonderful with the revolution. everything about it was beautiful and wonderful and i played it on a tv. it was the greatest experience of my life. i remember being in the store. my friends were with me because they wouldn't pony out the money. i had to buy extra controllers and all, but it was worth it. i hope my dream comes true.