Thoughts on what the PS3 "shoulda been"
by Christopher Grant 
{ Mar 14th 2006 at 11:45AM }
Long Tran (the "electro" half of blogging-duo "electroplankton") has posted a thoughtful writeup of industrial designer Jaren Goh's PS3 design concept. He writes, "[Goh's] iteration of the PS3 is slick, seems balanced, and takes that age old design philosophy that less is always more."
He discusses the details of the concept, focusing on design elements like the logo, the drive location, the foot, and the chrome grill elaborating, "The mesh grill that all of the next generation game consoles have has a chrome plate on it, making it a part of the design as opposed to an afterthought. I'm sort of yes/no on that one, but nonetheless, Goh's design is far superior than the real PS3." Pair one of these up with Adam Portilla's "Ball Controller" and PlayStation 3 is the new Revolution.
[Thanks, SuicideNinja]
[UPDATE: Replaced a missing letter, restoring peace in the galaxy.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
AlloyNES @ Mar 14th 2006 11:52AM
Looks like a fridge... :/
rob @ Mar 14th 2006 11:59AM
That looks fudging awesome!
ill trooper @ Mar 14th 2006 12:04PM
Nice design, however, the PS3 is looking good to me anyway. It's going to grow on the haters too, I predict.
darryl @ Mar 14th 2006 12:05PM
Sure glad this isn't for real. How does that fit into an entertainment cabinet exactly?
GunForHire @ Mar 14th 2006 12:06PM
That looks damn nice if you ask me. A lot better than the Foreman Grill design. And 'how does it fit into an entertainment centre?' - it could go sideways as well. Of course it'd have to be real to do that...
Wondering what stars are for @ Mar 14th 2006 12:09PM
why does everybody have to have a vertical console? what was wrong with one that fit the way it should in your entertainment center? is it cool to have one that is vertical?
That's the stupidest looking console i've ever seen...
isuma @ Mar 14th 2006 12:09PM
I cant stand artsy-fartsy types. That design is a POS and would be prone to tip over to the right all the time.
Jose @ Mar 14th 2006 12:13PM
What's with the foot? I don't like how consoles seem to be leaning toward vertical design. My VCR (yes, I know, ancient) lays horizontally, my DVR/Cable Box lays horizontally, even my stupid Xbox lies horizontally, but the point is, my TV stand is made to hold horizontal electronics which lie (you guessed it) horizontally. Please help me maintain the status quo, and have room for my stupid consoles. Keep them horizontal!
Austin @ Mar 14th 2006 12:28PM
I sorry but are we discussing the design flaws of a console that no one has played yet and the design specs are not even finished? Wow this industry moves fast! I personly think the xbox 420 isnt half its going to live up to be.
ICE @ Mar 14th 2006 12:31PM
I think the verticle styling is to give a more PC like feel. And to have it stand out, instead of just being a DVD player, you can point it out and say... 'And that thing can cure AIDS.'
Thomas Crymes @ Mar 14th 2006 12:31PM
Hopefully, tomorrow, we will get to see exactly what the PS3 looks like. The only thing we've seen up till now is a concept design.
Tick Tock.
David @ Mar 14th 2006 12:43PM
"Less is more" has never made sense to me. Less is not more, it's less. "Less is better," maybe? "Keep it simple, stupid," maybe? Marketing people drive me batshit.
Deji @ Mar 14th 2006 12:47PM
Nice picture, Definitely prefer theis design to the current concept.
By the way Adam Portilla's "Ball Controller" already exists for Dragon Quest (released in Japan). Check out the link:
http://www.geekonstun.com/mt/archives/2004_10.html
Damn! I should have imported/bought one!
Kieron Rees @ Mar 14th 2006 1:05PM
@ 7
I think you'll find those "artsy-fartsy" types do more than just make pretty looking things - practicalities and ergonomics are a huge part of design and a successful designer would have a good grasp of the practical elements of a design as well as the visual.
Chances are that, had this design been real, the foot would have been weighted in such a way to move the centre of gravity to a position which would, if anything, have been beneficial to the console, making the console sturdier standing up then a 360.
neale @ Mar 14th 2006 1:09PM
yep thats so much nicer than sonys. sonys is the ugliest out of the 3, youd think sony could make it a stunning piece of kit. the vaios, tvs and their latest mp3 player are all stunning. ps2 was ugly, ps3 is ugly. whats going on?
vidGuy @ Mar 14th 2006 1:09PM
I like this design, but it would have to have a removable boot so that you could lay it down on its side. Also, it appears to be fairly small, a no-no with the hardware going in the PS3. And while the white is very in now, I think a glossy black version would look better with my overwhelmingly black entertainment center.
Thomas Crymes @ Mar 14th 2006 1:12PM
Hey 12. Less can be more because "more" is not meant in a quantitative sense. And it is also a figure of speach. Just like the phrase "addition by subtraction." It doesn't have to make sense on a math level to make sense on a human level.
And it really isn't marketing speak. "Less is more." has a different meaning than "Less is better." There is a philosophical undercurrent to the first while the second is merely an opinion.
PodMonkeys @ Mar 14th 2006 1:15PM
Except for the funky "swoosh foot", I really like the design. If it bottom was the same as the top, allowing horizontal standing, that'd be a winner of a design.
Dreizehnernuss @ Mar 14th 2006 1:27PM
White cases are not industrial design !
David @ Mar 14th 2006 1:30PM
Hey 17. Huh? Look up "more" in your dictionary (and while you're at it, look up "speech"; it doesn't contain the letter "a"). There is no definition that does not entail the quantitative sense. You conveniently failed to define "more" in a non-quantitative sense; what does it mean to you that does not entail quantity?
Jay @ Mar 14th 2006 1:31PM
Very nice, barring the balancing foot. looks very Mac Mini.
Still, the Rev seems to have taken the biscuit in industrial design.
James Snook @ Mar 14th 2006 1:42PM
If only all the people bitching about vertical console design would spend more time laying down in a box we'd probably be better off.
I find the current PS3 design to be hideous, but if I end up buying one of them I'll just hide it behind a printout of the old PS2 or some such - who cares?
Rare Hare @ Mar 14th 2006 1:47PM
it looks ok. i'm definately a fan of the logo, as it's what i always pictured the PS3 logo to be. i REALLY hope they decide to change that aspect of the design.
i could do without the foot. it would make the console even more akward than the rounded shell of the current PS3 design.
pete @ Mar 14th 2006 1:47PM
The current PS3 design is one of the ugliest and illogical consoles I've ever seen. Sony should get the people that design their minidisc players working on it.
And these "artsy fartsy" types are going to be defining what everything you own looks like for the rest of your life.
Oozer @ Mar 14th 2006 1:49PM
That thing is ugly as hell. It looks like a cheap Wintel mac mini knockoff that's been stepped on. Or maybe a rejected Phantom design. Take a minute to picture that monstrosity next to a beautiful flat screen TV. Now take a couple more minutes to get over the shudders that mental picture will no doubt create.
jeb @ Mar 14th 2006 1:55PM
You crazy animals.... the foot is there so you can stack them on top of each other and still have breathing room.... like l7 (only sideways). I'll need two of them to run all 4 of my 1080p TVs...
Anyway - I like horizontal better. Media center PCs are going the same route as well. But I do like the above better than the current curvy design.
Thomas Crymes @ Mar 14th 2006 1:58PM
Don't you want something more out of life?
The ZeroCorpse @ Mar 14th 2006 2:12PM
It's a Mac Mini on its side.
Sort of.
The difference is that the Mac Mini is real and available, while the PS3 is still vapor as far as we know.
Dave @ Mar 14th 2006 2:21PM
Less can be more, but this mockup is just sort of bland and uninspiring. It screams, "I'm a male teenager and I think this is what a next-gen system should look like!" It's not terrible, but whatever restraint that's pleasant in Goh's design is ruined by that asymmetrical foot, superfluous chrome vent, and that hard edged black base. Blech. Looking through the rest of his portfolio, it's clear that Goh has some good ideas, but often can't leave well enough alone.
I only agree with one of Tran's points - changing the logo to the Spider-Man font and spelling out "PlayStation" on the case was completely, 100% unnecessary. Hopefully the final design will be revealed tomorrow, though at this point I'd wager that any information at all will be appreciated.
Conn @ Mar 14th 2006 2:27PM
UGLY AS HELL.
slow news day @ Mar 14th 2006 2:48PM
I like the design, but I would change the end to not have a lip that protrudes out. Make both ends the same, and you have a perfect looking console that looks sleek.
Jeff @ Mar 14th 2006 3:01PM
The foot has got to go.
Beyond that, though, this would be an expensive design to produce. Lots of thick, shiny, laminated plastic, lots of different parts to fabricate (it's not all just one mold). Even what looks like some real chromed aluminum or titanium.
When you're talking external casing, even a few bucks makes a difference. That's why almost every mass-market product these days is made of cheap plastic, including the PS3, Revolution and Xbox 360. Still, some things look better than others, but this design is definitely not a mass-market design. It would add to the production cost and either add to the price of the system or take away from other internal components.
Slot-loading drives are also a safety hazard when you get up to the speeds the PS3 is running at. Not really because there's a danger of a disc being ejected at 60,000RPM's or anything (though there is that), but because a manufacturing defect in a disc can cause it to shatter, spraying shrapnel all over your apartment. If you've ever watched Mythbusters, you've seen the results when this happens. (No, it's not a myth.) That's why manufacturers don't use slot loaders in high performance machines - they look nice, but they're a liability risk. The Revolution can have one because it's presumably running its discs at a slower speed.
joey @ Mar 14th 2006 5:09PM
Nevermind that the designer of this concept has no idea what actually has to go INSIDE the PS3.
OOOO WHAT A PRETTY BOX... what needs to fit inside??? I DON"T KNOW. I just make pretty boxes that could hypothetically fit parts that I don't know what they might be inside of it.
Yes, that is a pretty box. Does it have any relevance or show up what sony might do in any way? Not really, since it's a pipe-dream with no foundation in reality.
What size heat sink will the ps3 need? What kind of cooling might be required? What fans might be needed? What sized drives and other componenets are there, what size and cooler is on the video card? Without knowing these things, it's simply not fair to state that sony was 1 upped in product design by this guy.
Anyone can make a pretty box. But can you make a pretty box given the constraints put on you by the hardware and cooling problems you have to deal with inside the box? That's the real question.
VB @ Mar 14th 2006 5:30PM
I would say it is slightly better at best; I don't care for either one.
Olson @ Mar 14th 2006 5:35PM
I don't really care how it look. I just want to play it.
??? @ Mar 14th 2006 5:37PM
It looks kinda like a combination asswipe dispenser/blowdryer found only in certain pre-selected lavs in Lower Slobovian subways. lol!
jordan @ Mar 14th 2006 5:50PM
the best next gen console aesthetics: Nintendo Revolution. It's simple, elegant, practical, and goes with all of your other vcrs dvd players, and television equipment. It doesn't draw too much attention, and it is still nice to look at, and it's not too big.
OTAM @ Mar 14th 2006 9:16PM
Looks like a skateboard halfpipe.
graf1k @ Mar 14th 2006 10:05PM
Lose the foot and now we are talking. And to all you people all up in arms about the vertical design of consoles today, you know what? You can still lay them all horizontally too. So why not do that, shut up about it, and try worrying about something important.
drcolossus @ Mar 15th 2006 12:16AM
Looks a gazillion tons better than the current design (the one that looks like a failed family printer that fell into a pot of silver paint)!