Designing the ultimate gamer's cabinet
by Ross Miller 
{ Dec 9th 2006 at 5:25PM }
We were very impressed by Flickr member kriseattle22's design for his gaming cabinet. Besides the finely crafted woodworking involved, the cabinet also featured hooks on each side for controller storage as well as two blue-lighted CPU fans for each console. The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii have all been elevated so that heat can be exhausted below, as well.Let's use this as a template for the ultimate gamer's cabinet and improve upon the design. Some improvements, both serious and farcical, we'd like to see:
- An upright Wii console. No offense to those who prefer the Wii lying flat, but the console's beauty comes from its vertical position.
- We're also wagering that the elevated platform and fans are a little extreme for the light-on-high-tech Wii console.
- Can we adjust the fans (and lighting) to be console specific? For example, have only the two adjacent fans on when the Xbox 360 is in use. And make them light up green.
- Side- or top-mounted AA battery recharger units would rock.
- Speaking of the Xbox 360, why not have a mini-fridge to house the power brick?*
- The controller hooks are a nice touch, but the convenience of sitting down and turning on a console wirelessly is lost. How about a custom-built coffee table to complement the cabinet?
- That NES up top looks mighty lonely ...
- That bunny adjacent to the stand? Lose it -- Nabaztags are the way to go.
[Via MAKE]
* Joystiq does not support the idea of placing any sort of technology into a refrigerator / freezer compartment.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Lekko @ Dec 9th 2006 5:35PM
I would not have gone with LED fans at all.. too distracting. They also don't go with the wood very well.
Also, with that nice TV over your fireplace. Just be sure to not have the fire lit while playing your Wii, because that would mess with it a lot. Although with all those systems on and running, I think you won't really even need a fireplace on at all, the systems should put out about the same amount of heat.
Wizzle @ Dec 9th 2006 5:40PM
Yeah the cabinet is pretty cool but all the money spent on that trash could have been spent on SYSTEMS, his collection is pretty pathetic if you ask me. He took that NES from his little brother and he's got too much money so he blew it all on brand new systems, thats kind of a red flag that he's not a true gamer if you ask me. I'm gonna go play one of my 13 systems now, later =)
-the_mole- @ Dec 9th 2006 5:42PM
i keep my wii sideways because it looks better, fits better, and changing disks isn't so weird. and besides when it is vertical, you block the intake fans, i'm just not comfortable with that... other than that, very nice.
on the lights comment, ps3 should have red, 360 green, and wii blue...that would be awesome...
and the controller-on-rack scheme would work particularly well if it was placed by the entrance to the room... walk in the house after a long day, pick up the controller, and settle in.
Dave @ Dec 9th 2006 5:43PM
Why on earth do you need fans on consoles? This is just pointless.
Also... you DO realize that an upright Wii would ruin the horizontal design thing he's got going here, right? I mean, aside from the fact that an upright Wii just looks stupid in general. Sure is angled... and it sure is awesome when relatives put a disc in the wrong way and start freaking out for "Breaking your Wii."
You know what, the whole "Vertical Console" thing in general is absolutely retarded. Most normal people have AV stands that are made for horizontal equipment. A system in a vertical position is asking to be knocked over or otherwise broken.
Tull @ Dec 9th 2006 5:51PM
@ #1
You can never have too many LED lights, to gamers they are like bug zappers. Any REAL gamer knows this. ;) LED fans are my lifeblood.
Brandon @ Dec 9th 2006 5:53PM
I saw this on lifehacker.com a lil while ago. I think about 3 to 4 weeks.
Eaode @ Dec 9th 2006 6:11PM
Basically the setup he has there, except a custom coffee table for the controllers. Open up the top to find the 3 controller groups in a triangle with their respective lights.
Wii=Blue
360=White (originally thought of green, but meh)
PS3=Red
Then have drawers below that with the old systems' controllers. Again with respective lights.
Gamecube=Purple
XBox=Green
PS2=? Silver? Black? Is it even possible to have a black light? (UV lights are purple...)
And another drawer for accesories.
foo8 @ Dec 9th 2006 6:31PM
That's not a NES...
Wizzle @ Dec 9th 2006 6:33PM
hahahaha, It's not an NES??? REALLY??? Because I have two NES (one being that version) and it seems to play NES games just fine...hmm...i guess you learn something new every day....
[/sarcasm]
Vlad Bien-Aimé @ Dec 9th 2006 6:37PM
He's right. That's not an NES.
dan s. @ Dec 9th 2006 6:42PM
History lesson for the (retarded) kiddies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NES_2
Uh_Oh @ Dec 9th 2006 6:45PM
The wood color doesn't work, it needs to be black of silver. The lights are dumb, the cabinet should be wider. I like the hook idea but would really be cool is sliding drawers with foam inserts for each different controller, and some kind of engraved label for ps3, wii, xbox 360.
syco @ Dec 9th 2006 6:53PM
I have a dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, and Wii (and an N64 but only 3 games, Zelda (which I can play on my cube), Starfox 64 (VC someday. I hope.) and Perfect Dark, which I got for free and don't like. Sufficed to say my N64 is in a box in my closet). To say that he doesnt' have enough systems is to be expecting way too much.
Wizzle @ Dec 9th 2006 7:02PM
Not really, you dont have to be rich to be able to respect the history of videogames, and that guy obviously has enough money to get the older systems. I understand that not all people like the older stuff but to be honest, if someone's going to go through that much effort and $ for his current gen systems he should have the older stuff too, just my opinion. I have an NES, 64, GameCube, Genesis (version 1 & 2), Gen 1 Sega CD, 32x, Saturn, Dreamcast, PS1, PS2, and will soon have a 360 and a Wii. I consider myself to be a gamer and if I were to make a cabinet and spend alot of time and $ on it, there would definetly be places for all my oldschool systems as well.
Kooper113 @ Dec 9th 2006 7:04PM
I'd be interested in it if you could make it say.. About three times wider. I'd like a place for all 12 systems to organized. To be honest, it's just not enough space for me, because when I play games with my friends, we love to go through all my games...
Hopefully the Wii will fix this for me eventually.
Jake B @ Dec 9th 2006 7:06PM
Actually morons that is a nes on the top. Im not sure if you knew this or not, but nintendo always updates their systems, the nes being no exception. Suck it.
Colin Robertson @ Dec 9th 2006 7:07PM
I would have an enclosed cabinet, with good ventilation. As slick as the systems look these days, I would rather not have the noise their fans and disc drives (I'm talking to you 360), and super bright LED's spoiling the experience of a great immersive game.
audioeric @ Dec 9th 2006 7:06PM
In the spirit of critiquing this setup...
1. The TV is way too high. This setup is probably only good for playing the Wii standing up. Otherwise, playing while seated will cause you to be looking up the whole time, and with a projection TV, their Vertical viewing angle isn't that great.. Although, it is angled downward some, but you really get into the whole Feng Shui of the room with having something that large and bold (it being black and the rest of the room being white) at an angle like that...
2. It's pointless to have Fans unless the rest of the cabinet is sealed off. Those fans on the sides won't actually be pulling any air off of the consoles, rather just blowing the air out the sides.
3. There's an extreme amount of wasted space. The Wii, 360, and PS3 could all be on the same shelf if they were situated vertically. You could also have clear glass on the front, seal the back off, and put some fans pulling air out from above, and blowing air from below for maximum cooling efficiency.
4. Speaker setup is all wrong. You can have a crappy set of speakers, and make them sound decent with proper placement. The Left and Right speakers need to be the same distance from the screen and also at the same height. I would also put the center channel right in front of the TV.
5. The end tables in front of the fireplace that are holding speakers don't really need an explanation.
6. I would probably find something a bit more hidden to do the controllers. It looks a little cluttered with them hanging on the side.
That's all that I can think of for now. There are much sleeker ways to do this. I'm actually working on a cabinet now, when I finish I'll submit it...
Ndric @ Dec 9th 2006 7:14PM
That's really nice. But I'm sure the fans are for more for the looks. It doesn't match with the wood.
Andy @ Dec 9th 2006 7:44PM
I think the argument that the fans are mostly for looks is fairly valid. And the OP suggestion of having just the fans for the system in use on, would be a rather neat feature. Even if you were to, say, remove the fans, and substitute some other form of lighting.
- Find out what the average "hot" temperature of a system is when running (on the hottest side of the outside of the case), on a per-console basis.
- Attach the proper thermistors to each, rigged up so that a "hot" console turns on the lighting (or, if you really think they do something, the fans) for the shelf of that console.
- Have fun alternating through systems to watch the shelves blink (of course there'll be some amount of cooldown, where more than one console might be lit).
Angus @ Dec 9th 2006 7:50PM
I'd have my coffee table turn into a sort of cabinet, with wires runnin under the carpet so I wouldn have to get off my ass to load games either.
zAlphaOmega @ Dec 9th 2006 7:58PM
Why is this being posted everywhere?
It's very ugly and the fans are not necessary.
Josh @ Dec 9th 2006 8:06PM
I personally think this is awesome. It's a great design and looks quite nice if you ask me.
Also, as far as everyone goes for accusing this poor person as not being a "gamer" for having all the old systems as well...do us all a favor and stfu please.
Have you even thought of the fact that perhaps he/she is a relative newcomer to gaming?? Perhaps they just discovered how cool games were with a PS2, or maybe an Xbox.
Leave the poor person alone and quit hating. If I had a choice I would get the systems as well...steady new selection of games and accessories.
I'm done. Once again...cool cabinet.
Rare Hare @ Dec 9th 2006 8:37PM
"You can never have too many LED lights, to gamers they are like bug zappers. Any REAL gamer knows this. ;) LED fans are my lifeblood."
Agreed. I have about 7 of varying colors (red, blue, or green) installed in my PC. And I've wanted to put more in for a while now :-D.
More on the subject of this setup.. I love it. I think it's basically perfect in every way for what I would look for personally in my game setup. Unfortunately, my funds won't allow for that ;-).
As for those of you who are placing so much merit on this guy's console selection, or how many consoles he has.. stop. I own a Sega Genesis, a Nintendo 64, a PlayStation, a PS2, an Xbox, and a Gamecube. I almost never open the disk tray of anything other than my PlayStation 2.
Neither the N64, the Sega Genesis, nor the PlayStation are ever touched at all, and haven't been for quite some time now. The Xbox is unhooked and doesn't get used save for occasional Halo 2 sessions with friends. It doesn't make me any less of a gamer.
Just because someone doesn't have 14 consoles and work his way methodically through his library on each one daily, doesn't mean he isn't a "true" gamer, or that his setup is any worse for it. While certain retro games are awesome and will never lose their appeal or playability (I'm looking at you, Tecmo Super Bowl), new consoles are created for a reason. I like playing the newest and best games. Nostalgia has its place, and hindering the enjoyment of my hobby isn't it.
Anyway though. Cool setup :-).
lol @ Dec 9th 2006 8:40PM
lol u sed upright wii...get it...upright?
Anonguy @ Dec 9th 2006 9:22PM
The ultimate annoying gamer's cabinet.
lolz.
Cerbath @ Dec 11th 2006 11:50AM
I yould have a power swstem built in to the base. that way only one wall Outlet would be taken up.
also a shelf for the games the I am playing would be nice.
and why not add a area to store Energy drinks.
Zach @ Dec 9th 2006 9:34PM
I do like this shelf a lot, but like most people, I would do things a little differently. Check out this older shot of my game shelf:
http://mostlyrobot.com/images/GameShelf.jpg
Of course, there are some more modern systems on the shelf now, but you get the idea. Everything's hooked up, ready to go and selectable by the bank of Pelican system switchers at the top. And almost everything, including the Atari 2600, is using S-video.
Cole @ Dec 9th 2006 9:36PM
I like mine better... http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/35186176/
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/35186395/
The ZeroCorpse @ Dec 9th 2006 9:40PM
Jeez. Why do you need so many consoles. I used to have every console released in North America, and one day I realized I was only playing one or two of them at any one time.
I sold my top-loading NES for $120 and the others for less, but ended up with a lot more room and a little more self-respect.
Dude-- Lose the cabinet and about half of those consoles, get a girlfriend, and enter the world. You'll be happier.
your left nut @ Dec 9th 2006 9:45PM
My atari jaguar would look sweet in that setup...
Aughndibi @ Dec 9th 2006 9:47PM
HOLY CRAP! That guy owns the weird pill NES that came in a bundle with Dr. Mario! He is now the coolest person alive. He's also the only person I've ever seen on the Internet or otherwise who owns one.
Zach @ Dec 9th 2006 9:53PM
It's just fun to have all of these systems working perfectly, especially the older ones. While I might not actually play all of them every day or even every month, visitors often love to step back in time with the 2600 or TG-16, or check out Japan-only releases like the Famicom Disk System SMB2.
Speaking of my girlfriend, ZeroCorpse, she actually lets me have my game shelf set up in the living room of our house! It's not pushed off to the basement or anything like that. Wonderful.
Aughndibi @ Dec 9th 2006 9:54PM
Whoops. I should have read post #11 before responding. I am a jackass.
ealba @ Dec 9th 2006 10:05PM
Wizzle, you astound me with the level of your low-brow intellect. There is absolutely no evidence to support the statement that this gamer does not have older consoles. Your only "evidence," the only argument you make is that he MUST have included a place for older consoles if he had them. That is a weak argument. Since the consoles aren't there, they must not exist. Let me gently remind you that absence of proof is not proof of absence.
On the other hand, there are several reasons why older consoles would not be sitting on that shelf.
First of all, I doubt that even such a sage and knowledgeable gamer as you plays the classics as frequently nowadays as this generation and last generation consoles. Second of all, older consoles don't overheat and aren't as large as the consoles of this generation (barring Nintendo's entries). They wouldn't require the use of a shelf as this one. Finally, someone who makes a shelf like this probably would want to show off its abilities. Thus, it would include only consoles that have wireless controllers and are at least as high-tech as the shelf. Imagine a thoughtfully engineered shelf such as that one housing antiquated consoles. What a waste of ingenuity.
And come on, this guy made a very nice shelf and is obviously enough of a gamer to have both a PS3 and a 360. Right now, very few people in the world can lay claim to that status.
ealba @ Dec 9th 2006 10:17PM
And ladies and gentlemen, this guy did it for A CLASS. He very well could have a girlfriend and apparently he has at least some kind of a life outside of gaming, since he's taking a woodworking class.
Nate @ Dec 9th 2006 10:28PM
Wow guys, what do you care if he has all the consoles? I have all of them and I don't even play at all during the week, I have a life. You make it sound like this is not possible. Maybe you ask why do I have all the consoles. Well because A) Each one has, had, and will have exclusive games that I will want to play.and B)They are all worth the amount of money they each cost if you think about the amount of hours you put into them over the 4 or so years of their (prime) life time. C) They prevent me from liveing a life of crime, jut kidding.
Tom Hayden @ Dec 9th 2006 10:49PM
My biggest pet peeve about consoles is the weird shapes they come in. They should be standard shapes and sizes so you could stack them. My ideal console shelf would just be a rack with all of the consoles mounted in it along with the stereo equipment and a server, then hide the whole thing in a cabinet somewhere. It would take some heavy modding, but it could be done.
Fozzybear @ Dec 9th 2006 11:03PM
That's cool. I've seen more epic console cabinets before, but I like the elevation thing.
otakucode @ Dec 9th 2006 11:15PM
I say bail on the idea of a cabinet entirely. Everything can be done with a massively custom cofee table. The game systems can be integrated into the table, so that drive trays or slots are on the edge of the table (yes, this would involve taking apart the consoles, but if you're going for custom - go all the way). Wireless controllers would be in a drawer or behind a door, sitting on their charging stations. Integrated into the coffee table would also be a UPS providing all the power needed.
Integrated into the coffee table also would be a receiver/switchbox so that only one set of cables would need to run from the table (through a hollow leg, and under the carpet) to the back of the TV or to your home theater receiver.
Include also charging stations for portable game systems, your PSP and DS or whatever. And just for flair, I'd recommend a recessed LCD screen that folds down flat to become part of the surface but when pressed, pops up and reveals a keyboard and mouse for surfing the web on an integrated mini-ITX system.
If you can't tell, I've thought about this for awhile and come up with some crazy ideas... maybe someday I will put them into action, but my carpentry skills suck.
Xizer @ Dec 9th 2006 11:55PM
Ultimate gamer's cabinet? Pah. Hardly. The ultimate gamer's cabinet would have room for dozens of systems. This guy clearly isn't that hardcore; there's nothing before the GameCube/PS2/Xbox era on that thing! Not even a Dreamcast.
Andy @ Dec 10th 2006 12:37AM
If you ask me, I think he should have painted the cabinet black. Then mounted some cathode lights going horizontal to the backs of each compartment, and the heck with all those fans. That's just my take.
bearattack79 @ Dec 10th 2006 1:28AM
Does his PS3 work on that projection TV. Booooo @ myself.
bearattack79 @ Dec 10th 2006 3:16AM
OK sorry.
Jeramy @ Dec 10th 2006 3:02AM
at first i thought this was mildly cool, but now after reading a slew of the comments i realize that it really isn't. immediately i agreed about the controller cradles even before reading the suggestion. and the fans don't really help, drilled holes would have worked (if even). and the leds just distract a lot and don't blend in very well. plus the wood pattern doesn't work, a black would've been best (silver acceptable). leds + black would have worked most likely.
really it doesn't look like he hand-built the thing. looks like he bought a pre-made shelf and modded it out. i read the thing and saw that he did build it, but it's still very basic and tawdry. granted, we don't need corinthian columns, but something to distinguish it from a shelf bought at lowe's.
great idea, it just needs someone else to execute it.
Tristan @ Dec 10th 2006 11:05AM
Pretty weak if you ask me. The best cabinet is the one that doesn't let you see all that crap. All my equipment is controled RF so it is behind cabinet doors so all you see is the TV. It's much cooler when people don't even know it's there.
Steve @ Dec 12th 2006 3:38PM
>> No offense to those who prefer the Wii lying
>> flat, but the console's beauty comes from its
>> vertical position.
Beauty? What beauty? The Wii design is efficient and small, but hardly beautiful. It's not much different from the external DVD recorder connected to my PC! I like the design because it's small and convient, but I wish they'd have gone for a nice color instead of boring Apple white.
I have a Wii and no Playstation or XBox systems, but if we're going to list them in order of appearance it has to be:
PS3 - A sleek, though large, looking system
Wii - Small, efficient design
360 - Nice graphics with a butt ugly design
Now to be a hypocrite, I have my Wii standing upright, but only because the vertical orientation fits so well between two things on my shelf and I think that orientation makes it easier to insert games. I think the vertical orientation (for all these consoles) looks ridiculous actually. 9 times out of 10 it's a totally impratical position.
Jacob @ Dec 10th 2006 12:26PM
Those LED fans are horrendous.
He may as well have built blinking christmas lights, a shiny mirror bevel, and a gigantic car spoiler into it too.
Yuck.
Jim @ Dec 10th 2006 1:29PM
"* Joystiq does not support the idea of placing any sort of technology into a refrigerator / freezer compartment."
A fairly stupid joke doesn't get better with a warning.
/Slow news day?
Steve @ Dec 12th 2006 3:39PM
"He's not a true gamer because he doesn't have any of the older systems!"
Are you people that pathetic? The person probably doesn't give a shit whether or not he has the acceptance of hardcore gamers who don't even know him (like Wizzle). Here's a crazy idea: maybe he wanted to build a fancy shelf for the consoles that he actually likes, uses, or works. Maybe he has the old systems and grew bored play those same old Reagan-era games. Maybe he didn't like the old systems at all! Who f'ing cares? Take this for what it is: a fancy shelf that holds a bunch of gaming consoles. (I also find it funny how he's "not a gamer" but several gamers on this board didn't even know that Nintendo redesigned the NES. Wasn't that obnoxious and overused geekword "pwned" made for situations like that?)
I have an NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, and Wii consoles and guess what? The NES has been packed in a box, the SNES was packed in a crate until I recently discovered it and gave Zelda another spin, an N64 collecting dust in a cabinent, and a Gamecube that's about to be given away since the Wii made it obsolete. I guess if I wanted to make a nice shelf for my Wii and other electronics I would have to deal with the shame of not being put into the Hard-Core Gamers Club because I don't play my old systems.