Task - Week Nine

Should a console designer concentrate on how it looks, how it feels to play, or how easy it is to use? As the size of the actual technology involved decreases, the scope for creativity for the average console designer increases. A good looking console should sell more, but if there are other problems then it will soon be all over the magazines and internet. A revolutionary console who's new technology means it looks rather 'strange' might sell more to people who've done their research and want to try it out, but its less likely to attract the eye of a passer-by looking into the shop window. Or is it?

The major drive for early development was always practicality, making the box as small as the technology of the time would allow and selling on the sheer novelty of having a game console in your home. As this becomes commonplace, there's an increasing demand for a game console that looks good in the home.

Console design, shape and colour, help to establish an identity among competition at the same level in the market. Repeated shapes or colours also tie together generations of consoles from the same developers, which often have backwards compatability. Or their own hand-held consoles (often generations worth too now.) which can sometimes be compatible with their TV based systems. The need for branding, for creating something that's instantly recognisable as being from a certain company, is important for creating a name in the marketplace.

The need to stand out, and be one ahead of competitors, often drives the development of new technologies, such as the touch screen or the first game cartridges or the wireless controller. Where once military and academic was used to develop games technology, now the games industry is offering technologies back.

New designs are made to appeal to certain audiences. For example, the controller that minimises the damage done to one's wrists while gaming is just the thing a responsible parent might buy for their gaming offspring (or themselves). Or perhaps the more health conscious gamer, or the one who already has bad wrists from many years without this wonderful device.

The look of gaming consoles and their paraphernalia will probably continue to develop to more extremes, the smaller the technology gets. After a while the main factors of consideration have, and will continue to change to things like comfort, over all 'look', convenience and easy storage.

http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101050523/console_timeline/
http://ps3.qj.net/The-Ergonomics-Behind-the-PS3-Controller/pg/49/aid/503
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/gaming/productdetails.aspx?pid=091
http://wii.kombo.com/article.php?artid=6355&pg=1&comments=full