RetroGaming

Nintendo GameCube

Purple, had a handle for carrying and the gray perfectly offset the purple

SNES.

The NES was a box, and the SNES had lines.

DS Lite: the most timeless handheld imo

Physical console design? Atari 2600. The black slots and wood grain front with the sleek angular design is still peak console styling IMO.

User interface design? Xbox 360 Blades. Hands down. Easy to navigate, easy to understand, and good potential for minimal advertising abuse.

The original Wii

I liked the way it would just swallow the discs whole

I always liked the translucent purple N64 and the controller that came with it. If they made a GameCube that way it would probably be my favourite.

Black Dreamcast is pretty sexy.

The GameCube in a cool color (like Spice Orange). Not just because I like orange. It has great contrast with the grey and black parts of the console. And the whole thing is wrapped up in a tidy, aptly-named package!

The Dreamcast still looks futuristic in 2024.

Not sure if it counts (given this community), but the original PS4 immediately became my favorite console design. I am generally a fan of simple, elegant, soulless aesthetics.

I still think the PS2 had the best looking and at the time most radical design. 1 was cool and iconic. 3 was just ugly. 4 ok, The current design looks cool but is extremely impractical.

Of Nintendo I liked the European SNES, Gameboy Color and DS Lite. N64 is dear to my heart but it was not good looking and the controller was horrendous.

the 2600 and the coleco telstar are the first that come to mind. it's a shame wood grain fell out of fashion right as game consoles fell into fashion! i also love the the grey variant of the Saturn. Panasonic got two hits in a row with the 3DO and their GameCube-compatible DVD player thing.

honorable mention goes to the Daewoo CPG-120 which I only just learned about today. it's a consolized MSX2 that looks like a cross between the Enterprise and a Roomba. i can't decide if it looks magnificent or awful and it's arguably not a console to begin with but hey

edit: oh, and sharp's twin famicom! in general companies that made other kinds of electronic appliances had a way of bringing a certain class to console design without eliminating the fun

Console: Nintendo Wii, it is small, and has a sleek vertical design.

Handheld: PSP 2000 and 3000, it is just a beauty at any angle.

My fist general purpose console was the Sega Master System. It had a flowchart displayed on the top telling you how to use it.

It might not have been pretty in the traditional sense but I loved it.

Looking back on it the chart was somewhat misleading, the console had two built in games that were only accessible if you didn't insert a cartridge or card (Hang On, and Safari Hunt), and a third that also needed a controller connected and a few buttons held down when you turned the system on (snail maze).

Gamecube.

2nd would be PS Vita (original OLED version).

The PS5 is probably my most hated look and shape. Just an idiotic and clunky design, and moronic decisions to go white.

New nintendo 3DS for me. Small compact boxy look. True handheld. Pocketable. Just perfect.

Amstrad GX4000! Fantastic looking machine, sold mine a few years ago, which is a bit of a regret. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amstrad_GX4000

https://www.ebay.com/itm/225202887876

Super Famicom or ‘this is cool’ Saturn

I always loved the look of the Super Nintendo, for some reason it looked like a piece of decoration straight out of a Super Mario game.

Even though I had the model 2 growing up, I really like the model 1 Genesis/Megadrive. Had a kind of futuristic/sci-fi vibe to me.

The 3DO FZ-10 looks much cooler than one would think the console deserves based on its reputation

For actually released consoles, I think the Famicom is just neat looking

Weirdly the 3DS XL for me, I think.

I appreciate how sleek the Mega Drive model 2 looks. Without any of the life support modules, of course.

I'd choose either the PSP or the dreamcast

It’s a toss up; Mega Drive or Mega Drive II

Japanese Sega Saturn is my all-time favorite design

Dreamcast and Japanese/PAL SNES are also up there.

The PC Engine is definitely a contender. Looks like something from the set of Star Trek TNG, takes unique little cards, and is extremely tiny* and compact. (particularly for a system that was ahead of its time) I think it's neat!

*roughly the size of a sandwich

Loved this lil guy, small, sleek, simple and played great

For me, it's the PS5 for having such a slick and futuristic look.

Honourable mention goes to Nintendo Switch for being so cute.

The slim ps3, that rounded shape, the black chrome front panel, and those nice tactile buttons

Console design peaked with that console and everything newer lives in its shadow for me