The Xbox Series S designer has shown the first designs of the console, confessed the reasons for its color and explained its code name and development.
The design of a console is always important. So much so that its conception begins years before the specifications of the platform are even closed. Thanks to an article on the Medium portal, we learned that, in the specific case of Xbox Series S, Microsoft started working on its appearance back in 2017. At that time, several company hardware managers visited the home of some of the brand’s fans. , who were asked to unplug their current Xbox and put in its place a series of rectangular cubes and boxes. “We wanted to know his reaction to the different silhouettes,” lead designer Chris Kujawski told the magazine. “What we didn’t want to hear is that they looked like a microwave.” Today, knowing the final aspect of the console, we can also take a look at those prototypes, once top secret.
Why those colors and design?
Throughout the interview, Kujawski provides some interesting details about the development of Xbox Series S. Thus, for example, the designer assures that they tried to make the console only black or only white, but admits that they ended up looking like “a a little boring”. They believed that the color scheme allowed them to “pay homage to previous generations” while their high contrast gave them the feeling of something new. Kujawski also confesses that this model was known internally as “Slice” because it looked just like that, as if they had taken a portion of Xbox Series X.
Visiting the homes of their fans and taking note of where they put the console they concluded that the key was flexibility. Xbox Series S had to adapt to any space and orientation, and they had to be aware that they were going to be in people’s homes for many years. They wanted something practical that would suit any furniture. “We know that most gamers buy an Xbox for the games and not for its aesthetics, but when you exit the game and turn off the console, what remains is the hardware,” says Kujawski in the interview. The designer concluded that it is not only something aesthetic, but also functional. The product had to be well cooled and quiet. It should not be distracting and disturbing, not when we entered a room and looked around, nor while we were playing and had it next to us.
Xbox Series S will go on sale on November 10 at a price of 299 euros, it will be digital only and up to 60% smaller than Xbox Series X.
