I have an idea for a new "special" page, this one with the top 10 (20?) bone-headed console design decisions.
I already have at least a dozen good ones, but thought I'd open it up so you guys can remind me of some I missed.
Here are a few samples:
Intellivision control "phones" wires - could they make these any shorter? You practically need to keep the console on your lap to play it!
PS4 "sliver" buttons - too skinny to read the symbols; nobody knows what they do. Tapping one is different from holding it in for 5.24 seconds. WTF
Atari 5200 non-centering joysticks - this just may be #1.
I got more, but I'm going to keep them to myself while I open up the floor...
Console Design Blunders
- VideoGameCritic
- Site Admin
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- DrLitch
- Posts: 955
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Re: Console Design Blunders
Atari Jaguar Controller.
Console was released at a time where Mortal Kombat 2 and Street Fighter 2 were all the rage. While neither title ended up on the Jag the controller was still an epic failure for this doomed console.
Console was released at a time where Mortal Kombat 2 and Street Fighter 2 were all the rage. While neither title ended up on the Jag the controller was still an epic failure for this doomed console.
- Stalvern
- Posts: 1970
- Joined: June 18th, 2016, 7:15 pm
Re: Console Design Blunders
That stupid keyboard on the Odyssey².
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Re: Console Design Blunders
Maybe not the most egregious but front loading and depressed cartridge slot for the NES. Completely unnecessary, and unreliable.
Although it’s not on this site, removing the N Gage’s battery each time to change a game cartridge seems insane.
Although it’s not on this site, removing the N Gage’s battery each time to change a game cartridge seems insane.
- Retro STrife
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- Joined: August 3rd, 2015, 7:40 pm
Re: Console Design Blunders
Xbox - that massive first controller
Xbox 360 - whatever caused the red rings of death
Saturn - minor one maybe.. but I hate that it uses a CR2032 battery for saved games, which dies every year and erases your games
PS3 - the complex processor architecture and $600 price tag that plagued it from catching on for years
NES - the terrible 72-pin connector (i.e., constantly blowing in games, flickering graphics, games cutting out during play)... might just be a contender for #1
N64 - another #1 contender: N64 sticking with cartridges.. it virtually handed the console wars to Sony, and they never looked back.
Xbox 360 - whatever caused the red rings of death
Saturn - minor one maybe.. but I hate that it uses a CR2032 battery for saved games, which dies every year and erases your games
PS3 - the complex processor architecture and $600 price tag that plagued it from catching on for years
NES - the terrible 72-pin connector (i.e., constantly blowing in games, flickering graphics, games cutting out during play)... might just be a contender for #1
N64 - another #1 contender: N64 sticking with cartridges.. it virtually handed the console wars to Sony, and they never looked back.
- MSR1701
- Posts: 1509
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Re: Console Design Blunders
* I've heard many complaints over the CD32's controller design
* The Virtual Boy
* Game Boy Micro (this was marketed as removable face plates, then none of said face plates appeared outside of Japan)
* The Sega Saturn international controller (not the Japanese one); not very comfortable
* Playstation 2 - the laser reader's high defect rate of locking into only one read mode (the PS2 ran CD Music discs, PSOne CD-Roms, PS2 CD-Roms, PS2 DVDs, and DVD-Rom movies, and the laser reader could get stuck and read only one of the items listed above)
* XBox 360 - Red Ring of Death (TM)
* Wii Mini (with no Wi-Fi support) - designed as a cheaper Wii during the Wii U release, and shunned by consumers and gamers for lacking key features)
* Atari Jaguar CD - lack of durability (though you could say this about many early CD-Rom systems)
* SuperGrapix - An upgraded PC Engine/Turbo-16, that barely added anything
* Atari 5200 controller
* The Virtual Boy
* Game Boy Micro (this was marketed as removable face plates, then none of said face plates appeared outside of Japan)
* The Sega Saturn international controller (not the Japanese one); not very comfortable
* Playstation 2 - the laser reader's high defect rate of locking into only one read mode (the PS2 ran CD Music discs, PSOne CD-Roms, PS2 CD-Roms, PS2 DVDs, and DVD-Rom movies, and the laser reader could get stuck and read only one of the items listed above)
* XBox 360 - Red Ring of Death (TM)
* Wii Mini (with no Wi-Fi support) - designed as a cheaper Wii during the Wii U release, and shunned by consumers and gamers for lacking key features)
* Atari Jaguar CD - lack of durability (though you could say this about many early CD-Rom systems)
* SuperGrapix - An upgraded PC Engine/Turbo-16, that barely added anything
* Atari 5200 controller
- Stalvern
- Posts: 1970
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Re: Console Design Blunders
People keep bringing up the 5200's controllers while ignoring the moronically enormous piece of mostly empty plastic (including a drawer for the controllers) that was the system itself.
- MSR1701
- Posts: 1509
- Joined: April 29th, 2019, 7:53 am
Re: Console Design Blunders
Stalvern wrote:People keep bringing up the 5200's controllers while ignoring the moronically enormous piece of mostly empty plastic (including a drawer for the controllers) that was the system itself.
Not sure that was a true Blunder, as that was an intentional design based on consumer feedback at the time from the VCS. I'm just glad they were still using removable controllers...
- ASalvaro
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Re: Console Design Blunders
How about no copy protection on the Dreamcast
- MSR1701
- Posts: 1509
- Joined: April 29th, 2019, 7:53 am
Re: Console Design Blunders
ASalvaro wrote:How about no copy protection on the Dreamcast
Not sure if that is a true blunder, as it has helped the Dreamcast homebrew community over the years (games are still being made for it and distributed).
If Copy Protection is a counted Blunder, then the Dreamcast has more problems that could be counted - the legal battles over the prototype Black Katana/Eclipse models drained Sega's finances and killed any chance of including the DVD-ROM option into the Dreamcast.
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