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Microsoft built 75 Xbox One prototypes before settling on its finished design
Gadget design is rarely a simple process, and we now know that the Xbox One is no exception to the rule. Microsoft designer Carl Ledbetter has revealed that the game console went through many 3D-printed incarnations before the company settled on a final product; there were 75 system prototypes, 100 for the Kinect and 200 for the gamepad. The development team spent a long time finding a balance between familiar Xbox design cues and the desire for an always-on media hub, Ledbetter says. Whether or not you think Microsoft achieved its goal, it's clear that the Xbox One's current look was never guaranteed.
Microsoft dishes on Xbox One design, invokes Frank Lloyd Wright as an influence
Frank Lloyd Wright probably never thought his philosophies would guide video game consoles. Yet, during today's keynote at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference, Xbox Creative Director Carl Ledbetter explained that the architect influenced the creative process behind Redmond's new gaming hardware. His team of "almost thirty" went through countless hardware designs for the console and over 200 controller prototypes before settling on final models. Throughout, Xbox One's goals remained modest: simplicity and elegance. The ultimate benchmark being something that doesn't look out of place with today's svelte and stylish high-def TVs. "We worked with the engineering team to understand how the parts go together. Cooling, venting, what's it going to look like?" Ledbetter asked. His crew strived to follow Wright's ideal that form shouldn't follow function, they should be joined as one in "spiritual union." Considering its components, that likely explains the next-gen hardware's sheer size. For glimpses of rejected concepts hit the break, the full presentation is in the links below and Ledbetter's portion begins around 13:10.
