Net Ten: Extreme Console Makeover: The Best Redesigns (page 1) Subscribe to this RSS feed

Console manufacturers never get it right the first time around. Whether it's too big, too ugly, too dim or devoid of memory, you can count on a redesign to right a system's wrongs. In honor of the Xbox 360 Elite, we've picked the ten best console redesigns ever.

#10 Sony PS2 Slimline

The swanky new style of the slimline PS2 definitely improved upon the big black boxy original and eliminated the need for the bulky online adaptor. It did lose Hard Disk Drive compatibility, but if you're the type who gave a crap about Final Fantasy XI, you probably already played on the PC when it came out ages earlier.

#10 Sony PS2 Slimline

#9 Panasonic Q GameCube (Japan)

The GameCube may have taken a few hits for being a kiddie console, but the Panasonic Q DVD player/GameCube hybrid is every bit as much an adult gamer's dream. Combining a standalone-quality DVD player (not like the half-assed support on the Xbox and PS2 consoles) with a quality console may have been enough, but Panasonic added an LCD screen and a silver steel finish that made this Japan-only system an import favorite.

#9 Panasonic Q GameCube (Japan)

#8 Game Boy Pocket

After years of complaints about the big, bulky, battery-sapping Game Boy, Nintendo shrank the system, improved the display, made it more battery-friendly and unleashed the Game Boy Pocket on the world. Now, every new portable console Nintendo has or will ever put out must be considered a "rough draft".

#8 Game Boy Pocket

#7 Sony PSone

The original PlayStation wasn't much of a looker. Boxy, gray, and usually propped up on its side, the system was unreliable and ugly. The PSOne, on the other hand was a real beaut at a third of the size with a much more pleasant color. The official Sony LCD screen accessory made the PSone a pretty sweet semi-portable console.

#7 Sony PSone

#6 Sega CDX

Sega may have went to the well ten times to often with redesigns and add-ons for the Genesis, but the CDX was one of the rare hits amongst a crowd of misses. Combining the Genesis with the Sega CD without having to deal with the mess of cables and attachments was a real relief. The only problem? It didn't play well with the 32X. Actually, that's kind of a benefit!

#6 Sega CDX