Limited edition eyesore
Limited edition consoles exist so that you can feel like an individual, even though you're buying the same console that millions have purchased before you. If you're going to spend hundreds of dollars/pounds on a new system, why not get one that looks great? A lot of these alternate console colors--like the Glacier White PS4--look undeniably slick, and can be the cause of much jealousy and/or irrational double-dipping on a console you already own. There's just something about different colored plastic that makes your classic model feel... old hat.
But sometimes, in the quest to make a console stand out from the pack, things can go a bit... wrong. Like the Metal Slime PS4, which is both pictured above and the inspiration for this feature. Its silver sheen is flat-out ruined by that garish half-slime on the top panel. Or maybe you love it! The same could be said of any of these limited editions, and beauty is in the eye of the console owner. But our internal panel of GR judges have ruled the following limited edition consoles to be certifiably ugly.
The Evil Within Xbox One
Blech. If the brain mutilation doesn't win you over, the doo-doo brown air vents will! You'll likely have to hold back your gag reflex any time you insert a disc or press the power button.
Tommy Hilfiger Game Boy Color
Unless you are the Tommy Hilfiger, there's absolutely no reason you should own a game console defiled by a gigantic label for clothing brand.
Extreme Series Game Boy Advance
Wow, I'm so glad I won a GBA with Dave Mirra's signature on it! But how about next time, you sign a freaking piece of paper and not completely ruin my prize?!
Electroplankton DS
Even the world's biggest Electroplankton fan--who may or may not exist in reality--has to admit that this just looks wrong. There's nothing attractive about a handheld with an interior that resembles a costly balsamic vinegar spill.
Team Jordan Formula One PlayStation
In nature, a bright yellow coat tells predators "Stay away." In the gamer's living room, a bright yellow PS1 tells your friends "If you don't worship F1 racing like I do, get out."
Hello Kitty Crystal Xbox
Look, clear plastic consoles are cool. Hello Kitty is cooler. But a garish pink-and-orange background, with garbage-looking stars bursting in all directions? Get this atrocity out of my sight.
Halo 3 Xbox 360
We had one of these in the office (before the disc drive died). We called it Yoda. Now, ask yourself: do you find Yoda attractive?
Halo 4 Xbox 360
If baby food-green wasn't your style, how about this totally abstract little number that in no way evokes the Halo franchise!?
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360
Because if you're going to display a game console in your living room for all to see, you definitely want it to look like a rusty piece of scrap metal you liberated from the local dumpster.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Xbox One
In a word: tacky. Also, nobody wants a QR code engraved into the top of their console.
Titanfall Xbox One
OK, that controller is kinda neat--but the console it comes with looks like a prop from a C-tier SyFy show. Also, one year from now, you probably won't even remember what Titanfall is.
Dual Tone Spice / Lime GBA SP
Green and orange is one of those color combinations that just feels inherently wrong at the core of your very being. It's just... no.
Madden Gras PS3
It's like Prince and The Revolution struck a deal with Sony to celebrate Madden 11.
Hanshin Tigers GameCube
The Hanshin Tigers are a renowned Japanese baseball team. This limited edition GameCube was made to celebrate their 2003 Central League pennant win. You can give me all the coordinated cheering and bento boxes you want, this one is still ugly...
Nintendo Store Swarovski DS Lite
Much gaudy. So Bling. Very wow. Also, secretly awesome.
Linkin Park Charity Xbox 360
People will do incredible things in the name of charity, like willingly pay money for a Linkin Park-branded 360. Breaking the habit of crawling in my skin when looking at this Xbox is enough to make me numb or faint, but in the end, I'm somewhere I belong. What's next, a Nickelback console?
New Love Plus 3DS
Announcing to the world that you love dating sim games isn't generally something people want to do. Owning one of these 3DS models does that.
Mountain Dew Xbox
Oh, so that's what The Hulk's boogers look like!
2007 NBA All-Stars Sony Suite PS3
How to make your game console look like background decoration at an Ed Hardy photoshoot.
Any airbrushed console ever
If you resurrected history's greatest painters and taught them how to use an airbrush, you would have the greatest gang of zombie graffiti artists in the universe. But nothing you do will ever make an airbrushed console look better.
Ozzie Game Boy Color
Australian pride is all well and good. The half-menacing, half-seductive look in that box art man's eyes is most definitely not. Nor is the mixture of green and yellow plastics.
Pepsi Max Xbox 360
For those times when you just need to quench your thirst with a low-calorie console.
Pikachu Nintendo 64
The second you turn 13, this console's design goes from amazing to abhorrent. If you look closely, you'll notice that the bulky Pikachu toy needlessly extends the console, making the front ports look positively deformed.
Sundance Film Festival DS
To the guy or girl who painted these for a celebrity charity auction: Were you even trying?
A face only a console manufacturer could love
So, are you sufficiently sickened by all of these butt-ugly consoles? Or do you think we have it all wrong? Maybe we missed your "favorite" horrendous-looking alternate color. Whatever the case, tell us about it in the comments! Oh, and that ganja-themed one above is (sadly?) just a custom sticker job.
And if you're looking for more, check out Rarest (and most valuable) limited edition consoles and GamesRadar's guide to buying cheap retro consoles.
