An unofficial skin shows the new console xbox series x like it was redesigned to look like the original Sony PlayStation (the Playstation 1). The unlikely fusion of revered Sony tech from the ’90s with modern Microsoft hardware evokes sentiments that are unsettling to say the least.
Following Sony’s unsuccessful attempt to collaborate with Nintendo on creating a peripheral CD drive for the Super Famicom in the early 1990s, the Japanese corporation went on to develop its own home game console for release in 1994. PlayStation (or PS1) was Sony’s first attempt to manufacture and sell its own video game console, the PS1 eventually outselling its two generational competitors, the Sega Saturn and the Nintendo 64.
Many current gamers got their start in the hobby thanks to the PS1, a now retro machine that is still highly regarded by gamers around the world. Now, a disturbing image has surfaced on reddit that attempts to incorporate ’90s nostalgia into modern gaming hardware. The image shows Microsoft’s Xbox Series X, released in 2020, redesigned to mimic the look of the Playstation 1 of Sony, which is twenty-six years old.
User Pandafrosting posted the image to the r/gaming subreddit, along with the apt description: “Found this abomination on Amazon.” Further investigation reveals that the image comes from a product page on Amazon for the company Adventure Games. In fact, the design corresponds to a real vinyl (and two skins for the control) that is sold for the xbox series x. However, the legitimacy of the skin, which uses Sony trademarks and copyrights, is suspect.
The comments under the post range from genuine admiration to outright disgust at the odd combination. While the Series X’s simple rectangular design makes it well-suited for decals and skins, creating a PS1 skin for Sony’s latest home console, the PlayStation 5, would be more appropriate than its old competitor.
Fans who have a heritage with either console may view the crossover as taboo, a sentiment reflected in the comments. Meanwhile, others have chosen to embrace cutting-edge creation. The comments are full of users trying to name the mashup, with one user, ErrCode97, recommending “PlayBox X5”.
The status of the PlayStation As an original and successful console from the 90s, it puts it in a privileged position among retro fans, Sony fans and the general gaming public. At the same time, Xbox’s status as a direct competitor and rival to Sony puts the two corporations at odds in many people’s minds.
The PlayStation decal for the xbox series x represents a crossing of boundaries in gaming that fans could hardly ever imagine. It is an unlikely union of antagonistic brands, as well as a point where the love of the old meets the progress of the new. Either that, or it’s a horrifying and painful amalgamation of things that should never happen.