The worst looking Playstation consoles of all time

Let's face it: PlayStation consoles are really cool looking devices. Aside from the games, Sony knows how to design devices that look great in your living room, bedroom or interior. This Japanese manufacturer has designed and produced some of the most iconic consoles that have defined generations of gaming. However, every now and then they missed the mark.

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From awkward, bulky shapes to strange color schemes, some PlayStation models have committed design sins that still haunt gamers. Sure, they may have played the hottest games of their time, but you wouldn't exactly call them eye candy. It's perhaps not surprising that many of these strange designs appear on limited editions and brand partnerships, as these have often had problems. Some of his major releases are also on the list, and for good reason. With that in mind, here are the worst looking PlayStation consoles ever made.

The PlayStation Classic has often been cited as one of the most disappointing additions to the PlayStation lineup, both in terms of performance and design. It was a miniature version of the original PlayStation with a similar design, but could only load 20 games.

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To make matters worse, the PlayStation Classic's simple design left a lot to be desired compared to its contemporaries like the cool and curvy Nintendo 64 or the colorful Sega Saturn variants. The huge round CD compartment dominates the front of the console, making it look like an embellished CD player.

The gray color is a choice, but not a great one. It's boring and lifeless and does nothing to make the console feel exciting or inviting. Even the logo, although iconic today, seems more like an afterthought; glued to the device without much consideration for the overall aesthetics.

This little-known and quirky entry in the world of special edition consoles was released as part of a collaboration between Sony and the Jordan F1 racing team. This console was intended to celebrate Formula 1 and not Michael Jordan as you may have thought. Instead of standing out as an elegant, limited-edition masterpiece, the Team Jordan PlayStation stands out like a highlight in a sea of ​​understated consoles, and not for the right reasons.

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The Team Jordan Grand Prix PS1 has been painted in bright yellow to match the Jordan F1 Team's signature livery. While this yellow hue is bold, it clashed with the PlayStation 1's original gray aesthetic. It's not just that the yellow is a bright, banana-colored explosion that makes you wonder if someone accidentally spilled paint on a perfectly good PS1 and called it quits. The problem was that a limited edition brand partnership wasn't a subtle nod to racing. The Jordan 197-inspired disc cover didn't help either, and the cool, autograph-like signature at the top right did little to change that.

The crux of the issue is color, and while some consoles can pull off bright colors with finesse, this one looks cheap and overdone.

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The PlayStation 3's “Fat” launch model is one of the most infamous PlayStation designs due to its sheer size and controversial aesthetic. It's a beast, but not in a good way. While it was a technological powerhouse when it launched, its exterior appearance left a lot to be desired, delivering a shiny, oversized monstrosity.

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The massive console weighs 11 pounds and looks more like a bulky household appliance than a sleek gaming console. It wasn't the kind of system you could just put on the TV stand without attracting unwanted attention, and its size made you think twice about moving it.

Aside from the size, it has a glossy black finish, and although it seems luxurious at first glance, the second touch turns it into a fingerprint magnet. Dust, stains and scratches aren't neglected either, as the PS3 Fat collected them all like a trophy box. Instead of feeling premium, it looked dirty and worn out far too quickly. However, this exaggerated look did not detract from its classic features that hold nostalgic value in the hearts of gamers.

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The PlayStation 2 Ceramic White “SingStar Bundle” was a special edition of the legendary PS2 console, bundled with the popular karaoke game “SingStar”. The PS2 is known for its elegant, timeless design, but this limited edition went completely wrong.

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The ceramic white finish may sound fancy at first, but in reality it makes the console look dull compared to the glossy black original, which oozes sophistication. The flat white lacks character or charm and feels like an afterthought. It's not bright enough to be bold, and it's not subtle enough to be elegant.

Added to this is the SingStar branding, which is not integrated anywhere on the console. Maybe it was for the best. Additionally, the package included two white microphones and a copy of SingStar, but the controllers remained the default black color. This discrepancy resulted in the structure lacking a cohesive design.

The PSP Go (2009) was Sony's bold attempt to reinvent portable gaming. Back then, they tried to take handheld gaming to the next level, but failed with a design that was more confusing than compelling. Despite some innovative features, the overall execution left fans divided, with many feeling the design missed the mark.

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By prioritizing a pocket-sized design, Sony has sacrificed much of what made previous PSP models so appealing. Coupled with disappointing performance, the PSP Go's problems didn't surprise most observers.

The most obvious is that the PSP Go's sliding screen design is different from the classic PSP models. It was supposed to be the “wow” factor of the console, but the mechanism was a bit out of place for a gaming device. A smaller screen size exacerbated the problem. Due to the lower screen-to-body ratio compared to the spacious displays of the PSP-2000 and PSP-3000, the display felt cramped.

In a partnership with Disney Channel megastar Hannah Montana, the PlayStation Portable Hannah Montana Edition was aimed at a younger, predominantly female audience. Sony has rightly tried to expand the target group of its products with the Hannah Montana brand. On paper it was a great idea. A lilac PSP sounds like a fun and bold choice, especially for the target audience. In reality, it was a pastel-colored train wreck that seemed like a toy that not many people wanted to play with.

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The branding in particular was poorly implemented. Plastering the console with Hannah Montana branding made it look less like a serious gaming product and more like a promotional item. The included extras only reinforced this opinion. In addition to the console, you also get three episodes from the latest season of the series and a PSP-exclusive video game Hannah Montana: Rock Out The Show.

Another PlayStation with a size problem is on our list. The PlayStation 3 Super Slim was the third and final version of the PS3 console, and similar to the first, it failed to impress in terms of design. Even after Sony fixed the PS3 Fat model's size issues with the PS3 Slim, it set out to create an even lighter, more compact version of the PS3 that would be more cost-effective than its predecessors. Fair play to them as they managed to reduce the size and price of the system. However, the manufacturers have cut a lot of corners and made some questionable design decisions.

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The first obvious flaw was the sliding disc tray, which lacked the smooth slot-loading drive of the Original and Slim models. The ridged matte plastic surface and the glossy surface on the front and back don't do it any favors either. In short, the Super Slim simply looks like a failed plastic experiment. While it may have been practical to save space, it sacrificed too much in terms of style, lacking the bold identity of the original and the understated elegance of the Slim.

2015's Taco Bell Limited Edition PS4 is a wild example of how a promotional console can go hilariously unhinged. This unexpected duo came together in 2015, and while the collaboration helped promote the console, it wasn't a good fit design-wise. The console was called the “Gold PS4” but was actually gold and black, which is still a great color scheme if only the execution were better.

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The lack of Taco Bell-specific design elements that transcended the promotional context made it seem like a missed opportunity to fully embrace the theme. One would expect that the Taco Bell logo would be displayed on the console like on the packaging. On the other hand, the Taco Bell logo is a giant, glowing bell, which would look completely out of place and make the console look even worse.

Another limited edition PS4 design that missed the mark is the PlayStation 4 Pro 500 Million Limited Edition. It was released to celebrate the remarkable milestone of over 500 million PlayStation consoles sold since the brand's debut in 1994. When released, it was an overly flashy and awkwardly designed console that left many people scratching their heads. The console featured a dark transparent blue casing with copper accents, giving it a sleek, aesthetic look.

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Unfortunately, this sleek aesthetic look has made this console a magnet for dust and fingerprints. Good luck keeping them clean and stain-free. The design also bordered on gimmicky and did not correspond to the typical minimalist elegance of the PlayStation hardware. The bronze accents, including the PlayStation logo and serial number plate, don't really match the midnight blue color.

Then there's the LED lighting; While some fans like the glowing effect, it can seem like they're trying too hard to be cool instead of just being cool. Sometimes simplicity is more important than trying to do everything, with the latter risking leading to some of the strangest special edition consoles of all time.