I’d have to go with the wood grain Atari 2600, I’m a sucker for 70’s designed electronics.
Technically neither a console nor a PC (in the IBM-compatible sense), but the Commodore PET has a certain kind of 70s futurism about it.
Note the integrated tape deck for all your storage needs.
The keyboard pictured, while interesting looking, is a complete POS. Later PETs had a more usable keyboard with a better layout.
Edit: I don’t think that red button at the bottom right is stock. It’s almost certainly a hardware reset button, which on the Commodore machines is typically done by shorting a couple pins on a user expansion port.
I like the woodgrain look, but I don’t think the Atari 2600 is a very good example of it. Lots of audio equipment from the time does it better. Especially when combined with brushed aluminum or stainless steel.
Purple GameCubes are retro now, so I’ll go with that as my favorite.
Console: Sega Dreamcast
PC: Any IBM beige box from the 90s
while not necessarily the prettiest console by any means but i always thought the Og xbox home menu went way harder than it needed to, now that’s presentation!
They said retro, the Xbox can’t be retro, its only been around for- oh. Oh no.
The 2600 depicted in the article thumbnail, was absolutely a beauty in its native environment of the late 1970’s:
The Mega Drive is the best looking retro console, I mean look at it
This one looks a little naked. Needs more “High Definition Graphics” or whatever it says
Best looking and best name.
Vectrex, hands-down.
I’m very partial to the IMSAI 8080!
Incredible. This might be my new favorite.
I built a replica one that a dude in Australia designed. Its really fun to mess with. I played Zork on it the day I finished it.
That’s awesome. Very 1960s Star Trek, in a good way.
This scratches an itch I didn’t know I had.
gorgeous, had never heard of this.
You can build a replica from this dude!
That’s so cool!
It just looks so sleek. For me, it was the future of gaming.
Nintendo’s GameCube. It’s cubical. Cubical!
It came with a beat carry handle and drug-hiding compartments!
PC Engine. Not only does it look like a prop from the set of TNG, but it is delightfully tiny. The cartridges are little cards that you slot in the front. There is literally nothing bad about a PC Engine. (Except for maybe that it’s only got one controller port)
+1.
Also it can be turned into a coolest spaceship, with its CDRom attachment, a very first in 1988!
Also the HuCard format for its games is unbeatable!
Speaking of spaceships…
Not the most practical PC engine model, because it lacked the extra oomph of the SuperGrafx and you couldn’t attach a CD-ROM² - but just look at it
The PC Engine/Turbagragix 16 also had a handheld (PC Engine GT/TurboExpress) that was way ahead of its time. It had the same power as the home console, was color, had a backlit display, and even had a TV tuner attachment. And it was released in 1990. The Sega Nomad basically copied these features in 1995, and Nintendo didn’t have a colored, backlit handheld until 1998.
I loved mine.
Game Boy Advance. Actually all 3 variants (GBA, SP & Micro) are beautiful consoles.
I love how the SP looks. The original feels better in the hand but the clamshell looks so good and it feels great to open and close.
I’m tempted to get a foldable as my next phone because I miss that design.
I’m partial to the translucent version of the OG GBA.
God damn marketing! That picture makes it look like it had OLED before it was invented. Of course, these days you can make it actually look like that but it’s ~$60 and you install it yourself.
It’s a worthwhile mod. I prefer this form factor over the clamshell, but it needs a screen that you can see without 1000W of halogen bulbs around you.
Completely forgot I had this until seeing this image. Brain skipped straight to the SP.
I went from Glacier OG to Silver SP. Never got a Micro.
Oh yeah right… the Gameboy advance can legally be considered as a retro console…
Good pick!
One more vote with OP. That Atari is a nice looking machine.
The Sega Saturn, especially the Japan version:
Although I never owned this model myself, I recently picked up an 8bitdo replica (M30 bluetooth) of the Japan controller and it looks and feels great, although not strictly a direct copy of the original.
The Dreamcast is up there too imo!
I ended up getting a Japanese Model 1 years ago, but I always wanted the Model 2.
Wow
Humm, for PCs I’d have to say iMac
For game consoles it’s a hard debate between the GameBoy Pocket or the GameBoy Micro. One is the essence of a GameBoy shrunken down to a power efficent and usable design. While the other is the smallest you can make a console while still having it usable.
I still have that GBA micro laying around somewhere. An ex GF stole my reloadable cartridge though. :(
Mine has a black face plate.
Apparently, the Micro was the last Game Boy product that Nintendo made.
Very elegant.
I would say the cutoff is Game Boy Advance SP and Micro is a poseur, because Micro can’t play original Game Boy or Color games. If one is counting GBA, then the DS and DS Lite could still play those.
Edit: Get a flash cart and you can unofficially play old GB on any GBA-compatible using Goomba Color. Micro is awesome at what it does, I just hate that it has the Game Boy name yet can’t play GB games and had yet another different link cable and charging port because Nintendo!
