While this project could have been a great way to benefit myself and demonstrate my mastery of the skills I’ve learned from HTMAA, I’ve decided to set it aside for now and explore an alternative direction. After all, what truly inspires me—and embodies the spirit of this class—is the idea of unleashing individual creativity to build something that doesn’t already exist on the market.
Given Sony’s recent announcement, continuing with this project would feel a bit removed from that original intention as the new version will be smaller and more compact. Moreover, there are already plenty of videos online showing how to downsize a PlayStation console, and I’d like to challenge myself to do more than simply replicate someone else’s work. So perhaps I’ll return to this idea in the future—when I can take it even further.
Original Project:
As a hardcore gamer, I’ve collected a series of consoles over the years — from the Xbox and PlayStation 3 to the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and most recently, the PlayStation 5 and Switch 2. Each generation has brought massive improvements in visual performance and futuristic design elements. That’s why I was particularly disappointed when the PlayStation 5 was first released.The console is bulky, not especially appealing in terms of aesthetics, and includes several unnecessary design choices when you look closely at its internal components and how they contribute to the gaming experience. It’s heavy and awkwardly large, which makes traveling with it a hassle — fitting it into luggage is nearly impossible. Every time I’m on the road, I have to give up the idea of playing a few rounds during downtime.
This frustration is what motivates me to explore, using the skills I’ve gained in this course, how I might redesign and improve the PlayStation 5 — making it more compact, practical, and travel-friendly.
Concept:
