The final Xbox One design was the culmination of over 75 prototypes, according to its designed Car Ledbetter.
Speaking as part of a Microsoft Stories interview, Ledbetter (the chief designer for the Xbox One) revealed the final Xbox One design was the end product achieved after many, many other options were tested.
“There was this conundrum in that we had to meet and satisfy desires of core games and Xbox fans, and at the same time we wanted Xbox to reach out and mean something to new people. From a design perspective, how do we make that happen? That was a big challenge,” said Ledbetter on designing the Xbox One.
The Xbox industrial design team lead by Led better sketched and 3D-printed over 75 prototype possibilities before settling on the final design.
In fact, there were over 100 Xbox One Kinect prototypes and more than 200 Xbox One Wireless Controllers toyed with as well.
The design process took two years with Ledbetter’s team painstakingly refining every angle and curve, finish and colour of the final product.
“We wanted to take every component of what people love about Xbox and amplify it, but also make it disappear into the living room – to stay in the background, robust and reliable.”
The Xbox One Wireless Controller was a little more difficult that the console itself as the majority of gamers believe the Xbox 360 controller was “great”.
“We had more than 1,000 pairs of hands testing controllers throughout the course of the design evaluations to make sure the triggers felt right, the overall form felt right and that people could use the new controller in a way that was as good as or better than the old. We crafted every last detail.”
Eventually the Xbox One Wireless Controller gained 40 new features over its predecessor including dynamic impulse triggers, an integrated battery compartment, remodelled analogue sticks, Wi-Fi connectivity and a precision D-Pad.
Read more: Best Xbox One games
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
