It’s one thing to think about the PS4 as a black box that delivers games and services to your TV. It’s entirely another to look at it as
a piece of design itself. The studio who crafted the imposing look of the first
Xbox did exactly that. And hey, they think the DualShock 4 rocks, too.
Fast
Company has John Mabry and Roger Jackson of Teague discussing the
angled look and finishes of the console, along with the re-designed,
now-with-touchpad controller:
Overall, the new controller feels solid, not light and toy-like like the
previous generation. While the footprint doesn’t deviate far from the original,
a subtle increase in scale makes the redesign feel just right. A unique texture
on the bottom improves grip and gives the controller a high-end feel.
Next in line—the slanted, angular body. On its own we liked the
effect—it adds visual interest and energy to the form—but is that really the
best choice for a box that will likely live side-by-side with the rectangular
boxes that fill most of our living rooms? Probably not. On a functional note,
we found the angle makes installation unnecessarily difficult as it obscures
visibility for cable connection in the back.
The points made about how the console should essentially
disappear design-wise and play second fiddle to the controller are interesting
ones. How often do you pull a console out of a nook just to look at it? Pretty
rarely. The controller is where a game comes alive and the DualShock 3 was a relic. Good thing Sony improved
the PS4 one, then.
