“This should be one of the best, coolest, most sophisticated products we’ve created. That’s what we were striving for,” said PS4 designer, Tetsu Sumii.
There has been an awful lot of talking about the inside of a console, but what about the outside? I find the way my console looks in my entertainment center just as important as the way it runs. Sumii says designing the PS4 was all about creating something new for the Sony name.
“When we started the product design for PS4, we didn’t start by thinking about what the shape would be. It was more about how we were going to create a new brand identity through the product,” Sumii says.
It turns out the pictures of the PS4 that we have seen were not the original design. Sumii admitted that the original look was completely different. Sumii wanted the PS4 to be a simple piece for anyone’s livingroom. He wanted it to look good from all angles.
“I think about the horizontal, not just the vertical,” he says. “I think about the 360 degree view. The reverse should be beautiful, too.”
According to the PlayStation blog, veteran PlayStation gamers will love being able to see some of the PS2 genes in the PS4.
“While PlayStation heritage certainly wasn’t thrown out the window, it’s a brand new hardware generation, and accordingly warranted a fresh approach. Sumii, who joined the project from Sony’s mobile phone division and is a newcomer to console design, brought a new perspective with him.”
Sumii’s problem was to make the PS4 and all its units into one single identity. Not just the console, but also the DualShock 4, the DualShock 4 Charging Station, the Vertical Stand, the Mono headset, PS Vita–everything.
“I think the PlayStation brand image needs to be changed a little bit as it’s a new console, and we have to show what we’re pointing towards for the future. So I thought it should be one of the most smart, cool, and intelligent products from Sony. Not just from Sony Computer Entertainment, but the company as a whole,” Sumii says.
I love the design of the PS4 and think is it sleek and sexy. I loved the amount of detail Sumii put into the PS4. What do you guys think of the PS4’s design?
