10 Strangest Official Custom Consoles Ever Released
Custom consoles are nothing new. All it takes is a bit of paint and skill to give an old console a new look. However, some companies sometimes...
Published 3 years ago in Wow
However, some companies release console variants, and some are pretty damn cool. Others are completely insane. And here are just a few of our picks for the strangest custom consoles officially released!
1
Taco Bell Xbox 360
Sure, Taco Bell might be the official meal of the late-night gamer. But what if you could actually game on a Taco Bell console?
This Taco Bell Xbox 360 is one of only five ever created. Social media users could win this strange console in a contest. While there is some dispute over how many of these were created, there is no doubt this is one of the rarest consoles in the world.2
Microsoft Xbox PlayBoy Console
They just do things differently over in Australia. As proof, just check out this Playboy Xbox console signed by model Penelope Jimenez!
This was the first place prize in a competition back in the day. While it makes for an interesting conversation piece, we can’t imagine too many people would want a whole damn game console with the trashy poster aesthetic of a college dorm room.3
Audi R8 Xbox One S
As custom consoles go, this Audi R8 Xbox One S is fairly divisive. Some think it is a great fusion of car and console while others think it might be the ugliest console ever created.
This was given out as a social media contest prize to users in Germany and France to celebrate the release of Forza Horizon 3. And at the very least, this thing looks better than the boxy Xbox Series X that came later!4
Pokémon Pikachu N64
The Nintendo 64 (along with the Game Boy) helped start Nintendo’s fascination with releasing consoles in different colors. Usually, though, the console was the same design with only a mild color change.
And then there’s this Pokémon Pikachu N64. Instead of just being a different color or having something unique painted onto it, this console has a 3D Pikachu slapped right on top of it. And yes, dear reader: it looks even uglier in person than on the screen.5
Microsoft Xbox One X Mountain Dew Console
By now, most gamers roll their eyes at the idea of Mountain Dew being “gamer fuel.” However, there are still a few who take this idea very seriously, and they’d probably love this freakish console.
Obviously, this Xbox One X looks like it moonlights as a Mountain Dew vending machine. It was originally released as part of a contest. But from the looks of it, nobody who got this thing can really call themselves a winner.6
Marlboro Atari Lynx
Sometimes, console variations are more than a bit of kitsch weirdness. In fact, some of them serve as serious reminders of how much the world has changed!
The best example of that is this Marlboro Atari Lynx. That’s right: famous cigarette company Marlboro straight-up tried to appeal to kids with a cigarette-themed custom console. Sadly, though, nobody ever got a Surgeon General’s warning to avoid buying one of these crappy consoles.7
MTV Gamecube
By and large, MTV hasn’t had much to do with custom console variations. But they seemingly went all-in on Gamecube, creating several versions of this iconic system.
Back in the day, you could only win one of these bad boys by paying close attention during MTV broadcasts. Then again, back when these were sold, you had a pretty good chance of actually hearing music on MTV!8
Nintendo Wii 24k Gold Royal Wii Console
Can you imagine the Queen of England kicking ass at Wii Sports? Well, this custom console is as close as we ever came to that happening!
THQ Games produced this golden console as a gift to Buckingham Palace to promote BIG Family games. As marketing stunts go, this was pretty cool, but we’d hate to imagine the Queen “accidentally” killing another princess by failing to secure the controller strap to her wrist.9
Tommy Hilfiger Game Boy Color
What goes into a good custom console? Ideally, we would get a fusion of two brands that made a lot of sense to the consumer. But that isn’t what happened here.
That’s right: this was a Nintendo/Tommy Hilfiger console that allowed real Hilfiger heads to win a free game system. While getting something for free is always cool, it’s insane to imagine someone showing off their Tommy Game Boy like some kind of flex.10
Men in Black PlayStation
Hey, remember when Men In Black was all the rage? These days, the franchise is mostly nostalgic for fans who want to forget that sad attempt at a reboot. But back in the day, this franchise was all about cartoons, toys, and licensed games. Oh, and a custom console, of course.
As custom consoles go, this is fairly lazy: it’s just a black PSX with a Men In Black sticker on it. But we’d still rather look at this console all day than play even 30 seconds of that old Men In Black game.
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