Top 10 Worst Video Game Console Editions Ever
Script written by Caitlin Johnson
Top 10 Worst/Pointless Console Editions
Top 20 Worst Video Game Consoles
Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 Worst and Most Pointless Console Editions.
For this list, we’re looking at truly terrible rare and limited-edition consoles from throughout gaming history.
Let us know in the comments which one you’ll be searching eBay for.
#10: Gold PS5
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For close to $11,000, a 24-karat gold-plated PlayStation 5 – complete with disc drive – could be yours, coming with equally gaudy accessories like a gold DualSense and a gold Pulse wireless headset. Of course, if solid gold just isn’t to your liking you can get PS5s coated in other precious metals as well, like rose gold and platinum. But far worse than the fact that this gold PS5 existed at all was that details about it were released before vital info on the regular model. Though the luxury brand selling the PS5s wasn’t technically partnered with Sony, it’s still telling that we knew the price of this pointless object before the normal console.
#9: Mountain Dew Xbox
The love affair between gamers and Mountain Dew has been going strong for a long time, and in the days of the original Xbox, there was even a soda-themed console to honor the pairing. This fluorescent green machine was available only via a promotion offered by Mountain Dew, meaning only the most dedicated, Dew-chugging gamers had a chance of winning one. Still, that’s a whole lot of people, and so a fair amount of people managed to amass the 550 points needed to redeem the prize. Years later, Mountain Dew and Microsoft reunited (this time with Doritos as well) for an Xbox One giveaway.
#8: Tommy Hilfiger Game Boy Color
Nintendo claimed that its collaboration with fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger was a “natural partnership” when this bright yellow Game Boy was announced. But people were skeptical at the time and remain skeptical looking back. A yellow Game Boy wasn’t a bad idea – after all, you could get a standard console in this shade – but Nintendo decided to slap the Tommy Hilfiger logo on it, which kind of ruins the otherwise clean aesthetic. On top of it just looking a little weird, the whole thing felt rather pointless. Who was the target demographic. Nobody asked for games consoles sponsored by clothing brands, and so it’s little surprise that this trend never really caught on.
#7: “Hello Kitty” Xbox
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This was a transparent – or “crystal” – Xbox with a big decal of the iconic Hello Kitty character on the top. Hello Kitty has had her name and image plastered over absolutely everything since the mid 1970s, but a Hello Kitty Xbox is still unusual. This console didn’t come out of nowhere,however, as it was actually a tie-in for the 2005 game “Hello Kitty: Roller Rescue” (aka “Mission Rescue). If you desperately wanted this particular console you had to jump through quite a few hoops, because it was only available to buy if you brought certain Samsung TVs in Singapore. It was targeted at women and girls, but with less than 600 units ever made, we doubt it had much effect.
#6: “Shrek” Game Boy Advance SP
In the early 2000s, “Shrek” took the world by storm as DreamWorks’ comedic take on the fairytale genre. It was a hit and in 2004 the sequel, “Shrek 2”, was released along with a tie-in game for the Game Boy Advance. It was a surprisingly playable title, but an ugly lime green and orange console appeared as well, and was offered with the game on a promotion by Toys”R”Us. It isn’t clear whether this was just a coincidence or if it really is a limited-edition “Shrek” console. If anything, the fact people are unsure whether it was designed with “Shrek” in mind or not only makes matters worse; but why pick these hideous colors otherwise?
#5: Coca-Cola Game Gear
If you think gamers who drink Mountain Dew get too much attention, never fear; there are limited-edition consoles for whatever your soda of choice is. If you’re in the mood to have a Coke then you might want to check out this rare Sega Game Gear that was sponsored by Coca-Cola and came in bright red. Along with the console itself, you also got a tie-in game, “Coca-Cola Kid”, a decent but forgettable 2D platformer. But despite Coca-Cola being an American company, the Coke Game Gear was never available outside Japan. This is ironic considering the world’s top three consumers of Coca-Cola are all in North America: Mexico, the US, and Canada.
#4: Audi R8 Xbox One S
Consoles are all well and good, but don’t you wish your brand-new device looked a bit more like a car? Finally, in 2016 Microsoft made that dream come true, releasing an Xbox One S designed to look like an Audi R8. The console was made to promote “Forza Horizon 3” and, in keeping with the fact Audi is a German brand, the competition to win it was only available in Germany. Oh, and the custom controller was an eyesore. Marginally better were the other two “Horizon 3” consoles, available in Australia and France and modeled after a Ford Mustang and a Lamborghini Centenario respectively.
#3: Suzuki SXBox 360
Forget just looking like a car though, in the early days of the Xbox 360, Microsoft teamed up with Suzuki to produce an actual car in order to promote their state-of-the-art console. This car was a modified Suzuki SX4, back when the SX4 was new and shiny as well, and featured Xbox branding on the outside and an actual Xbox 360, plus multiple controllers, on the inside. The console was built right into the dashboard for your convenience. It also had a television in the trunk and when the hood was popped open you could use a projector to create a display as well. Something tells us that a gaming controller in the steering wheel isn’t road legal.
#2: Marlboro Atari Lynx
Cigarette advertising was already highly regulated by the launch of the Atari Lynx in 1989, but that didn’t stop Marlboro from putting its branding on everything it was legally able to. This bright-red handheld could be yours if you collected enough points from buying Marlboro cigarettes. Though this was presumably for kids whose parents smoked, it stinks of Marlboro trying to form a connection with the children themselves, establishing that famous tobacco brand loyalty from an early age. The Lynx came with its own game too, “Marlboro Go!” where players controlled a motorcyclist decked out in Marlboro red. This would definitely not be allowed today.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few Dishonorable Mentions:
MTV GameCubes
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MTV Licensed a Handful of These Gaudy Gamecubes From Nintendo.
Taco Bell Xbox 360 Slim
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This Purple 360 Would Actually Look Pretty Good – if It Wasn’t for That Taco Bell Logo.
“This is Cool” Sega Saturn
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There Was Nothing Cool About This Incredibly Bland Sega Saturn.
#1: Nintendo Wii Supreme
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If you thought the gold PS5 was a waste of money, wait until you get a load of this limited-edition gold-plated Nintendo Wii. It was created by British designer Stuart Hughes, who makes the gold Wiis to-order for the hefty sum of almost $500,000. He buys the Wiis from Nintendo and then covers them not only in 88 ounces of gold but 78 tiny diamonds as well – the diamonds encrust the face buttons. But the real kicker is that while Stuart Hughes did also make some similarly horrible golden PS3s, he doesn’t make golden Wii remotes, so you won’t have a controller to match. Not unless you coat one in gold yourself, that is.
