Xbox Series X

Designing an Xbox is really about designing around a high performance thermal system- the next generation processor used in the Xbox Series X (XSX) is far more powerful than anything the team had worked with before and it required a deep collaboration between design and engineering to solve the challenges the new processor introduced. The team embraced the challenge, seeing it as an opportunity to create an iconic, next generation device that would excite our fans.

After investigating traditional architectures, the team made the choice to split the motherboard and orient it vertically under a single axial fan, thereby cooling both sides at once. This decision radically reshaped the device- instead of a flat, set-top box, we were now designing around an upright system with a massive exhaust at the top. We rallied around the heroic stance that the internal architecture created, finessing the proportions to a perfect 2:1 ratio. The top surface became the focal point, with exaggerated vents and a dished surface that creates an optical illusion as you peer into the device.

Gaming is important. Not just because play is essential to human development and growth- it's important because of the way it brings people together, especially over the past year. People in different locations, different genders, different races, and all ages- come together as peers when they play games together. Over the course of the pandemic this has become especially clear- in the absence of being able to physically gather, games have provided a safe way to make connections with friends and loved ones; de in part to that, the XSX has has been continuously sold out throughout months of restocks.

The XSX is designed for our most engaged and loyal fans- expressive, but serious; forward looking but true to the legacy of Xbox. The form is an acknowledgement of that and a direct result of collaboration between design and engineering, architecting the internal components in a unique and innovative way: designed from the inside out. When it comes to our aesthetic approach, we use the term Intelligent Geometry to explain the process of starting with primitive forms and revealing character through functional elements. These two approaches work hand in hand, staying honest to the technical aspects of components and only adding or subtracting form when serving a purpose. For example, the venting on the top surface of the XSX needed a certain amount of open area to adequately exhaust the air flowing through the system. The design team embraced the exaggerated openings and intentionally sculpted that surface to draw attention to that functional element. By varying the depth of the holes and adding a subsurface layer of green, an optical illusion is created when the console is approached- the vent holes reveal themselves slowly, followed by the green and finally the fan that enables the next-gen processor to run smoothly.