In the late 90s and early 2000s, translucent consoles and handhelds were common and very popular. Since the sixth generation of video games, releases with a translucent design have been rare. The only company to really try later is Nintendo and also a brief look at Sony.
Since their original release, many translucent consoles with rose-tinted glass are fondly remembered, and some sell for a high collector’s value. Those who have seen or had these consoles will certainly fondly remember them for their unique design. Even if you have your own video game business preference, you can’t deny the quality of design of these consoles.
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Pocket Game Boy Famitsu
The Game Boy Pocket was released in 1996 as a much more compact version of the classic Game Boy. A year later, the Famitsu Pocket Edition came out and only sold 5,000 units. This machine has a clear design that showcases the interior and motherboard of the Game Boy Pocket.
Although smaller in design and requiring fewer batteries, the Game Boy Pocket’s screen was larger (65mm) than that of the new Game Boy Color (59mm). The Famitsu model might not be the most attractive of colors, but it can sell for over $ 500 on the internet.
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Daiei Hawks Game Boy Advance
Japan had a greater variety of Game Boy Advance colors compared to the West, and one of the last models released was the Daiei Hawks model in October 2001. This model was orange on the front with a translucent design and on. the back it was black.
The reason for this color scheme was to honor the Japanese baseball team, Daiei. The rear of the model has a translucent design, however, with the model being black, it is difficult to see so much detail compared to the front.
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Pokémon Mini
The Pokemon Mini not only had exclusive Pokemon mini games, but it was also the smallest handheld console Nintendo ever made. Three different translucent patterns have been created with respective colors for the chosen Second Generation Pokemon. There were the models Chikorita (green), Smoochum (purple) and Wooper (blue).
This meant that the buttons on the handheld would be in those colors, but the main layout of the handheld would be a clear, translucent design. Although small and cute in design, the Pokemon Mini included an LCD display and was the first Nintendo handheld to have motion controls. It’s a console fans would love to see return.
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Nintendo Mini Classics
Recently, there has been a revival of Game & Watch with the release of Super Mario Bros. in 2020 and The Legend Of Zelda release in late 2021. However, in 1998 Nintendo released the Nintendo Mini Classics, which, like the Pokemon Mini, was a small, portable design, but for a specific Game & Watch title. These included Donkey Kong Jr and Super Mario Bros.
A translucent blue variant of the Octopus game and a red one for the classic Fire game have been released alongside the main line of games. These designs almost seem like the handheld is barely made of anything, but their colors are striking and are a unique release in Nintendo video game history.
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PS2 (Japan)
The PS2 had both one of the best splash screens and one of the best console designs. Again, it was. The Japan-exclusive ocean blue model is a dark blue with an interior resembling the depths of the ocean.
As many as 100,000 models have been made with the PS2, which is surprisingly none of them designed for North American consumers. The controller also matches the design and the model would be sold in a box displaying the PS2’s Ocean Blue name. To say that Sony has never really ventured into the translucent market, their available designs are gorgeous.
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PS4 Pro
The PS4, which has sold more consoles than any other console, has had some wonderful designs over the years, such as the 20th Anniversary models and Spider-Man. For a console whose design can easily be changed, it made sense that there would be a translucent model at some point.
To say that so many special editions of the PS4 have come out, there’s a particular reason one of them was translucent. The Pro model celebrates the 500 million PS4s sold worldwide. While this isn’t the brightest translucent model, the more you look at it, the more details jump out at you.
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2DS
There have been two series of translucent 2DS handhelds and both times they’ve been associated with the Pokemon franchise. In 2014, translucent red and blue 2DS were released, each packaged with a copy of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire depending on the color purchased.
To celebrate Pokemon’s 20th anniversary in 2016, translucent red, green, blue, and yellow 2DS handhelds were released for the original Game Boy games. The buttons would also represent the four colors. Colors worked well with the translucent design and looked more vivid than the standard 2DS design.
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Game Boy Color
Not only was the Game Boy Color available in a translucent version, but even its game cartridges could be marketed with translucent models. This is understandable with its extensive catalog. One of the most famous examples of this was the release of Pokemon Crystal which showed the inside of a cartridge such as its motherboard.
The handheld had a variety of colors, including clear, green, and purple, and most of the Game Boy’s interior, including its buttons, was visible. The design showed how technical and yet simple the interior of a Game Boy was.
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Xbox
When the original Xbox console hit shelves, it was a powerful looking machine. The translucent variants looked even nicer with colors ranging from light green to crystalline, orange and blue. While Xbox and Microsoft aimed to be the future of gaming, their first console in its translucent design looked much more futuristic than the designs of the competition.
With a matching translucent Duke controller, the translucent Xbox looks better than the original model. As Xbox has always been consistent with their designs, it would be great to see a return to translucent models.
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Nintendo 64
The Nintendo 64 has to be considered the best of the translucent consoles for its variety of colors and overall design. The console had a lot of unique designs, but in total there were 10 translucent models (orange, blue, green, purple, Daiei Hawks, JUSCO, red, watermelon red, smoke and ice blue). Some of these models were rarer than others and some were exclusive to Japan.
Having all of these consoles side by side is a work of art and was released as part of the Funtastic series. This shows a time when Nintendo was not afraid to experiment with its technology more, especially since it had a more powerful model. Not to mention their recent efforts with a variety of 2DS and 3DS designs, but the N64 is iconic for bringing the fresh air of color to the video game market.
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