by 
Hardware goes through endless iterations before developers settle on a final design. Sometimes, discovering unused concept images can leave you disappointed by what could've been, but more often than not, it leaves you relieved that cooler design heads eventually prevailed.
ROM's PlayStation: The First 30 Years tome is packed to the brim with these concept images, offering a cavalcade of ideas for PlayStation consoles, controllers, and other accessories that never came to pass. And it's fascinating to consider how much a brand can live or die on its design decisions, and while PlayStation is certainly one of the "cleanest" (aesthetically) of the gaming brands, it's still guilty of a few foibles itself. You can't sell me on the PS5's "winged" design, dizzying height, and clumsy horizontal stand.
And speaking of dizzying height...
Among the concepts featured in ROM's visual history is a considered "trapezoid" design for the PS2, which would have seen Sony's best-selling console replace its rectangular black box with a more cubic form (though not a strict "cube", as the sides taper toward the unit's top layer). Still a top-loading console, like its predecessor, this PS2 design offers a taller front plate and long side vents, with additional space for front connectivity or other gimmicks.
Also of note is its deep purple colouring, which is amusing given that, just one year after the PS2's release, Nintendo would release a cubic console, also sporting a purple design. While the final PS2 design would be entirely different - with a front-loading disc tray, digital, rather than mechanical, buttons, a rear exhaust port, and a sleek black rectangular design - I have to admit I do dig this abandoned concept.
The image below is courtesy of consolevariations, an encyclopedic resource for these abandoned design affairs.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have this ungainly DualShock effort, which, given the inclusion of a PS button and what appears to be a microphone, we can surmise was considered for PlayStation's PS3 era. The wild-eyed monster looks to have eschewed the debate of Rounded vs Angular design by choosing both, its D-pad precariously perched on a flat surface that segues into softer edges.
The thumbsticks seem to be positioned a little closer together, with Start, Select, and PS buttons placed on a slant beneath them. The controller is daubed in silver, which always comes across as cheap-looking in plastic form. The design is reminiscent of a third-party knock-off, handed to your friend while you sink into the cool, comfortable ergonomics of the DualShock 3.
Now, of course, concepts are exactly that, and developers throw these ideas out there as a form of technical evolution, hoping to come across even one new idea, detail, or feature that may be worth considering for the final design. Chances are that the Trapezoid PS2, the borko Dual Shock 3, and many of the other items featured in the book would never have come to pass, and were merely delivered as considerations for what would ultimately be more typical final concepts.
Still, it's always intriguing to see the design possibilities that might have been. But I'll tell you hwhat: you can have my PS2 Slim ergonomics when you pry them from my cold, dead hands.
PlayStation: The First 30 Years is available now from the ROM website, priced at $125 / €111.