Microsoft dishes on Xbox One design, invokes Frank Loyd Wright as an influence

Frank Loyd Wright probably never thought his philosophies would guide video game consoles. Yet, during today's keynote at Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference, Xbox Creative Directer Carl Ledbetter detailed that the architect influenced the creative process behind Redmond's new gaming hardware. His team of "almost thirty" went through countless hardware designs for the console and over 200 controller prototypes before settling on final models. Throughout, Xbox One's goals remained modest: simplicity and elegance. The ultimate benchmark being something that doesn't look out of place with today's svelte and stylish high-def TVs.

"We worked with the engineering team to understand how the parts go together. Cooling, venting, what's it going to look like?" Ledbetter asked. His crew strived to follow Wright's ideal that form shouldn't follow function, they should be joined as one in "spiritual union." Considering its components, that likely explains the next-gen hardware's sheer size. For glimpses of rejected concepts, the full presentation is in the links below and Ledbetter's portion begins around 13:10.

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