Product Facelift

The original NES and its 1993 "New-Style" redesign. Same system, different shell. (But with some changes, like being region-free and just generally being more reliable.)

"Nintendo taught me it's okay to be self-conscious about my appearance since they obviously were with the 3DS after changing it like 12 times."

— Scott The Woz, Console Redesigns

The system has been out for a while, but what was once new hotness is now yesterday's headlines. It's built up a great library, but everybody already has the best games. You've dropped the price, but maybe the next generation is starting to horn in on your sales. What's a video game company to do? The answer is simple. Send the console in for reconstructive surgery: keep the functionality but repackage it into a slick new design.

In order to sell an aging product and take advantage of late adopters whose primary concern is price over all else (as well as advancements in manufacturing), it's a common practice to put out a new version of its old products, especially video game consoles, about three to five years after launch. There are usually up to four reasons to do this:

• Size. Thanks to advancing technology, the same internal functions can be done with smaller parts, and a smaller system is always a plus. This is important for large systems like the Nintendo DS or Xbox One, which were already large and may desperately need a new form factor to be appealing.
• Technical issues. Many systems, most infamously the Xbox 360, launch with hardware issues that can be solved with a redesign. The Nintendo Entertainment System pictured right is a good example: the top-loader revision is much more reliable with cartridges than the original front-loading design.
• Cost. Advancing technology means that the same functions can be achieved with cheaper hardware. Or the cost is reduced by removing parts: the PS2 Emotion Engine parts were removed to lower price of the PlayStation 3, while the Wii Mini removed Component, SCART and S-Video support.
• Added functionality. Sometimes minor features are added to the system to make it more appealing to new buyers. Examples include the lit screen of the Game Boy Advance SP and the Video Out port of the PSP-2000.

The company gets those late adopters who want to dive into a huge established library without paying the sometimes exorbitant prices of a brand new console, while also getting to redesign the exterior to make it look newer than the original. On the other hand, they run the risk of alienating fans who bought the old version six months before the spiffy new model came out.

Not just limited to consoles, Product Facelifts can happen to many other kinds of goods like cars and toys, often for similar reasons as stated above.

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Examples:

Atari

• The original Atari 2600 had a wooden finish that was popular in The '70s. Throughout The '80s, it had various versions that kept the design intact but with slight differences. In 1986, it was modernized as a smaller, black-looking system, similar to the Atari 7800, and was marketed as a budget console that could play classic games.
• The Atari Lynx was followed by the Lynx II, which was slimmer and bumped the battery life from four to five hours.

NEC

• The PC Engine, launched in 1987, was one of the most successful game consoles in Japan; a far cry from its American counterpart, the TurboGrafx-16, which held a distant third place during the console war between the Super NES and the Sega Genesis. As a result, it enjoyed a variety of redesigns exclusive to the region, along with expandibility options.
  • It got not one, not two, but three redesigns in 1989. The first one, the PC Engine CoreGrafx, was essentially a recolored version of the original white PC Engine, but with the RF output replaced with composite A/V. The second, the PC Engine Shuttle, was marketed towards younger players, with its spaceship-like design and unique variant of the TurboPad controller, but did away with the CD-ROM expansion port in order to reduce cost. The third and last of these models was the PC Engine SuperGrafx, which featured an extra video chip and more RAM. It was intended to be a premium model meant to run exclusive games in addition to standard HuCards (similar to the later PS4 Pro), but because the hardware advantage offered by the SuperGrafx wasn't significant enough to make much of a difference in performance, only a handful of SuperGrafx-specific games were produced (most notably a port of Capcom's Ghouls 'n Ghosts and the only game version of the anime Magical King Granzort), and many games that were planned for it were ultimately released as regular HuCards or CD-ROMs. Later variations of the console include the CoreGrafx II (a recolored version of the original CoreGrafx), the PC Engine GT (a handheld version released as the Turbo Express in the US), and the PC Engine LT (another handheld variant, but with a laptop-inspired design and an expansion port for CD-ROM support).
  • The CD-ROM² add-on also underwent a revision as well. The original CD-ROM² System launched in 1988 (and later redesigned as the TurboGrafx-CD for the US in 1990), consists of three main components: the actual CD-ROM drive (which functioned as a portable audio CD player by itself), the interface unit that connects the CD drive to the console^note The US version of the interface unit has a different design in order to accommodate the different shape of the TG16 console. which YouTube gaming channel My Life in Gaming nicknamed it "The Briefcase" due to looking like one when closed, and the System Card (a HuCard that contained the BIOS required to play CD-ROM² games). NEC later released the Super System Card upgrade for the CD-ROM² System in 1991, which featured additional RAM and an updated BIOS required for Super CD-ROM² discs. But PC Engine owners who didn't already own the original CD-ROM² add-on could purchase the Super CD-ROM² System instead, which combined the CD-ROM drive, interface unit and Super System Card into one convenient unit.
  • This culminated with the PC Engine Duo, a PC Engine console with a built-in Super CD-ROM² unit that also launched in 1991 (it was released as the Turbo Duo in the US alongside the Super System Card in 1992). The original model has a headphone jack and a battery slot that allows it to be turned into a portable game console, with a separately available chargeable battery and a mini-LCD monitor. The PC Engine Duo-R was released in 1993, and had a different chassis (white instead of black), updated the NEC logo, and removed the headphone jack and battery slot to reduce manufacturing cost. The final model of the Duo (and consequently, the final model of the PC Engine ever), the PC Engine Duo-RX, was released in 1994, with some minor coloring changes from the Duo-R, an improved CD-ROM drive, and a six-button joypad in lieu of the standard two-button pad, in response to the popularity of fighting games as a result of Street Fighter II's success (curiously, it had no built-in support for Arcade Card games despite being launched after the release of that add-on, likely to keep manufacturing costs down).

Nintendo

• Nintendo Entertainment System:
  • Sharp released a series of officially licensed Famicom-compatible devices in Japan, such as the Sharp C1 in 1983 (a TV monitor with a built-in Famicom console), the Twin Famicom in 1986 (a Famicom console with a built-in Disk System that featured composite video output via RCA jacks), and the Famicom Titler in 1989 (a Famicom console designed specifically for editing gameplay footage and offered S-video output). Sharp also a released a TV set with a built-in NES control deck for the US market, known as the Game Television, in 1989.
  • The page image is the NES-101, released in 1993 (a few years after the Super NES was already launched), which converted the console from its front-loading, VCR-esque design to a more conventional top-loading design — hence it's nickname as the "NES top loader" — and came packaged with a redesigned controller (NES-039) that more closely resembles its Super NES counterpart, known as "the dogbone". The top-loading design was done to address the issue of the previous VCR design, cutting down on the old "flashing light" problem caused by bent connector pins. This new unit only accepted video output via RF modulation, lacking the RCA output jacks from the original NES-001 model; there existed a revised version of the top-loader that replaced the RF output with the same multi-AV port used by the SNES, but they were only distributed as a replacement unit to consumers who shipped their faulty top loaders for repairs.^note Most units of the remodeled NES originally shipped with a faulty video output that caused faint vertical lines (or jailbars) to always appear on-screen.
  • Shortly after its release in North America, the top-loader was brought into Japan as a redesigned version of its Japanese counterpart, the Famicom, with some slight changes to make room for the Disk System's RAM Adapter. Nicknamed the AV Famicom due to its selling point of supporting composite AV output (the original Famicom only supported RF), the system also swapped out the hardwired controller of the original Famicom for a pair of NES-style controller ports. The two included controllers lacked the built-in microphone of the original Famicom's second controller, but a workaround was included for games that required it in order to progress (simply press Down+A on controller #2 and the console will emulate any microphone input).
• Game Boy:
  • The original "brick" system was succeeded by the Game Boy Pocket in 1996, which was smaller and proportionally thinner (allowing it to more easily fit in pants pockets, hence the name), required two AAA batteries rather than four AA ones (giving it 10 hours of gameplay versus the original's 30 hours), and replaced the greenscale screen with a grayscale one.
  • In 1998, the Game Boy Light came out only in Japan; similar in design to the Pocket, this model featured a backlight for the first time. The handheld required two AA batteries rather than two AAA ones, which give it approximately 12 gameplay hours with the backlight on and 20 hours with the light off.
  • The Game Boy Color released in 1998 as well, and shared most of its hardware specifications with the Pocket. The main differences were a slightly smaller screen and (most importantly) colored graphics on par with the original NES/Famicom. It also developed a substantial library of exclusive GBC titles and "Color-enhanced" Game Boy games, resulting in a large number of fans considering it to be its own handheld rather than a revision.
• Super Nintendo Entertainment System:
  • The SNS-101 model released in 1997, also referred to as the "New-Style Super NES" internationally and the "Super Famicom Jr." (model number SHVC-101) in Japanese. Besides its smaller design, the main differences between it and the original SNS-001 model were the removal of the expansion dock at the bottom of the console (which only the Japan-only Satellaview add-on ended up supporting) and the lack of support for S-Video and RGB output. The revised console also came with a new version of the controller that removed the console's logo on the front in favor of a plain Nintendo logo.
  • Just like with its Famicom brothers a decade ago, Sharp also released the SF1, a TV and a Super Famicom in one, in 14-inch and 21-inch sizes, though the exorbitant price of these TVs meant few were sold.
• Game Boy Advance:
  • In 2003, the system was succeeded by the Game Boy Advance SP, which utilized a rechargeable 700mAh Lithium Ion battery rather than requiring 2 AAs, and featured a clamshell design similar to dual-screen Game & Watch titles and the later Nintendo DS and 3DS families. The SP also added a frontlight that could be toggled on and off with a button; using the frontlight would shorten the SP's runtime from 18 hours to a mere 10 hours, and the later AGS-101 revision would swap it out for a backlight. The cartridge slot was moved to the bottom of the device — which made playing motion control games such as WarioWare Twisted difficult due to them being built for earlier top-loading models — and the headphone jack was removed entirely (prompting the release of an adapter).
  • In 2005, the Game Boy Micro would come out a few months after the original Nintendo DS. It utilized a 460 mAh Lithium Ion battery that ran for 10 hours, and featured a backlight that could be toggled between five different brightness levels, but lacked Backwards Compatibility for original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges. As the name implies, it was also significantly smaller than all previous Game Boy models, returning to a bar design and being smaller than even an NES controller.
• Nintendo GameCube saw a licensed third-person revision from Panasonic known as the "Q", released exclusively in Japan several months after the original console, with the ability to play both GameCube discs and video DVDs. However, it was commercially unsuccessful and never left Japan. There was also the DOL-101 model, which was released internationally; this one was mostly the same as the original, but removed seldom-used Digital AV port.
• Nintendo DS:
  • In 2006, the original "phat" model was followed by the Nintendo DS Lite, which boasted a smaller and more sleek appearance, a longer-lasting battery, and brighter screens.
  • The Nintendo DSi released in 2008, showcasing more RAM and a faster CPU. It also added both an internal and external 0.3-megapixel camera, and an SD slot for expanded storage and Wi-Fi support (allowing for exclusive DSiware games to be downloaded to the unit). However, the GBA cartridge slot was removed. A year later, the DSi XL released, which (as the name implies), was a larger variant with bigger screens, originally intended for use by seniors who could benefit from a bigger screen (hence why they came with an extra, larger pen-like stylus).
• Wii:
  • A budget variant of the Wii (model number RVL-101), sometimes known as the "Family Edition", was released in 2011. The revision removed all GameCube functionality, including the GameCube controller ports and memory card slots, and doesn't include a stand (the system is intended to be positioned horizontally, with the Wii logo re-positioned to match).
  • Nintendo released the Wii Mini (model number RVL-201), a compact, budget redesign that was initially available exclusively in Canada in 2012 before getting a wide release in the United States and Europe in 2013 (around the same time the Wii U came out). The Wii Mini replaced the front-loading disc mechanism with a top-loading tray, and in addition to removing GameCube functionality, it removed the SD card slot, support for component cables and all online connectivity (preventing access to WiiWare, Virtual Console, and online multiplayer).
• Nintendo 3DS:
  • The Nintendo 3DS XL released in 2012, with the screens being 90% larger than the original 3DS.
  • In 2013, a revision called the Nintendo 2DS released. Billed as an "entry-level" budget system for children, it used a hinge-less slate design and removes the stereoscopic 3D capabilities of the handheld.
  • In 2014 and 2015, the New Nintendo 3DS and the New Nintendo 3DS XL released. Both offered better tech under the hood, specifically a faster processor (which helps cut down on load times), face-tracking stereoscopic 3D that can be viewed at a wider amount of angles, a C-stick to accompany the circle pad, and ZL & ZR triggers. Because of the New 3DS's faster CPU, a handful of games were only made available for the "New" revisions (including Xenoblade Chronicles 1 3D and some Virtual Console SNES titles) or had New 3DS exclusive features (such as the 3D display mode in Hyrule Warriors Legends).
  • The New Nintendo 2DS XL released in 2017, a few months after the Nintendo Switch. The revision ditched the hingeless design of the original 2DS and adds all the enhancements from the New 3DS, minus the 3D display.
• Nintendo Switch:
  • The Nintendo Switch Lite released in 2019. Serving as a budget model, it abandoned the hybrid format of the original Switch to become a pure handheld device; the controllers were built into the system with features like rumble and the infrared camera removed, and it cannot be placed in a Dock for TV output. A more energy-efficient version of the original Switch (HAC-001) quietly replaced that system around the same time.
  • The Nintendo Switch OLED released in 2021, and as the name implies, featured an OLED display instead of a LCD screen. Additionally, it had 64GB of internal storage versus the 32GB of the other versions, enhanced audio, a magnesium alloy body instead of plastic, and a wider adjustable stand for tabletop mode. The OLED also came with a new dock that included a wired LAN port.

PlayStation

• The original PlayStation underwent numerous subtle revisions, with each model having many internal and external changes, most notably the removal of the RCA output jacks in the SCPH-5500 series, followed by the parallel I/O port in the SCPH-9000 series. The console eventually received a smaller model in 2000, rechristened the PS one (aka the SCPH-100 series), that was designed to reduce the overheating issues that the previous models occasionally ran into. This was done so by replacing the internal power supply that the original SCPH-1000 series used with an external power supply, as well as removing the reset button and the serial I/O port required for the Link Cable (which was supported primarily by racing games). This resulted in the PS one becoming so small (only slightly larger than a CD case) that, with a portable LCD screen add-on, it makes for a decent portable system, assuming you can find an outlet for the AC adapter.
  • There was another revision of the original PlayStation that was exclusive to Southeast Asia: the SCPH-5903, which unlike the other models, is a white colored model that also adds support for playing Video CDs, a format that is popular in the region.
  • While some consoles did this in the past, the PS one started the trend of making a slimmer and more affordable revision of a console, particularly close to the release of the follow-up for those who can't afford the next console or mid-way through a system's life cycle to push sales and capitalize on an established games lineup. Interestingly, with the exception of the PSP Slim & Lite listed below, none of the redesigned PlayStation consoles have officially been called a "Slim" (they were simply marketed under the same name as the original model).
• The PlayStation 2 received a slimmer redesign as well starting with the SCPH-70000 series launched in 2004, which was slimmer than a DVD case, but lacked the expansion bay for the Hard Disk Drive add-on from the SCPH-30000 and 50000 series (although, it did have a built-in Ethernet port for online gaming). In Japan it also got a "media hub" makeover as the PSX (no relation to how to the original PlayStation was abbreviated before it was numbered), which featured an internal hard drive, digital video recording capability, and an early version of the XrossMediaBar (the same UI later used for the PSP and PS3).
• The PlayStation 3 had numerous models. Successive models following the launch CECHA00 model upgraded the hard drive capacity, but at the same time reduced some features that some users didn't take too kindly to. This affected backwards compatibility for PS2 discs (PS1 discs still work on all models), media card slots, and USB ports, among others.
  • The CECH-2000 series was eventually launched in 2009, which featured a smaller form factor (hence the "PS3 Slim" nickname) and added support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio bitstreaming, as well as HDMI-CEC synchronization (intended to be paired with Sony's BRAVIA TV sets, so their remotes could work with the PS3's XMB). However, support for PS2 discs was dropped, with backwards compatibility limited to downloadable games available on the PS Store (Super Audio CD compatibility had already been dropped with the third and final generation of the original "Fat" model). PS1 disc support is still present, though, via software emulation. It most notably came along with a major brand redesign, moving the banner on the box art from the left edge to the top, changing the brand colors from red to blue and dropping the all-caps "PLAYSTATION 3" logo with the Spider-Man-style font in favor of an abbreviated PS3 logo. These changes were intentionally reminiscent of the incredibly popular PlayStation 2, and all remain to this day.
  • The CECH-4000 series was even smaller than the Slim models (hence the "Super Slim" nickname) and replaced the motorized disc drive in favor of a top loading design with a sliding disc cover. Some versions of the super slim (specifically the CECH-4XXXA models) feature 12GB of flash memory instead of a hard drive as its default memory storage.
• The PlayStation Portable was redesigned as the PSP-2000 (aka the "Slim & Lite"), gaining a better screen and TV-Out capability along with losing some weight and the IR port that was never officially used. The PSP-3000 was later announced, the main changes apparently being a better analog stick and a microphone for Skype. The PSP Go (the N1000 model) removed the UMD slot in order to reduce cost and push downloadable media, making it the first portable gaming console that does not use physical media. But after a couple years of lackluster sales, the PSP Go was finally discontinued in 2011. Sony did try to get into the mobile market with the Xperia Play, but that also fell short. Another cost-reduced model that was exclusive to Europe, the PSP Street (the E1000 model) took the opposite approach in the sense that it retained the UMD slot, but removed its Wi-Fi capabilities, making it a strictly offline device.
• The Play Station Vita also got a slimmed down version, the PCH-2000 series, which dropped the OLED screen for an LCD.
• The PlayStation 4 has had not one, but two new models launched in 2016. One is the CUH-2000 (nicknamed the PS4 Slim, but simply marketed as the PS4), a slightly thinner and rounder model of the standard PS4 with a quieter ventilator and no support for optical audio. The second model is the PS4 Pro (the CUH-7000 series), a roughly 50% thicker model (as in three slate-like structures instead of two) with improved internal specifications (such as a faster CPU and GPU) that allow it to output 4K video and run PlayStation VR titles with improved quality. Ironically enough, despite Sony's push for Blu-ray format with the PS3, the PS4 Pro does not support Ultra HD Blu-ray discs.
• The PlayStation 5 had a design refresh released in November 2023 that made the console slightly smaller, bumped the built-in storage up to 1TB, and made the disc drive detachable, which allows the new version of the all-digital model to be upgraded to have a disc drive via a separate purchase.

Sega

• The SG-1000, Sega's very first game console launched in 1983, was itself a consolized version of their SC-3000 personal computer launched at the same time. The main difference between the two is that the SC-3000 has an integrated keyboard, while the SG-1000 has a hardwired Atari-style joystick. Otherwise, both hardware are essentially identical internally and the SG-1000 can be turned into a personal computer with the SK-1100 keyboard, allowing it to utilize the same peripherals and programming software as the SC-3000 in addition to game cartridges. A second model of the console was released in 1984 known as the SG-1000 II (a.k.a. the Mark II), which replaced the hardwired joystick with a pair of detachable Famicom-style joypads that can be stored on the side. The outer design of the SG-1000 II would end up being used (with slight changes) for Sega's succeeding console in 1985, the Sega Mark III (a.k.a. the SG-1000 M3), which is improved upon the SG-1000's specifications by adding an upgraded video processing unit and a built-in IC card slot (for Sega MyCard games that required the CardCatcher adapter on prior models). The Sega Mark III would go on to serve as the basis for the Master System in 1986, Sega's first game console in the west.
  • In turn, the Master System would be released in Japan as a relaunched version of the Sega Mark III (referred to as the Mark IV internally) in 1987. However, this Japanese version of the console differs from the earlier western models by replacing the reset button on the power base with a turbo fire switch (which eliminated the possibility of accidentally resetting your game when trying to hit pause, a much welcomed benefit) and adding built-in support for the SegaScope 3D Glasses without the need for the card slot adapter, as well as an integrated FM sound chip for games that supported it (which was sold separately as an upgrade module for the Mark III in Japan and never released in the west).
  • Curiously, the SG-1000 and SG-1000 II (along with the SC-3000), as well as the Mark III and Master System, are all counted as separate platforms by Sega in Japan, despite sharing the same hardware and software. This is why the Mega Drive had the codename Mark V during development (the Saturn was Mark VI— one of the reasons for the name, the other being previous/concurrent Sega console projects had planet-themed codenames).
  • The Master System would be relaunched as well in North America and Europe in 1990 with a budget-priced model known as the Master System II. This model featured a more compact design, but at the expense of a lot of features from the original such as the (admittedly unused) expansion port, the card slot (making it incompatible with Sega Card games and the aforementioned 3D glasses) and support for A/V output (only RF was supported).
• The Mega Drive/Genesis underwent through three basic designs, not counting the various minor revisions and later consoles-on-a-chip. After the original model, there was the first redesign in 1993, known as the Mega Drive 2 in Japanese and European languages and sold as the Genesis Core System (without the Sega prefix) in North American languages. It lacked the headphone jack and volume slider that was on front of the original model, as well as the DE-9 port of the back (which only the Japan-only Mega Modem add-on ended up supporting; later runs of the Model 1 had already omitted the port anyway). The Genesis 3 was released in 1997 exclusively in North America as a budget console by Majesco and has an even more compact design due to the removal of the expansion port and simplified internal components. Unfortunately this made the Genesis 3 incompatible with the Power Base Converter, Sega CD and 32X add-ons, as well as certain games such as Virtua Racing and Gargoyles.
  • The Sega CD (or Mega CD) add-on itself was also released in two models. The original model launched in 1991 was a large front loading unit that was placed under the console and has large LED indicators next to the disc tray. The second model Sega CD (or Mega CD 2), released alongside the redesigned Genesis, is a smaller top-loading unit that is placed on the side of the console. Most of the promotional imagery for the Model 2 Sega CD only showed it connected to the Model 2 Genesis, giving the impression that they were only compatible with each other, but this is not the case. The Model 2 Sega CD can be used with the Model 1 Genesis and it even comes with a plastic spacer that extends the base of the add-on so that it can be connected to the console's expansion port while preserving its aesthetics. Likewise, the Model 2 Genesis can be used with the Model 1 Sega CD, but this combination is a lot less elegant looking due to the larger size of the add-on, leaving lots of empty space next to the console.
  • In addition to the stand-alone Mega Drive/Genesis consoles, there were also a few hybrid models that have an integrated Mega CD/Sega CD unit, similar to the aforementioned Duo models of the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16. The first of these hybrid consoles was the Wondermega, released exclusively in Japan in 1992 by both Sega and JVC, with the Sega-branded version being the rarer of the two variants. The original Wondermega featured a built-in MIDI and microphone ports, allowing it to function as a MIDI synthesizer and as a karaoke machine as well. This was followed by the Wondermega M2 in 1993, which featured a more compact design and removed the MIDI support, but still retained the karaoke functionality and also made the controllers wireless via infrared (You could still use your existing controllers however, as the connectors are in the back of the console). This was the same model that was released in the U.S. as the X'Eye the same year, which in turn ditched the S-Video connector and removed the wireless infrared controllers. Afterward came the Sega-produced Genesis CDX (or Multi-Mega), released in North America and Europe in 1994, which lacks the karaoke support of the X'Eye, but has a much more compact design and an LED display, allowing it to function as a portable CD player. The last (and rarest) of these hybrid units, the Aiwa CSD-GM1, released in limited quantities in 1994 in Japan, features an integrated an audio cassette player and functions as a portable radio.
• The Sega Saturn had two main models released: the launch HST-3200 model featured oval-shaped power and reset buttons along LEDs for power and access, while the HST-3220 model released in 1996 removed the LEDs, replaced the oval power and reset buttons into round ones and combined the two SH-2 CPUs into one processor (allowing the price to be reduced). In Japan these two models were distinguished by the color of their cases: the Model 1 consoles have gray casing with blue power/reset/eject buttons, while the Model 2 consoles have white casing with a red eject button and gray power/reset buttons. The standard-issue controller was also recolored to match the consoles, with the Model 2 controller having the ABC buttons now colored green, yellow and blue (the shoulder buttons and the start button were red). In the U.S. and Europe, Sega made no distinction between the two models, having released both of them in black casing, although the Model 2 consoles in the west did come with a black version of the Japanese-style controller instead of the original redesigned North American controller.
  • Said white-colored model may have influenced the design of the Dreamcast (especially the 3D Control Pad, which directly led to the Dreamcast controller's design), and it was also partially responsible for the creation of Segata Sanshiro.
  • Like with Sharp doing third-party Famicoms, JVC and Hitachi also made third-party Saturns too in Japan (and one made by Samsung in Korea only), with the differences being the startup sequence to show the V-Saturn (for JVC made ones) and Hi-Saturn (for Hitachi made ones) logos. Like the regular Sega Saturn, the differences on the aesthetics being the colors of the units and buttons on both Model 1 and Model 2 versions, having Victor (JVC) or Hitachi branded controllers, and the Hitachi models also including the MPEG card, which is sold separately on other models.
  • Also from Hitachi is a more rarer model of their Sega Saturn, the Game & Car Navi Hi-Saturn MMP-1000NV, which allows it to be used on a vehicle so it can also be used as a GPS navigation system, alongside its game and karaoke capabilities. This model is also a rarity for collectors.
• The Sega Dreamcast didn't live long enough to have any real redesigns, but it did receive a limited-edition black "SEGA Sports" model that came prepackaged with two games, and another model, the Diver 2000 CX-1, could best be described as a CRT television with a Dreamcast built into it (and it was designed to look like Sonic's head!). Other than the latter two models, there was also an internal revision which dropped support for the MIL-CD format, which never saw use outside of Japan besides pirate and homebrew releases. There was also the change of packaging design for North America about midway through the console's lifespan (which also included a redesign for the GD-ROM jewel cases, going from white to black).

Xbox

• The Xbox was one of the only systems to do this with a controller exclusively; after the backlash received for the launch controller over its girth^note The reason being that the circuit board was already designed by someone less-skilled and the shell had to fit around it, Microsoft created an S controller for the Japanese market, who have smaller hands. The S controller then quietly replaced the original and Microsoft pretended the original never existed... until 2018 when they supported a re-release of the controller for the Xbox One for nostalgia.
• The Xbox 360 received a few model refreshes over its lifespan. The first was the Xbox 360 Elite, which included a larger hard drive and different livery. Subsequent models included the CPU and GPU being made in smaller transistor sizes, so as to curb the overheating and red-ring issue. It eventually got a downsized version, the Xbox 360 S (which dropped the Memory Unit slots and came with built-in Wi-Fi). The final model, Xbox 360 E, resembles a smaller version of the launch model Xbox One.
• The Xbox One received its first facelift at E3 2016 as the 'Xbox One S', a white, 40% smaller system that includes 4K video support (including support for Ultra HD Blu-ray, something that curiously the PS4 Pro lacked, despite Sony's investment in the Blu-ray format) and an internal power supply (rather than requiring a bulky power brick), among other improvements. However, aside from some marginal performance improvement, the Xbox One S was still in its core just a slimmer less expensive version of the standard Xbox One. That's where the Xbox One X comes in. Officially unveiled at E3 2017 after being teased in the previous year's show, the Xbox One X (codenamed Project Scorpio) is an enhanced model designed specifically for 4K gaming that features a faster CPU, more RAM and a 6 teraflops GPU (in contrast to the 4.2 teraflops of the PS4 Pro), while somehow being smaller than the Xbox One S (which itself is already smaller than the launch Xbox One). It is also much more expensive than the Xbox One S with a $499 price tag, hence why the Xbox One S was still offered as the standard model.

Other Hardware Manufacturers

• While there were multiple 3DO consoles made by different hardware manufacturers, as the concept behind the platform was to make it a licensable standard for videogame consoles in the same way that VHS tapes and DVD players were to home video, Panasonic was the only company to end up making two different models of the 3DO. Their first model, the FZ-1 or 3DO REAL, retailed at $699 and had a front-loading disc tray. Panasonic released the slimmer and more affordable FZ-10 model in 1995, which featured a top-loading disc tray, in a last-ditch attempt to compete against the newly-launched PlayStation and Sega Saturn consoles.
• The Neo Geo Pocket and the WonderSwan got their respective Color revisions in 1999 and 2000 respectively. Because of this, SNK skipped over the original Neo Geo Pocket in favor of the Color revision when they brought the platform to the West in 1999. The WonderSwan Color was succeeded in 2002 by the SwanCrystal which swaps out the LCD screen for a TFT screen. The WonderSwan never left Japan in any of its forms.
• Thanks to Philips devising the Philips CD-i as a standard that could be licensed out to other companies (like what the competing 3DO Interactive Multiplayer did), several different models of the system exist. Of the ones made by Philips themselves and their North American imprint Magnavox, there's the original CDI 220, the top-loading CDI 550 and CDI 450, and the CDI 910, which returned to the tray-loading configuration of the CDI 220 but featured a greater amount of visual flourish on its façade. In terms of the actual hardware beneath the cases, however, the models are all nearly identical, owed to Philips' requirement that every player had to be compatible with every disc. The only differences are the disc drives used and the fact that models after the CDI 220 remove the RCA port for outputting digital audio.
• Leap Frog has done this with the LeapFrog Epic, having released variants of the Android-powered educational tablet such as the Academy Edition and the LeapPad Academy, all of which were essentially identical to the base Epic save for a different silicone bumper and the Academy program being bundled with the later edition tablets.
• Newer models of the Nvidia Shield TV/gaming box are much smaller than the first release (going from about the size of a PS2 Slim to slightly bigger than a deck of cards) and do away with the hard-off power switch, so that the only way to fully turn off the console (as opposed to putting it to sleep) is to unplug it. The controllers are also made a bit smaller, with an unusual "faceted" texture and a relocated start button.

Non-video game examples

• The Roku line of streaming devices has undergone so many changes and renditions since 2008 it's impossible to keep track of it all. They keep shrinking the entry-level Express device to the point that it's smaller than the remote; conversely, the top-of-the-line Roku Ultra has stayed at the same size and shape, roughly resembling a small plate, for the past couple years.
• This is common practice in the automotive industry, where cars will have their appearances "refreshed" every few years. Many cars (the Ford Mustang, the VW Beetle) have gone over a decade on the same platform, having their body work periodically updated.
  • Sometimes this works in reverse to the console version. For example, the VW Golf has got progressively larger over the years. According to some, this is deliberate: the idea is that someone fond of the Golf brand started out in The '80s with a small cheap fun hatchback, then every five years as they grow more prosperous and settle down they can keep buying the new Golf but every time it's bigger, more family-friendly and more sensible. In turn, VW releases new smaller cars to replace the older Golf as the first-adopter option, such as the Polo and Lupo.
  • In a direct aversion of the trope, Lada 2107, first introduced in 1982, is still produced^note Due to its virtue of being dirt cheap. It is the car's sole redeeming quality, though. with essentially zero external changes, despite quite a few internal tweaks, like a completely new engine lineup, for example. Ironically, 2107 is itself a restyle of a 1979 Lada 2105, which was a deluxe version of Lada 2101, a Soviet license-built copy of Fiat-124.
  • The Networker Classic was an attempt to do the same for trains: a new 1990s body on the original 1960s chassis.
  • The Hyundai Grace and Galloper, which are license-built copies of the Mitsubishi Delica and Pajero respectively, both received facelifts later in their lifespan. While the new fascia and tail lights did more or less blend in with the Grace, this was sadly not the case with the Galloper as the rounded front end did not make sense in comparison to the boxier, early 80s-era body derived from the first-generation Pajero.
• Similar to the Lada example, the second-generation Mitsubishi Delica is still produced and sold in Indonesia and the Philippines to its day, where it is marketed as a utility or business fleet vehicle. It did receive some modest updates like a more rounded fascia, and in the Philippines, a Euro 4-compliant diesel engine (with the ride height brought up somewhat to account for the newer powerplant), but is otherwise essentially identical to the model first introduced in 1979.
• When Amstrad ran out of 3" floppy drives for their PCW word processors, they switched to 3.5" drives. The 9512 case didn't need many tweaks to accommodate these, and the result was called 9512+. The older 8000-series models were redesigned to match the 9512, the result becoming the 9256.
• Both graphics processing unit manufacturers NVIDIA and ATI/AMD have released older GPU architectures in current generation lineups. Probably the most infamous is NVIDIA's usage of the G92 chip, which spanned three generations (and accounted for an entire generation).
• Intel turned to the Pentium III architecture to create the Pentium M. On the surface, both are practically the same, but the Pentium M performed so well that it became the Ensemble Dark Horse in the days of the Pentium 4.
• This is common with books, especially if they have a movie coming out. Many books get a movie tie-in cover to entice people who saw the movie first to buy the book, or, once the book has gone out of print once, it'll get re-issued with a new cover to make it look like a new and exciting book to draw in new readers. Another issue is that due to cultural changes, what was acceptable in cover art in the past may be considered offensive today; so a Swords And Sandals novel from the 1970s or early 1980s that depicts nearly nude women chained to the throne of a warrior-king would probably be viewed as sexist, and it need to be replaced. As well, with Science Fiction, if a book's first edition was several decades ago, the "astonishingly futuristic" 1960s or 1970s cover art may look dated and old-fashioned due to Zeerust, so the publisher may commission new cover art.
• DVD and Blu-ray movies from several decades ago may get updated cover art and fonts for the title, to help attract a new generation of viewers. As well, with Science Fiction films, if a movie is from the 1960s or 1970s cover art may look cheesy and dated due to Zee Rust, so the publisher may commission new art for the DVD cover. As well, some movies that were box office bombs and which were critically panned at the time of their release have generated a cult following, so audience interest in the film may be boosted by noting the film's status as a Cult Classic.
• This happened several times with Thomson 8-bit computers:
  • The TO7/70, introduced at the same time as the lower-end MO5, was a minor upgrade and face-lift to the original TO7 model. Along with more built-in RAM, improved colors and better light pen support, the case was mechanically improved, with the most obvious difference being the removal of a dangerous protruding heat sink.
  • The MO5-E was an upgraded version of the MO5 with the power supply and joystick expansion built in and a full-stroke keyboard instead of the MO5's ZX Spectrum-like rubber keys. The E originally stood for "export," since the model was first released in West Germany with a QWERTY-layout keyboard instead of the AZERTY layout used by most French keyboards, including that of the eventual French version of the MO5-E.
  • The TO8-D was a minor variant of the TO8 with a built-in floppy disk drive, eliminating the need to connect one externally.
  • The MO5-NR is an inversion, being a MO6-level computer repackaged in a MO5-E case. It accordingly lacked the MO6's built-in tape deck and printer port, but it also included an interface to the Leanord Nanoréseau network.
• In 1986, the Commodore 64 was reissued in a sleeker, smaller case, which resembled the Commodore 128. Due to its smaller size, it was dubbed the Commodore 64C.
• The Apple IIe received a "platinum edition" in 1987, with the case color and logo more in line with the Apple Macintosh design at the time.
• The American Girl dolls received a number of outfit changes both with the Historical and contemporary lineup. While refreshed meet outfits for the Truly Me dolls are to be expected to align with contemporary children's fashions, the BeForever reboot—which changed the historical dolls' wardrobes in hopes that they would appeal more to current tastes—was released to mixed reception at worst, with some fans complaining that they look either too anachronistic or gaudy for the characters' respective time periods. American Girl would later downplay the BeForever branding and revert to the old Historical moniker likely due to fan feedback.
  • Another notable example would be Felicity prior to BeForever where her meet outfit was changed to a lavender one in 2005, and illustrations from her meet book were edited to reflect the change.
• Inverted with the IBM XT/286, which was a repackaging of the IBM AT in an older design of case: that of its predecessor, the XT.

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