Microsoft defends the design of the Xbox One console, saying that, while everyone would love sleek and thin products, in the end, the engineering part still requires space to ensure that no component breaks down and that performance isn't affected.

Xbox One launched one year ago and it soon became clear that the PS4 was gaining the edge in terms of sales and popularity. While, of course, the lower price of Sony's console played a big role in the early advantage of the PS4, its design was also much more appreciated over the style employed by the Xbox One.

Even so, the Microsoft console is slowly recovering in terms of sales as well as in popularity, even though the design remains the same.
The design has to emphasize functionality, not looks

According to Microsoft's Carl Ledbetter, who oversaw the design and creation process of the Xbox One, the design might not be everyone's cup of tea but the process needs to consider the overall performance of the components and promote it, not limit it.

"Everybody gets frustrated, because what we want is for everything to be wafer thin, not get hot and just be a snap to put together," he tells MCV. "But the reality is that there are very real issues around cooling when you’re pushing some number of watts in the processor, therefore the thing has to have some size to it. There’s always an interesting dynamic between engineering and design, and constraints around performance."

The Xbox One combines engineering, design, and technology

Still, Ledbetter believes that the final version of the Xbox One delivers the best combination between engineering, design, and technology, as it works, looks good and delivers a powerful device.

"It’s called designing with constraints, and constraints create very real things for people to go after and solve. Blue sky can get a little tough because it is limitless and it’s boundless. The engineering doesn’t really become a barrier – engineering is necessary, just like the design and technology. It’s a combination of everything that creates the product," he adds.

The Xbox One benefits from quite a lot of great deals this holiday season, with bundles even going lower than the regular price of the PS4. Even so, for now Sony's console reigns supreme, trumping the Xbox One in terms of sales both in the US market and in other territories like Europe or Asia.

For now, it's unclear whether Microsoft is planning to debut a redesigned Xbox One, similar to what it did with the Xbox 360 during its life cycle.