Collecting is a great hobby that can encompass so much. When I was a kid I was basically a rock nerd and then I became an actual nerd. That is to say, I started collecting games and related game memorabilia. I still get my kicks with rocks sometimes though. There's something just so natural about them, which I realize is an obvious statement. Anyway, collecting games can get pricey especially if you're looking into older stuff. The one thing that can be even more expensive is console collecting. First of all, before this article I knew about several special editions of consoles. I own several. I have the Darth Vader white PSP, the white Destiny PS4, and the New 2DS XL Pokéball edition. I did not, however, know there were so many out there I never knew about. Hundreds!

This started as finding the worst of the worst and the best of the best, but it then led me down a long rabbit hole of research into other stuff. I could fill several articles with my findings, but for this one, we're going to start with a very simple concept. A lot of these, good and bad, were made specifically for contests. I'm curious if any of you readers own the special ones, or maybe have a relative that does. If I'm wiring about something you own, again specifically the contest ones, let me know. I'm fascinated to learn more. Anyway, enjoy this retro trip down console lane and good luck on eBay after this because I know you're going there.

29 Worst: Gold Wii

Consolevariations

The story of the gold Wii, that’s 24K just as an FYI, is crazy. So THQ heard that Queen Elizabeth II liked the Wii, so in a marketing stunt they made this special Wii for the Royal Family along with their upcoming game, Big Family Games. While it was sent to the palace, it never got signed for so it was sent back to THQ. An employee then sold it, but you can read the full story here. Personally, I think it’s ugly and tacky as heck and probably runs terribly what with the gold and all.

28 Worst: Dragon Quest Metal Slime PS4

Amazon

This was a Japanese exclusive bundle that came with a silver PS4, Dragon Quest Heroes, and a Liquid Slime Figure. So no, the console doesn’t have that thing melted on it. The only thing notable about the console otherwise is a white Slime on the console itself and the controller, which is a pretty minimal change. I mean It’s just a gray and white console variation with a goopy figure and a subpar game. Pretty obvious why this one didn’t cross over to the West.

27 Best: Shadow of the Tomb Raider Xbox One X

On MSFT

Just to clarify, this is an Xbox One X and one worth owning. This thing looks amazing. The game of which it is based is not very good, but hey, I would have loved to win this. So, only three of these were made.

A console better than the game itself.

One for the Extra Life charity, which was bid on for $5001, a hilarious number I might add. The second you had to enter a lottery to win and the third was made for a separate giveaway award. And I missed all three chances, dang!

26 Worst: Team Jordan Formula One PlayStation

GameSniped

If the gaudy console art wasn’t an obvious giveaway, this was made as a racing tie-in. Team Jordan is a Formula One racer, again, duh. This console was given away in a drawing back in 1997, but apparently, according to Consolevariations, there were more made. The rumor was about ten, which is way more than zero, the amount that should have been made. I can't believe this was in Europe because it looks more like an American, NASCAR thing or knock-off trash.

25 Worst: Tommy Hilfiger GBC

Reddit

Nothing says children playing video games like Tommy Hilfiger. That’s a joke, obviously, because what the heck. Unlike a lot of these, this was not a prize. Not many were made, but they were readily available at the time of launch, but only sold in Tommy Hilfiger stores. I mean who is this console for? Was it meant to be a bargain for kids, grandma’s forcing their grandchildren to go shopping, only to have this prize be at the end? The whole thing is very strange.

24 Best: Divers 2000 CX-1Sega Dreamcast

Pinterest

This was another Japanese exclusive console. You can’t really tell from this front picture, but the TV has a tail, or more like a curve at the end to mirror Sonic the Hedgehog. If it wasn’t obvious, this Fuji TV has a Dreamcast built into it.

Now that's the ultimate pack-in.

It also came with a green, see-through controller, remote, keyboard, and the Dreameye. The one thing I couldn't find was the cost, but it was retail available. It may look a bit, uh, bulky, as is the name, but I like the idea. I want one!

23 Worst: Tribal Silver GBA SP

eBay

Nothing says early 2000s like tribal tattoos. Ugh, what a horrible trend. Thankfully, I wasn't old enough to get a tattoo at the height of these things otherwise I may have somehow winded up with one. Not because I had insight enough back then to avoid this piece of junk. It's just a silver Game Boy Advance SP with a dumb symbol on it. It is the epitome of trying too hard to be cool. I hope these things are all burned now.

22 Worst: Assassin’s Creed III Xbox 360

Alfa Beta Juega

This Xbox 360 was a cross-promotion between Facebook and Bing. If you entered the contest you could be one of five "lucky" enough to win this custom console. Here's the thing though. At the time, I bet I would have been excited to get an Assassin’s Creed III Xbox 360 because the game looked promising. Now that the game has been out, well, in hindsight, I would be pretty embarrassed to have this on my shelf. What a pity.

21 Best: Yakuza 5 PS3 Slim

Polygon

This PS3 Slim was released at retail for Japan only. It's themed after Yakuza 5 if you couldn't tell with the golden symbols standing in for the game's clans. Now there's nothing incredibly striking about, but I like it because there's also nothing too flashy about it.

I love goooold.

Well, it does have a gold controller, which I guess is a bit more elaborate, but I think overall this is a classy package for Yakuza fans. It was a nice sendoff for the series on PS3.

20 Worst: “This Is Cool” Sega Saturn

RetroPixl

You read that title correctly folks. The name of this exclusive Sega Saturn console for Japan and South America is called the "This is cool" edition. First of all, you can't just claim to be cool. That's a bit ignorant if you ask me. Maybe this was a misprint and it was supposed to say, "this is clear," because it is. I mean visually it looks fine and isn't ugly in any way. I do think it's still great to make fun if for the title though.

19 Best: Pokémon World Championship Nintendo DSi

Kotaku

These were given away at the 2009 Pokémon World Championships, if the name wasn’t obvious enough. You didn’t even have to win, as there were 102 of these.

Cool blue and a surfing Pikachu.

You just needed to get into finalist positions so it’s not as cool as being like the top tier prize for being the very best like no one ever was, but it’s still a really beautiful piece of hardware. Next best thing to having real Pokémon…maybe.

18 Worst: Final Fantasy XII PS2 Slim

Coleka

This was another Japanese exclusive. The bundle came with the PS2 Slim with Final Fantasy XII's emblem imprinted on it along with the game, which is a nice symbol I will say. So what's my beef with this system? For a special edition, it's just too plain. I mean the logo isn't even another color. It's black on black! Granted the symbol is raised so it does stand out a little, but this feels like zero effort went into this.

17 Worst: Final Fantasy XV Xbox One

NeoGAF

The PS2 Slim Final Fantasy XII bundle was lame, but this Xbox One cross-promotion with Final Fantasy XV is downright ugly. Just look at all those clashing colors! Who designed this? Insults aside, this system was given away via a Twitter contest. All you had to do was retweet the official Xbox account with this link, and you'd get entered for a chance to win this one-of-a-kind console. Contestants could also win Xbox Live gift cards as consolation prizes, which I think was a better deal.

16 Best: Star Wars Xbox 360

Amazon

At this point in the Xbox 360 life cycle, these things were pretty cheap. I was barely scraping by in college so there was no way I could afford one, but this exclusive almost had me take out a loan. It was retail available so it wasn't that rare, but it is now.

The force is strong with this Xbox.

The console looked like R2-D2, it even made his noises, and the controller looked like C-3P0. The Game did not interest me, but the gimmick sure did.

15 Worst: Panasonic Q Nintendo GameCube

Panasonic

This looks like one of two things. One, a GameCube someone modded themselves. Two, a fake console you'd see in some sitcom TV show. I assure you this is very real. It was available at retail in Japan only. It was designed as a cross promotion between Panasonic and Nintendo. Besides all the odd buttons, this thing could play DVDs and GameCube games, which is cool since the PS2 and Xbox could as well. My only question is why did it have to look like this?

14 Worst: Marlboro Atari Lynx

AtariAge

Did you grow up with smokers in your family? I did so I know all about the promotion on the back of Marlboro cigarette packs and cartoons. If you collected enough points you could send them in for prizes like jackets, hats, bags, and so on. Well if you couldn't guess with that setup, this Atari Lynx was a prize you could win with enough Marlboro points. I think it's pretty clear why this disgusts me. I'm at least happy this was in Germany only.

13 Best: Marvel's Spider-Man PS4 Pro

Ungeek

I bought the white PS4 that came with Destiny back in 2014. It's still running fine, but there have been quite a few games that have been really pushing that coolant system this year like God of War.

If I could turn back time...

While I'm happy with my normal PS4, I will say this PS4 Pro bundle with Marvel's Spider-Man had me super close to caving. Now that I bought a 4K TV over Black Friday I'm even more regretful now. That white and red coloring just pop so beautifully.

12 Worst: Hello Kitty Xbox

millon

The Playboy Xbox was embarrassing in one context, but I think I would be even shyer to own this thing. It was a Singapore exclusive and Hello Kitty is huge over there. Here's where it gets weird. In order to buy one of these, you had to also purchase a TV. Not just any TV either. The equivalent to the price in North America was about $5000. That's just for the TV too! What were they charging for the consoles?

11 Worst: Madden Gras PS3

PlayStation LifeStyle

I love puns, but this is the worst. Madden Gras, really? Well if you want some history to why this tie-in with Mardi Gras is significant, it's because the New Orleans Saints were on the cover for Madden NFL 10. This console was made as a collaboration between Facebook and EA Sports. Fifty "lucky" contestants got to walk away with this console and a copy of the game. I have nothing against the color purple, but that is a glitter nightmare. If you’re curious I found a news clip online.

10 Best: Pokéball New Nintendo 2DS XL

Gumtree

I'm not often one to upgrade my systems for two reasons that sort of tie in together. One, most of the systems I buy last a long time. Two, who has the money to sink into multiple consoles of the same thing?

I'm addicted to the 3DS.

That being said I was bad with the 3DS. I bought a launch system, then upgraded to a 3DS XL, and I caved once more last summer when this came out. That button does nothing, but I still love pressing it!