Custom Xbox One skins are a bad idea
Not just bad either
I wanted to touch on a topic that sometimes drives me bonkers, custom Xbox One skins. We see them everywhere, for your
console, controllers, even accessories like kinect. While I do understand why people like them, I do not think people realize what
they are really doing when they install one of these skins on their game console equipment. So, here is why I think custom Xbox One
skins are a bad idea.
They hold in heat
This is one of the least obvious reasons and that is why I am starting with this one first. For those of you that are not familiar
with construction and housing, I want to give you a quick run down on how insulation works. In this day and age there are tons and tons
of different insulation types used for housing and commercial buildings. In fact, you can usually find at least 3 types of insulation
being used on the same area. You have your stanrdard old fashioned insulation that goes inside walls, is typically made of fiberglass
or some other kind of composite material that spreads well. You also now have thin plastic sheeting placed on the insides and outsides
of walls. Studies have shown that any kind of extra layering helps provide a substantial boost in keeping heat and cool air in or out.
Even just thin plastic sheets stapled to the sides of walls.
Using this same concept, installing a custom Xbox One skin can have the
same effect on your console. Granted you usually do not cover up the vents for the fan but you are still adding extra insulation
everywhere else. No one is unknowledgable these days about how much heat can affect your game console. We have all owned at least one
that kept overheating and crashing and having major hardware failures, all due to heat. In fact, the brand new Nintendo Switch console
is all ready WARPING because of heat issues. When this is the standard of video game consoles, why would you want to plaster these thick,
sometimes filled with foam, Xbox One skins onto your console??? This is even more apparent when you consider the fact that there are
quite a few ways you can make your console look unique and customized. (More on that later)
Cheap, and messy
So here is the the other thing, these things are cheap. How many times have you seen someone selling a game console that had an old
beat up skin that is faded and cracked right down the middle? Probably quite a few times actually.
On top of that, if you try to peel them off you then realize these things are not made from newer adhesive
products that are less messy and easy to remove. You end up with a disaster (If you can even peel them off at all) So good luck getting
that custom Xbox One skin off your console because you don't want your new girlfriend to realize you use to be a pot head and thought
it would be a great idea to have pot leaves all over the thing.
It lowers re-sell value
Actually, you might think that custom Xbox one skin you are maticulously sticking on your console right now might make it
worth more because it is unique and different and better looking now.... right? No, not quite. So let's say you had a custom skin made
for that totally awesome japaneese manga film you love, or maybe that super cool swedish death metal band that had that one album with
skeleton snakes coming out of a skeleton face that was so rad. Yeah that was so cool, you loved that album, right? Well the problem is, only
you and about 2,000 other people in the world felt that way about a manga film that was never even translated into english or the death
metal album that actually got sued for copyright infrigement and was wiped off the planet and never got a big name for itself. As far
as what you love that is all good and well, but now you have a skin on your console that might only attract 3 people in the entire world
who would see it and want to buy it. Now, this console you could have sold to 500,000 people, is only interesting to like 10 people.
Looks like you won't be able to use the proceeds of this sale to buy the better designed super duper slim with 900TB hard drive and robotic
arms that hand you your controller like you thought you could, huh?
So... what do you do then?
I am bashing custom Xbox one skins like crazy, but I really do get it at the same time. 7 million people have a console that looks
just like the one you have. You want a custom skin that represents you and is something you can be proud of. It is also kind of cool
because you put it on yourself, and some places even allow you to design one yourself too! It can be fun, I do get that. I just don't
think people realize there are much more amazing ways to have a custom console without lowering the value. Case mods are one of those
ways, and not only is it way more amazing than a custom Xbox One skin, it is also solves literally every single issue with skins. Case
modded consoles are worth WAY more. Having a custom console built from the ground up is much more timeless than just buying a custom
Xbox One skin and would actually increase someone elses interest in it. That means for both reselling it and just people who come to your
house and see it! Have a look for yourself in this
Xbox One Case Modding Gallery.
As you will see, these consoles are much more attractive than the ones you see with big stickers plastered on them. They are just all around
better for someone who wants to make their console unique.
End the Skin!
So, it just doesn't make sense to keep buying these custom Xbox One skins. Case modding is a much better option. You have the satisfaction
of putting something together and building your own console. You have a much more unique look and you do not end up with all the same
problems that the custom skins can have. So the real question is, what are you waiting for? Go out there and start case modding!
