Game Console Skins Xbox 360 Pro Series

Added November 2nd, 2004 by Sallizar

Halo LAN parties are about to come back in a big way and after a long night of sugary foods, caffeine, and Warthog driving you might be a bit confused as to which Xbox is actually yours. Beneath the tangle of controller wires, AV cables, and Pringles cans you’ll probably have quite a few Xbox systems that all look the same. Now you could always slap a “Hello, My Name Is:” sticker on each one but that’s pretty tacky. Why not give your plain old black Xbox a makeover so you can tell it apart form the rest of them? I decided to do just that and ordered a 360 Pro “skin” from Game Console Skins.

Basically a console skin is just a big sticker kit. You get quite a few pieces that you apply to the various flat areas of your Xbox to give it a unique appearance. I decided to order the 360 Pro skin which includes pieces for the back, the front and the top of the system to give it a uniform appearance all around. The skin was shipped on multiple sheets in a manila envelope with a cardboard backing to prevent it from folding or wrinkling. This is very nice attention to detail by the shipping team. After opening the package, the invoice directed me to the company’s web site for detailed directions on applying the skin.

The first thing I noticed when reading the directions for applying the skin was the word “water”. Let me first say that water and electronic equipment together is a no-no. That’s one of the Ten Commandments of geekdom. After thoroughly reading the directions I began to understand the point of using water to apply the skin. First you use a damp (I stress damp) sponge to wipe the dust, oil and fingerprints off your system. This insures a good tight bond for the console skin. After cleaning the area that the skin will be applied to you then remove the skin section from the backing paper. Using the sponge again you dampen the sticky side of the skin before applying it. This works great because it allows you to easily adjust the position of the skin section until it’s in just the right spot. This is a huge help on big pieces like the giant X section that goes on the top of the system. After getting all the pieces on you should let it dry overnight, just in case you were overzealous in your dampening.

I was a little skeptical of the quality of the skins when I first ordered one sight unseen. I was expecting something that looked like it came off an inkjet printer. Thankfully, the pieces themselves are extremely high quality and the printing is incredible. Some of the sections are designed to fold around corners of the Xbox so the other worry I had related to the thickness of the skin itself. Thin stickers tend to crease when they are wrapped around a ninety-degree corner. The last thing I wanted was a tacky crease mark on the edges of my precious console. Again, the quality of these skins is readily apparent when folding them around corners. The skin pieces are thick enough to make a nice smooth transition around the edges of the Xbox without a single crease mark in sight.

I’m extremely satisfied with the way the console skin fits my Xbox. The application process was straightforward and fairly simple. The biggest problem you’ll have is getting the giant X on straight. The other great thing is that it doesn’t void your warranty like some other “mods” would. The only faults are the price (which isn’t too bad for such high quality materials) and the wet application technique. I do think the wet application makes the process go much smoother, but I have nightmares of readers drenching their Xbox trying to get the skin applied. If in doubt, wring that sponge out again!