Behold the Coolest Custom Consoles You Ever Saw, In Honor of the Chinese New Year

Since the dawn of gaming, special edition consoles have been a thing. Over the years, they've run the gamut from pretty darn sexy-looking, to ugly as hell, to just plain lazy.

I remember begging ma and pa for that Pikachu-branded N64 back in the day, only to realize that the thing looked like shit in the flesh. Worst. Christmas. Ever. But hell, at least some effort went into the making of the thing. Oftentimes, ‘special edition' consoles just have a quick logo or character's gurning face painted on them, before they're thrown out of the door in time for some AAA game or other's release.

But, natch, that's just the give-us-your-cashtacular attitude of big business. Trying to make the most money with the least effort is what these guys are all about. If you want to see some really impressive custom consoles, you come to those who do it as a labor of love. The nerdly, tech-savvy, dedicated fans and artists. Like these ones right here.

Chinese New Year is on its way this week, and Microsoft commissioned a few one-of-a-kind Xbox Ones to be customised to fit that theme. Artists from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan were given only a month to finish, and the results were all kinds of badass.

‘From stylistic decaling to full-on monkey-themed Xbox Ones, the designers truly let their imaginations run wild to create some of the most unique consoles we've ever seen,' Xbox Wire reports, and they're sure as hell that. Check out a couple more below, then hit the link to see the full range of designs and the stories behind them.