Original 1999 Xbox Controller Designs Show VMU Device

So you might have seen these images by now, as Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley tweeted them two days ago on Saturday night. As soon as I saw them I was intrigued and asked how 'genuine' they were...and my question simply received a 'favourite.' I'll be honest - I didn't actually know who Seamus was at the time so I was a bit sceptical, but it turns out these images are indeed real.

Dating from November 1999 according to Blackley, the drawings depict several prototype Xbox controllers and they all feature a VMU style memory unit very similar to the Dreamcast design. The most interesting thing here is the date - it confirms that Microsoft was planning a console as early as 1999, and was already looking at the Dreamcast as a blueprint for the Xbox.

The controller designs themselves all look a little bit on the bizarre/uncomfortable side, but as a little glimpse at the influence the Dreamcast possibly had on the Xbox, they're pretty interesting:

I'm not really sure why there are Power Stone characters on the designs, but the names of some of the controller prototypes are suitably '90s' in flavour. Blackley has since tweeted several more images relating to the early days of the Xbox and dispelled the rumours that the Xbox was originally going to play Dreamcast games. He also states that they didn't go with any of the designs shown as they were too similar to the Dreamcast:

Never a truer word said in jest.