The prettiest Xbox 360 ever goes to…

The President of South Korea!
I wonder if there’s an achievement for that…

While custom systems are not unheard of, few can say they own one personally commissioned by Microsoft’s top guy. In fact, only one hundred people will get to say such a thing, with South Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak being the first.

Bill Gates recently commissioned Kim Young-jun, (pictured with his creation), head of Korean company Gookbo, to design an XBox 360 with traditional Korean beauty as inspiration.

He got flowers…with butterflies.

The design consists of inlaid mother-of-pearl ume flowers and butterflies, which represent patience and perseverance, and was entitled “Peace.” One has to appreciate the irony of naming a system “Peace,” when gamers can often be found screaming vulgarities at their TV screen and tossing controllers to exemplify their opposing sentiment.

While these systems are unique, system customization is not a new craft to many gamers. With the desire to have a system that represents their individuality (or screams, “Help! I’m a raging nerd!), gamers have been for some time enhancing their systems with changes ranging from simply swapping out the default faceplate of their 360 to extreme case mods (such as the “Elite XBox 360 laptop” pictured right). And it’s an art form that is far from limited to just 360 consoles.

Gamers have been pimping out gaming rigs of all types for years with ambient lighting, cooling systems, optical illusions, and extreme custom case designs so extravagant you can’t help but wonder why one of them hasn’t constructed a fully-functioning Lightsaber yet. Some even showcase their skills as “case-modders” by entering contests or offering extensive online guides, illustrating modifications ranging from simple aesthetic upgrades to truly outrageous case overhauls.

And for those too wary to attempt a mod by themselves, there are those who will provide case modding as a service. Only your imagination is the limit. Well, that or your budget.

So, while it may be easy to poke fun at the chosen design of “Peace,” in the end you have to admit: it’s a pretty nice gift.

Since Bill was willing to gift one to South Korea’s president, perhaps he’d be willing to grease the political gears by gifting one to North Korea’s president, Kim Jong-il.

“XBox 360, Mr. Jong-il?”

“Ah, very good! Look for my gamertag: “LilTrbleMkr13.””

Okay, so I couldn’t resist myself.