Clever PC cases are nothing new, of course, with some incredibly creative designs being created by case makers as well as dedicated enthusiasts and modders.
In the past, from some of the larger (and smaller) case manufacturers, we’ve witnessed Cougar’s FV270 fish tank case, which has an RGB turntable inside. Or to venture into further experimental territory, how about Cooler Master’s shark-shaped gaming case? Or even some of the truly elaborate case designs seen at previous Computex shows.
Two are actual PC cases and one is simply a DIY concept that modifies your existing case, but I love it so much that I feel I should mention it. And anyone who’s played coin-op arcade games will probably appreciate it just as much.
1. NextGear Clear Change
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The NextGear Clear Shift, as highlighted by PC Watch (a Japanese tech site), has a built-in cloaking device, Star Trek style. Well, more or less. What Clear Shift actually does is transform the case window panels (front and side) from transparent to opaque with the touch of a button.
Within a minute, the case is transparent and you can see the CPU, GPU and other hardware inside; The next minute, it becomes opaque and you can’t see the insides at all. When the PC is off, it is opaque by default, in case you were wondering.
Very good? Definitely. Pretty useless? Well, what’s the point of any of these fancy custom cases except to make something strikingly different that takes us away from the land of simple black mini towers?
Although that said, there might be a practical use for this case after all, given what we’ve been hearing about RAM being a new target for thieves, smashing and grabbing stuff from desktop PCs; At least with NextGear Clear Shift, they won’t be able to see if you’ve loaded 128GB of DDR5 inside your machine (at least, not at a glance).
2. InWin Aeon
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Shown at CES 2026, where it turned heads to say the least, InWin’s Aeon case is described as a “vision beyond the conventional” and a “mechanized architectural statement.” Hyperbole? Well, yes, but to be fair, this is an amazing case and definitely a statement.
It uses reflective mosaic panels for a really smart, modern look, and the shape of the chassis makes the Aeon look more like a futuristic artifact from a sci-fi movie than a PC case. On top of that, the chassis has an RFID card reader, and when you swipe the provided card, the case opens up to provide super sleek access to the components (check it out in the promotional video above).
3. Coin Operated Gaming PC
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Remember the coin-operated machines in old-style arcades? Here we have an external addition to a PC case: a coin mechanism. You must put a specific coin in your machine to turn it on.
This is the brainchild of Mr. Yeester, a hardware engineer with his own YouTube channel, as discovered by Tom’s Hardware, and you can see the process of creating this creation in the video clip above.
The end result is a separate coin acceptance box connected to the gaming PC, and while the engineer uses a makeshift cabinet to save time, it could obviously be something a little more sophisticated. This is a very novel idea, and there is also a security element here: if you don’t have exactly the right coin (the acceptor box checks the size and thickness of the metal using phototransistors and infrared LEDs) you can’t turn on the computer. Here the best notes for ingenuity.
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