VanHalbgottAnyone notice the PS1 and Dreamcast are designed similarly in a way?
It was the style at the time! Lots of CD players had flip up tops, as did the Sega Saturn. I assume it was because the slide out tray mechanism was more expensive and also more fragile.
For a real trip check out this Japanese laptop:
I love this tech aesthetic. 90s Japanese tech is just fun to look at.