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Red Xbox One Controller Launching This Month

A new color approaches.

42 Comments

Looking for a new Xbox One controller? Microsoft is launching a red version of the controller later this month. This is the new version of the pad, featuring textured grips and increased wireless range. It also has Bluetooth support, and can be used with PC and tablets as well as the Xbox One.

The controller goes on sale starting January 10 through GameStop and the Microsoft Store (via Mspoweruser.com). It costs $65.

No Caption Provided

This is not technically the first red Xbox One controller, as Microsoft offers a red Gears of War 4-themed controller. Additionally, you can get a red controller from the Xbox Design Lab.

The new standard red controller joins other standard colors such as white, blue, and black. Microsoft also offers a number of non-traditional colors such as Dawn Shadow, Dusk Shadow, Copper Shadow, and more. Go to the Xbox website to see all of the available Xbox One controllers.

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deactivated-5c4aeded592fb

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Is it coming to Europe?

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Moonco

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Edited By Moonco  Moderator

"We have no major upcoming games, so to keep the faithful happy we shall announce a red controller" - said a Microsoft rep

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xhawk27

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Edited By xhawk27

@Moonco: Halo Wars 2 is out next month. Don't be jealous that your system doesn't have great looking controllers. ;)

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Moonco

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Moonco  Moderator

@xhawk27: Ya got me. The Switch controller could use a makeover

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EricHiggin

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Edited By EricHiggin

Why Xbox went with green and not red, other than the fact that NiN was known mostly for red. Funny that MS wanted to team up with NiN early on, and are still praising them and leaving the door open.

Xbox - halo red team, 360 - red ring, One - red console and controller

There's something about red that just suits the Xbox brand and its customers for some reason.

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AuGoldfinger79

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@erichiggin: "Funny that MS wanted to team up with NiN early on"

Why is that funny? You know Sony attempted to team up with Nintendo early on right? but Nintendo scrapped the Super Nintendo CD, that Sony built. Due to this scrapped plan, Playstation was born....the rest is history.

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EricHiggin

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@augoldfinger79: It's funny because it seems like MS/XB has been chasing red from the beginning. Maybe that's why they chose the color they did. Green with envy...

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AuGoldfinger79

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@erichiggin: lol Green with envy! As Bishop Magic Don Juan once said "GREEN is for the MONEY! and GOLD is for the HONEY!" We all know Microsoft prints money lol.

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EricHiggin

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Edited By EricHiggin

@augoldfinger79: Dollar bills don't sell consoles though. They help, but there are much more important things needed to achieve "greatness" for XB. Look what it took to get MS where it is today. Bill Gates, a computer, and a garage. Money may buy you happiness, but it won't bring you greatness.

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howthegodzkill

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@erichiggin: Xbox colors should be black and blue.

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deactivated-58a136de1c38f

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@howthegodzkill: Inter Milan home colour kit are that, and I like it. Good colour combi pick!.

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howthegodzkill

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Since most Xbox gamers see red all the time this controller will in fact be white.

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ExoticCharm

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@howthegodzkill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A

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straightcur

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Not enough people using the red parts when ordering their custom controllers?

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Iconoclysm

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@straightcur: Or the opposite, they're finding people want the all red option more than any other.

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BDRTFM

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Already got my son the red Gears of War controller. Just figured I'd get it as a second controller so he'd always have one charged and the other charging. Turns out he's in love with the thing and switches battery packs to keep using it. Same controller. Different color. Go figure.

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RicanV

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RicanV  Moderator

@bdrtfm: why not customize it in the lab and throw his gamer tag on it?

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csward

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Edited By csward

Considering all of the combinations you can get online through the creation lab, this is kind of meh. Reminds me of the PS4 controller of this color.

I don't like how they're charging $5 more for a different color, but if people are paying those prices, then I suppose they can get away with it.

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mogan

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mogan  Moderator

@csward: The custom controllers cost $80 though. I got one that's basically this, just with black sticks, D-pad, and shoulders.

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Cyberjin

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like Mario's hat

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wookietim

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It looks great. But there is one small area of Xbox Controllers that bug me - their price. I get that MS has some very good controllers... but wow if $60 isn't a bit expensive! And $70 for the personalized ones! A controller, in my book, shouldn't cost much more than $30 unless it is absolutely exceptional (I get why the Xbox Pro controller is expensive - it's worth it). A standard controller for any game system ought to be much cheaper than this...

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csward

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@wookietim: The problem is the 3rd party controllers are always garbage, so they can get away with this. Also, their model is lose money on the console and make a profit on the peripherals. The cost to M$, Sony, ect. for these controllers is likely less than $10.

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wookietim

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Edited By wookietim

@csward: Actually, a teardown has shown that a controller probably costs about $20 to make. Which is fine - sell it for $30 (or even as high as $40 - I'd be okay with that since they do last quite awhile - I can't fault MS for their built quality on them) and they'd make a tidy profit while still being affordable.

But $60 for a controller is just way out of line. And it's no better with Sony or Nintendo (And I suspect that Nintendo's Switch will be worse in that respect since that controller setup is very different).

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deactivated-5c4aeded592fb

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@wookietim: The Wii U controller was very high quality, it's outrageous that others get away with charging just as much for a cheaply made controller. But you have no choice anymore...

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wookietim

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@joppy: It would be okay if the first party vendors (MS, Sony) were the ones selling the higher end controllers and there was a market for lower costs third party controllers. I mean, if I could say "I could buy the MS controller for $60 that will last years or this lower cost one for $15 that might only last for a short while". There are times when I have friends over when I'd like a second or third controller that would work for (Example : Playing some game with local multiplayer like Monopoly or something) - where a lower quality controller isn't a big deal.

Something that MS and Sony have forgotten is that not every game is played with one person, one controller, one console. Yeah, most games nowadays are multiplayer over the cloud. Which is cool - I certainly don't want to see a split screen play of Overwatch. But then there are games when people on the same couch might want to play and in that case a lower cost controller is perfectly suited for...

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deactivated-5c4aeded592fb

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@wookietim: I have no idea what you mean with that second paragraph, but anyway...

The problem isn't that there are no cheaply made controllers. Microsoft and Sony's controllers are just as cheaply made as is good. The Xbox One S controller has a low-quality chassis, but passable components. A perfect budget tradeoff. The DualShock 4 controller has a good quality chassis, but flimsy components. Again, a perfect budget tradeoff. It probably shouldn't get much cheaper or it'll impact the game. The problem, however, is that they aren't sold as budget controllers. They are marketed as high-end controllers. They are sold at €60, which is high-end territory (back in the day you could get a Wii Remote for that price). They then proceed to ask €150 for "elite" or "pro" controllers that bump the quality up to the level that you would normally expect from a €60 controller. It's ridiculous.

Achieving the same quality as Microsoft or Sony is probably not an extremely high bar, so I think that sooner or later a third-party controller manufacturer will come that matches them for probably something like €35.

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hiro4476

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Edited By hiro4476

@wookietim:

Myself, I'm totally OK with the price tho... as long as it's a good controller.

ps: It also connects through Bluetoot, convenient If you have a gaming notebook or trying to game on your mobile.

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wookietim

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@hiro4476: One thing I cannot argue with is that MS controllers seem to have a very long life... It's not like they have to be replaced every few months or anything. I assume Sony's controllers are the same in that regard.

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Iconoclysm

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@wookietim: I wouldn't be so sure that leads to a "tidy profit", there's a lot more to a retail boxed item's price than just the parts and labor.

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wookietim

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@Iconoclysm: True. Very true. I can't argue with that.

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DaVillain

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DaVillain  Moderator

Love the red Xbox One controller but I already have Xbox Elite controller for my PC and that's all I need as far as controllers goes.

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Plus_1

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Not a fan of red, but I must say, the controller looks pretty sporty in that state. Already have elite, bf1 green and 4 regular ones. Im good for the moment. I'll probably hit the lab once Scorpio hits.

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Pyrosa

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Design Lab is the way to go! The controller I made for my wife is amazing.

Too bad I couldn't customize my Elite's colors, and tell them to skip the case & incredibly wasteful packaging.

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RicanV

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Edited By RicanV  Moderator

Pretty neat looking but as stated in the above you can always just customize the controller in the lab.

I actually intend to do that myself when I redo my gaming PC.

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Pyrosa

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Edited By Pyrosa

@RicanV: Yeah, the sexy new line of nVidia cards has pushed me down the upgrade path as well. Already streaming to a crappy old Win10 laptop (which works GREAT over 1Gb Ethernet), but my perf system runs Win7 and is already outdated.

Elite & normal controllers work great on both. Turns out you can just connect your controller via a USB3 micro USB cable. Then just hit the wifi sync buttons on the console again later. Totally non-disruptive.

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RicanV

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RicanV  Moderator

@Pyrosa: thank you for that. One of my concerns was ease of connectivity. Does it play well with Steam?

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chiefwiggum16

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My wife made me a black one with red dpad, analog and back plate for xmas with my gamertag engraved. It was petty jammin

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chiefwiggum16

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@sellingthings: My wife hates video games but she accepts my hobby. Been dealing with it for 15 years lol

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