We Bling Out Microsoft's New Xbox Design Lab Controller
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Microsoft revealed new enhancements and color schemes for its Xbox Design Lab controllers at E3 2017. We customized one and ordered it. How did it turn out? Let’s take a look.
Click here for the video reveal.
The newly updated controllers feature four new color options: Desert Tan, Sierra Brown, Mineral Blue, and Ink Blue. We went with the latter for the body of our design, which ended up turning out a bit darker than we had expected.
To complement our Ink Blue hue, we went with Desert Tan for our joysticks, bumpers, triggers, and d-pad.
Microsoft now gives you metallic options for the triggers and d-pad that cost $3 and $4 more, respectively. So we, of course, ordered them.
Here's a shot that highlights the metallic triggers, which look pretty slick. Like the Xbox Controller S models before it, the bumpers are also easier to actuate than those of the original. This is definitely appreciated.
For an additional $6, you can add rubberized grips. They're not a necessity, but they do add a nice grippy texture that helps prevent your hands from slipping.
We paid an additional $10 to get a GameSpot engraving at the base of the controller.
For the face buttons, we went with a grey on black color scheme, which we felt blended in with the controller and didn't clash too heavily with our chosen hues.
The total for our custom Xbox controller came out to $103.
Here's our new custom Xbox Design Lab controller next to the original black Xbox One equivalent. Notice how it no longer has the plastic, glossy material up at the top.
If you look closely at the blue grip, you may notice that it keeps the smooth yet sandpaper-like texture that was introduced with the Xbox One S' controller.
Like Microsoft's more recent Xbox One S controller, the company's new Design Lab equivalents come with a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom and support Bluetooth so you can use it wirelessly with a Windows 10 PC.