I’ve said it time and time again: Xbox One controllers are my favourite. They are comfortable, durable and come with full plug and play compatibility with Windows 10. Since I like to switch between a controller and a mouse-keyboard combo when gaming on PC, I always keep an Xbox One controller in my office. I’m currently in the process of redecorating and the idea of having a controller match my decor has been floating in my head; enter the Xbox Design Lab.
Love the sleek design of the packaging and the holographic graphic (Photo © Catherine Smith-Desbiens / Girls on Games)
My office is lime green. Such a bright colour isn’t for the faint of heart but I absolutely love it. When designing my Xbox Design Lab controller, I wanted something either in the same colour palette or something that would complement it. I played with my options before going all in: an electric green body with black accents. I’m quite pleased with the results even if it doesn’t exactly match my walls.
In the box (Photo © Catherine Smith-Desbiens / Girls on Games)
The colour on my walls has a lot of yellow in it while the controller is more of a true green with either a yellow or a blue shift depending on the lighting. I’m happy with the result nonetheless as it still fits in the gestalt of my decor.
For the rest of the controller, I went with black to tone down the overpowering green and chose the metallic finish for the bumpers and dpad. I was a bit disappointed though as I was expecting the finish to match the dpad on my Day One Edition which is more chrome. The one offered by Xbox Design Lab isn’t as shiny but I still like it better than the default plastic.
My new favourite controller. Sorry Day One Edition… (Photo © Catherine Smith-Desbiens / Girls on Games)
I also opted for the rubberized grips and I’m glad I did. They are quite comfortable and I feel like I can hold the controller in a more relaxed way because of them.
The rubberized grips (Photo © Catherine Smith-Desbiens / Girls on Games)
Now here’s the pièce de résistance, what truly marks the Xbox Design Lab controller as yours: the engraving. At first, I was going to use my gamertag. However, to me, gaming is a very personal experience, having played since childhood. I just designed this peripheral to be an extension of my personal space… So I went with my childhood nickname.
(Photo © Catherine Smith-Desbiens / Girls on Games)
All in all, I’m quite happy with my Xbox Design Lab controller. Designing it on the Xbox website was easy and I received it within 6 business days, which is quite fast for a made to order item. A great gift for that special gamer in your life!
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DISCLAIMER: Xbox Design Lab review code was provided by Xbox Canada. The opinions expressed in the article above have not be affected by, dictated or edited in any way by the provider. For more information please see Girls on Games’ Code of Journalistic Ethics.