Xbox Design Lab has long offered fans a deep suite of customization options for its controllers. But players who prefer the premium features and functionality of Microsoft’s high-end Elite series controllers have been left out in the cold, usually forced to choose between one or two subdued colorways. That’s no longer the case.
Starting October 18, you can customize your own Elite Series 2 controller through Xbox Design Lab. Whether you gravitate toward subdued or vibrant colors, your imagination is the only limit to how you can make your handset your own.
Xbox representatives outlined all the different components you can tweak in a press release ahead of the announcement.
Players can choose from a variety of different colors to customize nearly all the external parts of the Elite Series 2 controller including the body, back case, D-pad, bumpers, triggers, thumbsticks, and buttons. You can even choose between a cross-shaped or faceted D-pad and for the first time ever in Xbox Design Lab, color-customize the thumbstick base and ring.
Designing a custom Elite Series 2 controller starts at $149.99. Personalized accessories, including paddles, variant thumbsticks and D-pads, carrying case, and a charging pack, can be purchased for an additional fee. If you already know you want all the whips and jingles, you can get a customized controller with all the additional add-ons for $209.99.
That’s quite a jump over the standard Xbox controller, which retails for $59.99 for basic black and white, and $69.99 for limited edition and special colorways. The slightly cheaper Elite Series 2 Core, which eliminates accessories like a charging dock, carrying case, and additional thumbsticks retails for $129. The standard Elite Series 2 goes for $179.
Sure, it’s a bit of a splurge, but if you grativate toward games that demand twitchy precision, your experience benefits from custom control schemes, or you’ve got a gamer on your holiday gift list who’s tough to shop for, it’s a welcome new option to have.
In the announcement, Microsoft representatives have acknowledged that custom Elite Series controllers are something fans have wanted to see for several years now:
“Since Xbox Design Lab launched in 2016, the number one fan request has been to include Elite controllers in our unique customization program to empower further personalization of our premium controller. Now you have billions of colorful ways to make the most customizable controller from Xbox unmistakably yours! We’re excited to bring more choices to gamers around the world and can’t wait to see how fans reimagine what it is to be Elite.”
You can tinker with your own custom controller ideas at the Design Lab site. Microsoft’s FAQs for customization say players can expect to receive their controller in 28 days.
