Xbox Design Lab is back.
After being temporarily suspended last year, the custom controller service has returned, writes Eurogamer. During the Xbox E3 follow-up presentation, the announcement was made and is now accepting customization jobs for both Xbox Series X/S controllers.
A lot of users want to make their gaming hardware their very own, which is where the services of Xbox Design Lab come in. Anybody who avails of their service gets access to a wide array of customization options. Aside from picking different colors (there are 18 colors to choose from now), gamers can also pick colors for their controllers' external parts. This includes the D-Pad, left and right triggers, ABXY buttons, thumbsticks, bumpers, and even the View, Share, and Menu buttons.
Gamers can also choose to personalize their Xbox controller with their gamertags, as Xbox Design Lab allows for a 16-character limit. With all these customization options, it makes sense that the service itself isn't that cheap: the starting price is $69.99 for a custom job, according to GameRant. Adding things like engravings cost an extra $10, which will make a fully-custom Xbox controller $20 more than a standard one.
Microsoft introduced Xbox Design Lab way back in 2016, when the previous-generation Xbox One was still early in its life cycle. However, it had to be discontinued in September of last year when Microsoft was preparing for the major transition into the next console generation, as reported by Tech Radar.
The official Xbox Design Lab website is now up and running, ready to accept orders for those who want to try the service out.
Xbox Design Lab: Making the Series X Worth A Second Look?
The current generation of the console wars is well on its way, though it seems like one side is winning the hype battle. And it's not the new Microsoft console.
Sony did a masterful job marketing the PlayStation 5, which made it the talk of the town despite releasing the Xbox Series X/S to start the generation. Microsoft still hasn't revealed any sales numbers for the Series X or S, but it can be safe to say that the competing Sony console sold out like hotcakes within the first six months of release.
And here's another thing: try asking any gamer you know which console they're most excited about. They're probably going to say, "PS5." A lot of people would agree, even big-name publications like Forbes. Even developers are also saying that they prefer the PS5 over the Series X, meaning Microsoft has a long way to go before they manage to match the overall popularity of the competition.
With Xbox Design Labs, however, they might have a chance. Offering fans a chance to customize their hardware via official channels has great business potential, especially when Sony PlayStation doesn't offer something similar. Gamers tend to take a lot of pride in the systems they play on, and a controller customization service can be a potential key to increasing the overall popularity of the Xbox Series X and S.
Related : Xbox Series X vs. PS5: 4 Ways Microsoft's Console is Better, What to Get on Restock Drops?
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by RJ Pierce
