New Xbox Controller Is Made From Recycled Old Junk

Microsoft today announced a new and very cool Xbox controller: the “Remix Special Edition”, which is (partly, at least) made up of recycled plastic.

Being released to coincide with Earth Day celebrations, this controller is made of “post-consumer recycled resins with regrind consisting of previously molded colored parts”, which is a marketing person’s way of saying “we took loads of old plastic, ground it into tiny particles, made new plastic out of it then used it to help make this controller”.

That old plastic has been sourced from “leftover Xbox One generation controller parts”, while “reclaimed materials like automotive headlight covers, plastic water jugs, and CDs” have also been dumped into the mix.

There’s an ecological benefit to this, of course, but also a visual one: these kind of “grind” products—which are increasingly common all over place, even in clothing—always feature one-of-a-kind designs, since the mix of colours and particles is different for each controller.

I don’t know if I’m the biggest fan of the colour scheme here; I get the environmental angle, but it also reminds me of a baby’s cutlery set from IKEA (though the wood grain pattern down the grips is, like wood grain in any video game console or controller, always welcome).

This particular controller also ships with Microsoft’s Xbox Rechargeable Battery Pack, so that you don’t need to use disposable batteries, though the company’s environmental concerns in this particular case ring a little hollow when most other standard Xbox controllers still ship with AAs.

It should also be noted that only a portion of the controller is made from recycled plastic (33% to be exact, Microsoft tells Kotaku), not the whole thing; though nearly all recycled plastic products do this, and the figure is often much lower (in Adidas’ case, for example, it has sometimes been…0%)

The “Remix Special Edition” will retail for USD$85, and will be out on April 18.