The Xbox One may not have had the best of starts in 2013, but Phil Spencer and the rest of the Xbox team has turned the ship around in an incredible way. Over the years the platform has given its players a multitude of options and features that are consumer-friendly. The most notable of these are the dozens of special and limited Xbox One controllers they've released, including the personal customization platform known as Xbox Design Lab. Let's now look at and rank the 10 best Xbox One special edition controllers since the console's release in 2013.
10 Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Over the years the gaming industry has seen the Call of Duty franchise come out with some rather hideous custom hardware and accessories. The controller they released alongside Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare manages to come across as something that wasn't overbearingly gaudy. The base gray controller features numerous gold accents and markings that are very similar to the in-game heads-up display. It's a shame the game itself was mostly forgettable, considering they finally nailed a controller design.
9 Sport White
The Sport White controller nails a clean monochromatic design that features hints of teal and silver. It's similar to the "tech" line Xbox has had with their Xbox One controllers but happens to be a bit more unique in its design. The geometric patterns running down each handle feature line work that's accented by spots of gray and teal. Pairing that will a silver d-pad and light gray joysticks bring the whole design together. A nice touch was going with the all-white buttons on both the numbered ones as well as the middle menu buttons.
8 Minecraft Creeper
Is the Minecraft Controller hideous? Depending on who you ask that question is either a strong yes or a soft no. The controller features very basic pixel art of the game's most terrifying and destructive enemy, the creeper.
A neat design detail for the controller is that the letters on the buttons have a font similar to the block-style of Minecraft. Other than that it's a pretty straight-forward design that seems ideal for fans of the game or those who really love the color green.
7 Volcano Shadow
Xbox decided to do this really neat design initiative for their controllers where they released a set of them with an ombre/gradient color scheme. Several of them are pretty nice and it really comes down to a matter of preference. The Volcano Shadow edition, which happens to be a controller with a black and orange gradient from the top-down, is arguably the best of the bunch. All of the buttons and sticks remain black but are accented with a bright rustic orange that makes the details pop off of the controller.
6 Titanfall
Is the special edition Titanfall controller a little much? Yes, it certainly is and there's no denying that. The reason it makes the list though is that it happens to be rather unique and uses a solid color scheme throughout.
At its core, it's a normal white Xbox One controller that received a facelift via orange and black decals that mock the in-game design of the Titans and military equipment. Orange, black, and white is a design aesthetic that simply works and though this controller is a little busy, it's not ugly because of it.
5 Cyberpunk 2077
The special edition Cyberpunk 2077 controller was the latest and likely last special edition controller for the Xbox One. You could purchase it individually, or get it as part of the special edition console. The core of the design focuses on this center-split aesthetic which merges two design aesthetics. The left side is silver and red and comes across like high-class machinery, whereas the right side is black and red with rebellious graffiti scratched across it giving it a more street-like inner-city feel.
4 Gears Of War 4/Crimson
Gears Of War, like Halo, is a franchise that has seen its fair share of special and limited edition consoles and controllers over the years. When Gears Of War 4 released, with it came a trio of new special edition controllers. Out of the three, the one named Crimson Omen happened to be the best mix of design and pricing. It features the franchise logo on the left handle and the rest of the controller is a textured red coating. It has subtle details throughout, like the claw marks in the upper right side behind the face buttons.
3 Halo 5/Master Chief
Here's the thing, Halo 5 may have been a franchise low-point from a single-player narrative perspective, but it happened to have a stellar special edition controller. The Halo 5: Guardians Master Chief Xbox One controller is a thing of beauty from the moment you set eyes on it. Overall the controller sports a design similar to that of the Spartan armor associated with the UNSC. The detailing of the button indicators, textures, and golden d-pad bring it all together into what most would consider the series' best special edition controller.
2 Lunar White
The Lunar White controller coming in at the second spot will likely be controversial, but it made a case for itself. It is mostly a sleek white controller with black bumpers and joysticks. In terms of other details, the d-pad happens to be gold and the center menu buttons are white with gold accent symbols inside.
The simplicity of the controller makes its elegance even more apparent and helps communicate the design as something worth owning. It isn't flashy, but it just comes across as a solid piece of hardware.
1 Sea Of Thieves
Special edition controllers for games are hard to nail because most of the time they come across as a bit much. You'll often find that the ones that go for a more subtle design tend to work best. The Sea Of Thieves controller is a phenomenal design because it clearly communicates what game it's from if you know, and if you don't it simply looks cool. The implementation of a compass around the left joystick and the skull logo in the middle simply works. Having speckles of green over a cloudy purple base ties it all together.