Xbox Design Lab – The Product Arrived

Last month, Xbox Canada was nice enough to send over a code so we could try out the Xbox Design Lab process. We’ve already detailed the design phase of product which you can read here, but now it’s time to look at the actual product, compare it to the design, and determine how worthwhile this expensive adventure really is! Let’s dive in and see how well Microsoft was able to construct the controller I designed!

For reference, here is what my controller was suppose to look like. Imagine the back the same colour as the front, with the rubberized grips installed (for an additional cost).

Overall, I was really impressed with the package I received in the mail. It game in a beautiful Xbox Design Lab box, and when you flipped the lid to look at your newest product, it was nicely displayed, in all its glory! Almost everything was perfect between the design I created and the product I received. Since I have never actually used the newer Xbox One controllers – which I believe was launched alongside the Xbox One S – I was more impressed than the average person would be when comparing it to what I had been using previously.

The rubberized grips on the back of the controller make a huge difference. As gross as this sounds, my hands become very sweaty when playing video games over a long period of time. Having these rubberized grips saved me from having to quickly wipe the backside of my controller during ongoing FIFA matches.

Overall, my design philosophy was pretty simple: I love the Toronto Maple Leafs, a professional National Hockey League team in Toronto, Ontario, and to display that love for my favorite team,  I wanted an Xbox Controller to match. You might think I’m silly now, but its going to make a GREAT Twitter picture when I hold it up next to my copy of NHL 18!

If I have a complaint, it would be the display quality of the metallic finishes when using the online software itself. As an added bonus – and so that I could check out EVERY feature of the design lab – Xbox Canada supplied enough credit for me to purchase and apply the extra features available, including the aforementioned rubberized grips, as well as metallic finishes for the D-pad and triggers. As you can see in the pictures above, the metallic finish D-Pad and triggers are very pronounced. I went with Sterling Silver, as it appeared as close to my white bumpers and thumb sticks as possible.

As you can see from the Xbox Design Lab photo at the beginning of the article – and in more detail in our review of the Xbox Design Lab software – , the sterling silver metallic colour doesn’t really show well. For me, it mattered  very little as the design still turned out great and I’m very happy with it. But for someone who wanted something a bit closer to a metallic white, they will definitely be disappointed. Yes, I understand that ‘Sterling Silver’ should insight thoughts of grey not white, but more often than not, you are paying attention to the image within the Xbox Design Lab, not the words.

Regardless, the experience was still top notch all around, and for anyone who loves their Xbox One, having a custom controller with your Gamertag etched onto it is really priceless. I’m glad I did it, and cannot wait to snag one of these for my wife as well.