Microsoft is celebrating Earth Day with a new, environmentally-friendly Xbox controller. Dubbed the Remix Special Edition, the gamepad is largely made up of recycled plastics and other reclaimed materials.
The Xbox Wireless Controller Remix Special Edition will launch on April 18, just a few days ahead of Earth Day on April 22. It wil retail for $85, which is significantly more than a standard Xbox controller. However, it comes with some extras that might make that price tag sound more reasonable.
The main feature is that one-third of the controller is made up of recycled materials. Microsoft is doing that through a regrind process, in which it recycles parts from old Xbox One controllers into new raw material. Other plastics have been pulled from recycled materials like CDs, water jugs, and headlight covers.
There’s a more practical aspect to the controller’s environmentally conscious design too. It comes bundled with an Xbox Rechargeable Battery Pack that has up to 30 hours of battery life. That’s an appealing feature over a standard Xbox controller, which runs on batteries. That product usually retails for $25 on its own, which makes the Remix Special Edition’s price tag about on par with what you’d pay for a new Xbox controller with a Battery Pack.
The controller features a unique color palette that was inspired by natural landscapes. Its front face plate is a forest green shade with a lighter green used for the D-pad and triggers. The back grips feature a textured pattern that looks a bit like a topographic map. It’s certainly unlike any Xbox controller color profile we’ve seen so far this generation.
The Xbox Wireless Controller Remix Special Edition launches on April 18 and can be preordered now.
