Introducing the New Xbox-owned Dark Chrome Controller

Summary

Scott Dallmeye, a senior designer on the industrial design team, shares some insights into the process of designing Xbox’s new industrial design, including the Xbox-owned dark chrome controller.

Xbox’s New Industrial Design
The Xbox-Owned Dark Chrome
3D Printing and Iteration
The Clustered and Streamlined Design
Conclusion

Introduction

In creating the new Xbox industrial design, we wanted to give gamers an exclusive entertainment experience. To achieve this, we designed it so that it tied together as a family, with a cohesive design language. In this Q&A, we will be discussing the Xbox-owned dark chrome controller, its design process, and what makes it stand out from previous controllers.

Xbox’s New Industrial Design

Questioner: Can you tell us about the thought process behind the industrial design of Xbox’s new line of products?
Scott Dallmeye: From the beginning, we wanted Xbox’s new line of products to be very different from what we’ve done before. We wanted to create something that would fit in with the things that are in your living room, or your game room, yet still be very efficient and compelling. We took great care to create a cohesive design language that ties all of our products together in this generation.

The Xbox-Owned Dark Chrome

Questioner: Can you tell us more about the Xbox-owned dark chrome used in the new Xbox controller?
Scott Dallmeye: Instead of having a standard chrome, or a standard black, we have our very specific, Xbox-owned dark chrome. We wanted this to be very quiet, very confident, but still, very capable. Even the micro-detailing has a new key for the Y button, three injection-molding processes that go into making this key, and it becomes a new icon when you’re looking at the controller itself.

3D Printing and Iteration

Questioner: How did 3D printing and iteration help with designing the Xbox-owned dark chrome controller?
Scott Dallmeye: The controllers for us are a love for seeing the things that weren’t done, the design bits that weren’t adopted. These are 3D printed and we have them in-house to iterate on quickly. We streamlines a lot of the things that were problem areas in previous controllers.

The Clustered and Streamlined Design

Questioner: How did the design team make the Xbox-owned dark chrome controller feel more comfortable?
Scott Dallmeye: All of this is integrated into one, simple shape, clustered together, making it easier to reach, and get rapid-fire trigger to trigger. Getting rid of the battery pack was a huge deal. Different-sized and shaped hands can get in there, making it much easier to hold this time around, adding more comfort.

Conclusion

Xbox’s new industrial design is not only efficient and compelling but also exclusive for gamers. The Xbox-owned dark chrome controller has been designed with specific attention to detail, using 3D printing for quick iteration. The controller itself is much more comfortable to hold, making it an essential accessory for gamers.