Retro Gaming Made Easy: Why the Xbox’s Clear-Backed Controller Is Ideal

The rise of retro console emulation on iPhone has ushered in a new era of nostalgia-obsessed gamers. So, Microsoft is cashing in on the past with a 1990s-inspired version of the modern Xbox controller.

Microsoft’s “Sky Cipher Special Edition “ Xbox controller features a translucent blue faceplate, an opaque plastic backside, and rubberized grips. It immediately conjures memories of the GameBoy Color, the Nintendo 64, the iMac G3, and other classic products that defined the turn of the century.

Aesthetically speaking, the only thing that sets this controller apart from its 90s forebears is its internal vibration motors. You can see the motors rumble inside of the controller while gaming—an experience that gamers weren’t allowed to enjoy with the N64’s opaque plastic “Rumble Pak.”

Under the hood, the Sky Cipher controller is just a normal Xbox controller. It offers the same functionality that you’d get with any Series X-generation Xbox gamepad: full compatibility with PCs, phones, and tablets, wireless connectivity with a 40-hour battery life, a USB-C port, and customizable user profiles (through Xbox Accessories or other remapping apps).

Xbox controllers also require little to no setup in retro console emulators. They’re ubiquitous, so they’re supported far better than any other gamepads. As much as I love my 8BitDo controller , I always have to do some tweaking when I connect it to a new platform.

I should clarify that Sky Cipher is not the first translucent Xbox gamepad. A black translucent “20th Anniversary “ Xbox controller launched back in 2021, and Microsoft offered a range of opaque-to-translucent ombre Xbox controllers a year earlier. (Previous console generations also featured translucent Xbox controllers. In fact, the team that worked on the original Xbox received an exclusive translucent green “Duke” controller.)

The Xbox Sky Cipher Special Edition gamepad is available for pre-order today. It costs $70, so it’s more expensive than a typical Xbox controller , but that’s the price you pay for being nostalgic.

Source: Microsoft

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