Right on time for the release of Fallout Season 2, Xbox Design Lab has churned out a new Fallout-inspired controller. This time around, Xbox has gone for a Pip-Boy design, and I can see what they were trying to go for. The Xbox controller as a whole looks kinda like the display on a Pip-Boy, but what it really looks like is Vault Boy superimposed on a gamepad, and it is haunting.
I think his neon-lined face being almost forced between the various options buttons is what's doing it for me. It makes his patented smile look forced, and the whole thing is oddly expressive - like he's poking his head through prison bars to make a plea for release. Anyway, if you'd like to grab what could surely turn out to be an Xbox fan's collector's item, this design of the Xbox and Xbox Elite controller is available now.
Just like with any other Design Lab colorway, you're able to make this your own by customizing various trimmings like the color of the thumbsticks and D-pad, but you will need to pay a little more than you would on the stock Xbox controller colors.
Of course, this isn't the first time Design Lab has used Fallout as the inspiration for one of its exclusive designs. I remember covering a similar Pip-Boy controller design in March of 2024, just before the first season of the Fallout series aired. That took a slightly different approach though, using an almost "Where's Wally" outlook that still utilized Vault Boy, but with varying colors and personalities that fit the themes of the in-game world.
Again, I understand what the folks at Xbox were going for here, but maybe there was a way to go about this design that wouldn't make it look like Vault Boy was an evil demon staring into your soul as you pressed his demonic selection of buttons he was so eagerly presenting you with.
Maybe if the grips had some color that made them look like the design of the Pip-Boy's iconic wrist strap? Or if Pip-Boy had a few different poses you could choose between to give him a bit more expression - sort of like the Astro Bot Joyful Limited Edition DualSense.
Thankfully, as controllers, these will function just fine, as all of Xbox's pads tend to. The stock Xbox Series X controller is a safe bet for any gamer, while the Elite Series 2 and Elite Series 2 Core models are still fantastic pro controllers that are continuing to age like fine wine. Even so, maybe one day we'll get an Elite Series 3, even if loads of third-party brands are making officially licensed alternatives these days.
Fallout Season 2, which is set to be heavily inspired by Obsidian's classic game, Fallout New Vegas, will emerge from the vault on December 17 on Amazon Prime Video, so if you're keen to revisit any of the Fallout games in celebration, one of these controllers may be an ideal companion - just, please, don't look directly into Vault Boy's eyes.
Hunting down a new gamepad? Take a look at the best PC controllers, the best PS5 controllers, and the best Nintendo Switch 2 controllers.
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