Microsoft, EA and Respawn are teaming up for a limited edition Xbox One controller inspired by Titanfall. The wireless gamepad will arrive in stores in two months.
The controller is based on the C-101 Carbine, one of the weapons you'll carry into battle in Titanfall. It has a white body with black and orange markings. There are also a few grey hexagons decals between the buttons. Microsoft and Respawn designed the gamepad together.
"In a collaborative effort with the Xbox design team and the Respawn art department our goal was to create a controller that feels as if it is a piece of military spec hardware transported from the universe of Titanfall and into players hands," said Joel Emslie, Lead Artist at Respawn Entertainment.
Titanfall is the debut game from Respawn Entertainment, a studio staffed by many former Call of Duty developers. Players are titan pilots who can move through the map with alarming speed using parkour moves. They can also hop into their mechs, known as "titans," to lay down heavy firepower. The selection of mechs ranges from the heavily armored ogre to the nimble Stryder.
The game was the subject of controversy last week when Respawn revealed that its multiplayer is 6v6. Some were worried that this player count was too low. I disagreed but hey, we'll see.
Even if you don't end up liking Titanfall, the controller's spiffy. It's not covered in the game's title so you could pretend the controller is inspired by something else. There are a lot of other products out there with orange and black branding, like the Baltimore Orioles, Ubuntu, Harley-Davidson, Oregon State University, or Orange is the New Black. You could even pretend the controller is an elaborate tease for Half-Life 3. Four face buttons minus one direction pad is three, after all.
That being said: why is the controller $64.99? You're paying five bucks more for the special design. Granted, it's a nice design but controllers are already expensive. Normal Xbox One controllers aren't exactly ugly, either. The difference in price will likely ensure that this is a collectible for hardcore fans only.
Titanfall will launch on March 11th in North America and on March 13th in Europe. The controller will arrive on those dates as well.
