The Xbox Remix Special Edition controller is made from recycled CDs and has a rechargeable battery

In celebration of Earth Day (April 22), Microsoft has announced a new special sustainable version of the Xbox controller.

The Xbox Remix Special Edition Wireless Controller uses recycled and milled plastic parts from older controllers, plastic car headlight covers and recycled CDs (among other materials) to give each accessory a unique look. While the controller doesn’t offer any special or unique functionality, it does allow gamers who want it to buy a controller made from recycled plastic, further demonstrating that they prefer products made with environmentally friendly processes.

A third of each gamepad is made from recycled resins and scrap, with Microsoft saying the recycled resins come from “plastic car headlight covers, plastic water bottles and CDs”. The controller is also made using various parts from older Xbox One controllers that have been recycled with the chip having the same properties in terms of performance and durability (chip is a raw material resulting from the processing of unused waste or production products that is converted into recycled plastic used together with new plastic to make new products).

Microsoft describes the combination of recycled resins and pulped plastic as a unique technique, with “slight variations in earth tones, slightly different swirl shapes, face markings and different textures” giving each Remix Special Edition controller “unique character and feel”.

Although from the photos released by Microsoft it is difficult to confirm the above claim, nevertheless it seems that each controller will differ, if only slightly in appearance and feel to the touch, from the rest. Microsoft describes the exterior of the controller’s grips as a “topographical texture pattern,” saying it’s an “ode to Earth’s dynamic landscape.” The green hues on the front buttons, triggers, D-pad and Xbox button were inspired by lichen, a complex organism found in the Pacific Northwest.

It wouldn’t make a lot of sense to buy a controller that’s been made in an environmentally responsible way and has an environmental impact to put disposable AA batteries in it that end up in landfills. Precisely for this reason, Microsoft offers together with the controller a rechargeable battery with a USB-C cable (Xbox Rechargeable Battery Pack), an accessory that costs €22.90 on its own. The cost of the Remix special edition of Microsoft’s Xbox wireless controller costs €89.99.