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The onset of June marks the celebration of Pride Month, and Xbox is joining other companies to pay tribute to the community by releasing a new controller.
Last year, Xbox launched a limited number of Pride controllers, receiving universal praise for the design and prompting many players to request it become widely available. The company listened and made this year’s controller customizable through the Xbox Design Lab.
“You can customize all other parts of the controller with a broad color palette, metallic finishes, rubberized grips, and even add engraving to make your Pride controller unique to you,” wrote the website.
The new controller’s design showcases a top case design that pays tribute to 34 different community flags that Xbox Wire describes as “a fine, interwoven manner to celebrate the nuance, complexity, intersectionality, and strength of the many LGBTQIA+ communities.”
“But this isn’t just a controller,” wrote Xbox Wire. “It’s a symbol of the LGBTQIA+ communities that inspired it, and a call to continue efforts towards inclusion and representation across all gaming space.”
While the design creates a unique experience for the community, Xbox further expands the celebration of Pride Month with a Pride merch collection of apparel on the Xbox Gear Shop. Additionally, Microsoft will be donating a sizable $170,000 to various communities, including the LGBTQIA+ nonprofits OutRight Action International, Mermaids, Lavender Rights Project, African Rainbow Family, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and Fulcrum UA, to support them in the fight for LGBTQIA+ equity and equality.
Microsoft Reward members in the United States and the United Kingdom can also earn and donate points to LGBTQIA+ supporting organizations, particularly Mermaids, OutRight Action International, and The National Center for Transgender Equality.
Xbox Plays will also be sharing stories about representation from LGBTQIA+ Xbox Ambassadors and will be spotlighted. Additionally, Xbox Plays will dedicate its livestreams to LGBTQIA+ streamers on the streaming platform Twitch.
With how vast the gaming world is, Xbox strives to celebrate one of the largest with its inclusive features. The Pride controller will be available on June 9 via Xbox Design Lab.
