The new Xbox Sky Cipher controller is making transparent tech cool again

You'll be able to see what's inside your Xbox controller with the Sky Cipher Special Edition

(Credit: Microsoft)

Update: You can now pre-order the Xbox Sky Cipher from Amazon at the button below.

• 🆕 Microsoft has revealed a new Xbox Series X controller called Sky Cipher

• 🎮 It features a transparent plastic shell on the front of the controller

• ♻️ The controller will also ship in new environmentally-conscious packaging

• 🎉 It’s the 30th custom controller design Microsoft has announced

Not to be outdone by Sony’s new Astro Bot PS5 controller this week, Microsoft has announced a new gamepad for players featuring an alluring, transparent shell.

The Xbox Sky Cipher controller lets you see all the inner workings of Microsoft’s pad, like the rumble motors whirring, and it’s a design that the company has experimented with previously. The Forza Horizon 5 Limited Edition and 20th Anniversary Special Edition feature a transparent shell, and they’re two of the best Xbox Series X controller colors for that reason.

The controller will also come in a newly designed package that removes all single-use plastics and is now 22% smaller and 21% lighter, reducing its environmental footprint. The paper manual has been replaced with a QR code for a digital quick-start guide.

Transparent tech was a big thing in the 90s, with Nintendo offering a transparent N64 and Game Boy Pocket, and Microsoft also produced a Crystal White Xbox. Recently, Nothing has led the charge for translucent and transparent tech with its Nothing Phone 2 and Nothing Ear devices.

It brings the total Xbox controller colors to 30 if you include Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controllers, the Xbox Design Lab Fallout controller and the Carbon Black and Robot White controllers. Compare that number to Sony’s 16 best PS5 controller colors, and it’s clear Microsoft has been quicker out the gate to offer players more customization options.

The Xbox Wireless Controller – Sky Cipher Special Edition is available to pre-order today for $69.99. It’s available on August 13, 2024.

• Up next: When is Call of Duty coming to Xbox Game Pass?

Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.