Add style to your gaming with the Phantom White Xbox One controller

By Gabe Gurwin Updated April 25, 2023

Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re sick of your Xbox One controllers being too opaque and mysterious, then you’re in for a treat. The Xbox Wireless Controller — Phantom White Special Edition is on the way, and it looks like it’s about to disappear into the netherworld.

Announced during the latest edition of Inside Xbox on Tuesday, March 12, the Phantom White Xbox One controller is the second controller in the “Phantom” line after the Phantom Black controller. The buttons, sticks, and directional pad are all a light gray or white color, and at the bottom of the controller there is standard white plastic. As you move up, it turns translucent, allowing the gold mechanic pieces underneath to show through. There are still textured grips on the back so your hands won’t slip during long gaming sessions, or if the controller decides it wants to fully ascend into the great beyond.

Recommended Videos

“The design is the optimal blend of luxury and sci-fi, embodying a new slant on technical beauty,” Microsoft global product marketing manager Bree White said. “The controller reflects a sense of mystery with rich, neutral colors that fade away to reveal the technology inside.”

Please enable Javascript to view this content

That’s a lot to take in for something you’ll barely look at while you’re actually using it, but it’s hard to deny that Microsoft denies some gorgeous controllers. Through the Xbox Design Lab website, you can fully customize your own personal controller, as well, changing the color of everything from the shell to the buttons.

As with other Xbox One controllers, the Phantom White version comes with a 3.5mm input and Bluetooth support, so you can use it on your PC. This will come especially in handy after Halo: The Master Chief Collection releases on the platform. It will be available piecemeal, beginning with the prequel Halo: Reach and ending with 2012’s Halo 4. Neither has been available on PC before, though the original Halo: Combat Evolved has been.

The Xbox Wireless Controller — Phantom White Special Edition will be available for pre-order for $70 from retailers around the world beginning on April 2, and in certain regions, it will come with a two-week trial to Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

Gaming

Xbox is finally letting you cloud stream games you own, with some limits

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty's new character. She's in a security uniform leaning against a railing with a fiery cityscape in the background.

Years after Xbox promised that users could stream games they own through the cloud, the company is finally launching that functionality, albeit with some restrictions.

Starting Wednesday, Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will be able to use Xbox Cloud Gaming to stream games they already own, even if they're not in the Game Pass catalog. However, they can only stream from a list of 50 supported games right now. You can view the full list on Xbox's website, but it's a good mix of titles, ranging from AAA releases like Cyberpunk 2077, Star Wars Outlaws, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to recent indies like Animal Well, Fear the Spotlight, and Dredge. This applies to any version of the game you own, like if you have Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition.

Gaming

PS5 vs. Xbox Series S

ps5 vs xbox series s release date 710x400

Between the regular PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S, buying a current-gen console is not as simple as it once was. However, you do need to make the right choice if you want to play the best PS5 games or best Xbox Series games, which is the most important factor in a gaming machine. Sure, many games are now cross-platform, but not all of them. We compared the PS5 to the Xbox Series X already, but what about the S? Let's pit Sony's console against the smaller Xbox and see which one is worth it for you.
PlayStation 5 vs. Xbox Series S: specs
Right off the bat, we need to point out that the PS5 and Xbox Series S are aimed toward slightly different audiences, and their specs do differ a considerable amount. The PS5 is aimed toward a "premium" audience looking for high-end visuals and performance, while the Series S is presented as more of an affordable option to get as many players on board as possible. You'll notice the PS5 is a more powerful system in many ways than the Series S, but that doesn't necessarily mean deciding between the two is easy. When it comes to specs, both offer custom SSDs (solid-state drives), meaning games and apps will load incredibly fast. This is a huge upgrade from the current generation's HDDs (hard disk drives), which are starting to show their age as games become much larger in scope.

The main difference between the two on the surface is that the Series S lacks a disc drive, while the standard PS5 will accept 4K UHD Blu-Ray discs. This could be a major factor for some, especially those with less reliable internet connections. The standard PS5 will cost more than the Xbox Series S, and a lower price point could prove to be the most enticing factor when choosing one over the other.

Gaming

Your video game consoles could become much more expensive soon

A PS5 Pro sits on a table with a DualSense.

People have a lot of questions about what a second Donald Trump presidential administration will look like, and one of the big concerns surrounds proposed tariffs on foreign imports, with larger ones targeted for China. If these are passed, it could signal a big change in how video game hardware and software is manufactured and could lead to increased costs for players.

Digital Trends spoke to analysts about the potential impact that tariffs could have on tech like game consoles. As of this writing, the proposal is to implement a 10% or 20% tariff on all imports, but a specific 60% tariff on Chinese imports. Some analysts we reached out to declined to comment on the impact of the tariffs because while Trump has discussed a plan, it hasn't gone into effect and might not. Others, like Serkan Toto of Japanese games industry consulting firm Kantan, warned that consumers could be the ones paying the cost if plans go into effect.