New Xbox Controller Comes with an Exclusive Feature

02/07/2023 10:46 am EST

Xbox announced another new Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One controller this week with the reveal of the Stellar Shift controller, a unit that's compatible with both of those consoles as well as the PC platform. As its name suggests, this controller is part of the "Shift" collection that includes others like the Lunar Shift, and while it's got some of the features the others in the collection sport like textured triggers and other grips, it's got something most other controllers don't: an exclusive background for your console.

The feature was highlighted in the Xbox controller's announcement alongside a preview of what this background would look like. Meant to match the aesthetic of the controller, the dynamic background below adds a swirling space scene to your Xbox, but only if you've got this controller.

"One special feature of the Stellar Shift Xbox Wireless Controller you won't want to miss out on is the unique dynamic background that is only unlocked once you connect your new controller to your Xbox Series X|S console," the Xbox announcement for this new controller said. "Dynamic backgrounds are animated augments that bring your Xbox dashboard to life. Bask in the deep purple and blue swirling design as you venture off to wherever your Xbox takes you."

We've seen something like this in another instance involving the 20th Anniversary Xbox controller which included a dynamic background to celebrate 20 years of Xbox. That was obviously a special occasion, but the feature is now present in a "normal" controller with its own unique background.

Interestingly enough, it looks like the way this controller's background works is that it doesn't stay on your console permanently if you swap off to a different background at any point. Xbox said that you can swap back and forth anytime you want just like you normally would with backgrounds, but if you want to apply the Stellar Shift background after using something else, you have to "connect the Stellar Shift controller back to the console and navigate to the menu to reapply."

Regardless of how it works, it's a neat feature for Xbox to implement. This version of the controller is considered the "special edition," though there's no other version of the controller to pick from, and it still costs $69.99 just like other Xbox controllers do.

The Shift family of controllers looks like it's going to keep growing considering how we've seen several of these already, though it remains to be seen whether or not future controllers will incorporate this kind of feature.

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