Xbox Design Lab — Microsoft’s custom Xbox controller design service — is set to expand to almost a dozen more countries, the American giant revealed on Thursday. The service was temporarily disabled last week ahead of today’s announcement. It has now been updated with four new pastel colour choices, as well as customisation options, including five new Camo Top cases accompanied with matching side caps. Microsoft’s recently announced Pride-themed Xbox controller will also be available for purchase starting today in countries where Xbox Design Lab is supported.
Microsoft announced on Thursday that its Xbox Design Lab controller customisation service will be available in 11 new countries. Gamers in Australia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, and Switzerland will be able to access the company’s service and design their own controllers. Meanwhile, Taiwan will join the list of supported countries in the coming months, Microsoft said.
Last week, the Xbox Design Lab website was temporarily taken down and a message on the company‘s website read “wait until you see what we’re working on,” implying that the Xbox Design lab would soon be back. As part of the updates to the service, gamers can now pick from an expanded range of colours and customisation options, Microsoft has revealed.
The updated Xbox Design Lab will offer users four new pastel colours — Soft Green, Soft Orange, Soft Pink, and Soft Purple. Meanwhile, five new Camo Top cases with matching side caps are now available — Arctic Camo, Blaze Camo, Forest Camo, Mineral Camo, and Sandglow Camo. The Xbox Design Lab was previously available in Canada, the US, and several Western European countries. We continue to wait on an Indian launch.
Last week, Microsoft had revealed that the Pride-themed controller will go on sale in regions where Xbox Design Lab is supported starting today. The custom shell for the controller is inspired by 34 LGBTQIA+ community flags and can be customised with a broad colour palette, with metallic finishes, rubberised grips, and custom engravings. You will be able to customise the controller according to your preferences.
Ahead of the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase on Sunday, Microsoft also announced that it would expand Xbox Cloud Gaming to Argentina and New Zealand, allowing gamers in both countries to stream hundreds of games from the cloud on iOS and Android smartphones. The company also said it will bring the Xbox app to select Samsung smart TVs launched in 2022, and is updating Microsoft Edge and Windows 11 with features and optimisations geared towards gamers. Microsoft also took the wraps off its upcoming Project Moorcroft programme, that will let Xbox Game Pass members try curated demos of upcoming games.