Summary
There’s nothing quite like a limited edition controller. Sure, the basic black or white controllers that ship with the system are nice, but a limited edition controller feels, well, limited.Whether it’s the laser-etched Gears of War 4 controllers for the Xbox One, thePlayStation 20th Anniversary retro-inspired controllers on PS4, or thesuper sleek Venom controllers on PS5, gaming has had some awesome non-traditional controllers.
Recently, Xbox revealed a limited edition Deadpool & Wolverine-themed console bundle. The console, which is a take on Deadpool’s costume, is pretty by the books, but where they really knocked it out was the controller. That’s because the controller has Deadpool’s butt cheeks on the back of them as grip. It’s a novel take on the limited edition controller and one that’s perfectly in line with who Deadpool is as a character.
Unfortunately,Xboxis taking the word limited edition literally because the console and controller are onlyavailable via a Twitter sweepstakes. It’s par for the course when it comes to Xbox’s limited consoles and controllers, but part of a frustrating trend for gamers. Why can’t any of these items be made-to-order and sold, and why do they always have to be a one-time Twitter contest? As of this writing, over 207,000 people have entered the contest, and it won’t end until August 11, meaning the odds continue to slim up.
Please let us buy these controllers, Xbox
In a giant thread over on Reddit, users lamented the fact that the console and controller combo are exclusively via a social media contest. “It’s like companies don’t like money sometimes. This f—- would sell like crazy,“one user wrote on Reddit. Anotheruser chimed in, writing, “I hardly even use my Series X, but I’d have bought it for the novelty. Lightly use it for some PC games or something.”
Elsewhere, in another thread, some users took issue with the fact that the contest is exclusively on social media. Whereas some contests have an alternative entry method via the web, the Xbox contest requires a Twitter account, which some users simply don’t feel comfortable creating. “Seems crazy as an Xbox user, but not an x user, I have no opportunity to enter this,” oneuser pointed out. “I, too, am in this situation. As much as I want it, I refuse to be any part of that cesspit of a platform,” auser, who agreed, chimed in.
It seems highly unlikely that Microsoft would reverse course, especially considering that the console and controller combo were likely already created. However, it does continue to paint a trend when it comes to these limited edition contests. Except for a few instances, many of these crossovers are genuine smash hits among fans, and those same fans would love the opportunity to nab one at whatever cost. And if somehow they won’t ever be sold, then opening up the avenues of entry would also make a lot of sense. Perhaps this recent conversation will help shape things for the better.
