The New Xbox Is Cool, Nostalgic, and Really Freaking Green

Xbox, under new management, hopes you’ll take a long look at the obscene green translucent plastic of the limited edition Xbox Series X25 and be charmed by the feeling of early 2000s nostalgia. The attractive colorway is reminiscent of the original Xbox clear green version that came with Hello 2. (You’ll probably remember this as a consolation for your cousin who made you extremely jealous.)

This is not the new version of the $800 Xbox Series The only real change to the nearly 6-year-old hardware is the addition of a green light below the large “X” symbol instead of the old white light.

The Xbox Wireless Controller comes with the same nuclear-toned shell, but what’s even better are the black-and-white LB and RB bumper buttons, which are a clear nod to the monochromatic switches on the original Xbox controller. The controller is also reminiscent of yesteryear with blue, red, yellow, and green face buttons.

Hey, if you want the most vulgar puke-green PC setup, you can buy this controller with the 8bitDo Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard – Xbox Edition. I’ll admit, that thought has me willing to drop a lot of money for the sake of 2001-era nostalgia.

The new special edition Xbox hardware isn’t arriving until November this year, which will be the six-year anniversary of the Series S and Series X consoles. Microsoft hasn’t announced any specific pricing for its personal controller and new console colorways. Currently, the disc drive version of the Series

The hardware announcements were part of the 2026 Xbox Games Showcase, the first major Xbox meet-and-greet since Xbox CEO Asha Sharma took over in February. A big question about the new Xbox era was how the company would handle console exclusivity. To start, Gears of War: E-Day Xbox and Xbox on PC will be added exclusively at launch on October 6. The same goes for InXile’s steampunk, time-bending, first-person RPG. clockwork revolutionWhen it arrives sometime in 2027. These games will also be available as Day-One Game Pass titles. Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty explained to the Gamertag Radio podcast that multiplayer or Live Services titles will likely come to other consoles. Xbox then has to decide which games come to other platforms, which he called “the right decision, not the fast decision”.

It’s clear that Xbox is counting on fans generating long-term buzz about both its hardware and its game lineup. These are gamers who remember when console exclusivity was the norm. PlayStation is similarly scaling back plans for cross-platform titles as it raises the price of its PlayStation Plus subscriptions. There may be no going back to simpler times, but console manufacturers are doing everything they can to keep players engaged and locked into their respective ecosystems.