Summary
The nextXboxWireless Controller variant will be called Stormcloud Vapor, a known industry insider said, in addition to sharing the release date and some other information about the upcoming gadget. Their report surfaced online mere weeks afterMicrosoft made a Jade Xbox controllerin celebration of Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo’s ARPGWo Long: Fallen Dynasty.
Microsoft has been frequently releasing special edition controllers since the Xbox 360 days. Its efforts on that front intensified in recent years, with new gamepad announcements being a near-monthly occurrence for the company nowadays. Microsoft revealed some half a dozen such gadgets since the turn of the year, including theXbox Remix Special Edition Controller with a unique twist.
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The next Xbox gamepad variant will be called Stormcloud Vapor, known industry insider Billbil-kun reports, adding that Microsoft is currently targeting an August 8 release for the controller. The device will allegedly retail at $69.99, which is a fairly standard price for first-party Xbox gamepads. For example, the recently debuted Lunar Shift and Sunkissed Vibes OPI variants of theXboxWireless Controller have both debuted at this exact price point. The same report claims that the gadget is internally code-named Jemez, and while it doesn’t go into any details about its aesthetic, the “Stormcloud Vapor” moniker plausibly alludes to a shade of cyan-blue with gray undertones.
Billbil-kun also speculates that the controller could be related toForza Motorsport, which is scheduled to release on October 10. Though its alleged name doesn’t appear to be connected to the racing series, launching a limited-edition controller tie-in months before the game it’s themed after wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for Microsoft. After all, that’s precisely what the company did with theStarfieldXbox Wireless Controller, which has been available for purchase since mid-June, while Bethesda’s much-anticipated RPG is only slated to hit the market in early September.
Even if the Stormcloud Vapor version of the Xbox Wireless Controller ends up having nothing to do withForza Motorsport, the eighth installment in the long-running series of racing simulations is likely to be accompanied by a uniquely styled gamepad. That’s largely because all of Microsoft’s recent first-party games, including the poorly receivedRedfall,followed a similar trend.
Much like the majority of Microsoft’s gamepads, the Stormcloud Vapor variant of the Xbox Wireless Controller is expected to be available on both sides of the Atlantic. Assuming this newly emerged report is accurate, the gadget will hit the market just a few weeks afterMicrosoft revealed 6 Porsche-themed Xbox consoles and controllers.
