Few franchises can claim to have the relationship with their platforms that Halo does with Xbox. The sci-fi shooter series has long been synonymous with the Xbox brand, being the primary driver behind the console family's many years of success in the games industry. A new custom controller design from XboxPope pays homage to the Needler, one of Halo's most famous weapons, with an elegant look.
The control is immediately striking and should be recognizable to most longtime fans of the franchise. It boasts a textured gunmetal look with the iconic hexagonal weave that's synonymous with Covenant technology. On the left grip, there are three needles, which are clearly meant to be evocative of the crystal spikes that give the Needler its name. The triggers, meanwhile, alternate between a purple and pink look.
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Those that are familiar with PopeArt will likely be aware of their other work, which includes some of the highest quality custom Xbox Series X designs under the sun. PopeArt has shared work with a number of major franchises in the past, including alternate Halo designs, though this controller is one of their most impressive pieces yet. While the design seems to have come at the request of a fan, it's also available for sale over on Trezn.
So far, the controller has received glowing praise in the replies to the original tweet. In fact, even the official Xbox Twitter account chimed in to voice its support of the controller, claiming that it felt "battle-worthy." Considering the caliber of the design, it's no surprise that fans of the game series have been impressed by the custom Halo creation, and being able to buy it is icing on the cake.
It's a good time for the controller to land, too, as Halo Infinite's first Flight just ended, with fans coming out of the weekend having a better idea of what the game will hold. While it's still too early to say for sure, early opinions of the game seem to be positive, which should offer reassurance to those that were underwhelmed by the last two mainline entries in the franchise.
Given the rate that PopeArt churns out high-quality designs, there will likely be more custom controller artwork for fans to soak up in the future. The Halo community is one of the most creative and dedicated out there, and there are certainly plenty of other weapons for PopeArt to choose from if they decide to continue the controller designs as a series.
Halo Infinite is in development for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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