Marshmallowy vibes for days. The controls have smooth, satin finishes on the front, a light texture on the back and glossy touches on the shoulders and bumpers.
Announced in March as a spring collection, these new pastel colors for the Enhanced Wired range include camo purple, lavender swirl, pink lemonade, dream pastel and cotton blue. Pink lemonade seemed to me a clear winner at first with the elegant yellow to pink gradient, but now that I have personally seen and handled all five colors, I can officially declare cotton blue as the best. It’s actually a little more turquoise than sea foam than its name suggests, but regardless, it’s a bold but soft monochrome shade on this controller. Grid view But all five pastel designs look great overall, with a variety of uses of gradients, dotted patterns and / or two-tone on the front and back that give each one a unique signature. Sure, it’s a shame these controllers are still equipped with outdated Micro USB connections, but I’ll give some credit to PowerA for at least choosing a white detachable cable with each one to better complement the lightweight and airy look. I would also like to see a brand new version of the Enhanced Wired Controller that eventually upgrades to USB-C and maybe even pushes a few more back adjustable buttons without filling things up too much. But besides the complaints, there is a lot to love about the aesthetics of these bright new colors. The Enhanced Wired Controller was our top choice for the best Xbox financial controller you can buy, thanks in large part to its very fair price, while meeting the requirements for a wired controller. I can not say that these new colors get to the point of doing a good thing better, as they are functionally the same, but they are refreshing enough to make them feel somewhat improved.
PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller (pastel)
The PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller is an economical wired controller for Xbox and PC that connects via Micro USB and has two customizable buttons on the back. Available in many different colors and licensed designs. These beautiful new pastels are now readily available in many retail stores and it will not be a surprise if they start seeing their own discounts and sales like many others in the PowerA range. It’s a breath of fresh air on a budget and is a nice addition to a summer of games featuring new local multiplayer games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge (a good reason to need extra cash controls, as it supports up to six players on Xbox and PC). Some pastels have a two-tone contrast between front and back. Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
