I don’t know if there’s a 'default' gamepad for playing controller-leaning games on PC, but if there is, it’s likely the Xbox Wireless Controller. Much in the same way that if you fancied a tin of beans, chances are you’d reach for classic Heinz, you just know that the Xbox pad will do the job. Unlike those saucy Haricots, however, I’ve always winced at how pricey the Xbox Wireless Controller is – except today, the last of Prime Day 2024, where UK-based Prime members can pick one up for a far more sensible £40. In one of five colours, too.
Now, with the caveat that the following opinion comes from someone with colourblindness, shortsightedness, and a dash of astigmatism, I will say that some of these are pushing the boundaries of good peripheral taste. Electric Volt, for one, evokes a sharp yellow yet has – at least in the pictures – a sickly green tint, while Pulse Red is exactly the same shade as the floor mats in that DIY horror-bathroom off Something Awful. Shock Blue is much easier on the eyes, and the actual green option – imaginatively named Xbox Green – has a pleasing lightness to it. Deep Pink is also on sale, though at £2 more than the others, somehow.
UK deals:
There’s no like-for-like Prime Day deal over on Amazon US, though the classic black and white models have dropped to $40 very recently. And there’s no need for a Prime membership to get these deal prices, unlike the UK offers.
US deals:
Mouse and keyboard purists can still get some bargains of their own; just head on over to our guides on the best Prime Day PC gaming deals or, for highlights from non-Amazon retailers, the best Anti-Prime Day deals.