Special Edition Armed Forces Xbox One Controller And Stereo Headset Coming Soon

[compl3x]

Microsoft has announced a matching Xbox One controller and stereo headset coming soon to Xbox One.

The pair, which offers, "a modern camouflage pattern and military look," is available for pre-order now. You can head here for the controller and here for the headset. The former is $64.99 and the latter is $89.99 and they will be available later this year in October.

Soon it will be time to put together a feature similar to this one detailing special edition Xbox 360 controllers, for Xbox One controllers. We've already seen a special edition Titanfall controller.

[source: Microsoft]

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/07/15/special-edition-armed-forces-xbox-one-controller-and-stereo-headset-coming-soon.aspx

 

 

 

 

Thoughts? I much prefer the Titanfall one I saw a few months back:

 

 

[neoadorable]

Prefer the camo style myself, but the prices are hideous!

[JonnyLH]

I usually hate army camo on anything, but that looks nice. Made me realise how pretty the X1 controller is. $10 mil well spent MS.

Although I aint dropping big bucks like that on the bloody thing.  

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Not a fan.

 

Much prefer the chrome series of 360 controllers / original twist silver. Hopefully we get X1 versions of those.

[techbeck]

I like the camo but do I get dinner after I am screwed?  Those prices....

[Skiver Veteran]

I'm not a fan of either of them, prefer the standard black :)

[macrosslover]

What's taking MS so long to release a wireless headset.

[Phouchg]

Nothing against this product in particular, but I do really dislike this practice to present another colored piece of plastic as something special.

[Crisp]

Considering people idiots spend $100+ for one of EA's awful games, I think this is priced reasonably for them.

[Emn1ty]

I don't see why people think $64.99 for a controller is overpriced. Last gen (which has been... 8 years now) had new, wireless controllers at $54.99 for pretty much the entire time.

 

Yes, they are expensive. But they've always been expensive, it's not news.

[Kalint]

ohhh those should go great with your camo pants!

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

I don't see why people think $64.99 for a controller is overpriced. Last gen (which has been... 8 years now) had new, wireless controllers at $54.99 for pretty much the entire time.

 

Yes, they are expensive. But they've always been expensive, it's not news.

 

I've never paid anything near that for a controller on any platform before.

 

The price is more what you'd expect to pay for a fight stick  :/

[HawkMan]

Considering people idiots spend $100+ for one of EA's awful games, I think this is priced reasonably for them.

 

and what games are better ?

I've never paid anything near that for a controller on any platform before.

 

The price is more what you'd expect to pay for a fight stick  :/

 

where do you get a top end Thsustmaster HOTAS setup for that ;)

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

and what games are better ?

 

where do you get a top end Thsustmaster HOTAS setup for that ;)

 

Step 1: Don't buy a Thrustmaster

Step 2: Buy a SE/TE

Step 3: Don't live in a Nordic country with insanely inflated costs :p

[HawkMan]

meh, you wrote fight stick anyway, I have no need for that plastic POS. I was thinking fLight stick. in wich case TM is king. I sold my SNES way back in the days to buy a F16 FLCS+TQS+Pedal combo. 

 

fight sticks makes no sense to me. people argue to get better Dpads and then they buy an oversize ATARI joystick... makes no sense. 

[trooper11]

The price is more what you'd expect to pay for a fight stick  :/

Whoa, $65 for a fight stick? Where at?

[neoadorable]

The reg X1 controller is $50 most places, so if the camo one is $55 that would be fair. It shouldn't really cost more than that. And the headset is just funny priced.

[Dotdot]

I don't see why people think $64.99 for a controller is overpriced. Last gen (which has been... 8 years now) had new, wireless controllers at $54.99 for pretty much the entire time.

 

Yes, they are expensive. But they've always been expensive, it's not news.

So because something has always been an expensive rip-off wwere meant to accept it?

i think not.

[BajiRav]

I don't see why people think $64.99 for a controller is overpriced. Last gen (which has been... 8 years now) had new, wireless controllers at $54.99 for pretty much the entire time.

 

Yes, they are expensive. But they've always been expensive, it's not news.

I have 2 extra 360 controllers - highest I paid was $40 and lowest was $25 (Halo 3 special edition). Both bought at the same time!

[HawkMan]

The reg X1 controller is $50 most places, so if the camo one is $55 that would be fair. It shouldn't really cost more than that. And the headset is just funny priced.

 

These are rrp prices though. And I don't think 10 over regular price for a limited run custom controller is bad. I mean it costs a lot more for limited runs, even with just a small change like this, and they're supposed to make more on them and they're supposed to be exclusive and 10 is nothing.

 

As for the headset. I dunno, if its a decent headset its not a bad price. I'm just wondering, does the XO controller supply full game audio? Since that is a huge headset for just voice, and it closed over ear so it would block out speaker sound...

[Emn1ty]

So because something has always been an expensive rip-off wwere meant to accept it?

i think not.

 

Explain to me why it's a rip off? I mean, just cause it's expensive doesn't make it a rip off. I don't see your point. Controllers today are no longer similar to plug-in keyboards. They have some decent tech under the hood and a lot of development going into their usability. So before you just assume they're expensive, perhaps know why they are expensive.

[Dotdot]

Explain to me why it's a rip off? I mean, just cause it's expensive doesn't make it a rip off. I don't see your point. Controllers today are no longer similar to plug-in keyboards. They have some decent tech under the hood and a lot of development going into their usability. So before you just assume they're expensive, perhaps know why they are expensive.

I do know why, and I do know how much they cost to produce and its not the asking price in the shop. Also I don`t think you need it explained as you pretty much described it accurately yourself.

However Im guessing for you profit and greed dont exist in this word, nor does PR BS, or any other profit making branch thinly sold as "recouping development costs".

I don`t mind paying ?35 for a controller for my Xbox, but ?55 for a PS4/X1 is a tickle too high. And yes Im aware of laws of averages and economics and that these prices fall as generations progress and more people adopt etc etc.

Plus its a lump of plastic with 2 circuit boards inside it and a gyro. By time it leaves the production line it probably cost around 40-50% less than what your paying and that`s being shrewd.

 

[Emn1ty]

I do know why, and I do know how much they cost to produce and its not the asking price in the shop. Also I don`t think you need it explained as you pretty much described it accurately yourself.

However Im guessing for you profit and greed dont exist in this word, nor does PR BS, or any other profit making branch thinly sold as "recouping development costs".

I don`t mind paying ?35 for a controller for my Xbox, but ?55 for a PS4/X1 is a tickle too high. And yes Im aware of laws of averages and economics and that these prices fall as generations progress and more people adopt etc etc.

Plus its a lump of plastic with 2 circuit boards inside it and a gyro. By time it leaves the production line it probably cost around 40-50% less than what your paying and that`s being shrewd.

 

 

Yes, lets break it down into raw material cost rather than actual cost. Let's exclude:

• Labor
• Design (for that lump of plastic)
• Design (for those 2 circuit boards)
• Testing (from trail and error to usability testing/ux)
• Infrastructure changes (to repurpose existing plants to manufacture a new design)
• Distribution (be it through a third party or by themselves, still costs money)
• Percent markup for the seller (ie, Gamestop, Target, Walmart, etc and can often be a 100%-200% markup)

So if we assume that, say... it costs $20 for Microsoft to make the One controller. They'll probably mark it up to $26 to make a profit on selling them. Now the retailer buys them at around $26 from Microsoft, then double marks them (or more) to between $52.99 and $78.99. Microsoft responds by price fixing at retail, having an understanding of what the profit will be for the retailer at $59.99 which makes everyone happy and prevents unbalanced pricing in the retail sector. So what you have is Microsoft making about $6 off the item, and then the retailer making around $30 minus whatever costs for their expenses (employees, etc).

 

Totally unreasonable, right?

 

I recall one of the Gap executives giving a talk to one of my classes. She mentioned that they make a total of $0.10 per pair of jeans. Yes, they are just robbing their customers.

[HawkMan]

 

• Percent markup for the seller (ie, Gamestop, Target, Walmart, etc and can often be a 100%-200% markup)

 

Stores today are lucky to get 10%, local stores with higher costs and higher prices might sell for 20-30% outside of campaigns. 

 

in campaigns the markup can be anything from a whopping 3% to a whole -3%

 

of course you have to pay your staff and distribution costs and other misc costs like rent and warranty and such from that ...

 

think about that next time you complain about the prices next time you visit the local "expensive" store to check the goods before you go home to order online. 

[Emn1ty]

Stores today are lucky to get 10%, local stores with higher costs and higher prices might sell for 20-30% outside of campaigns. 

 

in campaigns the markup can be anything from a whopping 3% to a whole -3%

 

of course you have to pay your staff and distribution costs and other misc costs like rent and warranty and such from that ...

 

think about that next time you complain about the prices next time you visit the local "expensive" store to check the goods before you go home to order online. 

 

Perhaps standard retail is different, but in the furniture business the markup is much higher. Regardless, my point is that it's easy to say that Microsoft is screwing you out of money with 'x' price when not knowing the number behind the pricing.