Microsoft's Grease-Proof Xbox Controller Is Real (But Good Luck Getting One)

Getting your snack on as you game (and greasing up your controller in the process) is a problem as old as time.

The good news is Microsoft has a solution. The bad news is, you're going to have a hard time getting it.

Credit: Microsoft

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Behold, the grease-proof Xbox One controller. Microsoft announced the controller Thursday as part of a contest in Australia and New Zealand to celebrate the 1.0 release of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (finally). These controllers are coated in a urethane material that repels grease, like the kind you might become mired in when enjoying a piping hot chicken dinner.

Only 200 of these pads will be produced, and they're all clad in bluish gray-and-gold PUBG colors, along with a logo for the game and individual numbering on the back.

Sadly, while these controllers have been designed to be less slippery, you'll still have a hard time getting your mitts on one. Right now, they're only available through a contest run by Xbox's Australia and New Zealand Facebook page, where gamers are encouraged to share their "best Winner Winner Chicken Dinner Story." They're not available for sale, and there's no indication yet that they'll even be distributed elsewhere in the world.

MORE: Xbox All Access Lets You Get an Xbox One for $22 a Month

That's a shame, especially because personally speaking, I could have used one of these controllers about 20 years ago. You'd have to wonder why nobody took a stab at a grease-resistant controller before. But given how many different colors and variations there are of the trusty Xbox One pad, it's not surprising that Microsoft would be the first to give it a try.

The texture of the controller is interesting, though. It appears that to achieve the effect, the engineers needed to give it a super-glossy surface. Some would even say it looks, dare I say, greasy.

Perhaps seeming greasy is a worthy trade-off for actually feeling greasy. Until we get to try one ourselves — if and when we do — we'll just have to wonder, while our hands and controllers remain hopelessly covered in nacho cheese dust.

Adam Ismail is a staff writer at Jalopnik and previously worked on Tom's Guide covering smartphones, car tech and gaming. His love for all things mobile began with the original Motorola Droid; since then he’s owned a variety of Android and iOS-powered handsets, refusing to stay loyal to one platform. His work has also appeared on Digital Trends and GTPlanet. When he’s not fiddling with the latest devices, he’s at an indie pop show, recording a podcast or playing Sega Dreamcast.