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It's pretty clear that Xbox fans are hurting right now. Not a week seems to pass without more bad news being announced, mainly to do with the company laying off thousands of talented employees as it attempts to refocus after years of confusing and misguided management.
Thankfully for Microsoft, Sony has been creating its own brand of drama recently, and while that's not enough to take the heat completely off the Redmond-based firm, it has at least provided a distraction that lets me (partially) enjoy the new 8BitDo 2.4G Ultimate 3-mode Controller.
This transparent pad (officially known as 'jade') was announced alongside a similarly looking keyboard-and-mouse combo last year, but I've only recently gotten my grubby hands on a sample.
In terms of performance and ergonomics, there are no massive shocks in store – after all, I've already put other members of this controller family through their paces and come away suitably impressed – but I really like the 'skeleton' look of this one.
Transparent controllers were all the rage when I was growing up, but in the world of Xbox, this style has made a resurgence thanks to the announcement of a special 25th-anniversary Xbox Series X console – which, incidentally, this pad would go great with.
I'm a bit bummed that the dock is black rather than transparent green (sorry, 'jade'), but that's a minor issue. It's also worth noting that, despite the Xbox branding, you can use the Ultimate 3-mode Controller with other systems; it's now my weapon of choice when playing my AYANEO 3 in docked mode.
So, if you'd also like to forget what Xbox has become in 2026 and instead wallow in the good old days, the 8BitDo Ultimate 3-mode Controller is well worth a look – especially at £60.