Xbox has gone too far with this tartan controller

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Please do not blame Scotland for this.

Tartan controller
(Image credit: Xbox)

Dear God. My eyes, they burn. 

There are many ugly controllers out there, and I'd argue that it's nearly impossibly to make an Xbox controller actually look beautiful, but that does not justify the crime against good taste that's been committed today. 

I'm normally a fan of green tartans. After all, there's plenty of green in my clan tartan. This, though, isn't a favourite. And look, I'm not going to get protective about tartan, of all things. Nor do I really care if a big American company wants to appropriate it for a dumb Twitter competition. But this is just an eyesore. And, since it looks like might be actual fabric, maybe even wool, it's definitely not going to play nice with the inevitably sweaty hands grasping it.

I do, at least, appreciate the extra level of authenticity earned by having an Edinburgh kiltmaker design it—the same one that designed the tartans for our national football team. It's also apparently been entered into the Scottish Register of Tartans (cheers, Edinburgh Evening News), making the embarrassment nice and official.

Should you end up getting your hands on this monstrosity, please spare a thought for Scotland as you manhandle the tartan, as we're so much more than kilts. We also have a lot of heart disease and knife crime.

Fraser Brown
Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.