Forget Special Edition Consoles, Xbox Is Offering Velcro Skins Instead

Xbox Console Wrap camo

Special edition video game consoles are a long and storied tradition in the games industry. If there’s a big game coming, and it is, in some way, tied to the platform holder, chances are in years past you would’ve been able to drop some extra cash to get a special console adorned in stuff from that game.

Things are changing though, the industry is moving on and away from creating more plastic e-waste that will inevitably end up in landfill someday. The Nintendo Switch still gets the occasional special edition console, but the PlayStation 5 has started offering its special edition consoles in the form of inexpensive faceplates that can be swapped on or off the console at will. Don’t like the Spider-Man 2 faceplates you bought anymore? Just swap them for Kingdom Hearts 4 faceplates instead (please, I’m begging you Sony).

That’s a little bit harder to do on the Xbox Series X|S though. The outer shell of Xbox consoles are one big solid blob of plastic, with no removable pieces to tear off and replace at will. As a result, Microsoft has had to get a little creative, and it’s come up with something kinda cool: console wraps.

Now, your first thought there was probably some kind of sticky-backed vinyl sticker that’s a nightmare to put on right and an even bigger nightmare to take off. That’s not what Xbox is doing here. Instead, they’ve created a sleek, smooth fabric that wraps around the console and fastens at the back using a hook and loop (aka velcro) system. The inside of the wraps have a bit of silicone on there to prevent it from slipping too, so it shouldn’t fall down over time.

Three designs have been revealed so far. There’s a Starfield-inspired console wrap that looks a lot like pretty much any of the electronics you’ll come across in the game, and that’s set to be released on October 18 for a price of $49.99 USD.

The other two designs are both camo designs — Arctic Camo and Mineral Camo. These will come a little later, on November 10 in the US and Canada, for $44.99 USD, a little bit cheaper than the Starfield edition. If you’re in Europe you’re out of luck though, as it seems like Arctic Camo won’t be available outside of North America, at least not anytime soon. Mineral Camo is still there though, and the Starfield design will be available too.