To celebrate the launch of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox has commissioned a skilled jade craftsman and designer, Andy Chi, to create a custom Xbox Series X/S controller using pieces of real jade.
In a new mini-documentary, Xbox and Chi have charted the journey of the jade controller, from its conception to creation, with various insights into the difficulty of hand-crafting jade pieces, and how Chi’s techniques tie into Chinese history.
‘Jade is a culture that has been passed down for thousands of years,’ Chi explains in the video, per translation. ‘When people own jade, their hopes are integrated into it. Even though it may not be real, they can feel it change.’
Chi has been handcrafting in various capacities since he was child, and now works as a jade maker in Canada. He used his expertise to craft the Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty controller from scratch, utilising an array of creation tools.
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‘When we choose jade, we need to carefully examine its internal structure,’ he explains in the video. “Its colour and its texture, and whether it can meet the requirements of our project.’
To ensure the best result, Chi sketched a number of designs, then selected jade pieces to cut using specialised machinery. While the end result is a gorgeous piece of art, Chi explains in the video that the process to make it wasn’t smooth – and he had to start over many times, as he noted various cracks and other imperfections in the jade.
Eventually, the project coalesced, into one of the rarest – and possibly most expensive – Xbox controllers commissioned yet. You can check out the creation process of this unique artefact via YouTube:
You can’t purchase this special controller for yourself, but you can now check out Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty via Xbox Game Pass.
