Image: Xbox
Xbox has revealed new Sonic the Hedgehog 2 controllers, and they’re… furry.
Microsoft has revealed two new custom Xbox Series X|S controllers themed after Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and they look bizarre. Xbox says the controllers have, “textured coatings reminiscent of the “bristly” texture of hedgehogs in the wild,” which is just a roundabout way of saying that they’re furry.
The controllers come in Sonic Blue and Knuckles Red, themed after the two franchise icons going head-to-head in Paramount Pictures’ upcoming sequel. Visually, they have all the appeal of Gremlins covered in thick matted fur, save for the controllers’ buttons and triggers. You should probably avoid feeding these things after midnight. Who knows what would happen then?
Accompanying these controllers is a thankfully furless custom Xbox Series S console. The originally white Xbox Series S is now black, with its circular air vent now outlined by a golden ring - a callback to the rings Sonic uses to create portals in the movies. The lower half of the console features art of Knuckles and Sonic facing off.
If you’d actually like to get your hands on these hairy controllers, we have some bad news: they’re not for sale. You’ll have to enter two sweepstakes to get a chance to win the console and its accompanying controllers. This can be done by retweeting Xbox’s official sweepstakes tweet with the hashtag #XboxSonic2Sweepstakes, but only certain regions are eligible to win. You can find a list of eligible regions here, and more rules here.
You could also just check out Sonic the Hedgehog 2 when it hits theaters on April 8, 2022. A third movie and spin-off TV series featuring Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) are also in the works.