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It should come as no surprise that we’ve used many Xbox controllers over the years, what with us having spent time gaming on Microsoft’s consoles since the OG Xbox.
In that time we’ve made the most of The Duke, the standard offering for Xbox 360, through the Xbox One redesigns and those that come with Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. We’ve even used some third party pretenders, alternatives to the Xbox Elite controller that should be seen as peak Xbox controller.
And we’ve also used a ton of PowerA controllers. Some of those have been suitable for Game Pass play and the power of the Cloud in the form of the MOGA XP-Ultra. But there has also been the tiny Nano Enhanced, a Cuphead themed edition and the brilliant lighting of the Spectra Infinity. For the last few weeks, we’ve had another PowerA controller in our hands – a gorgeous pink one.
That is PowerA’s standard Wired Controller in Core Blush (Pink); an Argos-exclusive Xbox controller that does away with any fancy features to take us back to what is required in our gaming lives – a simple, everyday wired controller. You won’t find any programmable back buttons here, nor any trigger stops, fancy lighting or, well, anything really. At least not physically. But for £24.99, if you’re a casual gamer looking to build out your Xbox controller range, and are happy to be tied down with a cable, it’ll do the job.
An extremely lightweight controller, the PowerA Wired Controller Core Blush attaches to your Xbox controller via a 10ft cable. It connects to the controller with USB-C (a good call, and one we would expect in 2024), with the other end dropping into the USB-A port on your console of choice. From there, setup is about as simple as you could ever get, with an Xbox Nexus button that is front and centre.
In fact, if you’ve used any Xbox controller over recent years, everything about this will be familiar with just the black-on-pink colour scheme separating this from any other standard Xbox pad. That means you’ll find the usual size in your hands, with decent feeling to the thumbsticks (nicely concaved and textured) with a d-pad and face buttons complementing the face.
It looks good too, what with the stark contrast between pink and black, whilst the dark face buttons with grey text look classy against the pink background. The Menu, View and Share buttons – the least used of all buttons on this controller – blend in with a similar pink hue as the base of the controller.
Around the top, a gloss black visor plays host to triggers and bumpers. On a personal level we feel that any triggers on any controller should come with some texturing as standard, and so it’s a little disappointing to see those included here to be smooth as. But those impulse triggers are nicely contoured and depress easily, so it’s fine to allow a pass. There is also the addition of some rumble motor goodness included in the Wired Controller and whilst it feels okay, it’s far from the most intense feeling, instead just rumbling around in the background as you drop the power in something like Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown.
A 3.5mm audio jack sits on the bottom of the controller. And frankly, that’s about all you are getting with the PowerA Core Blush – no fancy gimmicks, no real selling point. Aside from that low £24.99 asking price of course.
For many, that would be fine. For those who see themselves as more in line with the ‘Pro’ gaming scene though, this may feel a bit lacking. For us, it’s all been cool, especially as the 10ft cable is just about the right length for us to kick back on the sofa, connected to our Series X, powering through sessions like there is no tomorrow. Again though, the whole presence of a cable will be a hugely subjective affair; some just may not be able to get past the fact that the flexibility of a wireless connection is not possible. It does mean that you can ensure that your inputs delivered to the PowerA Wired Controller Core Blush are about as immediate as you can get.
Those inputs are good too. Even though it all feels extremely plasticky in hand, with lots of clicky and tappy actions, we’ve had no issues in use. Again, if you’re used to microswitched face buttons, Hall-Effect thumbsticks and suchlike, you may be disappointed, but occasionally the more simple things in life are the best.
At least the PowerA Wired Controller Core Blush would be simple if it wasn’t for the addition of the free PowerA App on Xbox. Install this on your console and you get access to personalisation and customisation of this controller, all via software. What this means is you can mess around with trigger settings, the remapping of buttons, thumbstick deadzones, vibrations and more. That’s all fine if you need it, but – and without sounding harsh – the PowerA App is quite dreadful. It’s an absolute chore to navigate through, clunky at best, poorly setup, with a dodgy UI at worst. If you really must change how PowerA have defaulted their Wired Controller, then you’re going to be left fairly frustrated as you move in, out and around various settings. The only real saving grace is that once you have things set as you wish, you shouldn’t have to go into the App and do so again.
Thank god then that the PowerA Wired Controller in Core Blush looks great then. That’s pretty much a saving grace from the App nonsense and it goes without saying that all gamers should have a bit of pink in their lives.
In summary, a cheap, no-frills controller, if you can handle a wired life and just want to game without gimmicks, there’s no reason to discount what PowerA are offering up. For many it’ll be dismissed out of hand, unable to compete with the Xbox Elite and alternatives, but for a casual gamer, or one to drag out as the kids begin to navigate their journey through the gaming world, the PowerA Wired Controller in Core Blush will sort you out. Just stay away from the associated App and you should be fine.
Huge thanks go out to PowerA for providing their Wired Controller Core Blush (Pink) for review. Grab one for yourself from Argos for £24.99.