PlayStation 5 has been outselling theXboxSeries X|Sby a wide margin, but the less popular console does a lot of stuff better. The digital store is much easier to navigate; there’s incredible backward compatibility, free cloud saves, and free current-gen upgrades, but another positive, at least in theory, is console customization. It’s possible to customize the look of the PS5 with its side plates, but it’s a hassle to do. However, Xbox has Console Wraps.
These are very similar to the old Xbox 360 faceplates, where certain games get a Console Wrap that’s extremely easy to put on to your system. These Console Wraps look great, but Microsoft is dropping the ball on themso hard that it begs the question of why they continue to release the productsin the first place. The newest Console Wrap is ofDOOM: The Dark Ages, which is getting incredible reviews, but that’s only the third game-specific wrap since the Fall of 2023.
Xbox 360 Faceplates Were Great
So Much Variety
The swappable faceplates were fantastic back in the early Xbox 360 days. Not only were they super easy to apply, but the number of faceplates released was enormous. You had faceplates available for many of thebest games released for the Xbox 360, includingHalo,Assassin’s Creed, andGrand Theft Auto 4, buteven non-gaming related ones, like faceplates for the numerous NFL teams. Certain regions had their own exclusive faceplates, like the one forDead or Alive Xtreme 2, which was only released in Japan.
Thekey reason that made it great was the variety, and you had a ton of first/third-party support when it came to the game-specific faceplates available. These products were around from 2005 to 2010, as the Xbox 360 S removed the faceplate system. Still, many of these faceplates are highly collectible, like the one forGrand Theft Auto 4, and it’s easy to see why the Xbox Console Wraps aren’t even in the same league.
Xbox Console Wraps Haven’t Lived Up To Their Potential
Only Three Games?
It was exciting when Xbox Console Wraps got announced, leading up to the release ofStarfield. It brought back good memories of those old 360 faceplates, and it’s a much better customization option than what’s on PS5, but little did we know that Microsoft would hardly release any Console Wraps. Since the first game-specific Console Wrap withStarfieldin the Fall of 2023,there’s been a grand total of two more. One forCall of Duty: Black Ops 6and another forDOOM: The Dark Ages.
Even huge first-party games likeIndiana Jones and the Great Circledidn’t get one.
Why evenmake these products if Xbox hardly does anything with them? When you look at Xbox’s limited-edition controllers, most big first-party games have one, but not so much with Console Wraps. Even huge first-party games likeIndiana Jones and the Great Circledidn’t get one. The price is a bit steep at $55, but I’m sure hardcore fans will still enjoy them, and theConsole Wraps weren’t among the many Xbox products to get a price increase.
Why Xbox Must Drop Or Maximize Xbox Console Wraps
Go Big Or Go Home
With how little support Microsoft has given to this admittedly cool customization feature of Xbox, it makes you wonder why they don’t abandon Console Wraps altogether. In a perfect world,Xbox should pump out more Console Wraps for some of their biggest gamesand upcoming releases. I would love to see Console Wraps for games likeThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion RemasteredorTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4, and I know many would love to have one, too. As a hugeNinja Gaidenfan, I would love a Console Wrap ofNinja Gaiden 4when that releases this Fall.
However, I’m not holding my breath because of how selective Microsoft has been when picking games for Console Wraps. That’s the problem, though. It feels worse for hardcore fans when Xbox rarely brings out these Console Wraps, given that so many games deserve one. Xbox might as well abandon Console Wraps if they only release one yearly.Xboxneeds to either drop Console Wraps or make more because it’s not good for the product to be half-baked like this.
