One crafty Persona 4 fan has recently taken online to share an impressive custom-made Xbox controller inspired by Atlus' iconic RPG. The unique gamepad went viral on social media just as rumors of a Persona 3 remake started heating up again.
The Persona games have long enjoyed a cult following, inspiring countless arts and crafts enthusiasts over the years. Many talented fans hence continue to share high-effort takes on Persona-styled Switch Joy-Cons and other controllers on a regular basis.
The latest example of this trend comes from Reddit user aitkxn, who recently took online to reveal an impressive Xbox controller design themed after Persona 4. The custom paint job is dominated by Persona 4's signature shades of yellow, while also featuring protagonist Yu and his Persona Izanagi on the grip handles. The controller front even boasts the falling-into-the-TV motif from the game, while its battery cover is decorated with a familiar-looking television set, further underlining the immense attention to detail that went into this design.
Responding to some of the fan questions about the gamepad, aitkxn revealed that the custom paint job was a birthday gift for their significant other. And though this particular Persona 4-inspired design ended up adorning an Xbox Core Wireless Controller, the artist also said they might do a PlayStation variant in the future, seeing how they currently own a Sony console.
While the creator of this unique Persona 4 gamepad hasn't shared any details about their process, the close-up photos of the controller reveal a grainy finish indicative of acrylic or plastic matte paint strengthened with clear coat spray. This is a fairly popular technique for custom controller paint jobs as it guarantees long-lasting results, especially if combined with plastic primer spray. Some artists also use plastic gloss paint for shinier results, but that's purely a matter of style and preference.
The artistic chops required for this sort of custom paint job obviously aren't something that can be learned overnight. But Persona fans who'd be content with a controller featuring accents in a similar shade of yellow can actually just go ahead and order one right now. Not least because the Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller got new design options earlier this month, allowing fans to create "billions" of potential configurations using Xbox Design Lab, as per Microsoft's announcement. While the customization program does not allow for custom artwork, the currently available options are varied enough for fans to create an Xbox controller that's in line with Persona 4's yellow-silver color palette.