This is my 3rd party Game Stop game pad, I got it as a birthday gift a few years back…along with a copy of Transformers: Fall Of Cybertron, which is my favorite Transformers game to this day.

The game pad is wired, which is something most would see as a negative. I however, I see this as an advantage. I never have to change batteries, and the cord is long enough to where I can sit a considerable distance from my Xbox. Although, after switching to PC, I find occasions where I prefer to use a controller rather than a mouse and keyboard (mostly platform games) I can use the game pad on my PC without having to purchase a wireless receiver I would need for a wireless Xbox 360 controller…just plug it in and it’s good to go!

This controller has served me well over the last few years. Unfortunately, it’s starting to suffer from some wear and tear. In fact, the grip for the left analog stick had pretty much disintegrated on me during a heated Brawlhalla match.

I saw this as a good opportunity to do some very very light modifications to my beloved game pad.

 

The Grips

I chose to start with the grips first. While the left one had clearly seen the most use and the most wear, I wanted to replace both grips with something more colorful.

From my many hours spent on Twitter (or wasted depending on how you feel about Twitter), I learned of SpideyGrips. Spidey Grips sells analog stick grips and skins for both Xbox One and PS4 controllers. Sizing on analog sticks seems pretty universal from what I can tell, so I figured they would fit just fine.

I ordered a pair of Black grips with a Red accent, so as to coordinate with the rest of The Rig. They shipped via standard US Postal Service, and arrived in a few days in a small envelope with a business card, which I thought was a nice touch! There’s not too much to say about the grips themselves. I can’t elaborate too much on them. I do enjoy the bumpy/grippy texture on them, they feel much better than the standard ones I had before, which were grippy but more on the smooth side.

 

The grips slipped on with no problem at all, and they looked great! Unfortunately, since the original grip or the left stick had completely been destroyed from use, the replacement grip wouldn’t remain stationary like the right one did…I noticed that it would move rotate. It seems like these were designed to go over the stock grips, and not completely replace them.

 

 

The Shell

While the slipping grip issue was slightly annoying, it really wasn’t that big of a deal. In fact a little mounting puddy on the naked analog stick solved the slipping issue, I was looking for a more permanent, and (possibly custom) solution.

So I took to Newegg, and was able to find a shell and some replacement buttons. I thought it would be fun to do a quick video of this part (note:  I cut out all  the boring parts)