Tired of the boring black or white box under your TV? Here’s how to make it stand out without buying a new pricey limited edition console.

Set Yourself Apart With Microsoft Official Xbox Wraps

Looking for a way to make your Xbox Series X look a little less dull? Take a look at Microsoft’s official console wraps. At the time of writing, there are only three to choose from, but they’re pretty special considering they’re solid wrap-around enclosures that completely transform the look of your console.

Starting at $44.99, you can grab two camouflage styles (Arctic and Mineral) as well as a limited edition Starfield wrap for $5 more than the standard designs. The wraps themselves are solid panels, which are held in place with velcro straps. They have all the required cutouts for ventilation, buttons, ports, and the disc drive, plus they are easy to detach.

Microsoft’s first batch of wraps will be available from October 18, 2023. The Starfield wrap is especially compelling, with a cassette futurism vibe that makes your console look like something that fell off the space shuttle. Expect more themed wraps to arrive with other big releases, depending on how well these are received.

Official Xbox wraps are currently only available from the Microsoft Store, which at least means you can even order them directly via your console by opening up the Store app.

Sony Sells Official PS5 Face Plates

The PlayStation 5 ships with removable console covers, and you’ll need to pop these off if you intend to clean your PS5’s fans or install an NVMe drive for more storage. You can also replace these covers with some of Sony’s official face plates if you’re unimpressed by the white ones that came with your console.

These are available in gray camouflage, black, red, blue, purple, and pink, for both the PS5 Disc Edition and PS5 Digital Edition consoles. Sony also produces limited edition covers for game releases like Spider-Man 2. You can buy controllers to match if you want to complete the look.

Sony’s official covers maintain the look of your PS5 with its “popped collar” while allowing you to better theme your console to its surroundings. The midnight black covers look particularly stealthy.

Unofficial PS5 Face Plates Exist Too

Sony wasn’t the first company to create replaceable console covers for the PS5. Sony even threatened legal action over a set of “Darkplates” console cover replacements that it believed violated its copyright.

dbrand, the company that initially launched these face plates, got right back on the horse and quickly released Darkplates 2.0 with a few differences that it hopes will hold off the might of Sony’s legal department. These include rounded edges and fan vents, a wider variety of colors, a “middle skin” wrap for the console unit itself, and even custom light strips to change the color of the built-in LED lighting.

The company has also launched translucent Retro Darkplates that’ll take you right back to an era when see-through enclosures were all the rage.

Wrap (Almost) Anything with Skins from dbrand

Though dbrand made quite a name for itself in baiting Sony to sue, the Canadian company has been creating custom designs for all sorts of gadgets for years. These take the form of skins, which you can apply to consoles, smartphones, laptops, and more.

Beyond visuals, there are some clear upsides to applying a dbrand skin to your consoles. They’re carefully designed and cut to size so that application is only a matter of following a straightforward video tutorial. When it comes to removing the skin the company promises that the wrap won’t leave any sticky residue behind, and while the skins are in place they’ll protect against scratches and light knocks.

They also have a huge number of designs available for the Xbox Series X and Series S, all three varieties of Nintendo Switch (including skins for the Joy-Cons, Pro Controller, and dock), and Valve’s Steam Deck. If you don’t like any of the designs you can create your own with the company’s design tools.

Get Fancy with Custom and Special Edition Controllers

A cheaper way to spruce up your living room than buying a whole new special edition console is to grab a limited edition controller instead. These are often the same price or only marginally more expensive than standard edition controllers since they’re fundamentally identical inside.

Spare controllers are useful for impromptu couch co-op sessions or if your old controller stops working properly (stick drift, anyone?). If you’re hiding your console inside a media cabinet or behind the TV then they might be the most visible part of your hobby.

Microsoft’s Starfield Limited Edition Xbox Wireless Controller might just be the best special edition controller you can buy. It looks just like a piece of space-age technology, and Microsoft held back by avoiding branding it with the name of the game. That said, Marvel fans are bound to love Sony’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition DualSense controller too.

Not to be outdone, Nintendo has a whole range of Joy-Con colors to choose from now and routinely releases limited edition colors and styles. There are also officially licensed controllers, plus a range of retro-inspired controllers for the NES, SNES, SEGA Genesis, and N64. If you find a standard set of Joy-Con to be too uncomfortable, consider something larger like the HORI Split Pad Pro instead.

If retro style is your thing, check out 8BitDo’s store. The company creates a range of controllers and accessories with retro-inspired aesthetics that are compatible with Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android, iPhone, and even the Steam Deck. These pads routinely make it into our best controller roundup.

Xbox and PC gamers might be interested in designing their controllers with Xbox Design Lab, which makes it possible to customize controller colors, sticks, pads, face buttons, add grips, and more. These controllers work wonders for playing games on PC and Mac, as well as Xbox Series consoles.

There’s Always Stickers

Sticker bombing is another way that you can customize your console, and with so many independent artists making stickers on websites like Etsy, you’re bound to find designs you love. Remember to buy high-quality vinyl stickers, and apply them liberally.

Build a PC for the Ultimate Custom Experience

Nothing quite compares to a PC if you want a custom look for your gaming machine. By building your own PC, you get total control over the look of your build. That includes the case you choose, your choice of RGB lighting and accessories, or whether you take on a far more elaborate project by building a sleeper PC.