REDMOND, Washington, April 20, 2026, 11:34 PDT
Microsoft’s Xbox unit opened preorders on Monday for a limited-edition Forza Horizon 6 wireless controller and headset, pricing the accessories at $89.99 and $134.99 as it ties new hardware to one of its biggest game launches of the spring. Omar Smith and Tristan Munley of Xbox Accessories called the controller “one of the most vibrant” Xbox has released, with a design drawn from Japan’s Touge roads. Xbox Wire
The timing matters. Microsoft Store preorders placed from April 20 will ship on or after May 19, the same day Forza Horizon 6 is due to launch, while wider retail availability starts on or after May 21. The game is sold separately, and Microsoft says prices and availability may vary by retailer.
Forza Horizon 6 moves the open-world racing series to Japan, with Xbox describing it as the franchise’s biggest open-world driving game yet and listing more than 550 real-world cars. That setting explains much of the accessory design: Touge, the narrow mountain roads linked to Japan’s drifting culture, is used as a visual cue on the controller.
The official announcement also closes out a short leak cycle. VGC reported the controller and headset had leaked earlier this month, and said the Forza Horizon 6 headset is only the second limited-edition headset released for Xbox Series X/S after the Starfield model.
The controller has a transparent cyan-blue top case, metallic gradient, volt green, hot pink and silver accents, a metallic D-pad and two-tone rubberized grips. The headset carries the same color scheme and adds custom sounds for actions such as power, pairing and muting, mixing a Japanese V8 engine with the Forza Horizon 6 user interface, Xbox said.
The headset supports spatial sound — audio formats meant to place effects around the player — including Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos and DTS Headphone:X. Xbox lists up to 40 hours of battery life for the controller and up to 20 hours for the rechargeable headset, though battery life can vary by use.
In the UK, Pure Xbox reported the controller and headset at £84.99 and £124.99, respectively. It also noted a matching 8BitDo Forza Horizon 6 charging dock, priced at $34.99, with an 1100mAh rechargeable battery pack and an estimated three-hour full charge.
The move fits a broader console playbook: sell themed hardware close to a major release and give collectors another way into the franchise. Sony has used similar limited-edition accessory drops on PlayStation, including a Marathon-branded DualSense controller and a related Pulse Elite headset listed on PlayStation Direct.
The risk is supply and regional timing. Microsoft says the Forza Horizon 6 controller and headset will have early access through Microsoft Store until at least May 21 before other retailers follow, but it has not disclosed how many units it will make. Limited-edition accessories can move quickly if demand is high, and some regions may not see stock at the same time.
For Xbox, the accessories add another touchpoint before launch without changing the main bet: Forza Horizon 6 has to carry the load. Branded hardware can sharpen the rollout. The game still has to sell the road.
