In control

I've been looking to buy another Xbox One for a few weeks now. Whilst trawling through eBay auctions I saw quite a large number of "Day One" edition consoles listed. However, not many of these "Day One" auctions were actually complete. Most listings had the correct console (and some even include the Kinect that was originally part of the bundle) but many were missing the controller. One of the distinguishing features of a "Day One" package is the unique controller and it seems like a stretch to claim your console is a "Day One" edition when a vital component is missing.

Anyway, my musings about controllers got me to thinking about my own "Day One" controller which had been stored in the loft for many years. I'd put it away as it had begun malfunctioning about a year after I received it. For some reason the controller had taken to getting so hot I could barely hold it, the batteries would drain in seconds and it would refuse to connect to the console. I bought a replacement controller and promised myself I would fix the "Day One" controller at some point in the future. About six years passed and the controller remained undisturbed with no prospect of a repair.

However, whilst preparing for the imminent arrival of my latest Xbox One (number 3 - don't ask), I came across my old controllers and decided to attempt some sort of resurrection of the "Day One". It occurred to me that the replacement controller I purchased back in 2014 is the same type as the "Day One" version. These pre-2015 versions lack the 3.5mm audio jack and the parts could be interchangeable.

Now I'm sure someone with far more skill than me could pinpoint the fault on the board of the broken controller and solder in some new components to repair it. However, I decided to employ the technique that all mobile phone repair services seem to use and chose to simply replace all of the innards and call it a "repair". 

A quick YouTube search led me to some truly terrible videos of incoherent people disassembling controllers with all the grace of a drunk clown. I eventually stumbled upon a video made by someone who actually used a torx driver rather than jamming a flathead in and once I muted the sound we were good to go.

Both controllers came apart quite easily, but rather than just jam the screwdriver through the warranty sticker I chose to peel it back and then remove the screw. This has nothing to do with the warranty (which has obviously expired long ago) but I just prefer things to look smart if possible. Peeling the stickers that hide screws is a habit I got into when I used to modify 360 controllers (more of that at a later late) and I decided to continue with it. 

The two features that separate the day one controller from all other pre-2015 versions are the unique face plate which reads "Day One 2013" and the D-pad which has a grey chrome finish rather than the standard gloss black. Thus I simply took the shell off the working controller and applied the "Day One" top shell and D-pad. Once reassembled I was left with a fully functional "Day One" edition and a busted pre-2015 controller. Not a bad trade off.  

As a postscript, I need to mention that my internet searches for Xbox "Day One" have led me to an annoying discovery. It seems that, unbeknownst to me, there was more than one version of the launch day bundle. I bought my console from Amazon and noticed it included FIFA 14. Now I'm not very interested in FIFA (my obsession ended with the disappointment that was 2005 on the original Xbox) and I didn't play FIFA 14 past launch day (I hated it). Despite having no interest in the game I thought it would make a nice "freebie" and accepted that this was the launch bundle.

Now I find that there was a bundle that included Forza Motorsport 5, a title I bought separately for £45. For some reason it didn't occur to me that there would more than one launch bundle. But hey ho, it's not the first time EA have taken me for £45 - I'm looking at you FIFA 2005.