The Problem
I love stuff. I really love tech stuff. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t. I love the way most tech products feel and look. There’s just something futuristic and sci-fi about the way a lot of my gadgets look. But even with all these cool designs and aesthetics, there’s still one thing that has been somewhat lacking... color! Most tech stuff I’ve owned - from game consoles to phones - have been in some variation of black or grey, with some silver or white occasionally thrown in for some attempt at differentiation.
That’s not to say that companies haven’t tried. One of my absolute favorite devices was my see-through-blue Nintendo 64. I loved that thing! And a lot of it had to do with the color! I’m a colorful kind-of-guy (in a lot of ways), and as much as I love the beautiful, sleek, almost futuristic designs companies are coming out with today, there’s still a lot to be said for adding a bit of color or customization.
In their defence, we are starting to see a lot more of this. Sony is starting to offer more color variations of their DualShock Playstation controllers. Nintendo launched their newest console with some brightly colored neon red and blue controller color options. PC manufacturers are even kind of starting to offer some more options, but it’s still mostly black and gray. Phone companies, like Apple and Samsung have offered different colors for a while and even some of the lesser-known ones are starting to show their colors (and OMG are they gorgeous). Some are maybe even showing too much (*caugh caugh* Xaiomi). Microsoft still offers the best color customization when it comes to their Xbox controllers as their design studio will literally let you create almost any color combination you can think of for your controller. If you’re a football fan, you can even get your controller officially bedazzled with your team’s logo - yes, even if you’re a Browns fan. They won’t refuse service to anyone LOL.
These are all great strides in giving us consumer types more options when it comes to customizing our stuff, but it seems like there should still be more. For techies like us, our gadgets are personal and I think we would all wish for more ways to express ourselves with our gadgets. Well thankfully, companies like ColorWare exist.
Who They Are
ColorWare has been around for a while now but they were really brought into the spotlight when Apple released their AirPods. One of ColorWare’s biggest claims to fame is that they were the first to show the world what Apple’s stunning AirPods could look like in Jet Black, I mean just look at it!!!! What you may not know is that the company colors all sorts of products. They will color headphones, all three major gaming consoles (yes, you can absolutely make your new Switch look like your OG NES or SNES), mice and keyboards, microphones, speakers, and they even offer a wide variety of skins for most Apple, Samsung, and Google phones.
What They Do
As you’ve probably figured out by now, (and from simply reading the above paragraph) ColorWare creates custom paint jobs for some of the most popular tech gadgets around. Unfortunately at this time ColorWare does not allow for customers to send their own devices in to be colored; you must order your product new from the company, so if you already own all the tech you want, you might be a bit disappointed. However, if there’s something you haven’t quite made the leap on (like a Switch) or if you want to find some accessories to go with your stuff, then they can absolutely help you out.
I’ve admired ColorWare’s work from afar for a while and finally decided to reach out and see what I could do with my Nintendo Switch. I love it but it was looking a little boring on my entertainment center so I reached out and the company very graciously agreed to color my console. My favorite colors are blue and silver so I went with a combination thereof and you can see the results for yourself!
They nailed it. I was more impressed than I thought I would be when I got it back! It’s stunning.
And that old-school NES paint job on the Pro Controller is just icing on the cake man. Take a look!!
Other Thoughts
So for me the biggest question I have about this paint job is how long will it last? I don’t know the exact materials in the paints they use but I do know that the cover all their paint jobs with a top layer they call “X2”, which is supposed to protect from minor scratches, water and UV rays. This is NOT saying that your gadget is now waterproof, it is simply stating that the paint on your device will not come off with water.
I’ve been using my Switch regularly since I got it back and I can honestly say that I have not seen any scratches or discoloration at all on the device. So far it has held up really well and I have not seen anything that would lead me to think that this paint job won’t last quite a long time.
The other thing that has not been a deal breaker but has still been something I need to mention is that one of the buttons on the controller now seems to stick every so often. It’s not enough to be a problem and it has not affected my gameplay but it’s noticeable for sure. I am also 100% not calling out ColorWare for this. I have seen other instances of buttons sticking online with the regular non-colored controllers and I have also not had a chance to thoroughly clean the thing yet so I’m not completely sure where the problem is. What I can say can say with certainty is that the controller did not stick before I got it colored, and now it does. Again, I am not saying that it is the paint that is causing it to stick, I am merely stating my observations. I will update this when I have more information about the issue.
Lastly, the price. These services are not cheap. On top of the retail price of the gadgets, prices range pretty far for the painting services. I found anywhere from $70 (above retail) for Joy Con Controllers to about $250 (above retail) for an Xbox One X. This also depends on any additional customization options such as accessories or engravings.
Yeah, that’s a good chunk of change. However, you have to think about what you’re getting. This is much more than just a fancy case to cover your gadget, this is a full on paint job. They are actually repainting your device to look like something entirely different. And as you can see from the pictures, these guys do an incredible job! If your gadgets are as personal for you as they are for me, you should certainly consider getting your next one colored from ColorWare. The quality and customization options are hard to beat.
Pros:
Cons:
I love stuff. I really love tech stuff. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t. I love the way most tech products feel and look. There’s just something futuristic and sci-fi about the way a lot of my gadgets look. But even with all these cool designs and aesthetics, there’s still one thing that has been somewhat lacking... color! Most tech stuff I’ve owned - from game consoles to phones - have been in some variation of black or grey, with some silver or white occasionally thrown in for some attempt at differentiation.
That’s not to say that companies haven’t tried. One of my absolute favorite devices was my see-through-blue Nintendo 64. I loved that thing! And a lot of it had to do with the color! I’m a colorful kind-of-guy (in a lot of ways), and as much as I love the beautiful, sleek, almost futuristic designs companies are coming out with today, there’s still a lot to be said for adding a bit of color or customization.
In their defence, we are starting to see a lot more of this. Sony is starting to offer more color variations of their DualShock Playstation controllers. Nintendo launched their newest console with some brightly colored neon red and blue controller color options. PC manufacturers are even kind of starting to offer some more options, but it’s still mostly black and gray. Phone companies, like Apple and Samsung have offered different colors for a while and even some of the lesser-known ones are starting to show their colors (and OMG are they gorgeous). Some are maybe even showing too much (*caugh caugh* Xaiomi). Microsoft still offers the best color customization when it comes to their Xbox controllers as their design studio will literally let you create almost any color combination you can think of for your controller. If you’re a football fan, you can even get your controller officially bedazzled with your team’s logo - yes, even if you’re a Browns fan. They won’t refuse service to anyone LOL.
These are all great strides in giving us consumer types more options when it comes to customizing our stuff, but it seems like there should still be more. For techies like us, our gadgets are personal and I think we would all wish for more ways to express ourselves with our gadgets. Well thankfully, companies like ColorWare exist.
Who They Are
ColorWare has been around for a while now but they were really brought into the spotlight when Apple released their AirPods. One of ColorWare’s biggest claims to fame is that they were the first to show the world what Apple’s stunning AirPods could look like in Jet Black, I mean just look at it!!!! What you may not know is that the company colors all sorts of products. They will color headphones, all three major gaming consoles (yes, you can absolutely make your new Switch look like your OG NES or SNES), mice and keyboards, microphones, speakers, and they even offer a wide variety of skins for most Apple, Samsung, and Google phones.
What They Do
As you’ve probably figured out by now, (and from simply reading the above paragraph) ColorWare creates custom paint jobs for some of the most popular tech gadgets around. Unfortunately at this time ColorWare does not allow for customers to send their own devices in to be colored; you must order your product new from the company, so if you already own all the tech you want, you might be a bit disappointed. However, if there’s something you haven’t quite made the leap on (like a Switch) or if you want to find some accessories to go with your stuff, then they can absolutely help you out.
I’ve admired ColorWare’s work from afar for a while and finally decided to reach out and see what I could do with my Nintendo Switch. I love it but it was looking a little boring on my entertainment center so I reached out and the company very graciously agreed to color my console. My favorite colors are blue and silver so I went with a combination thereof and you can see the results for yourself!
They nailed it. I was more impressed than I thought I would be when I got it back! It’s stunning.
And that old-school NES paint job on the Pro Controller is just icing on the cake man. Take a look!!
Other Thoughts
So for me the biggest question I have about this paint job is how long will it last? I don’t know the exact materials in the paints they use but I do know that the cover all their paint jobs with a top layer they call “X2”, which is supposed to protect from minor scratches, water and UV rays. This is NOT saying that your gadget is now waterproof, it is simply stating that the paint on your device will not come off with water.
I’ve been using my Switch regularly since I got it back and I can honestly say that I have not seen any scratches or discoloration at all on the device. So far it has held up really well and I have not seen anything that would lead me to think that this paint job won’t last quite a long time.
The other thing that has not been a deal breaker but has still been something I need to mention is that one of the buttons on the controller now seems to stick every so often. It’s not enough to be a problem and it has not affected my gameplay but it’s noticeable for sure. I am also 100% not calling out ColorWare for this. I have seen other instances of buttons sticking online with the regular non-colored controllers and I have also not had a chance to thoroughly clean the thing yet so I’m not completely sure where the problem is. What I can say can say with certainty is that the controller did not stick before I got it colored, and now it does. Again, I am not saying that it is the paint that is causing it to stick, I am merely stating my observations. I will update this when I have more information about the issue.
Lastly, the price. These services are not cheap. On top of the retail price of the gadgets, prices range pretty far for the painting services. I found anywhere from $70 (above retail) for Joy Con Controllers to about $250 (above retail) for an Xbox One X. This also depends on any additional customization options such as accessories or engravings.
Yeah, that’s a good chunk of change. However, you have to think about what you’re getting. This is much more than just a fancy case to cover your gadget, this is a full on paint job. They are actually repainting your device to look like something entirely different. And as you can see from the pictures, these guys do an incredible job! If your gadgets are as personal for you as they are for me, you should certainly consider getting your next one colored from ColorWare. The quality and customization options are hard to beat.
Pros:
- Looks fantastic
- Tons of options
- Durable, quality paint
- Matte paint feels amazing
Cons:
- Can’t send in already owned products
- Expensive
- Buttons could potentially stick (not proven to be company’s fault in my experience)
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