Code Name: Choc – How a“ Failed” Controller Became Our Cult Classic

In the archives of PB TAILS, buried between CAD files and material samples, lies the blueprint for a controller that never was. Its code name was CHOC—a bizarre, beautiful, and commercially unviable masterpiece that taught us our most valuable lesson: true design isn’t about pleasing everyone. It’s about meaning everything to someone.

This is the story of how a "failure" became the soul of our brand.

 

The Birth of an Iconoclast

When we first sketched CHOC, we weren’t thinking about market trends. We were thinking about touch. While the industry chased aggressive angles and RGB overload, we asked: What if a controller felt like a sculpted stone, worn smooth by the sea?

CHOC’s asymmetrical curves defied every ergonomic textbook. Its triggers were positioned like the keys of a musical instrument. It wasn’t designed for a demographic—it was designed for a feeling: the quiet satisfaction of holding something uniquely yours.

At its 2019 Kickstarter launch, the world was polarized. 447 backers saw its vision. But retailers slammed their doors. “Too niche,” they said. “Gamers won’t get it.”

The Silence After the Storm

Maybe CHOC was a failure. Because its so unique, someone just said “it hurts my eyes”, when seeing the photo. But it had cost us over $800,00 USD in R&D and unrealized dreams.

But then, something magical happened.

A community began stitching CHOC’s DNA back together, fragment by fragment:

An Italian architect used its contour as inspiration for a series of fluid-furniture designs.

They had transformed our "failed" product into shared cultural currency.

 

The Ghost in Our Machine

CHOC maybe not products that everyone will like,  but its spirit always inspires us:

1. The Courage to Be Different
Every curve in our CRUSH defender series carries CHOC’s genetic code—that insistence that beauty matters as much as function.

2. The Power of Narrative
We learned that products with soul create disciples. Now, we design not just hardware, but conversation pieces.

3. The Art of Strategic Rebellion
CHOC taught us to balance wild creativity with commercial wisdom. Our upcoming  TRON (a new model) retains CHOC’s theatricality but channels it through production-ready innovation.

 

The Legacy Lives On

Today, when new team members join PB TAILS, we show them the CHOC prototype. Not as a cautionary tale, but as our declaration of intent.

To the 447 users who support CHOC at the first kickstarter project: you were right all along. You saw what the spreadsheet cells could not—that the most meaningful connections are forged not through perfection, but through authenticity.

CHOC was never a failure. It was our first love letter to the rebels, the artists, and the dreamers—the people who would eventually become the heart of PB TAILS.

Ready to hold a piece of living design history?

Explore our current collection, where CHOC’s revolutionary spirit lives on in every curve.