Microsoft reveals all about the Xbox Series X controller
Yesterday, Microsoft launched an avalanche of mostly technical details about the upcoming Xbox Series X. We have already reported about the hardware, reduced latency, new features, memory cards and other things. So let's take a look at the new controller.
In a meaty article on Xbox Wire, Xbox senior designer Ryan Whittaker has presented some of the new and returning details about it. One of the areas for improvement has been the overall comfort, to make it more pleasant to use regardless of the size of your hands so it'll be better suited for kids as well. Whittaker explains:
"We found we could improve accessibility and comfort for hundreds of millions more people without negatively affecting the experience for those with larger hands. We did that by rounding the bumpers, slightly reducing and rounding parts around the triggers, and carefully sculpting the grips."
The D-pad has also gotten a real revamp and is now more similar to the Xbox Elite Series 2 Controller. This seems to have been one of the areas getting more attention, something Whittaker admits, stating that "the new D-pad is about boosting performance and accessibility for all the ways people play (And it's one of my favourite parts of the new design)". He continues:
"Building on what we learned from Elite and watching how people use the D-pad, we designed a hybrid to deliver the best of both. It feels great. The slightly deeper dish gives your thumb a nice little "home" to sit in. The angles are finely tuned to give you a good amount of leverage with minimal movement. Gamers will notice a performance boost right out of the box."
As you might have expected, the Xbox Series X controllers are made for usage with other systems as well, and Microsoft has worked on making it easier to move them around different hardware and it also has a USB-C port instead of Micro USB:
"Gamers can also play on more devices including PC, Android, and iOS. We're implementing Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) so that pairing to these devices is much easier. The new controller also remembers multiple devices so switching between them is more seamless. And a USB-C port allows gamers to play and charge with a modern cable that's more readily available."
Finally, Whittaker also reveals that Microsoft has now "added a tactile dot pattern on the triggers and bumpers, which provides grip to improve feel and performance". That is something that previously has been available on special edition controllers for Xbox One - and it has obviously been appreciated. He also notes that the D-pad, bumpers, and triggers now have a matte finish to maintain a smooth consistent feel, whether your hands are wet or dry".
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It is also confirmed that the Xbox Series X controllers use AA batteries or charging packs, just like the original controllers for Xbox One. This means you can just switch the batteries and continue playing when they run dry, and you will never have controllers with old and bad (or even broken) batteries. It does however also means you will need batteries and they also make the controller bigger.
Since The Game Awards announcement of Xbox Series X from last year, we also know that the controller comes equipped with a share button this time. Something Xbox One didn't have.
Does all this sound like music to your ears?
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