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The Silver Lining: Xbox One Controller Hands-On

It may not have been a very good E3 for Microsoft, but the new controller held up.

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Microsoft had a terrible E3. Not because of a lack of quality software. Whoever it was who claimed it all comes down to the games, obviously didn't consider the effects of rewriting the rules of ownership or putting a hefty price tag on your new console.

When looking at the Xbox One controller it's difficult to spot the 40 improvements/changes made from the Xbox 360 controller. The first notable difference as I started playing is that the controller is somewhat smaller. Not necessarily an improvement, but the controller felt great in our hands nonetheless.

The Silver Lining: Xbox One Controller Hands-On
The Silver Lining: Xbox One Controller Hands-OnThe Silver Lining: Xbox One Controller Hands-On
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A lot has been made of the directional rumble of the controller where four small motors (two of them placed behind the triggers) provide us with what in theory would give you a sense of direction. For instance you would be able to sense which wheel was going off track in Forza Motorsport 5. To be perfectly honest we didn't notice this when giving the Koenigsegg a spin in the E3 demo of said game, and we're not sure whether that is because the feature comes across as subtle and natural or whether it's one of those things that really doesn't have much impact in the end. Or perhaps the feature hadn't been fully implemented yet.

The analogs were great - responsive and comfortable. The fact that they are more sensitive will take some getting used to, but once we've adjusted there should be no looking back. The face buttons, close together and just barely raised over the surface of the controller also impressed. And while we did not get a chance to sample the D-pad in any meaningful gameplay, it also feels like an improvement.

There is one immediate area of concern, and while the angled triggers felt good, the same could not be said of the bumpers. The hard plastic of the shoulder buttons simply don't feel responsive enough, and really that whole area gives the controllers a somewhat cheap look.

We also had the chance of sampling the new Kinect with Fantasia: Music Evolved. It felt good and responsive, more accurate, but most importantly we were able to play in a standard demo room at E3, that is standing fairly close to the screen (a couple of meters). Tech demos gave us an indication of just how much detail Kinect 2 is able to register and in a game like Fantasia that meant we could be less exaggerated as far as gestures go.

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The Silver Lining: Xbox One Controller Hands-On
The Silver Lining: Xbox One Controller Hands-OnThe Silver Lining: Xbox One Controller Hands-On
The Silver Lining: Xbox One Controller Hands-On
From the top (left to right): Ryse: Son of Rome, Fantasia: Music Evolved, The Crew and Forza Motorsport 5.

The games we played with the Xbox One controller - Ryse: Son of Rome, Forza Motorsport 5, The Crew - were perhaps not ideal for judging all aspects of the controller. In hindsight some extended play with a first person shooter would have better served these purposes, but as you can imagine lines were long at E3 to sample anything next-gen.

Overall, going hands-on with Xbox One didn't overwhelm us, it very much feels like an extension and evolution of what you've played on Xbox 360 as far as the methods of control go. That's not necessarily a bad thing moving forward, but it's not really headline grabbing post-E3 either.



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