New Xbox Series X Controller Features Revealed

With the Xbox Series X still set for release later this year, Microsoft has been slowly pulling [...]

By Marc Deschamps

With the Xbox Series X still set for release later this year, Microsoft has been slowly pulling back the curtain on more information about the system. Today, the company revealed the controller that will come packed-in with the Xbox Series X. Long-time Xbox fans will be happy to know that they can still use their existing controllers with the upcoming console, but the new version will have some minor improvements that will help make for better overall gaming experiences. One area Microsoft wanted to focus on is compatibility. With Microsoft pushing for greater accessibility between their devices, the controller needed to reflect that.

One thing that should come as great news to Xbox fans is the fact that the controller will remember more devices, making it easier to switch from playing games on Xbox, to PC, or Android, or iOS devices. Between Project xCloud and Xbox Play Anywhere, more gamers are going to be enjoying Microsoft games on different devices than ever before. Ensuring that the process remains as seamless as possible is an important way to make that feature all the more appealing to audiences. In that same spirit, the controller will have less latency overall, giving players a faster response time between button presses and on-screen reaction. In gaming, timing is everything.

The addition of the "Share" button is probably one of the more noticeable changes to the controller. While Xbox fans have been able to share images and video for some time now, the fact is that social media has made this an important part of the gaming experience for a lot of players, and it's also a way that publishers can get more people to notice their games. So, it makes perfect sense that Microsoft would add a button to make that function more easily accessible, just as Sony and Nintendo both have.

Last but not least, Microsoft has made greater strides to make the controller more ergonomic. Microsoft has made a number of minor alterations to make the controller more comfortable for players of all-ages. The D-pad has also been redesigned with comfort in mind, as well as different play styles. While the Xbox Elite controller has swappable D-pads, this version of the controller combines the two styles, ideally allowing for multiple play styles.

Overall, the changes are minimal, which makes sense given the fact that Microsoft is allowing for compatibility with older controllers. Still, these small changes show that there's always room to improve.

What do you think of the Xbox Series X controller? Are you excited about the improvements Microsoft has made? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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