Backward compatible games on Xbox may be getting a major upgrade with the next-gen Xbox console. The next Xbox console — based on leaked Microsoft documents — is expected to release sometime in 2028. And based on a new patent, it is going to release alongside a new Xbox controller set to close the gap between the current Xbox controller and the PS5 DualSense controller. According to the patent, one way Microsoft is set to close the gap is with the implementation of haptic feedback, something the PS5 DualSense controller makes great use of unlike the current Xbox controller.
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Where do backward compatible games come into the equation? Well, the controller patent — which reports claim is for the next-gen Xbox controller — detail the haptic feedback can be tuned to mimic the haptic feedback of a legacy device. In other words, provide the same feedback the user would have gotten playing the original Xbox game or the original Xbox 360 game on each of their respective controllers. This would, of course, provide a much more authentic experience when playing backward compatible games.
“The device can be tuned such that one resonance peak simulates haptic feedback of a legacy haptic motor of a legacy device (e.g., an Eccentric Rotary Mass (ERM) motor that vibrates at 20 Hz in a legacy game controller),” reads the patent.
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Xbox’s investment into backward compatibility has been considerable recent years. In fact, backward compatibility is one place Xbox has the edge compared to PlayStation and Nintendo. That said, take this patent with a grain of salt. Even if it is related to a new next-gen Xbox controller, as some have claimed, there’s no guarantee this specific aspect of the patent will be realized in the final product.
If there is something to this patent, then this seemingly rules out Xbox going down the Nintendo route of re-releasing old controllers to supplement its backward compatible games. There are always third-party options for those interested in this though.
At the moment of publishing, Xbox has not commented on this new patent and the speculation it has created. It’s never commented on patents and it doens’t comment on speculation, so there’s no reason to expect this to change, but if it does we will update the story accordingly. In the meantime, for more coverage on everything Xbox — including all of the latest Xbox news, all of the latest Xbox rumors and leaks, and all of the latest speculation involving Xbox — click here.
