Some Xbox Series X Controllers Now Have a Major New Feature

Some Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S controllers now support a brand new feature thanks to a software update released by Microsoft. With the jump from Xbox One to Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, Microsoft opted to maintain the design of its controller. This stood in stark contrast to what PlayStation did with the transition from PS4 to PS5. Not only did PlayStation release a newly-designed controller, but it abandoned its DualShock design for the first time in its history. That said, since the release of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series X, there have been some additions and improvements made with software updates. Unfortunately, the latest improvement is limited to only some controllers

More specifically, with a new update, owners of Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and the Xbox Adaptive Controller can now map their controller buttons to their keyboard. According to Xbox, “keyboard remapping has been a requested feature in the PC gaming and accessibility communities.” Why? Well, it gives owners of these controller more input capabilities, and for games that require lots of commands, like strategy games, it’s a huge plus. The same also applies to games with limited remapping capabilities or that do not support certain controllers. That said, unless you have one of these two premium controllers, you won’t be able to enjoy this feature. It’s not been added to the basic Xbox controller. 

“Starting this week the Xbox Accessories app will support controller-to-keyboard input mapping on both PC and console,” writes Xbox. “Choose any button on your Elite Series 2 or port on your Xbox Adaptive Controller and remap it to your desired keyboard key. For instance, Sea of Thieves can take keyboard input for something like quick select of a tool or weapon, while using controller for most other actions.”

For more Xbox coverage — including all of the latest on Xbox Series X|S, all of the latest on Xbox One, and all of the latest on Xbox Game Pass — click here. Meanwhile, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think. Will you be making use of this new feature?