Xbox One video discusses 40 controller improvements

Xbox One owners are going to spend an awful lot of time holding a controller--even if mandatory Kinect means You Are Always The Controller, Pal--so it's a pretty important hunk of plastic. Microsoft has a good hard look at the One's revamped controller in a new video, looking at what's new since the Xbox 360.

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Xbox One owners are going to spend an awful lot of time holding a controller--even if mandatory Kinect means You Are Always The Controller, Pal--so it's a pretty important hunk of plastic. Microsoft has a good hard look at the One's revamped controller in a new video, looking at what's new since the Xbox 360.

The seven-minute video (via Polygon) sees Larry 'Major Nelson' Hryb and Xbox accessories general manager Zulfi Alam chatting about the 40 improvements it supposedly offers, and having a little peek inside. The pair gasbag about its reworked D-pad, hand-friendly screwless casing, tweaked thumbsticks, trigger haptic feedback, supporting both wired and wireless, and plenty more.

"Hundreds and hundreds of tests were done with thousands and thousands of users to make sure that core gamers, when they touch this controller, it feels familiar, should feel like it's from the same family," Alam said, "you should have the best of the old one, and in addition you have additional functionality."

Xbox One includes a controller in the box, but additional ones will go for $60 each. There's other accessories you can pick up, as well. You can use standard AA batteries for about 40 hours of play, but if you'd like a rechargeable option, there's the Play & Charge kit, which lasts for about 30 hours with each charge.

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  • reply
    August 12, 2013 10:30 AM

    Alice O'Connor posted a new article, Xbox One video discusses 40 controller improvements.

    Xbox One owners are going to spend an awful lot of time holding a controller--even if mandatory Kinect means You Are Always The Controller, Pal--so it's a pretty important hunk of plastic. Microsoft has a good hard look at the One's revamped controller in a new video, looking at what's new since the Xbox 360.

    LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
    • reply
      August 12, 2013 10:44 AM

      Only 34 of those improvements hidden behind the XBLG paywall.

      LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
    • reply
      August 12, 2013 11:33 AM

      That controller probably only cost $10 to make.

      LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
      • reply
        August 12, 2013 11:36 AM

        you severely underestimate how much technology is in modern controllers

        LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
    • reply
      August 12, 2013 11:43 AM

      Wait, the Xbox button is made from transparent aluminum? Time to go save the whales!

      LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
    • reply
      August 12, 2013 11:52 AM

      ok, but will the D-Pad finally be worth something for fighting games? .............

      LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
      • reply
        August 12, 2013 12:05 PM

        from the video, it looks improved. there should be a more tactile feel of "click" when you press a direction.

        LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
      • reply
        August 12, 2013 12:24 PM

        [deleted]

        LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
        • reply
          August 12, 2013 1:29 PM

          This rumor is complete bs. The patent expired years and years ago. That has nothing to do with it.

          LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
          • reply
            August 12, 2013 5:32 PM

            the 360 came out before the patent expired

            LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
            • reply
              August 12, 2013 7:53 PM

              I will give Sega, they had an interesting way around it with the Dreamcast (it was mounted and setup differently but to the same effect).

              LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
            • reply
              August 12, 2013 10:31 PM

              No, it didn't. It came out several months afterwards.

              LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
              • reply
                August 12, 2013 11:43 PM

                the patent expired in August and the console came out in November. That's not enough time to prototype, tool, and build hundreds of thousands of updated controllers.

                Not to mention the system was playable at E3 that year, months before the patent expired.

                LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
                • reply
                  August 12, 2013 11:54 PM

                  It's not like the patent expiration was some unknown thing. They last a set time. And demo units being available is not relevant; Nintendo could hardly have argued losses from non-commercial demo units.

                  LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
      • reply
        August 12, 2013 1:25 PM

        It's the cross from the "Special Edition" 360 controller, which is significantly improved over the standard 360 controller. And it looks to be even more refined.

        LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
    • reply
      August 12, 2013 12:20 PM

      I want to know how its WiFi works. Do I need a dongle ton use it on the PC? My first understanding is it uses a variant of WiFi.

      LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
    • reply
      August 12, 2013 1:06 PM

      [deleted]

      LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
      • reply
        August 12, 2013 1:08 PM

        [deleted]

        LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
        • reply
          August 12, 2013 1:10 PM

          [deleted]

          LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
          • reply
            August 12, 2013 1:35 PM

            Yeah, I had a couple controllers over the lifespan of my console which were the same way. One was particularly bad because while most of the time I could give the stick a flick and sort it out, this one always creeped down to the left. (Like my junk)

            One thing I noticed on the new one which they did to the SE controller on the 360 as well, is the removal of the 4 little bumps on the top of the sticks. I always liked those in the classic 360 controllers because they felt like I had just a little more grip on them. However, these new ones look to be more concave so it may not be an issue at all.

            LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
    • reply
      August 12, 2013 3:30 PM

      Why do they still put the left thumbstick up high and the right thumbstick down low? One of the two positions has to be more ergonomic, so why aren't they both in that position? This seems like a clear win on the PS controller.

      LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
      • reply
        August 12, 2013 5:17 PM

        I've wondered this too, I've always guessed that the default position is assumed to be left thumb on the stick, right thumb on the face buttons. D-pad and right stick being the secondary positions for both.

        Obviously this would suck for the types of games where analog movement is the primary position, but I don't think that's the common use.

        LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
      • reply
        August 12, 2013 5:33 PM

        Because that's the best place for them.

        LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
        • reply
          August 12, 2013 5:56 PM

          I'm terrible with twin-stick games, but I do far better when they're on the same horizontal plane. I kinda hate both PS3 and 360 controller designs, but I'll have to see what I think of the PS4 controller's design, since Patrick Klepek said he tried it and liked it a lot better than PS3.

          LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
      • reply
        August 12, 2013 6:28 PM

        [deleted]

        LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
      • reply
        August 12, 2013 6:36 PM

        [deleted]

        LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
      • reply
        August 12, 2013 8:54 PM

        Honestly I think the Wii U Pro controller does it best. It's my current favorite traditional controller, and I've got a dongle to use a couple on my PC.

        http://www.amazon.com/Nintendo-Wii-U-Pro-Controller-Black/dp/B009AFLXQQ/

        LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
      • reply
        August 12, 2013 8:57 PM

        i'm sure there are studies on this, and thousands of hours of testing, but it just feels correct to me.

        because the D-pad is below the left thumbstick, and my left thumb is moving from the thumbstick to the d-pad below. in a vertical fashion. whereas the face buttons are level with the right thumbstick, because you're going horizontally to and from the stick to the buttons. imagine if it were two separate controllers like the wii nunchuck and remote.

        LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
        • reply
          August 12, 2013 9:26 PM

          I always just assumed it was some dumb patent bullshit.

          LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
    • reply
      August 12, 2013 9:37 PM

      FIX YOUR COLLAR, PLEASE!

      FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!

      Otherwise, I'm happy to hear that plugging in the wire will switch to actual wired mode, and the haptic trigger feedback sounds pretty dang cool.

      LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
    • reply
      August 12, 2013 11:25 PM

      essentially, they've made 40 improvements.

      LOLINFUNFTAGWTFWOWAWW
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