In the last 20 years Xbox controllers went through many different iterations, designs and upgrades.
Let’s explore how Microsoft went from this bulky controller,
to the next generation controller for the series X and S.
This is the Evolution of Xbox controllers!
After years of rumors, Microsoft finally entered the gaming console market with the Xbox in 2001.
But as most of you know we’ve already covered an evolution video about the Xbox,
which is actually the most popular video on this channel.
This time we’re going to talk about the controllers.
Denise Chaudhari produced the initial concepts for the original Xbox's controller.
The controller featured many aspects from the latest trends in gaming around the turn of the millennium,
which included two analog sticks, six action buttons, a D-pad,
two analog triggers, a back and start button, and it had vibration.
But even with these latest features it wasn’t received well by the audience.
Seamus Blackley, who created the original Xbox, told IGN in an interview how much people hated the controller.
...session, and people start asking about the controller, and people start booing,
and some guy starts to throw stuff and there was a golf ball in it.
That's how much people hated it. And online and everywhere else.
I mean, everyone hated it. Everyone just hated it. It was super traumatic.
The real problem was its size and build.
It was massive!
It was much bigger than the PlayStation 2 Dual Shock controller.
While it was known as just the Xbox controller,
the device would receive many unofficial names over the years,
including “Fatty”, and the one that stuck was “The Duke”.
The major reason for the controllers bulky build was its circuit board design,
which was already manufactured before the controller was designed.
Denise who designed the controller said “the best thing we could do was
create a case that was ergonomically comfortable.
If it’s gonna have to be that big, then it can at least feel good, right?”
Despite her efforts, the Duke was a disaster,
especially in Japan, which was an incredibly important market for the Xbox.
There are some Japanese apartments that are, you know,
only twice or three times the size of the Duke.
So yeah, there's no way that this thing is going to fit into that consumer profile at all.
So it really, really offended... It was offensive in Japan. It was offensive.
It was offensive. It was a cultural faux pas.
FUN FACT:
A few years ago, Blackley went through a bunch of old boxes
and in one of them he found an original Duke.
Blackley thought it would be funny to post a picture on Twitter
of his 11-year-old son holding the Duke.
Suddenly, there were hundreds of responses saying “I love the Duke”.
What started out as a joke turned into a partnership between Xbox and Hyperkin
in 2018 to release ‘The Duke’ for the Xbox One and PC.
After the original controller had received much criticism,
Microsoft went forward making plans for a smaller and lighter Xbox controller,
codenamed the “Akebono”,
the Controller S was closer to the intended design for the console’s main controller.
It repositioned the black and white auxiliary buttons to the bottom
and made the gap between the D-pad and the right joystick much smaller,
making it more usable for people with smaller hands.
It was generally more comfortable to use than the original.
Originally, it was the standard controller only in Japan.
However, due to popular demand the “Controller S” replaced the Duke in 2002.
The compact and sleek Controller S for the original Xbox
would lay the groundwork for all future Xbox controllers.
Releasing more than a full year before the PlayStation 3,
Microsoft's Xbox 360 would become a massive success.
The controller added fundamental changes
such as turning the Xbox’s black and white buttons into additional shoulder buttons.
It also added a new audio plug-in for headsets.
The 360 controller came in both wired and wireless variants.
The real game-changer of the controller was the guide button placed in the center of the device.
It had 4 LED lights around the 360 logo that would show the number of controllers connected to the Xbox,
but it would also flash when the batteries would begin to run low.
The guide button itself was tied to the next-gen experience of the 360,
allowing players to quickly go to the console's hub.
Unlike the original Xbox, the standard 360 controller would last throughout the console’s 11 year span.
The 360 controller was regarded as one of the best controllers out there.
Many preferred it over the PlayStation 3’s controller.
The Xbox controller was much bigger and it had offset the analog sticks,
whereas the controller for the PlayStation 3 had them side by side.
The only downside of the 360's controller was the D-pad,
which was significantly better with the PlayStation 3 controller.
Another part of the controller's legacy was its impact on PC gaming.
With the continued rise of its gaming division, Microsoft sought to create a bridge
between consoles and the PC marketplace with Games for Windows,
bringing the Xbox experience to PC.
There were also some limited editions, including a Dragon Design…
A special controller for Halo Reach…
and a TRON controller with LED lighting.
In 2010 Xbox launched the Kinect,
which originated as a means to eliminate the game controller...
to draw a larger audience beyond traditional gamers.
It provided full-body 3D motion capture,
facial and voice recognition capabilities,
and basically turned you into the controller.
With your movements and voice you could control the Xbox and play games.
An upgraded iteration of the Kinect was released in 2013 for the Xbox One.
It had a Full HD camera, 60% wider field of vision,
a heart-rate monitor and improved tracking accuracy.
Although the first Kinect system became a huge success
and sold more than 10 million units within a few months,
making it one of the fastest-selling computer hardware products at the time,
the second Kinect system became a commercial failure.
Consumers seemed to prefer the traditional gaming experience with controllers.
In 2013, the Xbox One was released.
The original Xbox One controller would stick closely to the design of the 360's controller,
yet it featured many improvements focusing on the areas of player input and feedback.
In addition to improved response times of the button inputs and analog sticks,
it included haptic feedback for the triggers,
adding more of a kick when playing games from the shooter and racing genres.
The device also included access to more features that allowed players
to capture images and record gameplay on their console
and letting players share that content with friends online.
Other significant upgrades compared to the 360’s controller were the improved D-pad,
the wider trigger and bumper buttons,
and removing the battery pack that was sticking out of the wireless controller.
While the numerous problems with the console have been documented over the years,
the Xbox One controller proved itself to be one of the best controllers to date.
It’s crazy to think that Microsoft spent over $100 million developing the Xbox One controller
but the effort clearly shows.
Throughout the years, there have been many different designs and limited editions of the controller,
including one for Gears 5…
Halo 5…
Cyberpunk…
and many more.
I guess they really love designing new controllers at Xbox…
Microsoft would provide a slight revision in 2015, with a headphone jack at the bottom,
and shoulder buttons that were redesigned for improved responsiveness.
The Xbox Elite Wireless controller was released in the same year
and was marketed as a premium device for the “elite gamer”.
It featured a steel construction with a soft-touch plastic exterior,
along with rear paddle buttons,
“hair trigger locks”, which activate the buttons with the slightest touch,
swappable components,
and you could fully customize all buttons, trigger and analog stick sensitivity.
You could even save two different profiles and switch between them.
The controller wasn’t cheap though as it was sold for $150 dollars.
In 2016, Microsoft released a revised console model, the Xbox One S.
In addition to being a smaller console itself, the standard controller also saw an upgrade.
While mostly similar to its predecessor, the Xbox One S controller added Bluetooth connectivity,
allowing it to sync up with additional devices and with Windows-based PCs.
Players could also customize the controller’s design with Xbox Design Lab,
allowing them to choose from a wide range of color combinations,
adding metallic finishes and rubberized grips.
FUN FACT:
There is a special Xbox One controller made for 2D fighting games.
It doesn’t have analog sticks, and it looks a lot like the SEGA Saturn controller.
In 2018, Microsoft would release the company's most unique controller in its history,
designed for people with disabilities.
The Xbox Adaptive Controller was developed in collaboration with charities supporting disabilities,
and the controller is both usable on the Xbox One and Windows-based PCs.
With a standard D-pad and face buttons,
the centerpiece of the Adaptive Controller has two massive buttons
that could function for whatever the player wanted.
Shortly after its release, Time Magazine named the Adaptive Controller
one of the best technological innovations of the year.
Microsoft released a more advanced version of the popular Elite controller in 2019,
known as the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2.
Sticking closely to the original design,
the second version of the Elite controller added even more ways to customize the device.
In addition to altering the analog sticks, letting users alter tension and pressure for each stick,
the upgraded controller included Bluetooth, allowed for three custom profiles,
and had up to 40 hours of rechargeable battery life.
Xbox wants to expands beyond their consoles with the Xbox Game Pass,
which is a subscription service that allows players to play games
on the Xbox One and on the new Xbox Series X and S,
but also on android mobile phones and tablets.
It basically is like Netflix, but for video games.
With the arrival of the Game Pass, Xbox released a new controller
in partnership with Razer in August 2020,
the Razer Kishi.
This innovative controller can be attached to your smartphone and turns it into a gaming device.
It has an universal fit, although the smartphone requires to be within the supported dimensions.
It is currently sold for $100 dollars.
If you want to buy a Xbox controller, console, or anything else,
please use my Amazon affiliate link in the description.
With this link, I get commissions from purchases made on Amazon,
which will greatly support this channel and allows me to make more educative content!
And finally, with the arrival of the next generation Xbox Series X and S
came an updated version of the wireless Xbox One controller.
The controller is aimed to be more ergonomic to fit a larger range of hand sizes.
The D-pad was also improved by merging the standard Xbox One controller D-pad
with the Elite to accommodate a range of playstyles.
There is also a "share" button in the center of the controller's face,
which lets you create screenshots and video clips more easily.
Players can easily connect the controller to PCs, phones and tablets.
It uses a new version of Bluetooth named Bluetooth Low Energy,
which considerably reduces the power consumption
while maintaining a similar communication range.
Finally, it ads USB-C for charging.
Other than that, it is similar to the Xbox One controller.
As such, there is no learning curve, and no period of re-adjustment.
You just grab the next generation controller and start playing Xbox games,
just as you did before.
Check out the Evolution of Xbox consoles by clicking the video on the left.
And I would like to say to the viewers who actually subscribed:
Thank you!
You’re awesome!