Does the perfect controller exist? Many of you will think so, and have a few in mind, many of you will however remember the repertoire of control devices that have passed through your hands and suggest some other improvement that could have been made so that they are in the field of almost inaccessible perfection.
The departure of the original Xbox 20 years ago added a very important page in the video game industry book, no doubt about it, but what did it mean in history controls ?
The first control I remember in my life, beyond the arcade joystick, was the Atari 2600, with its to stick on huge (or at least my 5 year old mind saw it that way) and its buttons. Then they passed the control of the NES, the Mega Drive and so many others, with their innovations, their additions and their formats, that many seemed brutally uncomfortable but when they tried them they felt totally correct. Now 20 years is a long time and no doubt for many people the original Xbox was the first console of their lives so has there been an evolution seen in all these generations of Microsoft consoles ? We are going on a historical journey that will allow you to solve this question at the end of this article, or so I hope.
A real “Duke” on Xbox
Seamus Blackley He was the author of an iconic controller for the first Xbox. Nicknamed “The Duke” and although having a lot of presence and an idea of undeniable robustness, the control was very wide and somewhat difficult to maneuver. As soon as it was presented, the press and the players shook hands, jointly criticizing its design and the distribution of the buttons. Even the non-slip surfaces haven’t been saved from falling into the public fire of less-than-positive reviews.
It would take Xbox a year to launch the successor to that ill-fated controller, this time the “S-controller” seemed to have pressed the ergonomic key. Along with being slimmer in body, this new idea had a different button layout, diamond-shaped among others, and would lay the groundwork for the controls that would come to the brand in the future.
the 360 era
After Microsoft’s big first step into the console market, the Xbox 360 arrives and now with a controller that was a crowd favorite from day one. The hardware was based on the Controller S but with several changes in key areas, such as the location of the “Back” and “Start” buttons now moved to the center of the pad itself.
The Xbox logo was still present and now as a useful function of being the console’s “Start” button, while the rest of the keys continued in the same place as its predecessor, providing continuity for fans of the brand. In terms of size, the controller has lost some of its proportions to lighten the weight and make it much more comfortable to hold, or handy when outright frustrating during a tough game.
Another of the additions of this new model was the 2.5 mm TRS connector which allowed the incorporation of various accessories such as keyboards for chatting and other gadgets of dubious real usefulness. Microsoft also capitalized on the popularity and acceptance of these designs to release a large number of limited editions that accompanied games and other releases.
the next generation is coming
In keeping with design tradition, the Xbox One controller has only made minor adjustments to its layout. In general, the placement of the buttons remained almost identical to its predecessor, although the angles of the gripping surfaces were changed a bit, the bumper they had some mechanical tweaks with corresponding vibrations on the triggers (a bit bigger now), but not much else.
The present of controls
Two generations ago, Microsoft moved away from the idea that a new generation of consoles must include completely different control or brutal innovation. As usual, many have criticized those in Redmond for Sony’s strategy with its PS5 controls, but the truth is that the Xbox Series controller isn’t far off from what’s already been seen on the One, a la difference of “Dynamic latency input“, a function that manages to match the commands to the frame rate of the game, so that the input lag It should be almost non-existent.
The D-Pad has also changed format but not position and the “to share”whose primary function of sharing content on social networks and taking screenshots can now be replaced by other functions of the player’s choice.
And you, what do you think was the best Xbox controller in its 20-year history? I would really like to know, so you can leave me your opinion in the comments.
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