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Take An In-Depth Look At The Xbox One Controller's New Features
In a new video, Xbox Live director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb goes in-depth with the Xbox One controller. In the short clip, Hryb is joined by Zulfi Alam, president of the Xbox accessory business, to see what makes the new controller different than the ones we've been using this generation.
In addition to the screwless back and integrated battery compartment, there have been a number of tweaks to the design. The thumbsticks are a bit smaller and closer together, as are the ABXY buttons.
The much maligned D-Pad on the Xbox 360 controller has been completely revamped so that it's closer to the motherboard and more precise. The trigger haptics improve the way rumble is distributed across the device.
The little changes have caught the eye of many gamers (and our own Matt Helgeson), prompting questions about the change. Alam assures multiple times in the video that the design process went through numerous iterations and is the result of extensive playtesting and refinement.
We'll have even more hands-on time with the Xbox One controller at Gamescom next week.
Our Take
I'm partial to the Xbox 360 controller's offset thumbsticks and button placement. It's my first choice, provided I don't need to use the D-Pad. For me, this is the single biggest improvement to the controller, at least in concept. I'm looking forward to seeing how much of a difference the precision rumble and the tweaks to the sticks and buttons make.
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