Next Gen isn’t just for consoles anymore as both the PS4 and Xbox One have brought some much needed upgrades to their controllers. I happen to have had some hands on time with the Xbox One and was surprised at some of the refinements made to the controller. Is this the One controller you’ve been looking for?
Now, I’m not sure what your personal preference had been for the current offerings of controllers. While I own both the PS3 and Xbox 360, the 360’s controller had always been a little nicer for me. From just the layout to the overall comfort, the Xbox One had to bring something unique to convince me this was next gen.
Design
Microsoft was certainly trying something new with this controller. The first thing that seemed like a no brainer was the battery pack. The Xbox One’s controller battery pack sits flush, which made handling so much easier. That being said, the weight of the controller felt nice. Reminded me of switching from Xbox to the 360, something you’ll only notice by handling.
Let’s talk a little about design. We’ve all become familiar with the Metro look of the 360, and while the Xbox One looks like an 80’s VCR, the controller looks super slick. The layout is roughly the same, but the overall package had been largely refined. The default color is a black matte look with a silver Xbox home button. The A, B ,X, and Y have also had a color change, as they are now black with the letter written out in a corresponding color. What I liked was how Pro it looked, it felt more like a device then a toy.
Feel
The control sticks are in the same place as before, but with a revised texture. It’s no longer rubber, it’s a cross stitching along with a raised circle on top of the control sticks. I did initially like this, though I did wonder with extended gameplay if the texture would become a little much. The highlight of the controller is the triggers. As the rumble has been also moved to be included with triggers. During Forza, they rumbled differently depending on my driving. It made it easier to understand when to turn and what I was driving on. As I drifted a bit close to the edge, it felt like the road texture changed a little. I also liked the new placement of the home button, it’s a little more removed from all the chaos, making hitting it on accident a thing of the past.
Overall
Pretty impressed with the controller. Looking forward to doing some long term gaming with it. The only question that remains is if I can use it with my PC / Mac.
Be sure to stay tuned to all our Next Gen coverage.