Part of the excitement of every new console generation is seeing the next iteration of Xbox and PlayStation‘s controllers. Much of the buzz surrounding the PlayStation 5 has been how games utilize the DualSense’s unique features – things like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, which aren’t in the Series X/S controllers. The added immersion provided through the DualSense seems to have given PlayStation a leg up in terms of gamepads, but Xbox has the capability to create a better controller.
Prior to the DualSense, PlayStation controllers were successive versions of the DualShock, which gradually changed with every new PlayStation console. Xbox, on the other hand, has had a largely unchanged controller since the Xbox 360, making now the perfect time for an Xbox controller re-design. The D-pad has changed slightly, the triggers are a different shape, and there’s a handful of small variations, but nothing as radical as putting a large touch pad on the controller’s face.
Xbox’s unwavering controller layout is largely due to the fact that it’s a great design. For a long time, the 360 controller was the preferred gamepad to use on PC. This may be changing now that the DualSense’s mic and speaker are PC compatible, and many games are adding support for haptics and adaptive triggers on PC. Fortunately for Xbox, its own controller technology and the DualSense combine to make a…
