premiers test du nouveau controller xbox one

Xbox One Controller Hands-on
Has Microsoft improved upon the Xbox 360's controller?
by Scott Lowe
May 21, 2013

The Xbox 360 controller is commonly regarded as the greatest controller ever made, but with the introduction of the Xbox One, Microsoft is changing the formula with a new design and over 40 enhancements. Has the company managed to improve upon perfection?

Of the promised improvements, the most noticeable changes are those made to the ergonomics. The handles may appear shorter than the Xbox 360 version, but in reality the middle surface area is just wider to accomodate the new control layout and flat battery pack. The analog sticks are slightly smaller, with textured ridges and a wider range of motion. The shoulder buttons and triggers have taken on rounded, angular edges that seamlessly blend with the base of the controller. The shoulders have a great feel, though by adopting a wider surface and smooth, angular edges, they've lost a bit of tactile differentiation for the user. With time, players should be able to adapt.

Microsoft hasn't just changed the exterior, however. The triggers now have "magnetic" sensors, which Microsoft claims offers greater precision. The buttons also have a distinctive mechanical click, which some may find preferable to a traditional membrane configuration. Critics of the Xbox 360 controller's imprecise disk-shaped d-pad will be pleased to find it has been replaced with a four-way design, which, once again, Microsoft has promised will deliver more precise controls.

Unfortunately, I was unable to investigate those claims, as the company was only offering tech demos of the controller's new "impulse triggers," which place small rumble motors within the triggers themselves. Admittedly, when I first heard about the feature, I thought it was a bit gimmicky, but when Microsoft demonstrated its potential applications in games, I became more optimistic.

The company allowed attendees to try out a series of brief demos of the feedback motors, ranging from the type of sensations associated with a helicopter taking off or driving a car. The Xbox One will be capable of using both the impulse triggers and motors built into the handles to capture the rumble of an engine in your palms and bumps in the road in your fingertips. The company also discussed how the motors could create feedback unique to certain weapon types or even indicate the location of incoming hits from enemies in each corner. How developers will implement the feature into games remains to be seen.

There are plenty of other lingering questions about the Xbox One controller. The prototypes I used featured an unspecified data port where the chat cable port exists now on the Xbox 360 controller. Company representatives promised more information about its uses would come soon. There's also the new buttons that have replaced start and back, whose purpose wasn't immediately clear and Microsoft refused to elaborate on. If I were a gambling man, I would guess the buttons will open the Xbox One's multitasking view and menus contextual to whatever app or game you're running. The Xbox Home button remains, which presumably would offer quick access to the dashboard.

Overall, I was surprised how much I liked the Xbox One's controller. While the changes from the Xbox 360 controller are significant, it clearly respects the legacy and leaves its strongest qualities intact.

Scott Lowe is IGN's resident tech expert and Executive Editor of IGN Tech. You can follow him on Twitter at @ScottLowe and on MyIGN at Scott-IGN.
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