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XBox (Games) Input Devices Microsoft Upgrades Hardware

Microsoft Announces Customizable Xbox Elite Wireless Controller 99

Posted by samzenpus from the all-the-better-to-push-buttons-with dept.
MojoKid writes: Today, Microsoft announced that later this year, it will be releasing what could be the "ultimate" Xbox and Windows game controller. Called Xbox Elite Wireless, this gamepad has a dramatically overhauled D-pad and four paddles underneath. Other features that make this gamepad special: there are trigger locks, the ability to customize thumbstick sensitivity, along with the level of travel for the top triggers. In addition, it also sports swappable components, like the paddles, etc. Pricing has been announced at $149 and given just how advanced this gamepad is over the original, it's understandable but still pretty steep.
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Microsoft Announces Customizable Xbox Elite Wireless Controller More

Microsoft Announces Customizable Xbox Elite Wireless Controller

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  • Shitting all over casual gamers. (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    As a casual gamer, I have maybe two or three hours per week to play games. I don't want to spend all of that time trying to figure out a goddamn 30-button controller! At least with a PC keyboard I can use it for many other things than playing games, including typing this very comment. But with modern console controllers all they can do is control games, and nothing else. Playing games using one of these controllers is just a time investment that I can't afford to make!

    • Re:Shitting all over casual gamers. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by rodrigoandrade ( 713371 ) on Tuesday June 16, 2015 @07:44AM (#49920623)
      Easy, don't buy it. This thing wasn't meant for you. Keep using the controller that came with your Xbox One and be happy.

      What's with this "me, me, me" generation, where something sucks just because it doesn't please ME??

      • I'm with you in your griping about people thinking that every product is a failure if it isn't intended for them, but at the same time, you have to wonder just who this product is intended for. Those paddles on the back? They weren't there when the system launched. What's their purpose? What games support them or ever will support them? Racing games, I suppose, for use with shifting gears, but if you're a racing fan looking to drop $150 on a peripheral, you're already better served getting a racing wheel co

        • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

          by Anonymous Coward

          I'm with you in your griping about people thinking that every product is a failure if it isn't intended for them, but at the same time, you have to wonder just who this product is intended for. Those paddles on the back? They weren't there when the system launched. What's their purpose?

          Allows gamers to keep their thumbs on the directional pads at all times, while also still being able to access (mapped) functionality of face buttons.

          Glorious for disabled gamers.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by batkiwi ( 137781 )

          It's intended for first person shooters. You both "look" and jump/reload/etc with your right thumb.

          This controller frees up your thumb to let you always look and turn while doing A/B/X/Y functions.

          It's too expensive and I won't buy one, but I can see the point, especially for serious halo/battlefield/etc players.

        • I'm with you in your griping about people thinking that every product is a failure if it isn't intended for them, but at the same time, you have to wonder just who this product is intended for. Those paddles on the back? They weren't there when the system launched. What's their purpose? What games support them or ever will support them?

          This is targeted more at Windows gaming than XBox gaming, hence the programmable buttons. XBox is a brand rather than just a console.

      • How about recognizing that if a product isn't perfect, that criticism is valid? That handwave doesn't work.

        • How about recognizing that if a product isn't perfect, that criticism is valid?

          It is, but his/her criticism is not that the product isn't good at being what it is designed to be, it's that what it is designed to be isn't suitable for him/her. If you're a casual gamer with 2-3 hours a week to play games and a 30 button controller isn't suitable for you then clearly this product is not for you, that doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it.

    • In case you haven't noticed, for the last decade or so the gaming industry has been catering mostly to casual gamers and shitting all over hardcore gamers as a matter of course. And then when a rare product targeted at hardcore gamers comes out, you bitch.

      I was going to upgrade from an Xbox 360 PC wireless to an Xbox One PC wireless, but I think I'll save up for this model now.

      • Yeah this thing looks sweet. I definitely want to get the wireless PC xbox one controller, I just dont know if I can justify the price for the elite though as much as I would love it. I just dont play enough of the type of games on PC that require the sensitivity, customizable hair triggers, etc.. but I can definitely see the appeal for the people who play racing games, sports, shooters, etc.

      • The way MS can fix the whole thing is stop exclusivity of game pads and license them. THEN you'll have real choice in controllers.

      • In case you haven't noticed, for the last decade or so the gaming industry has been catering mostly to casual gamers and shitting all over hardcore gamers as a matter of course.

        I definitely have not noticed that in the market. In fact, the market suggests exactly the opposite of that. How many games come out in a given month that are designed to be playable in short (say 30 minutes or less) increments? How many games are playable with only 6 or fewer buttons and a D-pad? How many games are designed to be multiplayer experiences with the players all in the same physical room? Those are some of the aspects that characterize casual gaming.

        Instead what I see sold in the ads to

      • For the money, the One controller is worth the scratch, as is.

  • Can I swap the d-pad & left joysticks? (Score:3)

    by XxtraLarGe ( 551297 ) on Tuesday June 16, 2015 @07:38AM (#49920595) Journal
    The controller is probably the one thing more than anything else that prevents me from having an interest in the XBOne, just like the 360 & XBox before them. The PS controllers have always seemed more comfortable to me due to their symmetry.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by ArcadeMan ( 2766669 )

      Look at this image [zmescience.com], then you'll understand why they can't make symmetric controllers.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Of course not. Why would you want to?! The Xbox controller is designed to put the most-used control elements (the left joystick and the face buttons) where your thumbs naturally lie when you hold your hand in a neutral position. You have to hold your left hand in an awkward position to use the PlayStation controllers, probably because the analog sticks were literally an afterthought in the original design. (The original DualShock was an upgrade to the original PlayStation controller which had no analog

      • I agree about PS controllers... for some games I've found that it is most comfortable to hold it upside down to use my fingers rather than thumbs.

      • The Xbox controller is designed to put the most-used control elements (the left joystick and the face buttons) where your thumbs naturally lie when you hold your hand in a neutral position.

        Maybe for you, but I don't find that to be the case. I seem to have to really reach for the left joystick, which is a strain on me. I find the positioning of the left & right dual analog sticks on the PS controllers to be much more comfortable. Guess I'm in the minority.

      • I can agree with this. I have a Saitek Cyborg [cordolio.com] that has the poppable module to convert the left thumb controls to either PS style or X-Box style. I was used to the PS style of control so for a long time I had it in the PS configuration. Unfortunately, I began feeling numbness in my left thumb when I was using the left A-stick during prolonged sessions. When I swapped it to X-Box style, the fatigue went away. After discovering this I started using the feature to adapt to the game I was playing. D-pad he
      • Depends on what you're doing with your gamepad. For console gamers, sure, because analog sticks are the only precise directional input device available. On a PC, however, things look different and analog sticks are much less important as most of what they do is better done with a mouse.

        As a PC gamer I have three main uses for a gamepad: Platformers and brawlers (where the D-pad is much superior due to its responsiveness and ease of use) and shooters (where the D-pad performs reasonably well and the analog
      • As far as the natural/neutral positioning of your hands is concerned... The Wii Pro Stick is by far the most comfortable controller to hold, it also has the least amount of "thumb-travel" to switch from the Control Sticks to the D-Pad or Buttons.

        Even with fairly large (long) hands, the bulkier/larger bodied controllers aren't any more comfortable.

        At least the XBox Elite solves one problem that nearly all game-pads have -- half of your fingers are underneath the controller body, and are not needed to hol
        • Take a mouse that has 2 thumb buttons, plus the standard Left/Middle/Right click.
          If you assign Ctrl, and Shift to the two thumb buttons, then you get 4 states for each of the 3 standard mouse buttons --- without reaching for a keyboard yet.

          LButton, Ctrl + LButton, Shift + LButton, Ctrl+Shift + LButton.

          Instead of a 5 button mouse, you have 9 additional states that you can use above and beyond the normal three L/M/R clicks.

  • It still bothers me spending more than $30 for any controller other than a fighting stick. This one is ridiculous.

  • I understand this controller isn't meant for casual players, but I think this is an example of choosing complexity over usability. If I'm trying to get more gamers to play Xbox One, I would invest in technologies that will allow normal players to enjoy a game as much as pro players rather than invest in technologies that widens the gap between pro players and normal players. There are far more normal gamers than "pro" gamers.

    Take Splatoon for instance. It took a genre that is reserved for hardcore brogamers

    • I understand this controller isn't meant for casual players, but I think this is an example of choosing complexity over usability

      Something can be complex and usable. See: keyboard.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      I understand this controller isn't meant for casual players, but I think this is an example of choosing complexity over usability. If I'm trying to get more gamers to play Xbox One, I would invest in technologies that will allow normal players to enjoy a game as much as pro players rather than invest in technologies that widens the gap between pro players and normal players. There are far more normal gamers than "pro" gamers.

      True, but does that mean pro gamers shouldn't have their niche? The controller is $

      • Except it further dissuades me from buying their games. Why would I want to play a game online that I'm going to lose all the time? I don't have 60 hours a week to hone my brogaming skillz. Having these complex controllers puts "pro" players at an even greater advantage while not addressing the issues of complexity. This makes me not want to play.

        Splatoon changes the equation by making a game accessible and pairs you with random people of different skill levels while taking away anti-features like "get shou

        • You are the kind of guy that would prevent anyone from being great because you cant be

          • No, I'm the kind of guy who wants everyone to be great by thinking creatively on how to simplify complexity. Steve Jobs said it best, "That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."

            I want more people gaming without dumbing down gaming into what we see on mobile devices. This doesn't take away from l33t hard core brogam

  • I was looking at this and Hololens and was kind of excited. I'm not a fan of Microsoft, but hey, they're putting out some cool stuff.

    Then I found out for your $150, they're not giving you a play and charge battery.

    Bollocks. What the fuck Microsoft? At least it's controllable over USB now.

  • The key(board) uocks all (Score:4, Funny)

    by Impy the Impiuos Imp ( 442658 ) on Tuesday June 16, 2015 @10:23AM (#49921641) Journal

    Today, Microsoft announced that later this year, it will be releasing what could be the "ultimate" Xbox and Windows game controller. Called Xbox Elite Wireless, this gamepad has a dramatically overhauled D-pad and four paddles underneath. Other features that make this gamepad special: there are trigger locks, the ability to customize thumbstick sensitivity, along with the level of travel for the top triggers. In addition, it also sports swappable components, like the paddles, etc

    "The controller is seen as a huge improvement. In FPS playtesting, test subiects using this controller had their butts handed to them by a mouser in 2.8 seconds, compared to 1.3 seconds with the old controller."

    • Yes, and this is exactly why they don't support cross-platform play. You're right - PC players good with keyboard & mouse absolutely destroy the console players. They tried it on the X360 and that's exactly what happened, not really much fun in the long run for either group. What you're missing is the marketing brilliance of a $150 controller that is also an official Microsoft product. Unlike keyboard & mouse it will be allowed in competitive online XBONE games like Halo 5, Call of Duty, etc. - an
  • Please bring back the Microsoft Sidewinder, as that was the best game controller ever made.

  • Microsoft advertises windows support for their xbone controllers. They sell a cable for the explicit purpose of using with your Windows PC.

    And when it breaks after just a couple days, you're screwed.

    They refuse to honor the warranty if you don't also own an xbone. [xbox.com]

    "Note You must register your Xbox One console to replace a wireless controller thatâ(TM)s under warranty."

    Seems like a flagrant violation of Magnuson-Moss to me.

    • Got mine replaced (it would stick and made characters run around in circles) with just my proof-of-purchase at about 6 months with no problem at all.

      I think the requirement for registration is due to no POP for the controller as it was sold with the system, so they require registration to prove you bought it.

      If you bought it separately, you have a POP for the controller itself. No problem, unless of course you lose your proof.

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