Xbox Series X|S Controller Thoughts and Impressions

When the Xbox Series X|S was released (were released?), I had no idea when I was going to be able to get one. Despite this, I did have my eyes set on one other thing: checking out the new controller included with it.

Now, several months later, I have the console, and as a direct result, I finally get to check out the new controller. Funny how life works, isn’t it?

But why was my focus on the controller, as much or more so than the machine?

I’ve said it before, but of the last generation of video game consoles, the Xbox One had my favorite controller (with some props to the Wii U GamePad, which is still more comfortable to me than the Switch), bar none. I know this is subjective, but from the moment I laid my hands on it, it felt like it was made for me, almost like it was a part of me. What really sold it for me, however, was the Dpad. Simply put, it was perfect, and even puts the ones Nintendo uses for the Switch to shame (Full disclosure: My Switch Pro controller lacks the central pivot, which seems to be… randomly added to some controllers, as I hear it? So I can’t speak for how well one of those works).

With such a great controller throughout the Xbox One generation, I had concerns about what would come next. Would Microsoft tinker with it, go too far, and ruin what made the Xbox One controller great? Or would they somehow actually managed to improve upon it?

Let’s find out!

Note: I’m using my own photography again for his one, banner aside, so please excuse any cat hair and the like you might see. I tried to remove it as best as I could, but if you’ve ever owned a cat (or a dog), then you recognize the futility. Like a hydra’s heads, you wipe one away, and two more take its place. This is the life I chose.

At a glance, the Xbox Series X|S controller is extremely similar to the Xbox One controller, with only a couple of standout features setting the two apart. Foremost among these are the new Share button and the new D-pad design. Dig deeper, however, and you may notice some other more subtle changes.

Upon taking the controller in hand, the most noticeable of these is the added texture. This extends to not only the handles, but pretty much the entire plastic shell of the controller, albeit to varying degrees. The top has a matte finish that’s a little more pronounced than the Xbox One’s, whereas the bottom of the grips are a lot more pronounced. Meanwhile, the shoulder bumpers and triggers have texture given to them as well, again to varying degrees, and the face buttons remain pearly smooth. Each part of the controller has a different feel to it.

Between the grips at the bottom of the controller, you’ll find the same ports the Xbox One had for a headphone jack and Microsoft’s own more proprietary accessories, while the top has the same sync button and USB charge ports. And of course, the back features a removable panel for installing either two AA batteries or an Xbox Play and Charge Kit.

When I first laid eyes on the Xbox Series X|S controller, I was immediately worried. Prior to the Xbox One, Xbox D-pads were, to put it frankly, not great. But with the Xbox One, they absolutely nailed it.

So naturally, seeing that they were deviating away from the classic + design that served it so well, I was worried. Sure, I could still use my Xbox One controller with the new console, but I would rather it not be because the new one came up short — especially with that handy Share button (which we’ll come back to) in play.

As it would turn out, my fears were completely unfounded. The designers at Xbox set out to create a hybrid between the cross- and dish-style designs, and they nailed it.

I tested the new D-pad with a couple of classics, as well as a newer title. From Sonic CD to Killer Instinct and on to Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, it worked flawlessly. Inputs were smooth and precise, and I was able to pull off various styles of special moves with ease, which is basically my main barometer for whether a D-pad is any good or not.

There is one thing to note, however: The D-pad is good, but it’s also very clicky. Maybe a little too much so in the audible sense, though I only really notice when I’m not playing and trying it out, so it might just be me. It’s definitely a crisper, clearer click than I get from the face buttons and pressing in the thumbsticks, though.

Finally, there’s the new feature which sets this controller apart from its predecessor more than any other: the Share button.

With an Xbox One controller, you have to press the Xbox button to pull up a menu, from which you can decide to either take a snapshot or record a video clip. With this button, you can skip the menu process, tell the Xbox to capture a screenshot or video, and continue along your way. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy.

The process is instantaneous… mostly. With each press of the button, you’ll get the usual Xbox notification that you’ve taken a screenshot. Take several in a row, and they come up one after another in sequence until they’re done. Not quite as elegant as the Nintendo Switch’s, which just makes the camera shutter sound and is done with it, but still better than the old way of doing things.

If you hold down the button for a moment, it will take a video clip, with a default length of 30 seconds (you can change this to 15, 45, or 60 seconds in the settings menu). Be warned, though — if you try to record a clip after taking one or more screenshots, you’ll wind up with a clip that’s relatively shorter in length due to some stuttering/skipping from where the screen captures were taken (approximately one second for every shot).

From there, sharing to Xbox Live or social media is as easy as ever.

All in all, my fears about the new Xbox Series X|S controller turned out to be non-issues, and it might even surpass the Xbox One controller in some shared functionality (i.e. D-pad, because the Share solution is obviously better).

I still love the Xbox Design Lab controller my wife got me for my birthday (the orange one seen above), so I’m probably sticking with that for more general play, but if I know I’ll need to be taking screenshots for something, I’m switching right over.

If you don’t have that kind of sentimental attachment going on, or are just trying to decide on a new controller for your Xbox One or PC (it’s compatible with both), then I cannot recommend going for the Xbox Series X|S controller enough. It may not have the fancy gimmicks of the PlayStation 5 DualSense controller (whose longevity remains to be seen), but it is definitely a solid piece of kit that should serve you well across multiple devices.

Oh, right, I almost forgot — I haven’t had a chance to use the functionality myself, but the Series X|S controller can be paired with and quickly swapped between multiple devices, including the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, and Android, with iOS support promised for the future (though it seems The Verge has done so already).

The Xbox Series X|S controller is $74.99 CAD, and is available now — and more readily than the console it was designed for, at that.

Thanks for reading!

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David Oxford is a freelance writer of many varied interests. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.